《Vitae Memorandum》


 0: Conflicted Reflections

    After the conclusion of a long journey, its often helpful to look back at everything that had occurred and learned from everything that happened along the way.  This was exactly what Lwyn was doing, off on the Great Mountain.


    She knew there were other things that needed to be done, other places she had to be, but things were going well enough without her, she would only get in the way.  With her eighteenth birthday so close, there were several people who were just intent on getting things done, things were moving forwards anyway.  However, Lwyn knew that with the changes everyone was bringing forward, the most important thing would be to learn from the past they were leaving behind, and to not forget it.  Moving forward too fast could be just as bad as not moving forward at all.


    Everything used to be so much worse, everyone used to struggle so much more, it was back then a time of hate and fear.  Then.. everything just changed.  She laughed thinking about it, remembering just how different she used to be, even half a year ago.  Back then, she only had one set of memories, instead of two.  Back then, she was basically alone, without the friends she had now.  Life had been rough in the days before, as a result.


    "Lwyn, here you are.  What are you doing up here?  I''ve been worried sick about what happened to you.  I know you can''t help as much anymore, but you don''t need to run off like this."  Mhyl surprised Lwyn, showing up behind her while so distracted.  Mhyl was one of those she could consider to be one of those friends she gained from her journey.  Like Lwyn, Mhyl had started off alone, enduring her own harsh lifestyle.  Also like her, Mhyl had gained a second set of memories.  In both their cases, it wasn''t just any second memories, they were memories from a life in another world.  Earth, according to such memories.  Even after all this time, it was still kinda uncertain under what terms they got these memories, be it from having lived as these people from earth and then just being reborn in Celese, or if they had just simply inherited a portion of someone else''s memories in the middle of their own lives, as that person kept moving forward.


    "Mhyl, is she alright then?  Ah, actually this is kinda nice.  The quiet serenity, a chance to relax, I can see why Lwyn came up here.  Yeah, things are going well enough today, I think it''s time for a well deserved break."  Qheria came to sit down beside Lwyn, compelling Mhyl to do the same.  Qheria was yet another of the group, from a harsh neglected lifestyle to the second set of memories.  In fact, she was specifically the group''s leader, if sometimes only informally so.  Her guidance had lead them through so many challenges, from bandit raids to factory heists.  Not that everything was just peaches and cream, so many things had a tendency to go wrong, and they had suffered a good portion of grief in those failings.  No, you couldn''t say everything worked out perfectly along the way, and it was easy to have regrets from more than a few outcomes, but it was hard to doubt just how much had been accomplished in that time.


    "What the F~~k!  I thought we were going to get things done today!?  Come on everyone, this is going to be a pretty big deal, please don''t just let everything slide like this.  F~~~ing hell, is this some shitty joke or something?"  Thanrie suddenly showed up, once again livid with rage almost out of nowhere.  Thanrie was the last member of the group, the one who had found the biggest shift of personality from their journey.  All of them had changed from such, with conflicted thoughts struggling to resolve in their heads as if they were each two different people in one.  No one had that in such depth as Thanrie, who almost had a light and dark side as a result.  Although, it was more hot and cold.. but that''s beside the point.  Living with such a complex shift in their own personality had made things very difficult at first, and took a lot to get used to.


    "I''m sorry everyone.  I just wanted a place to think about everything we''ve been through over the last half of a year.  So much has changed, and there is still so much that needs to be done, but I just didn''t want to forget everything we''ve done together."  Lwyn still stood up despite her protests, realizing that she would have to return if she was causing this much of a distraction for everyone.  Even despite her search for tranquility among her thoughts, she was still the most hyper among them in most cases, it was effectively her norm.  That norm had been tried and tested through their journey, it had been threatened and battered though all of their hardships.  It wasn''t at all missed to anyone why Lwyn would hold such a strong interest in taking a moment to reflect on their accomplishments.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Lwyn herself was not human, neither was Mhyl.  Mhyl was an elf, which had given her quite a challenge when trying to fit in when she didn''t even know the human language.  Lwyn herself knew both the elven and human language, being herself a half-elf.  This had been a very negative aspect of her life, considering the degree of hatred imparted on half-elves.  Yet despite this, all four of them had came together successfully, mostly in fact due to the duality of their memories.  While languages of their old lives might have made things a bit challenging, the memories they gained from earth all included knowledge of English, itself not a language spoken by anyone else.  This was only one of the many elements of their newly found memories that brought complexity into their lives.  Qheria and Thanrie both even shared their own complication in memory, that neither of their alternate memories were even female.


    While such memories brought a lot of complication, they also imparted some considerable advantages.  The largest advantage was simply an understanding of earth sciences, which was nothing like what they had in their own world.  Technology wasn''t a thing of this world, it was instead a concept much like a fantasy, itself considered akin to a form of magic.  This world instead had its own set of rules, its own laws, its own.. sciences, almost in complete reversal.  It was only with such knowledge that they were able to keep up when the world was challenged in technological warfare.  It demanded constant improvements and learning from each of them, just to stay alive.  Most of all, it demanded a knowledge of how the world works, and how their own fates were interwoven with it.


    Lwyn walked back to the drop leading downwards.  It had been a challenging climb to get this far up, but nothing she would have ever struggled over too much.  Her own climbing ability had been profound, but for now her climbing ability wasn''t quite as it might normally be.  Thanrie pulled out a rope with a mischievous smile, as Lwyn sunk her face into her hands.  It wasn''t that she couldn''t count on her friends, instead she knew that her friends were the most dependable people she would ever know.  If ever Lwyn needed help with something, her friends had always been there for her.  She knew that even going forwards, such would eternally remain true.


    However, seeing the rope, Lwyn took a moment to recall some of the gear they had used in their journey.  It was not like everything was as peaceful as now, back then was a time of war and conflict, of bandits and assassins.. and worse.  Lwyn looked at her hands, fully aware of how much blood had tainted them due to their journey, knowing that the sense of that taint would never in her lifetime disappear.  It was probably the biggest reason for her reflection of the past, a sense of responsibilities for the outcome of her own actions and choices.  As they had progressed their journey, travelling through distant fields beyond known lands, they had only found themselves with access to more powerful resources, which had thus compounded a greater sense of consequences for their actions.  But with even the very fate of their world at risk, it was understandable to expect some degree of danger, and some degree of loss.


    Such had only been their fate, after all, and things such as fate and fortune are fickle at the best of times.  But each of them knew that never in their wildest dreams would they ever imagine having achieved all they had accomplished.  Each of them had been certain they would just lead a minor life without any real degree of importance, and all of that had eventually unfurled into a world-changing legacy.  All of them had progressed from being simple girls of everyday society, without even any real public presence, to internationally renowned super-weapons.  Overall, it was almost overwhelming to look back upon.


    As Lwyn made her way back from the mountain with her friends, she tried to recall some of the finer details of their journey.  She remembered that everything had honestly begun with their meeting at the Citadel, late in the afternoon of that fateful day.

 1: Regal Escapades

    Sunlight split the dawn of a brand new day. The palace comes to life each morning well before dawn, but for some of its residents, morning only truly came by sunlight.


    "Ah!" Thanrie''s bedroom was suddenly alight, waking her from her slumber in an instant. Though, she was not truthfully surprised, most mornings worked out like this, especially those where she would awaken late.


    "I am terribly sorry, madam." The maid, as usual, didn''t look sorry, nor did she even waver as she tied back the curtains. Her apologies were merely a formality. It was also like this most mornings, like a ritual of the day, repeated over and over, unchanging. Much like her life, to be honest. To be certain, she had ways to apply her time, but none of them remained meaningful. As her maid finished with attending her room and turned to attend her, Thanrie quickly discovered today¡¯s outfit unceremoniously dropped onto her bed beside her.


    It was one of her favourite, a rose dress, light in color as in motion, a pastel of floral designs covering it. It was also easy to work with, she could get done any number of tasks in this dress. It was also her least formal, but that made it perfect for some of her choice activities. This particular dress blended so well with the garden she constantly attended to when left on her own. Being such a choice garb for doing things alone, it lent clarity that Thanrie was again to be isolated for another day, which wasn¡¯t actually the original plan this day. Thanrie took the opportunity to express her concerns with her maid.


    "So, I guess the meeting my dear eldest brother was holding was cancelled?" "Sorry, madam. Your brother conveys his apologies, but has decided that your attention would be better suited elsewhere." "What of my second brother, then?" "He had already departed quite early in the morning for the border." Thanrie wasn¡¯t all that surprised by this news from her maid, it happened all the time. Being better suited elsewhere.. that was simply his way of saying she had no place in such matters of Wyxir politics. No, unlike her, her eldest brother was buried in matters of the crown, being the heir of the same. Her second brother was then focused on business beyond the crown estate, specifically increasing the crown estate.


    To the east of Wyxir, their border spanned all the way from the Elnir Woodlands to the Magus Cathedral, at the base of the mountains. The valley between both was cultivated lands, split between Wyxir and Qicir. Wyxir firmly believed that the separation of such valuable land wasn''t the most efficient for the selfsame land. In order to unify such cultivation, her second brother had the role of claiming the Qicir crown. Admittedly, this wasn''t how the Qiciri wanted it to go, but they would surely understand one day.


    Her third brother, youngest of three, still older than herself, was then their backup plan. She was fairly certain that being regarded as a backup plan was quite bothersome for him. Then again, she herself wasn''t even that lucky. Typically, a young princess would be destined to be married off to an estate to build ties to that estate. Being of the crown, once Qicir was brought to bear, her estate would already own everything that mattered to them. To keep up this established domain over the kingdom, an arranged marriage with a lesser noble would then have no benefit to the crown, and only look to destabilize it''s domain. As such, there has never been talk of her even being considered for marriage. She was, effectively, second backup to the backup, if that at all, being the youngest of four.


    ¡°What about my youngest brother? Is there any chance he is also free today?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the youngest prince is also occupied today. The swords you two had been using for sparring yesterday had gotten damaged, so he¡¯s gone to ensure suitable replacements are available.¡± Thanrie was really hoping she would at least have someone to spend time with, but her maid brought a quick end to that idea as well. Her second brother, in all accounts, was trained for war. His martial prowess was in high regard, and the tools of his training had gone through considerable usage. At this point, however, the blade he carried was sharp, the duller forms from his training no longer required. However, the third brother had taken interest in the ways of the blade himself, and had started learning. Overtime, she herself came to interest in a solution to her own boredom. The two of them had hence gotten quite good themselves with a blade, and even a variety of other instruments of death from the armory, but there was never a reason to move on from the tools of training. It wasn''t as if either of them will ever be expected to use any of this stuff, after all. It was only something to pass the time. In fact, she was fairly certain that the only reason he had gone to do this himself was to take up his own time, he could have very easily just sent someone else to complete the task for him.


    Thanrie took a moment to consider actually looking for him, but in all reality she actually knew very little about the layout of everything beyond the walls of the palace, not having actually travelled beyond. The palace was simply her domain, the only place she was ever allowed to go. Within such tight boundaries, she found herself in a cycle of repetition that simply was all her life could ever be. Even so, she had a lot of hope in getting some more of their typical blade exercises done today, the day was simply far too quiet. With little else as an alternative, she headed out to the garden and sat among the blossoms of her thoughts as she wept at her misfortune, all without tears as those had dried up long ago.


    Her maid had obviously returned to work, she was completely isolated once again, forever alone in all honesty. Very frequently, no one had time for her at all, her youngest brother remained the only rare exception. She might only be restricted to this one place, but really she never even felt like she belonged there either. She had no future, not one where she would matter at all, all she was doing was wasting time until there simply wouldn¡¯t be time left. However, left with her entire family so distant to her, she wondered if there really was any value in wasting her time here, where she wasn¡¯t needed for anything. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had wondered upon such thoughts on her own, and as she continued her spiral of isolation, there wasn¡¯t anyone there to pull her from such thoughts this time either.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    As such, she pondered if any would even miss her if she was gone. Her youngest brother, maybe, though only to comfort his own case. Perhaps in death, she would cause trouble, as the conflict with Qicir would ensue with blood ran hot in the belief of a Qiciri assassination plot. But if instead she ran away from home... Actually, that wouldn''t change much. Only two concerns in that case, that her third brother would certainly hunt her down, and that she herself had no idea where she would go. In the past, it was always this thought which had turned her away from the thought, knowing that being somewhere else wouldn¡¯t change anything.. but this time she wondered if that was all the reason for change. Unlike the flowers at her feet, she wasn¡¯t exactly embedded to the ground she walked upon. Even her brother had gone out today, seeking something to do. Certainly then, if she went even farther, she could only find even more things of interest, right?


    She was naive enough to think it would truthfully be that simple.


    She began packing immediately, working her way around the passage of lunch, aiming to be off quickly into the afternoon. Just before leaving, she quickly penned a note to pass on her desire to find her own future, so that it was clear she had left willingly. Packing as she had, her willingness would not be disregarded, but she left not even a hint about where she was going. That wasn''t difficult, she herself still wasn''t that certain either. Not even a question was raised as she simply walked out, her passage hardly noticed by anyone at all.


    She left the palace and reached the streets of the capital, mixing in with people who assumed she was of some variety of nobility, but none could actually place her. She wasn''t exactly one to stand out within the palace, either, so at the streets there was little chance of her being recognized. Being assumed nobility, even leaving the capital''s gate wasn''t even a challenge. She pulled out one of the maps her brothers had been keen on using for matters of governing or conquest. Her map helped her little unless she would head due east, so east it was.


    For a princess, her fitness was impressive, and not only because of her practicing with her brother. On various other days on her own, she would pass the time too with various other exercises, even if it was little more than a hike around the palace on her own. Sure, she did a lot of other calm activities, things befitting a princess, but she had spent a lot of her boredom with her youngest brother, who himself didn''t enjoy such feminine pursuits. Tending to the garden, playing with flowers, she had a heart for such a thing, but she didn''t like being alone, and it was that prolonged loneliness that she attached to some of those activities. Still, even as reckless as she was being, her fitness wasn''t a problem even for this long hike. She was pretty physically prepared, but she was still naive.


    At home, she had always relied upon maids to have her stuff prepared for her, what she wore, what she ate. Except for bearing considerable funds, her supplies were ill-suited for a day-trip, let alone anything more. Her food wasn''t the most practical for such an expedition, and her water supply was greatly insufficient. The clothes chosen held more a matter of personal taste rather than practical purpose, the outfit she was currently wearing being considerably more practical than anything she packed. She also still didn''t have a plan, even as the day''s zenith passed and dinner approached. She didn''t even have an overnight plan, as she reached the third village of her journey near the end of the day. The first two were simply stops for her to eat, an effort to have some real food and to save what little food she had brought with her. In all accounts, she probably should have stopped in the last village for the night, but had instead pressed onwards well past dusk, reaching this stop in the still of the night. She found the inn quickly, the faint torch glowing outside still lit for a few moments more.


    ¡°Hello? I know it¡¯s really late, but is there any chance that you still have another room free?¡± ¡°Huh, what? No kidding it¡¯s late, you¡¯re lucky I haven¡¯t locked up yet. Unfortunately, no, you¡¯re flat out of luck, go try somewhere else.¡± ¡°But.. if you¡¯re about to lock up, there won¡¯t be anywhere else.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like my problem.¡± Thanrie grew pale in the dim light of the main entry, realizing the innkeeper was dismissing her. Was she really so much without any place that even here.. she still remained so easy to disregard? ¡°Please, just one night and I¡¯ll be gone. If you have nothing more than a dinning hall corner and a blanket, I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°Hold on. You¡¯re dressed rather well for being just a normal traveller. I mean.. if you can spare a bit extra, I might be able to work something out.¡± Thanrie was putting in her best efforts in pleading when the Innkeeper finally got a good look at her. The Innkeeper actually still had some rooms to spare, but was getting too tired to bother with all of the regular process, she had been up late doing accounting already. However, Thanrie clearly looked like she had more money than the typical patrons of these parts, so maybe this was a golden opportunity. The two quickly discussed costs and the base minimum for agreement, with the Innkeeper providing Thanrie with a rushed introduction to her room for that night before promptly vanishing.


    Thanrie set off quickly the next morning, not even staying for breakfast as was typically offered. It was clear that even here, she was still in everyone¡¯s way. Her guilt continued to climb when she found herself forced to accept the provisioned assistance of a passing convoy who offered her a ride, something she simply hadn¡¯t been capable of securing for herself, much like a repeat of her overnight troubles at the Inn before. These feelings of being misplaced in her own society continued to climb with each day, until the third day where she found herself with little more east to go within her own kingdom. From here, cultivation gave way to military, the border not far beyond. The sights of mounting tension at the border gave minimal insight at least to primitive instincts. Going further wasn''t smart, she might be trained with a blade, but not only did she not even have one, those further ahead were numerous others also trained with a blade. Her future could be cut short without much cause if she just kept going.


    Consulting the map she had, the most obvious alternatives were either to turn towards the woods and enter the domain of the elves, a sacred land that she''s grown up understanding should never be invaded, no matter what reason.. or to turn the other way, towards the magus citadel. The citadel was a neutral place on the edge of this war, a safe haven at the edge of a sea of blood. It wasn''t much space, so her brothers had no want to bother taking it, and the arch-magus was powerful enough that the meager gains certainly weren''t worth the losses.


    The citadel might be her answer. She arrived late that afternoon.

 2: Legends Unleashed

    Sunlight split the dawn of a brand new day. The Guardhall of the Shieldbearers came alive well before dawn.


    Qheria had been awake already for hours, hard at work, as usual. She was a devoted Shieldbearer, a knight of the people. The Guardhall had been her home even as a young child, and even now, still so young, remained her home to this day. Each day she spent in earnest, in the shadows of her mother, a legendary hero of the ages. Xyithy may be her mother, but she was also her aspiration. Each day was another day of improvement, to reach higher and higher, to reach a level everyone expected of her, she included. The daughter of a great hero, it was inevitable, of course.


    She wasn''t alone. Everyone in the Guardhall looked up to her mother, reaching forward to their own measure of fame. Voices clattered behind her and she worked.


    "Was there any news from last night''s incident?" "Yeah, the target was found safely and returned home." It wasn''t like the Shieldbearers were military. The Guardhall might look like some kind of foreboding cathedral, but the politics within were neither religious nor military. Their role was to look after their people. "I heard the little girl was rather adorable too!" The people.. including their kids. When it came to fighting, her opponents were naught more than bandits, thieves, and other criminals. Sometimes, wildlife from the woods would show up, cause problems, and she might be called to deal with that too. Some Shieldbearers, like the woman who just spoke, weren''t even interested in the fighting aspects. Which worked out well then, because usually their jobs just involved thinks like searching for lost children, maybe a missing purse.


    She flipped though the morning''s paperwork, some minor cases still not resolved. The next page on the stack, a dispute between two farmers, as a horse was caught grazing upon the other''s cornfield across it''s fence. Both argued that the other was supposed to leave such goods farther from such a barrier, it was almost hopeless. It was much like the others in the selfsame stack.


    "Qheria, you''re on duty for patrol of the market square in almost an hour. You should be getting ready, shouldn''t you?" Technically, she should be doing paperwork until that one hour mark begins, so its not like she was behind or anything. Still, it was pretty clear she was being told that she was getting in the way, and things here would be taken care of. Like clockwork, she got her stuff together and admonished her shield, the icon of her occupation. It was a small kiteshield, adorned with the blue and gold crest of the same occupation, and unassuming fortress wreathed in light. It was her mother that had came up with the selfsame crest, though she never did figure out the source of its inspiration. It looked cheesy, none the less. The fortress was probably supposed to show strength of fortitude, but considering the heroic event her mother had gotten her great reputation from originated from the structural failure of the castle of the crown and her heroic rescue of the royal family amidst the collapse, it seemed ill-fitting. Still, at least it was a thing, there could certainly have been worse.


    Having started early, she was similarly prepared early. Her partner, not so much. She glanced up at the sky and its passage of time, getting worried about falling behind. Several minutes later, her partner finally arrived, passing her with hardly a care. She hurried to join step.


    "Qheria, you''re late. The Shieldbearers does not tolerate delinquency, and leaving your partner here waiting for you isn''t doing them any justice either." The previous patrol had intercepted her partner and caught her stepping behind. Having been left on patrol late, they placed blame on the most obvious culprit. "I- I was just.. just over.." "I don''t want to hear it. I''ll be certain to report my complaints. Just don''t screw up any worse, like you usually do."


    Like usual, because this happens all the time. She works probably harder than anyone, and no one ever notices. Then, because she is so easy to walk all over, she gets blamed for everything. Worst, she wasn''t exactly capable of standing up for herself either, fighting back, or defending herself. She looked after others way more than she looked after herself.


    With that, her patrol begun. For a while, nothing of importance happened, just the people of the everyday doing what they do everyday. At one point, the two of them noticed a young boy being suspicious. With careful inspection, they noticed he was hiding a knife. The knife was a leatherweaver''s blade, designed for shaping leather. It was also remarkable at un-shaping leather. Soon after, a young noblewoman entered the market, carrying a hefty leather purse. The young man started after her.


    Her partner started forwards, so she brought him to pause. "Wait, he hasn''t done anything with obvious intention yet, if we act too soon he would be free on denial." Her partner brushed her off and moved in, not willing to give the boy any opportunity to run away with ill gotten gains. Her partner arrived while the young lady was focused intently on a stall of pretty dresses, totally oblivious to her surroundings. The boy was on approach.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "Halt! You boy, stand where you are and don''t move. You''ll be coming with me." "Uh, wha? Wha-eher did I do? I been good, s''truth." "Good boys don''t brandish knives." "Oh, dat? I bought it meself, my own hard workin money and all." "It''s clear what you were going to use it for." "Is? I mean, I been practin'' really hard, I got this girl I like and all, so ya know, I wanted to impress ''er and make something for ''er. I didn''t know it was such an obvious thing, wantn ta make stuff like that and all. I know it might not be fair and such trying, staring at the merchens with all their quality stuff and trying ta learn from em, but I didn think it was against laws and stuff..."


    The market had turned to look upon this sudden street performance, the pity for the young boy painted painfully clear upon many of the onlookers who weren''t otherwise upset that the Shieldbearers'' scene was interrupting business. It was the exact act of denial she was worried about originally. This was going bad.


    "I-I think it.." "Really ma''am, truly, was it so bad." Even the little boy spoke over her, and having thrown herself in to bring things to a halt, she found herself unable to impact much of anything. Her partner was also growing irrational, irritated by the boy''s blatant lies. When he made a move to restrain the boy, the crowd erupted in the boy''s defense. Still, with little they could legally do against a Shieldbearer, all this accomplished was slowing things down. All things considered, slowing things down worked admirably in the boy''s favour.


    "Okay you two, what''s going on!" Having learned about a commotion in the market square, the chief himself showed up to deal with it. The boy turned to him, pleading his case as he had been, presenting himself fully a victim of rash circumstances. And so, things went from bad to worse, as the chief took rational action and brought a stop to the whole thing.


    "On the behalf of the Shieldbearers, we are considerably sorry for the grievances brought against you. We shall make sure to deal with this issue internally, so that it does not happen again." The chief was mostly talking to the boy, but was also bringing this to the crowd. Merchants were still upset at the distraction, after all, and something needed to counter the horrible rumors this would cause. He then turned to the two on patrol, his eyes demanding that they follow. Meekly, Qheria and her partner left with the chief.


    "Would either of you care to bother to explain that farce that happened back there?" "We- I- He.." "My partner had spotted the boy was brandishing a knife, so we moved in to secure the boy before any incident would occur." "Before there was any indemnifying proof? Certainly you two should by now understand that acting rashly like that would just provide deniability for the scene. Qheria, most of all, this is very disappointing. It was not this morning that I got word of a complaint that you were late for this selfsame patrol, and I''ve found this morning that you had left unfinished paperwork as you so thoughtlessly abandoned your work, just to leave early. You''ve had your head in the clouds all day. It''s quite seriously inexcusable. With you in this state, I''m going to have to insist on a leave of duty from you, as you take time to recover your mind from whatever cloud you left it on."


    The chief then promptly confiscated her shield, shaking his head in utter disappointment. There was nothing she could do to come to her own defense.


    With that, it appears a form of.. vacation.. was extended to her. She decided the best course of action was to go on a trip of self-refinement. Clearly, she wasn''t as good as she needed to be, she needed to get better. But no one here would even listen to her. She would then go on a journey and return a better person. She carefully calculated a rational destination. The crown of the Qicir had its castle out east, it was where her mother found her fame after all. However, the chances of a second incident wasn''t likely, it was almost rude to consider. The Elniri was a thing, but... she knew the elves would be willing to listen to her even less than her own people. The warfront honestly was the same problem, people way above her with a situation many times worse. Further west was the Qiciri, and entering the territory of a war enemy would end even worse. Though, there was the arch-magus. His was a place completely neutral from the goings of society. This was possibly the most enriching opportunity she would be capable of finding. It was only a day''s trip away, not a voyage she was ignorant of. Because of her station and her parentage, she wasn''t exactly lacking financially either. She considered a moment the thought of letting her mother know, but decided that she had gotten in the way of enough people already. Involving her own mother, the great hero, that would be foolish. This was something she needed to resolve on her own.


    She spent the rest of the day preparing properly for her voyage, packing all of the essentials. She had no idea how long she would be gone for, and attempted to compensate for that. She chose to leave her uniform behind, opting instead for a green traveling cloak and generic leather gear, brown and simple in it''s almost professionalism. Her shield was already gone, so it was just a matter of course. After final nights rest at home, she set off early the next morning. As she traveled, she questioned how she might exactly accomplish her goals, how she might find a place to belong. She questioned herself, what she was doing, what she was thinking, but she had no further answers. This was all she had, she knew of only one possible answer at this point.


    The citadel might be her answer. She arrived late that afternoon.

 3: Destined Turmoils

    Sunlight split the dawn of a brand new day. Though, deep within the great library of the elves, you might not be aware of its passing.


    Mhyl for years now had lost all sense of time. For her, the greatest signs of day or night was if the library was busy or quiet. The waking hours of her day''s free time were spent doing only a single thing, reading. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the library carried over millions of books, it was not only possibly one of the biggest buildings of the Elniri, a folk already not known for having many buildings, but was a rival of the Magus Citadel itself. More than a castle, the sheer expanse of the library competed with the size of both human capitals. The halls of books were akin to streets at market, the shelves resident the most popular patron of the halls, the books. However, Mhyl was yet another resident, an oddity among the endless tide of papers and binding.


    She wasn''t the only elf to grace the halls, the library''s staff frequented around, doing whatever work they needed doing. A library of this size needed constant staff and had endless things to do. In consideration of their hard work, Mhyl made certain to carefully treat every book with care, and properly return any material exactly from where it was found originally. It was not as if she was the only elf to live among the books, but all of them worked here. Even a library patron was a rare oddity in the halls, as no one would bother searching the miles of the halls for anything specific, when they could just leave a request with the staff and have their book brought to them.


    She was special in her own right, her mother was the High-Sage, an elven point of influence on par with the human Arch-Magus. But contrary to the workings of most human politics, the High-Sage was an elf chosen by nature itself. When her mother was young, the wills of the wilds had carefully chosen her in a naming ritual, making her henceforth the next High-Sage. When it came time for her mother to step down, the same ritual will be held, and the wills of the wild will chose another elf. In all accounts, her mother was still young enough to keep her position for a long time, and the naming ritual tends to pick someone rather young. Mhyl''s chances of being picked for the next one were basically nothing, this wasn''t a matter of linage.


    What did matter was that she was the daughter of the High-Sage, and as a mother, the High-Sage was especially overprotective. As a result, Mhyl had never in her life stepped from the walls of the library her mother presided over. The library was effectively the great office of the High-Sage, offering a world-renown collection of wisdom as a resource for the most sagely of elves. To share in the bountiful harvest of her blessing, her daughter has had free access to all of the information held within. She was effectively a caged bird.


    She was quite friendly with all of the passing staff, but her biggest friends were still the books. Those books would share with her tales of the world beyond, places she would never get to see, people she would never get to meet. She knew that her role in life was to one day become yet another staff member of the library, and just live here forever. She took that sense of responsibility to heart. She started accounting for the placement of each book, and had gotten faster at finding books than most of the staff. While reading, if she found books misplaced, she fixed them. This is itself why none of the staff had yet felt inclined to begin presenting her with any form of responsibility, why she was still not staff. Nothing was a matter of getting paid, her mother already accounted for all of her needs as is, and becoming staff would only mean that her earnings would go to her mother''s estate, which wouldn''t then change anything. For her, money was a thing from stories.


    For obvious reasons, Mhyl never really felt alive. Everything of life came from books, a life is what she experienced in stories, and then the book reached its end, was over, and she would turn to the next. She herself had no value in the slightest, no purpose, no ambition, nothing. The days just rolled on, and she never noticed.


    Today came the unexpected. The halls gained another visitor. A traveler among the elves, he had seen things and been to places, and would do both many more times. In order to accomplish his goals, he was in need of a book. The staff at the counter, as always, had said that they would locate his book for him, and present it when available. This would of course take days. However, he was a traveler, and was not afraid to travel the halls of the library, and there was no rule saying he couldn''t. With such, he then set off to locate his own book from the collection of halls.


    Mhyl was a very trusting girl, never having reason to not trust anyone. When she found this new stranger among the halls of books, she approached him without any fear.


    "Good sir, hello." "Hello my dear, are you here too searching for the right book?" The question alone puzzled her. Searching for books was a normal thing, but was there ever such a thing as the right book? Was any one book ever right, or were all books just there to be read? Her puzzled expression concerned him. "I''m certain in this wealth of knowledge hides the perfect book, you will find it if you try." "I''ve been here for years, and never found such a thing before." Her passing remark surprised him, he wasn''t aware of her circumstances.


    "I take it then you find yourself a bit of an expert on the books here?" "Of course, I''ve gotten really good at keeping track of many of them. I''ve worked very hard!" "Ah, then maybe you would know where mine is? I''m looking for a Celesi Atlas, a book that describes every corner of the entire world in complete detail. There have been many who have started with such, but I''ve yet to find a book that describes everything." The whole world, that would be quite an impressive book indeed. She thought back to countless books that spoke volumes of many places, but couldn''t quite recall if there was a single book that recounted... everything.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "I''ll help you look." He had her interest. A book with this much to share would indeed be quite impressive. More so, her inability to figure out such a book had bothered her, like his was a challenge presented upon her, and her own ability wasn''t enough to resolve it. She needed to know where this book hid, so she would know next time.


    "Why are you searching for this book anyway?" "Because I myself feel the need to explore every place in the world. The world changes every day, as well, so there is always something new on every adventure. Having such a handy guide would be priceless." Having explored the world of books, hearing from an explorer himself was new. This was like the one who accounted for the stories told in books she had read. And truthfully, two others in the same place have a whole different story. However, she was also feeling deprived, reading a story again... was just the same story. This idea of going to places and seeing new things was making her envious.


    While they searched, he shared tales of his own adventure, seeing her eagerness for such stories. Hearing his recounting felt like the most immersive story she had ever found, her own questions bringing her deeper into a story than any book ever could. His story continued until the day ended, only to resume when he returned the next. And by the end of the second day, she went to bed dreaming of more stories, of thrills and adventure... and she was right there in the middle of it. By the third day, they had found the book, or something acceptably close enough. He did admit it wasn''t complete either, but it was still remarkable and would help him on his next adventure. He then gave her a different book. He told her it was his previous atlas, the book he had been using on his adventures in the past, and that with it she could maybe see the world as it was. After parting words, suddenly, he was gone, and once again she was alone.


    She had doubted there was ever existed such a thing as a perfect book, but there in her hands it was. This book came directly from a traveler she had personally spoken with, learned tales from, and... this book could shape any tale for her. She flipped open the book and took marvel to its maps. The great expanse of the Elnir Woodlands, the human nations of Wyxir and Qicir just beyond it, the great mountain of the magus.. where the magus citadel resided. And from that, everything beyond. The world was vast, huge, she could see it in this book. Worse, she craved it. She needed more than just to read tales about places now, she deeply desired a more personal experience. That traveler, he was driven to see more of the world, and now she was too. None of these books were enough, none of them. This book was the only one she needed, because within it was a map to guide her own footsteps to her own discovery. Instead of giving her a story, this book would give her a way to make her own story, to live her own story!


    Her plans begun immediately. Most of her knowledge was from books, but she had studied hard on what it recounted was necessary for such a journey. Exploring the halls alone had a lot of demands of supplies, some halls could keep you days from food. While preparing, the staff never once questioned her, she was just left to do her own thing as she had always done before. No one thought to question anything, right up to when the great doors of the library slammed shut. The staff ran to investigate, but it was too late. Mhyl was already gone.


    She was incredibly smart, much like bookworms can tend to do. She knew, the moment she left the library, an alarm would be raised and people would come looking for her. If they found her, she would only find herself stuck back within the library. That certainly would not do, she needed to escape. The library belonged to her mother, and the High-Sage had considerable authority over all of the elves. However, such authority would do little outside of the elves domain. Fitting in with humans, she''s read stories about it, but it would cause complications if she was identified as an elf. An elf''s most distinguishing features are her ears. There are other smaller features, elven female shoulders having a slightly different bone alignment would stand out, but proper clothes could easily hide everything else. She just needed to ensure that her ears stayed hidden. Prepared on this front, her hairband used the volume of her hair to cover over her ears much better than any hood might care to, though she also had a hooded cloak just to be certain. The soft azure tones of her dress complimented the cloak completely. Her outfit itself wasn''t even identifiably elven make. For never having done this before, and only having moved on impulse, she was quite prepared.


    Less prepared she was for what she found leaving the woods behind. On the other side, using her keen sight thankfully better than humans, she instantly saw the war encampments at both sides. She had left the woods along the border of both nations, right in the middle of the heated context of their conflict. It wasn''t exactly a time of war, no one was fighting at this point, it was more an exchange of heated words and high tension. The border between was along a river, with a lot of rough insets into the land, the water not covering the entire depth of it''s canal. Keeping low and following the river, she traversed the path keeping completely out of sight. A rudimentary bridge further on provided sufficient cover for her to stop for lunch. She consulted her book to figure out a decent enough plan. According to the book, this river goes straight to the Magus Citadel. Also recorded, the Magus Citadel was a place considered very neutral among humans. It would be the safest place to suddenly make an appearance along the entire expanse of this river.


    She did need to consider where she would go to begin her adventure. She was within human lands, that''s a great start, but she needed something more specific. Both rival kingdoms were in a very heated situation, it would be even more ground to cover just going far enough into either to get past all that needless conflict. She needed a place where she could get her bearings, get started, and figure everything out. A place that wouldn''t be too far, and was simple in its circumstances, and yet central enough to over the most opportunities. From there, she could gather more information, figure everything else out, and get started. Such a place would mark the beginning of her journey. She consulted her map once again in search of any other answers, and found nothing else.


    The citadel might be her answer. She arrived late that afternoon.

 4: Fiscal Negligence

    Sunlight split the dawn of a brand new day. It was the beginning of another days work at the Citadel Inn.


    Lywn had been, as expected, awake for a while now. Tenets would be expecting breakfast soon, after all. She had a responsibility to her customers! Her family had high expectations of her. It was their family business after all, keeping the Citadel Inn going. Her father owned everything, as his father did before him. The family business had been going strong ever since the Magus Citadel was first created, so long ago. As such, even being a merchant family, their family was incredibly rich and well regarded, a very high class merchant family indeed. And since it was the source of the family''s wealth, the whole family pitched into it. Her elder brother would be the next one to take over the family business, and being an established adult already gave him a management role in the business. Her boss in fact was the selfsame brother. Her younger sister also worked here, but being the young treasure of the family left the same sister with few responsibilities. Typically, such a sister could be found relaxing lazily at the reception counter, waiting to greet the next customer. Being held in such high regards, her position was considered yet another reason for good days of business.


    Not everything was smooth for the Qtehlatys family, especially for Lywn. The reason she was given such heavy workloads had little to do with being the middle child, even if that might not have helped. What haunted her was that she was adopted, she wasn''t a true member of her own family. Everyone knew this, and everyone treated her like this. This wasn''t even the worst of it. While she had kept it secret her life, as she was told to, her family was still then the only ones to be familiar with the most awful secret she held. She was a half-elf.


    The prejudice against a half-elf in Celese is more than just bad. Her parents were a human father and a half-elf mother. Both of them were killed when she was very little, her mother because her presence offended someone, and then her father died because he was defending a half-elf. In a way, that means she''s only a quarter.. elf.. but that didn''t make it much better. It only made it easier to hide. Her ears would only barely give her away if you got a clear look at it for more than an instant, they are only barely ''mis-shapened'', themselves having only the faint edges kin to elves but somehow being very rounded. Elves also tended to have a much lower stamina than humans due to their physique, but she did well enough that you couldn''t tell. Her sight was only slightly better than what would be typical of a human, and completely paled compared to an elf, but this distinction was so slight she didn''t even need to hide it. Some people just see a bit better, it happens. She was lucky how much she got from her father, probably the only reason she was still alive within such an important business. Though, she did learn that the Arch-Magus himself had a few things to do with the adoption when it occurred, though she never understood why he bothered. It didn''t really matter, anyway.


    What mattered right now was customers. She didn''t exactly have an easy job, in fact she was kinda the default for the worst of jobs. Calling her a maid would be putting it nicely, calling her a janitor would be an understatement. She was thankful that she had finally finished hand-washing the clothes of that one gentleman who had found himself too inebriated last night.. and had... inebriated all over his clothes. She suspected he would be waking up rather grumpy, so getting his stuff promptly in order was exceptionally important. It didn''t stop anything though.


    "The service here sucks, I thought you guys were supposed to take care of my stuff last night, this shirt still has a wrinkle. It''s also blue for some reason." The customer was going relentlessly on the subject with her brother when she arrived. Her brother might have known the shirt was originally blue, that didn''t phase him at all. "I''m getting complaints from our customers about your level of service. This is coming out of your pay, you know." It always came out of her pay. At this point, she hardly even got paid. She was taking all this abuse for really cheap.


    After getting scolded, she knew she had no time to feel sorry for herself, it was on to the next disaster. Breakfast was right around the corner, and she had people to wait upon.


    "Hi... I would like some... uh.. right... some of that egg-like eggs that you have, and I would like it... uh... I want it done so that its an egg, but done, so like, its shiny and..." "Lywn, you''re slowing things down, get your butt in gear and collect everyone''s orders!" Her father was quick to scold her as most of the other customers started looking impatient. The inevitability of her circumstances left her expecting nothing more. Like always, something would go wrong, and she would get in trouble. That''s just the way things work. She''s a half-elf, after all, that''s how it always works.


    Unsurprisingly then, breakfast ended right where she expected to be. "You couldn''t even get right that fine gentlemen''s order of poached eggs. Countless errors this lunch hour..." "It was breakfast." ".. this breakfast hour, and don''t you be back-talking me. This is all coming out of your pay, you know, and you will certainly be expected to make up for it during lunch." Her brother was getting really good at this whole thing. These kinds of words used to come from her father when she was little, but ever since her brother stepped in, he''s taken over these responsibilities for their father. Father was probably so proud of him..


    The lunch rush typically started right after the breakfast rush, but there was always a short period between where she was free to go off on her own and tidy stuff up. She did so while contemplating her awful circumstances. Clearly, the way she saw things, the whole problem here was that she was a half-elf. Specifically, this was going on because people knew she was a half-elf. If she was around people who did not know this dark part of her, none of this would be happening. It''s been weeks in its making, but she had been working on a plan.


    For a while now, she had been saving up, spending less than was possibly healthy, working extra hard for some under-the-table tips, all to collect the stuff she would need for her master plan. And, at this point, she had everything she needed. Hidden away in her dark space, the cupboard she calls a bedroom, was the supplies she needed to run away from home. She knew, however, that running away from home by herself would be stupid. Working at an Inn, she had a way better alternative. This place was centric to an endless flow of travelers, all seeking respite at the most established Inn ever told. Those travelers came from places, and were going places. Where ever they were going would be way better than here. The only problem was that, to just go with travelers, she would have to develop the right rapport with the right people. This has been easier said then done, the right opportunity had yet to arrive.


    Lunch however was inevitable. "Hi... uh... I would like... uh... a breaded. It should... uh... breading around savory but shiny..." "Lywn!!" Sometimes, her ability to save money at all was the only thing that surprised her. Lunch thus went like lunch typically does.


    ".. is completely inexcusable. This will be coming out of your pay, and your lunch." She had to be thankful she had a high stamina for a half-elf, even a human would find these conditions difficult. "By the divine, a grilled cheese sandwich.. how is that difficult? Now get back to work!"


    She went to her regular afternoon cleanup routine. This basically involved checking and cleaning up every single room in the Inn. At small recompense, she wasn''t expected to cover every single room, there is no way she could do that fast enough. The regular Inn staff would be involved.


    "Oh, Lywn, your room list for today is ready. Here you go." It was an illusion of kindness, but it was a blessing. None of the staff directly treated her poorly, they only followed orders. Which is precisely why her list of rooms were effectively picked as the worst cases of rooms in the entire inn. Yup, that blue shirt guy, he''s here, 671. Down a bit more, the gentleman with the incredibly precise orders, he''s here too, 542. He should be back in his room this afternoon, but will still expect his room to be cleaned. He will, as obvious, relay his expectations of how he wants his stuff to be organized. There were many others than those two rooms, so as obvious she was free to just start wherever she wanted.


    As always, it was going to be a harsh afternoon. Things always were, as expected. However she couldn''t expect how things would pan out, late that afternoon.


    Three guests arrived simultaneously. One was in an elegant dress, a rosy dress, but not as practical as she had worn originally. The next looked almost drab in the mixture of greens and browns that showed no real interest in looks. The last wore an azure dress, much more practical then her peer, except for the fact that it was dripping wet. "Oh, good day.. miladies.. How can I help you today?" Lwyn''s sister had jumped from her seat at their arrival, and was doing her best to keep her composure before the guests. The other staff weren''t excited to get involved at all.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "I-I''m" "Terribly sorry for any trouble, I''m just looking to book a room." The third girl just stood there, saying nothing. It was obvious they weren''t together. It was also obvious they haven''t been here before. Worst, they all looked like trouble. At least, to everyone at the front at the time. Lwyn could hear the commotion as she made her way down the hall. A strange and unexpected guest? That could be an opportunity! She quickly dashed to the front.


    "I''m sorry, I heard a commotion, is everything alright up here?" "Lwyn! Perfect timing, so very glad to see you. We have three customers here that are finding it challenging to complete our registration process, and it would be perfect if you could help." Her sister''s eyes were beaming with hope, she was free! Her brother, just in that nick of time, showed up too, took cast of the situation, and judged that this was a Lwyn job.


    "Brother, I''m sorry, I''ve been still working on my list, do you want me to go back and keep going then.." The light vanished from her sister''s eyes as everyone pivoted to the brother. Her brother, however, was shaking his head in resolution. "No, no, you''ve been assigned a more... essential task, I''ll see that your work gets passed on correctly. You, you were on break, now you aren''t. Lywn, give her your list." The staff approached Lywn, still nervous about the current guests, and so whispered quietly. "So which ones are left?" "I was working in the same order on the list, start with room 542." "Which one was 542 again? Oh, no matter, you''re busy, good luck." "Yeah, you too."


    Lwyn then guided the three women into what effectively accounted for a meeting room. It was the best opportunity to discuss business. She then focused on the first two women.


    "Am I right to assume that the three of you aren''t together?" "Righ-" "No, I came here all by myself. Why, is something wrong? Did I get anything mixed up? This is an inn, right?" Clearly, there was even an order of operation between the first two. "Yes, it is an inn, this is the Citadel Inn, the most well established inn.. ever. You ... weren''t aware?" "N-" "Oh! I, uh, I''m sorry, I wasn''t aware that complicated things. I''m not, uh-.." So now all of them were flustered, but her questions were answered. None of them knew what they are doing. That actually made everything a lot easier.


    "Okay, so, our smallest room right now, unbooked, is for four people. You''re going to have to room with someone in this case, so would it be an issues if I just booked all of you together?" "It-" "Sorry, I''m terribly sorry to put each of you through this, and hope you would be so kind as to have me." "And you, madam?" By natural order, she made sure to as the same individually of the second woman, so that she could actually finish a statement. "Ye-yes, of course... yes." So, slow, but she''s worked with worse. Not bad. The third she still deliberately ignored. "Okay, great, lets return to the main room and get your key picked. I will be there myself shortly, just make sure you get all your stuff together." It felt good, having things actually work this well. The first two women made their way out of the room.


    The third, going with the flow, turned to follow. Lwyn closed the door before her, with just the two of them in the room. This startled her, and while caught off guard, Lwyn shifted the fancy hairband the woman was using. Her suspicions were instantly confirmed. Having spent her own life hiding her ears, she could easily spot all the signs.


    "So you''re an elf." She wasn''t speaking any longer in Izhaethyx, and had instead shifted to Elaethyx. Mhyl was almost dizzy by the chain of surprises. "Ye-yes, I am. Finally someone says something that makes sense!" It was as Lwyn suspected, the real reason Mhyl was so quiet was because she didn''t understand Izhaethyx at all. In truth, the elven library had no reason to record anything in the human''s language, so she was never exposed to it. Books were instead translated into her language before they were shelved in the library.


    "So, do you know you are at a human Inn?" "Yes, I.. yes, of course! Wait, why are you putting so much emphasis on human? I know I was hiding being an elf, but I don''t see any problems!" "And, how fluent are you in the human''s speech?" "Oh, easy, I''ve studied plenty, so I know all of the cultural... wait, you''re making this sound big." "Quite big, it''s like humans and elves don''t even speak the same language - level of big!" "It.. wait, what?!" Her chain of shock broke a record with that one, and you could see her mentally putting the pieces together, finally. This had her blown away for a moment.


    "So.. how am I..?" "Obvious, I know your language too, so, we can figure stuff out, right? We should get you registered too with the others. Sorry, but you''re going to have to share the room with some humans. That shouldn''t be a problem, right?" "No, no I guess not.." "Though, if you came from the Elnir, I expect there might be some trouble getting your coins converted, unless you have any other coins." "Wait, coins, is this something I needed?" Oh boy, this was going to be a problem. The elf did not come bringing coins at all. She could still make this work, the other two could probably accept a small price hike, especially the first one, but she would still probably need to dip into her own savings just to make this happen. It was going to be risky, but even adopted, she was still a true daughter of a merchant. The price of opportunity was worth it, even considering the risks.


    "Sis, you''re back. Had me worried there for a bit." "Sorry about that, was handling all of the negotiations. Room 718 is still free, right?" "It is, is that what we will be going with?" "Of course." Lwyn picked up the key from her sister and guided the three misfits down the hall. Once there, where they got to see the room they would get, she shifted to finances. As planned, she asked for slightly higher than the room was worth, and she dismissed that Mhyl had already paid when the other two started to wonder why they were alone paying. Lwyn then recommended every took the time to get comfortable, and she would return later to help them further. She then went to her own stash, and withdrew the remaining funds, praying this would be worth it.


    "I have 718''s coin here, ready to go." "Oh, perfect, then everything went smoothly, thank you." "Hmm, quite, it''s good to see you making up for today''s earlier mistakes." She went to go check in with her sister, bringing the required coins. Both women had used completely different coins, so she had to carefully swap some out so that it looked like equal payments from three different sources. Her brother was there already, already trying to be critical about her work.


    "The dinner rush is starting soon, so I''m going to need-.." "Oh, about that, 718 has made a special request that they want dinner in their room." "Ah, I see, well, that will be on you then, they are your customer, after all. I expect you to focus on their every need." "Yes, of course." This was already priceless. Her brother was going to shoetail her into her regular routine, but 718 was making exception out of everything.


    She returned to 718 and checked on the selfsame customers. None of them had any specific needs at the time, but she disclosed that dinner will be conveniently brought to their very room for them, and that they could leave an order with her for what they will want to eat tonight. This caught them by surprise, this was far more service then they were used to, no wonder everything started weird. She gave all three of them menus, taking special care to point to the pictures for the elven customer, who then quickly understood what was going on. After collecting their orders, she made her way to the dining hall.


    "Uh, so I ... uh... what I want is the meaty that is juicy but with the stuff so that it''s meaty with shiny..." "Okay, I''ve got the order for room 718!" She passed by the poor unfortunate waiter who would be replacing her this dinner rush and dashed into the kitchen. The girl eyes were pleading for mercy, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had her own customers to look after.


    She returned not long after with their dinner order. Thanrie was trying to scare Mhyl with some casual conversation, or specifically was trying to be nice with conversation that Mhyl couldn''t understand. Qheria looks like she was trying to interject, but hadn''t had any opportunities yet. "Foods here!" Everyone looked up at their saviour, all rather hungry and feeling very out of place. She spent dinner with the three women, listening to Thanrie recite tales of her journey in the softest and most gentle of fashions. Which was her customer relation perspective reinterpreting the most obvious and yet rude conclusion, that Thanrie was naive and... while she didn''t know it, the word that we would be familiar with for this stereotype is "Blonde". It''s not that it matched her hair description in the slightest, this wasn''t even a stereotype in their society, but her ginger hair had nothing to do with her ability to have a mental grasp of the situation. Later, she approached the second of the set, individually and quietly, and asked her some very direct questions, being as patient as she''s needed with certain other customers. Qheria''s being so soft-spoken was clearly her greatest fault, she was considerably shy! Not the most shy she''s seen, she''s seen some pretty shy people, but Qheria''s level of shy still ranked really well. Finally, she made an opportunity for Mhyl and Lwyn to talk privately, and learned about the bookworm exposure she''s been given. She didn''t get many details about the library, or why she was always there, but enough to know just how little of the wide world this girl has had experience with.


    Three misfits was an understatement, these girls would need some help going forwards. Which is great, because that fits perfectly with her plans. The time had finally came.


    She left and tracked down her brother, and when she found him, she explained with some fabricated details just how much 718 was going to need some constant help. Her brother began to pale at the details. "So, I think the safest thing to do is for me to personally spend the night in their room caring for their every need. Would that be a fair assumption?" "Ye-yes, definitely. I had instructed you to ensure that their every need was met satisfactorily, and I fully expect you to drop everything to ensure it. As I''ve read, they will be gone mid-afternoon, and then we can once again relax. Until they leave, they are your full and only responsibility. Am I understood?" "Yes, absolutely!"


    Everything was going perfectly. As the rain outside started to fall, Lwyn''s excitement grew. This was a golden opportunity. For once, she would sleep very well.


    At least, she thought she would, settling into her rudimentary sheets among three other sleeping strangers, as the thunder began.

 5: Memory Convergence

    Darkness clouded the dusk of a brand new night. A storm was raging that night, and it was getting fierce.


    Torrential rains fell upon the Citadel Inn, thunder ricocheted across the halls like a bad concern, lightning strikes tore the sky in twain.. occasionally polarizing the darkness. This was no mild storm. Lightning strikes glanced off nearby rocks, not far from the Inn, leaving a ripple of energy in the air in its wake, a nearby tree falling by the force of the thunder alone. The sheets of water fell seemingly without end, a hum amid the electrical outbursts, bringing even more darkness to the sky. The moon and stars themselves seeming all but devoured behind the ensuing clouds. It felt akin to a world of nightmares.


    None of the four slept deeply at this hour, but as if by miracle all four had found sleep. In the jarring restlessness of their sleep, all four had found dreams. In this storm that defied all reason, so too did their dreams.


    Thanrie''s dreams showed her a turmoil of anguish of a father who simply would not understand the wills of his child. The child suffered under the weight of expectation, but was relentless. Even against the wills of the world, the child would forge a new path.


    Qheria''s dreams showed her someone who would never back down. In pursuit of a goal, proven impossible, nothing would stop this individual from putting a foot forward to overcome simple impossibility. Even against the wills of the world, this individual would forge a new path.


    Mhyl''s dreams showed her a traveler who had done everything. In the face of everything, she became everything, and in so lost herself. This would not stop her, the world would be shaped by her journey. Even against the wills of the world, this traveler would forge a new path.


    Lwyn''s dreams showed her people who had been blessed by the kindness of a friend. This friend had formed a bond with people and had sacrificed everything so that others could benefit from it. The bond resulting had brought strength and hope for many others, and had saved them from disaster. Even against the wills of the world, this friend would forge a new path.


    Lightning surged before the window of room 718, tearing across the sky as an electric beam connected with the ground below. Thunder rippled from the surge, bursting through the shutters of 718 and forcing the windows wide open in a rippling shockwave. With the last barrier of the windows gone, the lightning fully illuminated room 718 in a flood of white light. The grass where the lightning hit was engulfed in flames instantly, and then just as quickly put out by sheets of rain.


    In that moment of absolute white, all four of them woke up. In that moment of waking, they were more awake now they they had ever been before.


    "What the holy f~~k just happened!!"


    That outburst was unusual for two reasons. The first reason was because it was Thanrie that spoke. Soft spoken, lady-like, naive, Princess Thanrie. The second reason was because it was all in English. Yes, not Izhaethyx, not even with an Izhaethyx accent, although there was a notable accent to her speach... but it was still English. Then she started mumbling something that wasn''t English... and still wasn''t Izhaethyx.


    "So, considering everyone reaction, I''m not the only one, right?" Lwyn spoke out to the room, also in English. The others all nodded their agreement.


    "Thanrie, what are you mumbling over there!" Qheria had turned to her neighbour, trying to figure it out. The other two felt, in the middle of everything else, mumbling would have no matter of coincidence.


    "Oh. --------------------" Thanrie had turned to reply, and sounded like she was making sense, but very quickly everything after sounded like noise to the others, except for Mhyl.


    "Ah, I get it, so you also know Japanese!" Mhyl''s reply itself was also in english, but she was the only one who understood Thanrie''s original statement of complaint. Thanrie had been sharing her opinion of all of this being absolutely ridiculous and her head was splitting right now... in Japanese.


    "Wait, Japanese? So Thanrie knows Japanese as well?" Lwyn was shocked to hear how complicated things were getting, very quickly.


    "I mean, I might not know Japanese, but I don''t see any issues with knowing more than just English here. German, anyone else?" Qheria shared her opinion with the others, raising her hand at her own statement as she looked around.


    "Not a problem." Mhyl shared this reply in fluent German instead of English.


    "Oh come on! This isn''t fair!" Lwyn was looking especially cheated right now in this show of languages.


    After taking a moment to calm down, the four started to discuss the situation. It seems each of the four had the same occurrence, all of them have memories of being someone else, and that ''else'' was someone from Earth.


    "My head is a mess, it''s hell sorting out the difference between the me from here and the me from there. Holy f~~k, I''m an airhead!" Thanrie being the first to share this was not anything anyone would have expected.


    "So let me get this straight, all three of us now have memories of another us.." Everyone else nods to Qheria''s comment ".. and all three of us all came from Earth .." once again, all three of them nod ".. and all three of us are coping with the fact that we have memories growing up as a girl here, but as a guy over there.." to which Lwyn and Mhyl stop as Thanrie continues to nod.


    "Wait, your other you is a guy? Eww!!" Mhyl interjects while Lwyn chips in for the ending. Thanrie goes off explosively.


    "Holy F~~k, you''re both..." "Thanrie, shut up for a moment!" Even considering circumstances, this would have been the first time Qheria had ever interrupted Thanrie.


    "Okay, lets look at this objectively. You two might have the misfortune of suddenly waking up to a gigantic gender conflict of memories. That''s awful I know, but lets be honest here, you two have it easy. Some of us are instead coping with the idea that weren''t not actually human anymore." Lwyn, the Lwyn from here had been bottling this up inside since forever, and given the circumstances, she was at her limits.


    "Human, what?" Thanrie and Qheria were both immediately caught off guard by this. Mhyl only then started processing the idea, and the color was draining from her face.


    "Yes, thank you. I mean, it''s not like the me from here has actually taken a f~~kin moment to actually share these ideas yet, I know. The me here is honestly already terrified about what it even means. But if you two think your little mixup has your situation complicated, oh girl.. you don''t know anything. Mhyl here has been suffering the whole f~~kin day because she''s an elf and elves happen to have their own language, and being a f~~kin HALF-ELF is the only f~~kin reason I''ve been able to communicate with her at all, until this shit happened!" Mhyl gave Lwyn a shoulder to cry upon at the end of her outburst, leaving the other two speechless. All of them were aware at what all this elf stuff really meant.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Well, f~~k." the others were catching on by now, whatever else might be a thing for the other Thanrie, that self''s dialog was kinda the opposite of the refined she had here. Thanrie''s constant swearing had been a thing, but Lwyn''s outburst showed she could certainly hold her own. Mhyl was even surprised, she suspected Lwyn was either also secretly an elf, or maybe a human that learned Elaethyx. Her actually being a half-elf, that idea didn''t dawn at all.


    "Okay, yes, I think there is something painfully obvious right now. All four of us just had things get really complicated, and no, I''m not going to even try making it a competition. Suddenly having a second set of memories is screwing up all of our heads, and that not a good thing. But overall, inevitably, we are now all in this together. I think we should bring to table an awareness of each of our second selves, our earth selves, so that we can all work out this tangled mess together, alright?" Qheria''s statement made sense, and brought ration and reason back to room 718.


    "Good, then I''ll start." Qheria shared with the others her earth life as a guy in Germany, named Sebastian. He was trained for the army at a young age, joining cadets, but always had an appreciation for sports.


    "So which kind of sport?" Thanrie was intrigued. "Football" "Wait, with all the padding and everything?" "Lwyn, he''s German, that means football, like soccer. Are you American or something?" Mhyl once again shared her worldly awareness by clarifying things for Lwyn.


    It seems, however, his dreams weren''t meant to be. Football (again, soccer) requires some considerable foot ability, something his two left feet weren''t exactly up to par with. He had practiced endlessly, showing no signs of improvement. The only time he could live his dream was through video games. Sports games were a personal hobby of his, initially just the one sport, but it evolved into many others.


    "Nice! Yeah, I got me my game too! FPS pro right here, yeah! When I was in my game, landed headshots to everyone." Thanrie it seemed also had an alternate background with video games. Her earth self was a Japanese guy named Kaito. His father was a car salesman, a very successful one. Due to his own success, he''s had some rather strict expectations that Kaito would follow in the same footsteps. Kaito however had other ideas.


    "So, what exactly was your other idea?" "Uh, actually, I don''t remember. I ended up pursuing a pretty important goal instead, but I forgot which one it was." "Ah, that''s alright. Honestly, I can''t even remember my family at all." The short exchange between Thanrie and Qheria brought to light some of the holes in their memories. Thanrie was still otherwise certain that as Kaito, there was a long period of being a delinquent, before Kaito had accomplished his goals. He was left to fend against his father, so in turn he started dismissing all the rules.


    "I''m glad to know I''m not the only one forgetting something, because I wasn''t sure how I was ever going to explain this." Mhyl started recounting her own story, about all the places she''s been, and all the people she''s seen... all the cultures she''s experienced.


    "Okay okay, wait, so, where on earth have you NOT been?" "I don''t think there.. was anywhere. I have some pretty good memories of any country I can remember." "So wait then, which country did you come from then?" "Yeah... that''s the problem..." As Lwyn tries to pin things down, Mhyl surprises everyone with revealing that the hole in her memories was the whole not remembering which of the places she was at was her home. She has no idea which country she was born in, and she had even taken up a new name to fit into each culture she visited, so her countless names only raised further questions on her origins. Her constant immersion into every culture of the world resulted in a perfect obscurity in her memory of which one came first. She was even fully fluent in every single language, to the point she could even use their own accents.


    "Fully fluent.. you are totally not fair." Lwyn did nothing to hide her own jealousy.


    Her travels had taken her everywhere, but in the process it didn''t make her that many long term friends. She learned so many things, but spent so much time bored. She spent that time playing video games. In her case, they were typically puzzle or simulation games.


    "Someone who clearly has never felt the struggle of waiting for your favorite game to get localized into your own language.. oh, actually, sorry." Lwyn was again getting jealous about language barriers, only to realize that her phrasing might hurt someone who was currently concerned that she couldn''t remember where she called home. So instead, she shared her own story.


    "So, the other me is.. was... this girl named Rebecca, see? And, so, she''s kinda from Canada, and all the stuff like that. And her favorite video games were role playing games." "Oh, nice, so you know French?" "No, I do not know French, not every Canadian knows French.. if you''ve been to Canada, wouldn''t you know that? Or were you only in Quebec? God, you wasted your time in Canada then, you missed all the good parts." "Good parts?" "Yes, out west. Much better than the other side, of course." "Oh, don''t worry, I remember being all over each province too, but I felt I should ask anyway." Mhyl, who would have also been to France, was also fully fluent in both forms of French. Being able to converse to the other two in Japanese and German, she instinctively thought there would be something for Lwyn.


    "No... no, that''s it. I just got English, nothing else in my language kit. .. everyone else is walking around with English plus some, and... I''ve got nothing else to offer. Considering the accents you two have, correct me if I''m wrong, but English is your second earth language, right? German, Japanese, those came first. But, you''re both really good still at English, and.." "Lwyn, don''t worry about it, you and I can talk Elven here, so we still have a language just the two of us share. Everything is fine." "Oh yeah, you and your ability to use any language..." "No, not any language, I''m still missing the most important one, remember." Lwyn''s jealousy over languages was boundless, even while Mhyl tried to lend comfort. Mhyl stuck to it right up to where Lwyn again missed something important. Izhaethyx. Mhyl was the only one here who couldn''t speak in language of humans, and the earth side of her memories, as a human, that''s going to be a really really rough point for her to consider. Lwyn realized again that she had made a mistake, and had gone quiet.


    "Thinking about it, from an earth perspective, the languages here suck." "True, you two have... elven, for lack of better earth name for it. Humans.. our language, human language I guess." "I think the translation is ''normal tongue'', if we translate to english." "Normal tongue?" Thanrie started them with contemplating the structure of languages between worlds. Qheria picked up the same thought, with Lwyn finally speaking up and providing further insight.


    "F~~k it, normal tongue. How lame can you get." "Says the human." "Hey! I didn''t make this stupid language. I mean, think about it, how would use say my other name in the languages here, I can''t even figure it out." "Is it the same with humans? I don''t think elves have the O-sound anywhere." "Yeah, that''s the thing. People here would have just dropped the whole sound and made sound like an ''e'' or an ''ae'' or something." "Actually, yeah, probably." Thanrie and Mhyl break into laughter as they go over the finer details.


    "So, while everyone else here seems distracted, Lwyn, please continue with your story." "Uh, me? That''s it, I''m done." "That''s it, what about your life, your struggles, your pursuits, anything." "Yeah, see, the thing is, what little I said about Rebecca there, that''s pretty much everything I know. I remember a whole lot about her fr- about my friends, I can picture the faces and voices of my family in my head. I know my sister wanted to be a doctor... nothing... I''ve got really nothing for me. Look, you guys all forgot something, so you should understand. I remember I''m from Canada, that''s not true for everyone. I remember I have a sister, not true for everyone. I remember so much about everyone around that me, and how much I worked every day helping them with their stuff. I just don''t remember that me, myself."


    The other three lent their support at that. Mhyl decided that to share the name she thought she used in Canada, in support of the Canadian who was feeling excluded. It seems there she was known as Jennifer. Qheria insisted this wasn''t exactly fair, while Thanrie insisted on getting her Japanese name, to which she indicated that she wasn''t exactly interested in sharing such a name with the boys. Qheria took nothing more than a moment to contemplate how this was suddenly completely fair, and Thanrie seemed to have decided that this was suddenly hilarious. Neither of them took personal offense, both were blessed with a local self that fully understood that side of girls.


    Having came to better terms with their situation, after sharing with each other, they decided to settle back into sleep. The storm had gone away completely at this point, and it was getting quite late. They would all be very busy come morning, that was certain, and dawn would be soon approaching.

 6: Market Benefits

    Sunlight split the dawn of a brand new day once again. Yet another night had ended, and for the four of them, that was the longest night of their lives.


    Everything might have gotten complicated last night, and her head was still an absolute mess, but Lwyn''s celesi-side had still left a mission ingrained within her. The mess from last night, all of it simply promoted the original plan, she HAD to escape with the other three. Instead of adding complexity, like it was doing inside her head, the world outside fit those details as resources to only better her odds. Sorting out the ones from the others could wait until after she was safe.


    However, just like speaking Elaethyx, resorting to English would only complicate the situation. She couldn''t afford complications. She quickly got up and made her way for the door.


    "So, what''s the plan?" Qheria did not get the memo about how English would cause problems, but clued into intent very quickly as Lwyn moved around. Her voice was incredibly soft. Qheria was, by nature, a light sleeper.. in both worlds, honestly. Both her training as a Shieldbearer and in Cadets for the Army had instilled a morning routine. It had also made her really methodical when under assignment. She was oblivious to what Lwyn was attempting last night, but her earth-side had filled in the blanks by going over the details. She also knew, the four of them were in this together now, but Lwyn worked here. The desperation last night, the breakdown involving the half-elf stuff, there was something going on, something her celesi-side was too much of a pushover to have figured out on her own.


    "Keep being you.. celesi you, try to cut down on the English, keep Thanrie quiet, and try to keep Mhyl in the loop. I''m going to keep up the whole image of taking care of you guys. After lunch, everything here will be packed up and this room will be vacated. You three will be meeting me at the fountain plaza just as soon as I can sneak my way out. Don''t leave early, that will ruin the plan. Oh, and if anyone asks, you have concerns about getting more supplies and are trying to figure it out. That''s important." "Wait, how am I to keep Mhyl in the loop if you want me to cut down on the English. You want me to use German?" "No, obviously you will need earth languages to talk to Mhyl, and I guess it doesn''t matter which one you pick, just don''t let anyone else hear you using it. It will raise way too many questions."


    Lwyn ran off after having explained her side of things as much as she could. The shuttering sound of the door immediately started Thanrie awake. "F--mwririr?" Defaulting to English again, followed by a complete language failure as Qheria silenced her, Thanrie was alert and concerned. "Less Kaito, more Thanrie, please. Between the scene last night, it seems you might have forgotten our circumstances before the storm. Lwyn still works here, for now at least. We have to keep up the image that nothing has changed. I''m sure, if you take consideration of your celesi-self, you came here for a reason too, right?"


    "Oh.. yeah, of course." It wasn''t clear if the reality of the situation was that cooling, or if Thanrie was just that good at shifting into celese mode, but her voice restored the sort of tone it held from last day. "What do we do about Mhyl?" "Uh... what about me?" Thanrie''s use of her name appeared to have awoken the elf of the group.


    "Perfect, you''re both awake. Lwyn has so rationally explained that our usage of earth languages will need to be about as discrete as her elven had been. Any.. not normal.. language, they would cause issues if discovered. Leave the earth-stuff for later, focus on the celese goals you came here with. Considering how much of a mess were all were when we got here, no one really has a really deep plan of where to go after this. One thing is clear though, this mess has brought us together, so where ever it might be that we''re going, we''re going to be going together. We have to work things out." Qheria, still channeling her earth-side, took leadership of the situation.


    "F~~k it man, and you told me to keep it Celesi. If you want us to take things normal, you''re going to have to make the shift too." "I am normal? I mean, there really isn''t that much difference between my attitude from Celese and from Earth, right?" One thing Qheria had never picked up upon, even after the mess, was her absolute lack in leadership ability. She had always thought herself a good leader that no one listened too, and had then connected with a good leader that was an actual good leader. Even putting both parts together, the resulting Qheria still didn''t see the difference. Thanrie and Mhyl took upon themselves the great challenge in explaining.


    "Okay, I''m really sorry about any delays, I''ll be making sure breakfast is taken care of for you three right away." Somewhere around when Qheria was starting to finally figure it out, Lwyn showed up again, fully in Celesi-mode, even in choice of language. Being back in the full swing of things, she wasn''t keeping quiet either, as other people hearing her would only work to her benefit. Suddenly hearing and having to mentally process Izhaethyx again got everyone else on board. Thanrie just passed Mhyl a quiet "Breakfast" so that she was in the loop of what was going on.


    "So, just wondering, why are you not having breakfast?" After having gotten their serving of food, Mhyl whispered her concerns quietly to Lwyn. "Because I''m not supposed to eat in front of customers and... Half-elf, remember?" The exchange was in a quiet English, so the others caught wind of the conversation. "After all those years in another life travelling and immersing myself in every single culture, even if only for a bit, this regard of blatant xenophobia is revolting." At this comment from Mhyl, Lwyn shrugged. She had memories too, she had friends from quite a few sides of earth, though earth itself wasn''t exactly a place devoid of it''s own racism. Here, she had just came to terms with how being a... mixed species... was just disgusting. Like being half human and half... anything else. Any other species from earth, that simple idea is still itself disgusting. This wasn''t exactly racial classification, humans and elves weren''t even the same species. Her existence was disgusting.


    "You... you wouldn''t understand." "Okay, no, cause lets go over this with a fine tooth comb. You''re saying that a single being that has to half be human, while also half being an elf, that''s a problem?" "Of course, I.." "No, no, no, this isn''t JUST about you. Think about it, SOMEONE in this room was fully JUST an elf JUST yesterday, sure. Today, she''s here struggling over the fact that now the other half of her self now is a human from far away place called earth. Half... human... half... elf. What does that make me, huh?" Lwyn froze. She still inwardly argued that it wasn''t the same thing, while still contemplating just how similar it was. The complicated combination, they had even mentioned it last night. In all honesty, with all the mess dropped on her, while not true by blood, Mhyl had became something of a half-elf herself.


    "So, if you''re not going to eat.. because half-elf, as you put it. Then me either. Thank you, but no. However, because both of us have to share half of this problem, if you would be kind as to be willing to share half of my food, I might be willing to change my mind!" Mhyl''s argument was convincing, even if there were still issues about being caught. The two of them negotiated the details and came to a compromise.


    "So really, I know I gotta keep doing things all lady-like, which means I''m supposed to be an airhead, but it doesn''t mean I gotta stay truthfully ignorant. What''s the plan?" "Wait, I don''t get it, where is she getting that being lady-like means being stupid?" "Lwyn, past experience. I might have been explained to what degree my own two selves are very unlike each other, but Thanrie''s hot-headedness from earth is dramatically unlike her celesi self here. She probably wins us all for how much everything has changed, personality-wise." Qheria was probably right. Her own self has a decent enough hill of difference, Lwyn has shown signs of some slight deflection, and Mhyl was probably ashamed of how ignorant her Celesi self was, but Thanrie was taking the gold for this one. The two resulting personalities clashed so hard and so much, putting both into a single mind was probably waging a war inside her, neither side feeling that pleased about the other. It was almost curious to hear what Celesi-Thanrie thought of Earth-Thanrie.. a good project for a later time. Thanrie still had a good point, they should talk plans.


    "Okay, so, like I had told Qheria, this room is done by mid-afternoon. There is a bunch of stuff I''m going to need to do on my own to make sure that works out, but my plan was to bail on this taco stand, so I''m coming too." "Hmm... tacos... I remember those." "Yes, yes, fine, that''s a thing, yeah... and then?" "And then what?" Mhyl pondered memories of earth foods while Thanrie quizzed Lwyn on details.


    "That''s actually a pretty good question, one I''m not sure anyone has considered yet. After leaving the Magus Citadel, where are we going?" Qheria''s question went way beyond what anyone had planned. It took everything they had to plan this far, nothing after made sense. But then again, that''s probably why planning further was then all the more important. Mhyl took that moment to remember the book she brought with her.


    "This will actually help, way more than my ignorant-to-the-world self thought it would, back when she got it." Mhyl placed the large atlas she had been carrying with her in the middle of the room. "Uh, cool, a book." "An atlas, detailing every place in Celese." "Yes, that''s perfect." "Gimme it, I want to see... uh, is this in hieroglyphics?" Thanrie was skeptical of Mhyl''s atlas, but Qheria could see the value of such a book. After being explained, Thanrie dove into it. Lwyn picked it up after Thanrie gave up on it.


    "This is elven, isn''t it." "Uh, actually, I guess it is." "Good, then it''s your''s, I can''t read it either." "But don''t you know elven?" "I know how to speak it, yes, the written form I ended up deprived of any source of learning materials. You''re lucky I can figure out it''s elven." Lwyn and Mhyl discussed the particulars of the book, and shared that Mhyl was the only one present who could read Elaethyx. Lwyn passed the book back to Mhyl, who then flipped to the page with the maps.


    "Everyone should be able to understand pictures then, right? This is a map, and here we are at the Magus Citadel. The human nations, which I''m certain everyone else knows way better than me.. that would be these areas in front. The woodlands I come from, further over here. Pretty sure those are the simple details everyone here had considered." Mhyl coverage of the map repeated the situation they each had when first arriving here, though Lwyn never had to bother with the details. She paid attention anyway.


    "East isn''t an option. Can we say the names? Qicir. It''s where I came from, we''re not going to find what we need there, I really don''t feel we can turn back either." "Wyxir is no good either. Oh hell, I probably still have family searching for me. We''re definitely not going back there." "So not east, and not west. I''m fairly certain that Mhyl has no interest in going home either, you don''t even need to present an argument there, and I''ve seen enough of this Inn to understand why Lwyn doesn''t want to stay. Their treatment of customers has been fine, but I think their staff deserves more." Qheria and Thanrie filled in a quick synopsis of all the options they knew wouldn''t work.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "The map makes it look like both Qicir and Wyxir are part of a half-ring going around the great mountain.. but then they stop. Not even the Elnir goes out there, everything just stops." "The atlas says that area is full of badlands. I suspect the humans here just felt such fields weren''t fertile enough." "Oh, I remember my brothers talking about that. The badlands, that would be the... uncultivated fields. If it hasn''t been cultivated, it''s a pain to make use of, so even the expansion wars are ignoring the valley behind them, because it doesn''t mean anything. But, and maybe my english is just being faulty, but saying the lands are bad really doesn''t feel enough." "The english term, Badlands, refers to a dry, arid climate, where most plants struggle to grow. In many such places, not even proper grass will grow. The ground will be yellow instead of green, and it will be very dry. Get much worse, the ground will become closer to what is called a Desert." Thanrie''s questioning of geography brought out the depths of Mhyl''s geographic knowledge and experience. It painted a picture for everyone.


    "So half way to a desert, but not quite. Sounds like the sort of places earth stories would put bandits and brigands." Qheria contimplating Mhyl''s past experiences with stories from earth had a faint feeling of irony. "That might not be wrong, actually. There are no nations over there, but people live there." "What really?" Qheria was shocked to be told she might be right when Lwyn recounted stuff she''s learned at the Inn.


    "The mountain isn''t just a giant block, it has a series of rivers that run from it. Most of them feed the woodlands, but there is a bit that goes the other direction. The mountain in kind is full of countless holes and trails all over. Some travelers come from the other side of the mountain, and if you look at this map, cross the mountain..." "Badlands." Thanrie was excising her English while Lwyn recounted from her memories.


    "Wait, rivers affect dry climates, being near water would affect soil qualities. You said that there are smaller rivers going to the other side." Mhyl jumped at her own discovery, and searched within the records of the atlas, searching for what she was suspecting. "Here, right other side of the mountain. It''s a long walk from either nation, but if there are tunnels it shouldn''t be a problem. Right here, that can''t be badlands. According to this atlas, there is a river from the mountain going right here and ending in a giant lake. Back at earth, that''s the kind of environment that has started new civilizations." "... an untapped market." With their mutual experience in business, Lwyn and Thanrie spoke out at the exact same time to finish the thought Mhyl was presenting.


    "It''s perfect, a destination. It satisfies every requirement too. It also gives each of us something we might need, a new start. With how much everything just changed, having a place to forge a new start will be important. Lwyn, we will need you to figure out a way through the mountain. Over it, under it, whatever it takes. Mhyl, keep studying that book, look for anything else that might be helpful. Thanrie and I will keep the act going for now, so that no one questions anything." Qheria''s leadership was again putting direction on everything.


    "Oh, this will be like an adventure! And, and, we will be real adventurers! Actually, that might not be so far fetched either." Lwyn was starting to dream big before she realized she might not be dreaming. "All things considered, you might have a point. Things are expected to get a lot less civilized, we will need to prepare to assume roles accordingly." Lwyn got contagious when the heroic elements of the plan started to appeal to Celesi Qheria. She could live like a hero. It didn''t exactly sound bad to her Earth-side either. "Oh man, you guys should see me in action, I''ll show you the moves." "Thanrie, first person shooter logic doesn''t apply in this world." "Yeah, I know, but fighter games were a decent second. Uppercut, high kick!" "Thanrie, we''re being serious, this isn''t a game." Lwyn was trying her best to stop Thanrie from losing it.


    Thanrie gave a light kick to a nearby broom, brandishing it like a sword, twirling it with precision and finesse as she had trained for years, and brought the edge of the sword to a stop just before Lwyn in what would have been a fatal strike with a sword that followed through. "Yes, I know, nothing here is a game. Back on earth, even the worst I did was for kicks, and I wasn''t even that good at it, not really. Celesi-self, I might be an airhead, but there is one thing the me here has that my Earth-self could only wish for. Years and years of formal martial training. Blade, fist, spear, the whole kit. On earth, I was at best a fake, but here, I''m the real deal." This gave the feeling of a new Thanrie. She wasn''t the hot-headed earth self that she had frequented of late, nor was she her other naive self. The chill from her voice was almost terrifying. With consideration what she was saying, it was almost a flagship reveal of what the true Celesi Thanrie was like, if you took away her naive side. The fact that it originated from all of her martial training made that distinction ever so pristine.


    "So if we''re talking combat prowess, which if we are facing bandits that might not be a bad idea, I''m not exactly without training either. Back home, I''m a shieldbearer, which among other things at least involves formal training with an actual shield. Properly geared, I could also hold my own in a fight." Qheria didn''t even bother making an imposing show. Everyone could tell she wasn''t bluffing.


    "Umm, it''s probably not as much, but when you have to fear for your life every waking day, you kinda have a backup plan. My parents were teaching me how to use a bow, even before they passed away. I made sure that I haven''t gotten rusty yet. It''s been a life or death thing, after all." Lwyn exposed her secret weapon training to the group, something she had never shared before, but it felt like the right time.


    Everyone turned to Mhyl, as she picked up her book. She had spent her life with books, trusting everyone. She had just found another part of her Celesi lifestyle that she was also ashamed of. "S-sorry, I''ve got nothing. Other than spending time with books, the only thing I''ve done with people... I guess was to take care of them." "Wait, take care how?" Qheria interrupted Mhyl''s train of thought to get more details. "Oh, my self here has been too thoughtful of people, so the most I''ve learned is how to cook meals, relieve pain, tend their wounds..." She stopped, and everyone else froze. ..except for Lwyn.


    "So .. she got nothing?" "Mhyl has the perfect completion of our team.." ".. wait, did I miss something?" "Lwyn, if I have to explain this, you have dishonored yourself as a role playing gamer." "I... what? Huh? Thanrie, you aren''t making any sense, you know this, right?" "It''s just you, my friend, just you. Fill in the blanks for me, okay. Tank, DPS..." "Heal-.. oh..." Thanrie helped Lwyn figure it out. She insisted in only being distracted, because breakfast was long over, and she had stuff she needed to prepare. The others let her run off to complete whatever had her so embarrassingly occupied. It was not a moment Lwyn would be proud of.


    Planning continued through the rest of the morning and into lunch. Mhyl spent the entire time buried within her book. Lwyn ran out of opportunities to hang around. The other two negotiated what they had on hand.


    "So, if you use a shield... what about your other hand?" "A resourceful knight is stilled at using whatever might be available to them." "Sounds like something my brothers would say." "Have you ever had any experience with a shield, yourself?" "I figure I could hurt someone with one pretty badly. I''m otherwise certain all the other important uses for a shield are more your expertise than mine." "Fair enough then." It appeared that what Thanrie and Qheria had on hand was a conversation involving the usage of weapons. At least Thanrie wasn''t brandishing brooms anymore. Between the two of them, they discovered a mutual talent for most any kind of melee weapons. Neither of them had any real talent with most things that cover distance, unless you account for some throwing weapons Thanrie was good with. Such they would have to trust Lwyn with, and her bow expertise.


    "I''m back again, sorry. I sorry I can''t be of much more help. I''ve still got a lot more things to do, sorry." "Lwyn, stop, your Canadian is overflowing, stop saying sorry." "Actually, that might be a half-elf thing too, sorry." "Ah ah ah, stop!" "Sor-.." Mhyl interrupted her reading to look after the overly occupied Lwyn, who was running herself down. Mhyl didn''t bother to correct her in that being overly apologetic was probably an elven thing, they would talk about it later.


    Mid-afternoon came quickly after lunch. Lwyn went to get everything properly organized, on the pretense that she was taking care of her customer''s supply requests. The rest of them went ahead as planned. Waiting at the fountain plaza, Qheria got a sudden idea. "Thanrie, Mhyl, I need you two to do something for me. I''ll keep here waiting, so that we can meet up with Lwyn successfully, but you two should hit the market. Most of what Lwyn will be able to get together will be stuff she had planned before all this started. That might work for a generic trip, but it doesn''t account for everything. Thanrie, you''ve got money, go with Mhyl and put on a nice show at the market. Help be her voice while there, like she has instructions about what to get, but can''t talk herself. Flaunt your Celesi-side, not the dark one, get us a good discount. I''m not talking about reducing costs, get us a discount for the sake of a discount. This will confuse anyone following us, considering your usual inability to get a deal. While you play the act, Mhyl, find us clothes to build us a new image. You''ve seen how much we''ve changed, none of us are thinking the same way as we used to. Us three at the least, nothing we have here is practical for travelling. You are an expert in travelling. Get us everything we need. If you could somehow throw in some weapons for each of us, that would be even better."


    Thanrie and Mhyl set this plan into motion. Mhyl scanned the market for a suitable stall, while looking quite the part of being an attendant of the fair lady. She then dove in and started working. Meanwhile, Thanrie got into the act. "Oh, sir, I''m terribly sorry, I very much hope we aren''t getting in your way." Thanrie put extra effort in looking defenseless and timid, her posture conveying the like same message, with a light air of flirting with the guys. She started a tirade of a story, something about her previous love, lost, and her heart ached to feel his embrace once again. Mhyl couldn''t understand the words, but the tone was making her feel ill. She then found a sword, two handed, looking in kind to the one her lost love used to bear, and how much it reminded her of him. The tears came with added impact, her audience was buying it. Mhyl took hint of the sword, and picked a similar one, much smaller, something Qheria might be able to use with a shield. She couldn''t figure out a decent shield though. Thanrie picked it up from there, saying that she would sincerely appreciate their recommendation of a really good shield. They would need to find one that would be used to keep her safe, after all. One was picked for her, being told that it would be complimentary, on the house, while Mhyl searched for some more arrows. She already had the outfits figured out. Thanrie started bringing their play to its conclusion, and upon the signal from Mhyl that she had everything they needed, Thanrie begun operation discount. She immediately asked how much everything would cost, then exclaimed her despair when everything was too far above estimate. She quickly apologized, and said she would be willing to return the shield they offered for free if they could please kindly reduce the price any so much. The boys hearts broke.


    "So how much?" "30% off original offer. It sucks that I have no idea how the economy actually works in this world, but I figure getting them down to a third of their original offer would at least give you what you asked for." "Not bad, not bad at all." Qheria was complimenting Thanrie''s accomplishment, as they both returned to a quiet English. "Oh my god, if you heard all that. I have no idea what that girl was wailing about, but those boys were leaving the crumbs of their hearts all over the floor. You could hear their hearts break. Please, don''t go into details. Already, just hearing how you said it, I feel ready to lose my lunch." Mhyl was still feeling ill after that performance, she was almost thankful to not be gifted with that particular language at that particular time.


    Soon after, Lwyn finally arrived. As predicted, the poor half-elf couldn''t possibly get together everything they would need. Mhyl informed everyone that the new style she chose for everyone would take a bit of preparation. The decided it would be best to save that for later.


    "Oh, nice, a spare bow. Actually, this is a really good bow. How much did you guys pay for it." "It was paid for with broken hearts and tainted souls." "I think that one was free too." "... broken hearts, and tainted souls.." Lwyn was thankful they even got her another bow, even better than the one she was using. Thanrie was proud of her accomplishments, but Mhyl still felt skeptical.


    The four of them were finally off on their journey, as they approached the wilder side of the great mountain.

 7: Placement Negotiation

    Having successfully fled the Citadel, the four companions have found themselves drowning in their thoughts.


    The plan was to continue along their current trail, and choose among a few future forks in the road. One fork did have a rather obstacle-free path up, around, and over the mountain. While simple, it was also simply too long. It was also the obvious choice, which was just another reason why they shouldn''t take it. An alternative was a path through the mountain. The cave path was a lot darker, and followed an underground river at several points. It involved a lot more climbing, both up and down, but overall it was dramatically shorter. While set on this path, it still left a lot of time to just walk.


    "So, finally leaving myself time to think, I''ve realized something. All four of us, ever since we... I don''t know.. awoken to our earth selves? Well, ever since then, I think all of us have managed to do the same thing, overwhelm our Celesi-self with a stronger personality." "Lwyn actually has a point, Thanrie might say it worse than all of us, but Qheria you''ve actually done it pretty intently as well. I don''t rightfully think I''m innocent to this either." Lwyn started on the unresolved matter, having had the least amount of opportunity to consider things. She had also been the one working the most at not resorting to using English, even though that was the plan in the first place, the others had rarely accomplished it. Mhyl pitched in, supporting her efforts.


    "So yeah, thinking about how I''ve been stealing away my own voice in this matter, I mean... I can see why I would. I''m a half-elf, this memory in my head is a pure-blooded human, a much better person. But thinking that way started to bother me. I mean, Rebecca, as far as I can actually remember anything about.. she''s a really nice person. She did so many nice things for everyone she knew. She was such a good person, it''s now bugging me that she took so little care of herself. Everything was about other people, no time was.. wasted? is that how she feels? .. wasted on herself... It''s aggravating. She was a pure blooded human, and yet she gave herself not an ounce of value. I''m a half-elf, and even I was fighting to find a way to make stuff work out better. It''s... not right." It was the first time anyone had turned things around and talked about their earth-selves. Everyone had mostly idolized their earth memories as much more successful people. Lwyn had however turned everything in reverse.


    "Well... yes. I couldn''t argue the fact that I''m probably a lot... how should I say it... louder? Yes, louder. I''m a lot louder when I let things go from my own Earth-side." Thanrie was more a raging inferno than just loud, but everyone else let that slide. "I already mentioned earlier, the self-same memory from that world, he was just a brat. He wasted so much time playing at fighting, and didn''t even truly understand it. But.. I know I still feel respect for how he was able to stand up for what he believed in, to blaze a path for himself. I ran away from home because I couldn''t even just stand up for myself and tell my parents down. That jerk lost all sense of reason, but ... I gotta respect his compassion, you know?"


    "Since we''re all sharing this, I''ll try to come up with my own portion." Qheria was visibly straining to think. Her Celesi-self was always easy to speak over, and that same pattern also existed within her own head. She took a moment of silence to contemplate the matter, patiently giving her quiet side a chance to gather thoughts. "I think.. I think yeah.. I have a lot of admiration for my Earth-side. I''ve always worked to have that level of... leadership... and command that level of... respect. But Lwyn has the rights of it, that silly german... he isn''t actually that perfect. He''s compassion for sports, he let his passion... die. I mean, sure, he had some... struggles kicking a ball, right. But his passions were in sports... not in a.. in any specific sport. When he gave up, he turned to a- artificial ... alternatives.. kicking a ball with his thumbs. But even in games, in games it wasn''t about kicking a ball, there were other sports. I don''t... don''t understand why he just didn''t... he never switched to his hands. ... Tennis, I guess... or something. There are sports that... that have much less demand of fancy footwork." Lwyn offered Qheria a supportive hug, for the clear demonstrated effort that took.


    "Giving myself the chance, I''m not actually innocent in this at all. Really, its hilarious, I spent all my life stuck reading books, dreaming of great adventures, and so I had to just look up to someone who has already done it all. The perfect traveler, that kind of thing. But, just before leaving the Library, I was taught a new idea. There was this traveler who taught me that there might be something such as a perfect book." Mhyl was reciting her thoughts waving around the atlas, a coincidence that was actually lost upon her. "I had spent my life lost in a sea of books, and endless tide, and couldn''t see how just one book could be enough. But it''s true, there should always be one thing that is... is the most precious. Over there, that wasn''t a lesson she ever learned. Her life was lost in a sea of culture, and endless tide, and couldn''t see how just one place could be enough. And so, she never had a place to call home. It''s a bad example I''ll need to learn from, while I travel, that I should always make sure to have a place to call... home."


    All four of them were actually looking for a place to belong.


    "Okay, okay, since we''re taking time to think about the other side of things, remember how I was going on and on about how I couldn''t figure out how to Izhaethyx my Japanese name? I just thought about it, the reverse is true too. Japanese, English, you would think my name should be the easiest of all of us, but as we keep throwing around English, there is this huge struggle with trying to get Izhaethyx sounds right... I almost even said THAT wrong. Thanrie.. Thanrie.. there is just a feeling of wanting to drown the middle, be more like ''Thannn-nu-rie'' or something." Since the n-sound portion of her name is much flatter sounding than it''s earth usage, Thanrie put dramatic over-emphasis on the same n-sound with her nose. In truth, Celesi n-sounds made very little use of nasal emphasis.


    Lwyn was watching Mhyl motion with her book for a while, as Thanrie had started on Celesi pronunciation, when another similar thought dawned on her. "Oh my god! Everyone, think about this. Remember how I was worried about how elven writing works? God... think about it, how in the hell do you WRITE anything in Izhae-... Elae-.. oh hell, actually anything Aethyx. Both languages pronounce things in generally the same way, things just have their own meanings. But like... uh... Qheria! How do you think you spell your name in English letters?" ".... ... ... a sneeze followed by an R - I - A." "I know, right? I can''t even figure out which vowels to use for my own name. I''m pretty sure Aethyx uses more vowels than English." "It might be an ''e''.. no wait... Celesi sounds.. Aethyx as you phrased it... which I believe means the closest thing to ''language''.. anyway, the whole language is a lot more flat in tone than anything more... Terran." Qheria tried to help Lwyn figure things out. It furthered to establish how different the two worlds were.


    "Terran, that''s a new phrase we haven''t used yet. Derived from Terra, another word like Earth, to mean ''of earth''. Kinda like how Celesi is ''of Celese''. Not bad, really. How did you suddenly come up with it?" "Other than sports games, I''d played some strategy games, keeping up with my cadet training. The word was used in one of them." "Ah, okay then." Mhyl was getting into earth language origins when Qheria spoiled another earth gaming habit. Terran, everyone did file away the word in their thoughts, to help with associating this mess.


    "Yup, connecting the dots between worlds is really... really rough. Oh I know, I know! Maybe it might help everyone wrap our heads around the two sides of this mess if we HAVE something on both sides of this mess." "Lwyn, I''m sorry, you totally lost me. What are you talking about?" "Mhyl, so like think of it this way. What if we figure out the most.. English version of your name, what it would most be in like... English. And then, then! .. then we go and also figure out an Aethyx-style name for the... what was Qheria''s phrase again... terrain?" Lwyn was encouraging the others to bridge the language gap between worlds by making world-friendly names for everyone on each world. Mhyl wasn''t the only one confused at first with the request.


    "*cough* Terran, not terrain. This sounds like an interesting experiment, but for Thanrie and I, it offers an additional challenge. For all the grief that came up earlier, you two seem to be at peace with the idea of mixing your elven... elvish.. identity with your human one, at least in this regards. Us, we still have a slight problem with the exact identity of our Terran names. Having the thoughts to go with it is bad enough, mixing up my head with a Celesi-styled male name is going too far." Lwyn''s idea was otherwise sound, but Qheria brought up a really good point. Thanrie and Qheria''s Terran memories are of guys, while their Celesi memories are of girls. Bridging that over would only complicate everything.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Actually, as someone whose had an endless supply of names, and has no way to know if the name she picked is even the best representation of herself, I still think we can work around that. Take your Earth names, your Terran names, and we figure out it''s ambiguous form. That might even help the both of you come to terms with everything better as it makes the whole male-side stand out less. Sebastian.. I believe that''s Latin... or was it Greek? It''s short form is ''Bastian''." Thanrie broke down in laughter at this, connecting Qheria''s german origins, her tank-like nature, and memories of a first person shooter. Everyone else ignored the interruption as Mhyl resumed. "Anyway, Sebastein is very related to it, and I believe it related to the city of Sebastia, which itself is getting closer to your Celesi name. We also need to account for Aethyx pronunciation, which is going to flatten the whole thing out. ''Syvesie''... I think that''s where it would end up."


    Having figured that out, Mhyl turned to pick on Thanrie for that outburst. "You, young lady.. Kaito, I''m guessing we''re using the Kanji for ''ocean'' and ''flying''. Good for someone who almost never has their feet on the ground." "Hey!" "It could also be read as Kaishou, but that wouldn''t make sense anymore. We could also be more literal, Umi-kakeru.. Kakerumi. At this point we''re just spinning things at wild... " "So, what about Karumi?" Mhyl was just juggling meanings with formation when Thanrie got completely random. "For such a refined and elegant young woman, a name like Karumi actually fits much better than it should." Karumi was quite literally a gem of a name, a beautiful gem in fact. "It''s just a lot rougher to convert to Aethyx, would sound more like Harumi than Karumi. Khyremi?" The other two were witnessing this proceeding, completely lost as to how Kaito became Karumi, but at least it was very easy to say with Aethyx phonetics, like how you might say ''caramel''.


    Mhyl figured out the remaining two without as much struggle. After all, there was no fancy spin required for both Rebecca and Jennifer. The first of the two though was the harder one, as it had a lot of crunchy sounds. They eventually settled on ''Ryivaeha'' and ''Yhnehyr''. Then they started thinking the other way around.


    "So Qheria.. " While Mhyl was the most proficient in Terran languages, Lwyn was the resident expert on Aethyx. Lwyn pick things up from where Mhyl left things off, although she could only give everyone an English version. "I''m getting a Faria from your name. I was thinking Keria for a bit, but it doesn''t seem quite right. Oh! I got it, Maria!" "Somehow it feels like you are taking a linguistic liability with my name.." "Pish, you''re just imagining it. Fine, Faria. Okay, next, Thanrie. Easy, Tammy.. like Tamara, done. Mhyl.. Short for Mhylzhyine, right? Millie, like Amelia. Mine? Lynn, like Lindsey, all done!" After having her style disputed by Qheria, Lwyn shotgunned though all of them in rapid succession, one after the other. The others blinked.


    So Thanrie/Khremi was also called Tamara/Kaito (Karumi), and Qheria/Syvesie was also called Faria/Sebastian (Sebastia). Meanwhile, Mhyl/Yhnehyr was also called Amelia/Jennifer, and Lwyn/Ryivaeha was also called Lindsey/Rebecca. Everyone went silent as they started to wrap this around their minds.


    It was with this that the first challenge of their chosen path fell upon them. The path at this point turned up the sheer cliff-side and entered a cave. Beset with a sudden challenge, the four set aside their thoughts again to focus at the task at hand.


    "So, yeah, this doesn''t look hard, up we go!" Lwyn was the only one who still commanded any energy after looking at the climb. "Come on, you were all fine just seconds ago! It''s not much of a problem." "Lwyn, you''re neglecting your Celesi side again. I''m pretty sure all of us KNOW how to climb this. In cadets, a climb like this was an every day thing. For our esteemed world-wide traveler, climbing was probably just another way to travel. For our... delinquent... I''m picturing more fences than stone, but there was probably still a lot of climbing. You, while none of us know for certain, you included, you possibly had the least experience climbing. On the other hand, a shieldbearer is expected not to do much climbing because that makes our shield pretty useless, our fair maiden.. I could see you getting in trouble for standing on a foot-stool. Our bookworm had nothing to climb except bookshelves, and I doubt the risk that would bring to books made such an idea a commonplace. So finally, in your case, I fail to see how tending an Inn would give you..." Qheria went quiet for a moment as she turned back to Lwyn, who was already several feet above them. "Oh, err, I guess I''m rushing you guys. Totally sorry about that. I''ll be right back down." Lwyn apologized as Qheria dealt with her own confusion. In truth, the considerable work she''s had to do on a daily basis provided ample opportunities for climbing, such as cleaning the outside windows on the 9th floor, without a ladder. She was probably a better climber in this world than any of the others were back at Earth.


    "So this would explain why you never packed any climbing supplies. Thankfully Mhyl covered that for us. Thanrie, help me with this bag. It should be the one holding some rope and other climbing gear." "Uh... I hate to interrupt... but I thought the plan was to take a break first... This looks really exhausting and I don''t think I have much left in me." Qheria and Thanrie were preparing themselves for what the climb would take from them, while no one had noticed how tired Mhyl had gotten. "Wait, I can understand a bookworm having less energy than some, but I fail to see how a noblewoman exceeds your limits so much. I would have expected Thanrie to have been the first of us to get tired." Thanrie considered taking offense to this remark, then decided against it. No, even with her martial training, she was pampered way too much.


    "Boys, boys, boys. Yes, I know, we''re all girls here, but the Earth-boys are forgetting the Celese-elves. Mhyl, I''m so sorry for not noticing earlier. I let the flow of things overwhelm me, and hadn''t considered that if I''m not going to last much into that cave, you''re going to crash long before it." Lwyn jumped in to support Mhyl with support, blaming herself for the whole incident. Qheria and Thanrie were visibly confused. "Okay, yeah, the two pure humans I guess know next to nothing about elves, and it''s probably my fault for not explaining. There are a bunch of differences between elves and humans, it isn''t just the style of their ears. One of the differences is that humans have a stupidly high stamina limit, and it''s totally annoying for us elves to keep up. As a half-elf, I don''t have it quite as bad, but it''s taken a lot of exercise to even pretend to keep up. Mhyl has no such fitness training, and is a pure-elf." Mhyl herself wasn''t actually aware of why everyone else seemed to have all this extra energy, when she herself was ready to fall on her face. She was keeping quiet so as to not cause any problems. Lwyn was the only one who had in-depth knowledge about the differences between humans and elves.


    Everyone decided to give the two elves time to rest, while the two humans worked on organizing for the climb. It was getting late in the afternoon, and everyone had hoped to be under shelter of a cave before settling for a meal, but having a quick snack now and a late dinner later would still work. Lwyn, still having a bit more energy between the two elves, casually took responsibility of preparing a decent snack to go with their break. Both humans coordinated their Terran knowledge to figure out the best way to make the climb. The plan would be for Lwyn to take the lead, having the most natural talent with climbing. She would also be guiding the way up, and be tied by rope, so as to help the others. Mhyl was possibly the least capable, and they had concerns she might not be fully recovered for the climb, so she would be going last, allowing all of the others to help her out. Qheria and Thanrie were otherwise arguing over the two middle spots.


    "Just have Thanrie go second. If Mhyl will need anyone, having someone who can brace effectively is probably the smartest idea, so that would be Qheria. Both of you will probably struggle this as much as each other, but Qheria is probably better at helping someone who needs it." Lwyn was mostly looking out for her fellow elf, but this also brought the argument to a close. "Mhyl, are you doing okay? Do you want some more water?" "I''m okay, thanks. I think I''m ready to go, if everyone else is." Mhyl wasn''t certain if there was anything else the others were trying to work out, but everyone was honestly just trying to patiently wait for her.


    This time, the climb was uneventful, but it gave them practice for the sorts of things they might need to consider in the future. At their destination, they tried to look into the cave, but it was still too dark. They prepared a few torches to help guide them on their way. They then pressed on, diving into the shadows of the cave.


    Dusk was still a ways away, but this was the last sunlight they would be seeing for a while.

 8: Another Beginning

    Shadows clinged to the walls, dancing in tune to the torchlight.  Dinner had recently ended, and the evening was fast upon them.


    "That was the best meal of my life!"  "Lwyn, my cooking isn''t that good! I... I have no idea idea what all the big fuss is about."  "Seriously, oh my word.  Hey, what about you two?"  Lwyn and Mhyl were chatting idly while packing up.  "I don''t know, I mean, I''ve been spoiled rotten my whole life, so competing.. wouldn''t exactly be fair.."  "I think you''re both missing something important.  Lwyn has been through so much suffering, in comparison.. this would be paradise."  Qheria interrupted Thanrie while Lwyn still looked like she was in bliss.  That was probably the most relaxing meal she... ever had.  None of them wanted to besmirch her accomplishment.


    "Lwyn.. Lwyn.. we know you''re secretly a cat, but you can stop making those noises."  "Uh, wha?"  "Oh, you''re back, that''s great.  Everyone is finished packing, we need to keep moving."  "Oh, oh, sorry.  ... what do you mean, secretly a cat."  "What, do you honestly believed you could hide it after we all got to see you prancing up that wall?  You moved like a cat."  "Wait, I can''t secretly be a cat, they don''t exist."  "They do now."  Thanrie couldn''t help but torment Lwyn for her climbing abilities earlier.  Thanrie was still irritated with the whole climb, because she had happened to forget she was still wearing a dress until the last minute.  Mhyl had struggled for similar reasons, but she wasn''t as caught off guard.  Of the two, being the one familiar with the problems with dresses in her earth-side made her fully aware of how foolish her attire was.  Qheria was thankful that her line of work didn''t leave her in a dress as frequently, Lwyn the only one actually having consciously prepared for this problem.  Mhyl was getting apprehensive about getting to work with the change of styles she got for everyone, it would be far more sensible than what she was wearing now.


    "Lwyn, instead of making any more fools of ourselves, I figure it might be an important subject to get informed about.  Can you tell us a few more things about elves?"  "Oh!  Oh!  Lwyn, I still want you to teach me Izhaethyx.  Everything is going to be a pain until I can work that out."  Qheria and Mhyl jumped Lwyn with the next subject of discussion.  Lwyn was the obvious choice on getting information for this sort of material.  Qheria was still concerned about exactly how much difference their was between the stamina of humans and elves, and was working out how she would need to compensate for an unknown difference.


    "Okay, lets see.  Oh, if you''re thinking elves like earth-legends, you''re probably already making one pretty insulting mistake.  Maybe lets get THAT out of the way before someone makes me feel bad."  Qheria was already concerned, and she didn''t even have the details yet.  Thanrie was quickly recounting in her head what sort of stereotypes existed about elves back at earth.  "It''s probably not height, neither of you too look especially taller... or shorter actually.  There are legends about both.  Actually, Lwyn is the shortest one here, and Mhyl is the tallest.  Qheria, which of us are taller, me right?"  "No, but you''re getting closer."  "Please don''t just go guessing, or you''re going to hurt someone."  Thanrie was already feeling hurt, she didn''t want to be shorter.


    "It''s age, isn''t it?"  Mhyl was still receptive to earth fantasy, and it was topic of the subject she had actually learned from a celesi book.  "Oh right, so then you two are actually..."  "Thanrie, shut up, right now, before you screw up exactly how I warned you not to.  DO NOT GUESS!!"  Thanrie was being impatient at Lwyn''s reluctance, but she was only trying to proceed with care.  But after Lwyn''s clear insight, Thanrie decided she could be a little more patient.  "Earth fiction paints elves as some long-lived ancient race, living for something like thousands of years.  Real elves actually live about as long as humans."  "I think I read that the human life expectancy was a few years longer than elves, but that''s probably because humans put more effort on medicines.  Though, statistically, because medicine progress is much worse than on earth, celesi lifespans probably are worse.  I''m not exactly certain."  Mhyl provided a bit more insight to what Lwyn offered.


    "I wonder, that actually brings up a fair point.  What''s everyone''s ages?"  "Hey!  You shouldn''t ask a lady such a thing."  "You.. you know that''s ridiculous!  I''m the only one here who is even formally a lady... see, and now you''re laughing about it!"  Thanrie was going scarlet at Lwyn laughing at her expense.  "Okay, okay, I''m sorry.  Let''s see... oh, yup, I would have turned the half way point just last night after my seventeenth birthday.  You?"  Lwyn, being fair, offered her answer first before anyone else.  Mhyl went pale while Qheria rechecked her math.  Thanrie broke the silence.  "You know, it might be pretty funny but, it just so happens that kinda..."  "You too, huh?"  Mhyl interrupted Thanrie while Qheria stopped bothering.  Everyone else was the same, to the day.


    Thanrie broke the silence with a peel of laughter.  Mhyl tried to calm her down out of alarm, but Thanrie settled enough to clarify on her own.  "Only thinking ages now, I took a moment to think about it.  Terran side ages, I can''t remember the details very well, but I''m rather certain."  "Oh my god, yeah.  I don''t remember much about me, but the people I hung out with, the stuff that was going on, I''m pretty certain my seventeenth passed and my eighteenth never did."  Lwyn caught on while Mhyl went pale again.  "At the Shieldbearers, one of the things the chief loved to say, everything happens for a reason."  Qheria''s tone was so serious it was chilling.


    One question they haven''t had time for, why in the world had that night''s events happened.  They didn''t even know HOW it happened.  There weren''t any clues about it either.  However, this was the first bit of information that brought forth some suspicions.  Numbers matching up that perfectly was some sort of serious planetary alignment lottery.  It wasn''t lost on anyone that the night that "half" passed for all of them was the selfsame night everything happened.  The group continued forward silently for a while after that, deep in thought.


    The silence was shattered by Lwyns gleeful squeal.  They had reached a part of the cave that intersected with a slow-moving river, providing them a pretty decent underground reservoir.  It had been a long and dusty day, and some of them were really excited at the chance to clean up.


    "Thanrie, I thought you said she was a cat.  I can''t in all my memories recall any evidence of cats being this excited about getting wet, the contrary in fact."  "Uh, Celesi cats are different?  I don''t know, my guess is her lifestyle has left her rather critical about being dirty.  Frankly, I''m kinda feeling like-minded."  Qheria made joke of Lwyn''s reaction, but it didn''t have any impact.  Thanrie''s colder attitude left Qheria without question which of Thanrie''s sides were also excited about getting rid of the dust of their travels.  Qheria let the two of them endulge while she turned to ensure that their supplies would be safe.  The torches needed a place to stay lit safely, and all of their goods needed to stay dry in this environment.  There was a rocky outcrop not far from the river which was ideal for this purpose.  While setting everything up, she noticed Mhyl was still helping her.


    "Mhyl, go ahead and join the others, I''ll catch up in a bit."  Mhyl declined the invitation insistently, something was bothering her.  "What''s wrong, is there something else we''re not aware of."  Qheria''s first impulse was that there was more ignorance of elves going on again.  Lwyn might be fine, but she was only a half elf, this could be something just for Mhyl.  "I''m.. I''m sorry.  The water is... what... at least 10 feet deep? ... about 3 meters?  I think... I think I''ll be okay."  The fear in Mhyl''s voice hinted at a deeper problem.  Mhyl herself was actually scared of the water.  She still had no complete gauge of her own stamina, and in Celese, she had never gone swimming before.  She even had the recent trauma from her river experiences a day earlier.  It couldn''t be helped.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Alright, then could you please look after our stuff?  Perhaps this might be a good opportunity to start on assembling everyone''s new style from the outfits you got, this will be the perfect opportunity to get changed as well.  There will be no hurry, this looks like a good place to setup camp."  Qheria wanted to make sure Mhyl felt alright with everything, and the rest just fell in together.  She continued to work with Mhyl at least, to make sure she had space to work with.


    "Ahh!! Lwyn, stop splashing, that''s cold!"  "Ha!  I''ve got you right where I want you."  "Lwyn, I told you to stop."  "Oh shit, dark Thanrie, run for it!"  "You''re not getting away that easy!"  It appears Lwyn and Thanrie were already in the water.  Qheria was already regretting that she would have to make sure both of them calmed down, once she was ready to join them.  To think the four of them had known each other for just barely a day.


    Eventually, everything started to calm down.  Mhyl had even braved the water''s edge enough so that she could clean herself up too.  Each of them were wrapping things up as they got ready to call it a night.  Mhyl however was excited to present everyone her hard work, and refused to wait until morning.  She knew that some of them were early-birds, and she didn''t want to cause any trouble being the last one to wake up.


    Starting with herself, as using herself to model her own work for her own style wasn''t hard, Mhyl showed everyone the fruits of her effort.  She had exchanged her previous azure for a dark green look, a proper hooded cloak resting over a leather-bounded blouse and pants.  It looked inspired by Qheria''s previous look, but with stronger colors and much less constricting cloth.  The cute leather boots and gloves finished the look.


    Thanrie swore she must be a natural seamstress, as for her turn, she was pleased to discover that everything fit perfectly.  Mhyl had been able to accurately size everyone, even those who weren''t present.  Also having a hooded cloak, her own style was to be monochromatic.  It was a dramatic shift from the rose tones she had been wearing thus far, and had probably been inspired by everyone''s claims she had a dark and light side.  Her outfit, also a blouse with pants, was also a bit more constricting, which would probably help if swinging any big swords.  It also had interwoven chains, much more durable than what Mhyl had, while still being rather light.  The boots and gloves also had a chain mesh to them, over a soft cotton layer.  She found it surprisingly comfortable.


    Lwyn loved her new outfit the moment she was shown it.  The hooded cloak was still a constant for all of them, but otherwise her own style appeared to be full of warm colors, the mixture of reds and golds made her excited.  Like Mhyl, her set make use of leathers instead of chains for her blouse and pants, but like Thanrie it was a tighter style than what Mhyl chose for herself.  Lwyn noticed that, not only would this plus her new leather gloves help her with any archery she might be expected, after including the same-styled boots, it actually was incredibly easy to climb in.  If she was wearing this, she would have climbed even better than she had.


    Qheria had no complaints either, in fact she was surprised at her good fortune.  Her hooded cloak gave her a colder style, inverse of what Lwyn had.  The metalic blues reminded her of her old shield.  Her own style was loose, much like Mhyl''s, but was actually metal plated in some places of the blouse and pants.  The bracer and gauntlets felt like it could shield away lesser threats, even without an actual shield.  Adding the plated boots, she probably had the least mobility, but it still wasn''t that bad.  She felt like a real knight.


    Mhyl even had spares of everything, everyone had a few changes of clothes available.  Each set wasn''t exactly identical, but kept to the same style.  To finish the image of an adventurer, everyone''s weapons were made available, matching reasonably well.  And as everyone prepared to sleep, they made sure that everything was close on hand, ready for them to wear the next day.  Having no weapon herself, Mhyl just put her atlas atop her pile, ready to keep reading tomorrow.


    Sleep took them quickly enough.


    Lwyn was the first to wake up, but not naturally.  Catching a noise in her sleep, she opened her eyes.  In return a set of eyes turned to her.  They weren''t alone.


    "Ay, boss, one of em woke up."  "Put em out, then."  Two of the strangers casually traded information, the third keeping watch quietly.  Lwyn got the impression they weren''t the friendly sort, noticing that the one who was called ''boss'' was sorting through their stuff.  Both were talking Izhaethyx.  Lwyn was thankful that her ears were still covered, they always were.  The first one however had moved quickly, pinning her down, muffling her, and drawing a knife.  She had no way to defend herself.


    Lwyn braced herself for the inevitable strike, only to look up again when the same knife started loudly skittering off the stones.  She glanced back again as her assailant collapsed beside her.  Then, she noticed Mhyl standing, brandishing her atlas with a fury.  All of them had believed Mhyl had no weapon of her own, but clearly she was a demon with a book if given the opportunity.  No one had taken the time to consider how heavy that atlas was.  The other assailant drew his own knifes and started his approach, only to stop just as suddenly.


    "I wouldn''t take another step if I were you, not if you value your life."  Thanrie was up as well, her own sword brandished at her enemy''s throat.  He dropped his knifes in surrender.


    The boss put down their stuff and stepped in for himself, brandishing a giant axe.  In akin to the same motion, they noticed Qheria was also up, sword bashing against shield in a threatening manner.  Her pose as if to dare any kind of action.  With more courage than his followers, he took up Qheria''s invitation, only to get his axe pulled from him by Qheria''s sword, and her shield smashing in his face.  He went reeling backwards, and slammed hard against the stonework behind him, a complete knockout.  The last conscious bandit tried to flee for his life in the moment of distraction, but Thanrie smashed him across the head with the side of her sword.


    Lwyn felt horrible, having been nothing more than a burden during the ensuing encounter.  Even Mhyl had managed to take one of them out.  Each fully awake now, they all begun packing up.  Mhyl accounted for their stocks while Thanrie tracked down any undeserving stocks from their assailants.  Qheria was ensuring that everything was ready to go while Lwyn had found some rope on one of them and was taking out her frustration tying them up.  She tossed the axe into the river, and kept the knives for herself.


    This was a great way to start a new day.  Fully prepared, each of them had donned the gear they had left out the night before.  It was in it''s own way, another beginning for their journey.


    "Bandits and cutthroats.  Maybe we should at least be please we haven''t had to deal with the sort before now."  "Uh, we should really plan for this thing in the future."  "Agreed.  I''ll try figuring it into our plans going forward."  Qheria was already planning for next time, while Thanrie grumbled.  Lwyn was still irritated.  "I can''t believe someone got the drop on me like that, I can''t believe I was so totally useless."  "Don''t worry Lwyn, you just got unlucky, maybe.. eep!"  Mhyl tried to comfort Lwyn as she trailed behind, working with her book.  Suddenly, the fourth of the assailants, who was waiting a distance away and had managed to sneak behind them.  He was about to pounce upon Mhyl when Lwyn whirled around, a knife spinning through the air.  The hilt of the knife caught the bandit square in the middle of the forehead.  He passed out instantly due to shock.


    "Lwyn, did you ever take baseball?" "No, I haven''t, why?" "Just wondering."  Qheria was really impressed in how that moment panned out.  Lwyn was almost terrifying with that knife.  Maybe the cat has claws indeed.  "I guess none of us are ready for blood at this point.  It makes sense, I haven''t ever killed anyone before either."  "Actually, that''s why I''m a bit disappointed with these knives.  I was trying to make use of the other side."  Lwyn put the knives away in frustration and disappointment, as she drew her bow instead.  Thanrie backed away, nervously, turning to Qheria instead to try and change the mood.  "So uh, I could have sworn it was the shield that did the blocking and the sword that did the smiting.  I couldn''t help but notice you were using them the other way around..."  Qheria shrugged wordlessly.  Mhyl had put her book away, until she had felt it safe to read it again.  Keeping on high alert, the four of them continued like this until the cave started sharing some natural light.  Pressing forwards, the cave gave way to the open sky, leaving them feeling refreshed and renewed.  They had finally reached the other side of the great mountain.


    After everything that had happened, the four of them were left changed from the experience.  It was the dawn of a brand new day, once again.

 9: Prowling Hunters

    As the four girls continued on their journey, unrest followed in their wake. There were those who had reasons to be concerned about their departure.


    "Oh, my dear sister, oh what trouble have you gotten us into this time."  Ihzyhur, third prince of Wyxir, couldn''t believe what his sister had done.  Times of war were fast approaching, it wasn''t safe to leave the palace walls like she had.  Agreeably, he could understand her motivation, he himself felt he didn''t fit in at court.  His older brothers, both presiding over all matters of the crown, had not felt fit to include either of them in anything as yet.  Even their parents felt out of their reach.  Today was the closest he had been to any of them.


    "Ihzyhur, listen, it''s imperative that you find our misbegotten sister and bring her home, post-haste.  The foolish girl doesn''t understand the worth of her own blood.  I''m bound by matters of court enough as is, and our esteemed brother will have his hands filled soon enough, our war preparations are progressing quickly.  Qicir doesn''t appear to be standing idle either."  His eldest brother, the first prince, hadn''t spoken to him this directly in years.  "You, you''ve spent time with our sister to understand the ways she works.  You are our best chance at finding her and bringing her back.  You however also have the selfsame blood in your veins, we can''t risk your own danger either.  I''m going to assign you your own detachment of the royal guard, to assist you in your search."


    The royal guard weren''t just solders trained to guard the royal family, they were the most elite of the elite.  A single royal guard would be a force to be reckoned with.  A whole detachment was like a compact army.  Ihzyhur was getting worried that everything was quickly blowing out of proportion.  However, it''s not like he wasn''t worried either.  Alone in the wilderness, what if she fell upon by beasts or knaves of the wild.  He wasn''t sure she could deal with bandits, let alone enemy soldiers.  Her training was good, but her timid nature would certainly have her hesitate under fatal circumstances, facing real danger.  He had to find her, and quickly.


    Ihzyhur himself wasn''t used to taking authority over soldiers, nor were they used to reporting to him.  Due to his name, he was oft begotten as ''the normal prince'', in reference to him having no field of influence or responsibility.  Though, everyone was smart enough to hold caution in which circles that title was used.  In the wrong circumstances, heads would roll.  However, word had spread quickly about the princess''s disappearance, and Ihzyhur''s determination started new rumors quickly as his preparations ran smoothly.  The third prince was chosen for his ability to hunt?  His unstoppable will ran the halls cold as ice.  Clearly, it was because he was born for the hunt.


    It didn''t even take hours for the title of "Crown Seekers" to fall upon his team, and he wasn''t left ignorant of it.  He felt it wasn''t that inaccurate either, a role he might enjoy in the future, if the future was so kind.  For now though, he had a job to do.  More than being the seekers for the crown, they were to be seekers of a crown, of the royal princess.  A dark shadow crawled across his face, and his attendants backed away.  They were well aware of how fierce he could be.  Several of their own had already been questioned regarding the disappearance of the princess.  Many had been punished.


    Soon after, his company was on the roads.  They were currently investigating an Inn.  "So, I''ve come to learn that a woman had passed through here, not that long ago.  A floral dress, red in color.  She should be recognizable for her absent-mindedness, her reputation for such is abound in this area.  I take it you are familiar with the woman I speak of?"  The innkeeper was terrified, listening to Ihzyhur.  Reputations of the Seekers had preceded them.  Two inns had already been shut down, having been considered failing to properly conduct business with an etiquette befitting reception of the royal family.  In their case, this particular inn had taken pride in getting five times the standard rate from the gullible woman.  The cost it seems would be too high for such an accomplishment.


    Another Seeker came in.  "Sir, we caught word from the soldiers in the area.  They had spotted a woman matching the princess''s appearance from behind, and had monitored her until she was safely out of their operating space.  They mention she was headed in the direction of the Magus Citadel."  Of course!  His sister was naive, but she wasn''t stupid.  The citadel was one place she could go easily, which would effectively slow his company down.  The diplomacy required to bring armed soldiers across their borders, even royal guards, would hold them at the gates.  It was perhaps quite clever of her.


    "Pack up at once.  Send a missive to the citadel, tell them we''re tracking a.. fugitive of the crown.  Pass them a description of the princess.  I will be at the gates myself shortly, I just need to wrap things up here."  Ihzyhur''s tone lightened with hope, they were getting closer.  The innkeeper was starting to feel like he might escape this situation, only to realize the implications of Ihzyhur''s closing statement.  This inn wasn''t going to escape consequence either.


    Xyithy was another on a similar hunt.  Then at the Guardhall of the Shieldbearers, she was busy tearing into the chief.  "So, let me see if I''ve got this correctly.  Instead of taking any form of prompt action to actually teach any sort of decent skills, you had decided it smart to impart on Qheria a.. vactation.. at this late a time.  How can you be such an utter fool!"  Cold sweat dripped down the chief''s face.  Confronting the great hero was intimidating in the best of times.  Confronting her when she was this furious was nightmarish.  The desk cracked under the force of Xyithy''s palm, the Shieldbearers watching outside cringing in kind.


    The chief opened his mouth as if to speak, but Xyithy put a stop to it right away.  "I don''t want to hear any excuses.  I want her found.  I will have her found, even if I have to do it myself!  We are this close to war, and she still isn''t ready.  You had a responsibility to train her, to prepare her.  She was supposed to be safe here, learning.  The castle has been asking me for days now to have her moved into the war efforts, her.. potential talents were to be.. incalculably valuable to our success.  Wyxir already has clear demonstration of their power, we need every edge we''ve got.  But no!! I had to trust the safety of my girl to you, because the shieldbearers was supposed to be safer than the military.  If this is safer, where has my girl gone!"  The desk finally snapped in half.  Xyithy stormed out of the room.


    Soldiers waited patiently for her, at the entrance of the Guardhall.  They were a special ops force, hand-picked by the great hero herself.  The Shadow Reavers, they were far more reliable, like death walking through the shadows.  Target recovery, this wasn''t the sort of task they were typically assigned to, but stalking prey was at least something they excelled at.  All of them saluted her arrival.


    "I''m done here.  Have we found a trail?"  "Yes, ma''am.  It seems she headed in the direction of the Magus Citadel."  Xyithy cursed her misfortune, the reaver she spoke with still unflinching.  It had taken far too long to get everything organized.  Her daughter would be well ahead of them as is, and the Magus Citadel made things a bit more complicated.  That fool of a girl still didn''t understand just how big this situation was.  Some of it was Xyithy''s own fault, she supposed.. it''s not like Qheria had ever been told what her future held.  The girl was too timid to properly understand.


    Now though, she was in danger.  Worse, her enemies could learn at any time just how valuable she actually was, maybe even turn her against them.  Wyxir had weapons aplenty, her own reavers had already uncovered such.  It had been her life''s work to give Qicir a weapon of their own, her own self being one of them, but her own daughter another.  She knew she could ill-afford to leave Qicir without any of it''s greatest weapons, but there was also no one who would be capable of recovering the one that was lost.  The castle has told her that they would attempt to.. delay the war, in line with her own return.


    She was not without at least a bit of luck.  Her own reavers had also uncovered unrest within Wyxir, it appears they had their own troubles.  This would offer her the opportunity she would need.  But Qheria was still such a timid woman, she would be far too easy to be used by the enemy.  She set off immediately for the Magus Citadel, her Shadow Reavers close behind.


    Aelyiq was having trouble digesting his own misfortune, as he knelt before the High-Sage herself.  He aspired himself nothing more than an elven traveler, so to honor her grace like this was a miracle of an experience.  To kneel in disgrace brought him a fountain of shame.  "I .. I am truly sorry, milady.  I wasn''t aware who.. who it was I had been speaking to."  "Your innocence is regrettable, but understandable.  My daughter has not been one seen by many of elven-kind, much less one who does not frequent these parts."


    The High-Sage did not appear herself angry with him.  "Perhaps much of the blame in fact belongs to the staff of the library, who failed in their responsibilities.  Regardless, my daughter has fled not only her sanctuary, but even passed beyond these lands.  Finding one who holds the skills to visit distant places would be no easy task.  Fittingly enough though, that appears to describe you well enough.  So instead of punishment, I offer you redemption.  Find my daughter."


    Aelyiq was overwhelmed by the monumental task set before him.  "Myself alone?"  "Of course not, that would be foolish.  You will be assigned into the care of the Wardens of the Glade.  Do not disappoint me."  This was only getting worse.  The wardens weren''t just some simple crew, they were the pride of the elves.  To be assigned in search of any one elf, it was unheard of.  Aelyiq was worried that the High-Sage might be overstepping her authority in this one.  It might be out of motherly love, but the High-Sage''s daughter held no true status to the elves, regardless of her lineage.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Please forgive me, but I must state my concerns.  Wouldn''t the Circle take offense to this over-usage of resources?"  The Circle was effectively the ruling authority of the elves, even the High-Sage reported to the Circle.  His statement was then reasonable, and the High-Sage understood that a bit more clarity would be necessary.  "If Mhyl was not more than a simple elf, you would be right.  However, when she was little, I had been given message of her... gifts.  She has been chosen by the forest, marked as a Saviour.  I''m certain you understand that a Saviour is deserving of this and more."


    This would explain why the High-Sage had kept her daughter in sanctuary for all of these years.  Keeping her safe from the world, so that she could return and keep the elves safe in turn.  Being marked a Saviour also means the forest was aware of a danger approaching, the elves were at risk at some point in Mhyl''s lifetime, and no one knew when that might be.  Her absence from the Elnir put them all in serious danger.  Involving the Wardens for such a reason.. it made plain sense.  The circle would never doubt this judgement.


    "Al-.. alright, I will take up this charge, in defense of my homeland.  I have been beyond the woods, I am familiar with the ways of those beyond.  I have even taken the time to study their language and cultures.  Do we know where she headed?"  "She passed through the everglade, following along the river, into the lands of the humans beyond."  Having his question answered, Aelyiq went pale at the implications.  He was fully aware of the growing strife within the lands in that direction.  The High-Sage grew more concerned, taking consideration of his expression.


    "You know something of concern with the humans of those lands, I take it.  What dangers does this bring to the Saviour, to my daughter?"  The High-Sage was still protective of her daughter, even if she also understood how things were much more complicated than that.  "The humans there prepare for war among each other.  Young Mhyl is walking into the middle of a battlefield."  The poor girl, having seen nothing of the world, she wouldn''t understand the trouble she would be walking into.  Guilt surged through Aelyiq, he was the one who instilled this need to see the world beyond.  He would find her.


    Concern registered on the High-Sage''s face, bringing an understanding that the situation had an even stronger sense of urgency.  "The forest does not bring word of her coming to harm, she is still fine for the moment.  Considering how long she had left, then I suspect she has found a new place to hide.  Find it, search her down, and bring her home."  With that, the High-Sage dismissed him.  He knew he had to proceed with haste.


    He met immediately with the Wardens waiting for him, and gathered them to follow his lead.  In all accounts, she could possibly hide by following the river.  If she had done so, she would have found herself at what the humans called the Magus Citadel.  That place was held neutrally away from its warring neighbours, possibly the best place to hide.  But elves in the lands of humans would raise considerable questions, they had to proceed with care.  He passed this information to the Wardens, who reported that they would work to make arrangements.  They were to leave immediately.


    Ehryinae was a disciple of the Arch-Magus himself, and was herself the leader of one of its many pillars.  Belonging to the Pillar of Embers marked her as one of the most powerful of her peers.  This was perhaps why she was confused as to why she was being called to follow the Arch-Magus personally, on his visit to a simple Inn.  They had just arrived, so the Arch-Magus put aside the tome he was reviewing, something about celestial storms.  Ehryinae opened the door for him.


    The girl at the front counter jumped, seeing the importance of her guests.  The Citadel Inn has been having some of the strangest of guests recently.  "Yes, yes, hi, uh.. Can I help you with anything, sir?"  "Yes, young lady, can you please fetch your father for me."  "DAD!!!" The girl ran off, searching for her father, desperate to escape.  Her brother approached to investigate.  "Ah, the Arch-Magus himself.  To what honor do we have for this visit?"  The boy was doing well at keeping things professional, though his eyes gave away his real fear.  Ehryinae couldn''t blame the kid, she didn''t know why they were here either.


    "Thank you my boy, but it''s alright.  I''ll just wait for your father, you should just keep attending to your other guests."  The Arch-Magus excused the boy, so the boy just stood and waited.  He obviously had no idea what else he should do in this situation.  Footfalls could be heard in the distance, as the girl returned with her father.  "Arch-Magus, hello.  To what honor do we have for this visit?"  The same father made it clear from where the boy''s lessons came from.  "I have came to have a word with you.  In private, if you will."  The arch-magus still gave away nothing of his intentions, but they were guided to another room.


    The arch-magus motioned that Ehryinae was to guard the door, though from the inside.  That means she would be expected to listen, but to ensure there were no interruptions.  It might also mean she was to prevent anyone escaping.  The Arch-Magus took the seat indicated for him.  "I seem to have noticed that this Inn is working slightly under its usual staffing.  Could you care to explain this?"  The Innkeeper father looked like he might even understand why this would be of any consequence for the Arch-Magus.  "We... uh... It appears one of our staff has gone missing.  Don''t worry, we will ensure that correctional measures..." "It appears you aren''t fully grasping the immensity of the situation.  After all, none of your staff here even appear concerned that the granddaughter of the Arch-Magus is no where to be found!"


    This is news Ehryinae hadn''t been aware of.  She didn''t even know the Arch-Magus had a granddaughter.  Though, she could recall word of him having a daughter.  She couldn''t actually remember many details about that, but inevitably, having a daughter could mean one day having a granddaughter.  What didn''t make sense was all the secrecy around it.  "But, sir, she''s only a half-elf.."  The Innkeeper father filled in the missing blanks.  Now things made a bit more sense.  Having a half-elf in your family, that''s certainly not something the Arch-Magus would make public, quite the reverse in fact.  This means she was being made privy to some really confidential information.  Ehryinae took a moment to check around outside, in case anyone was listening.


    "We did have an agreement, did we not?  I''m sure you understand, given the circumstances, there weren''t many I could turn to.  I had trusted the people around me, it had cost me my daughter.  I had believed that, for all of your faults, you could at least serve a... measure of success better than most.  But you disappoint me."  "But ... she''s only a half-elf."  Ehryinae wasn''t even closely involved in the situation, and already she was herself getting tired of silently listening to his excuses.  The Arch-Magus, being further invested in the situation, was bound to lose his patience very soon.


    "I''m well aware of peoples fears of mixed bloods.  My own wife couldn''t even handle coming to term with such a mixed blood child, the foolishness of my own youth, falling in love with an elf.  Bearing a child of mixed blood had quickly made her ill, and then taken her life.  But even on her deathbed, her love for her daughter did not waver.  And as my daughter laid dying before me, protecting her own daughter, she never wavered either.  There was nothing I could do for either in those moments, nothing at my disposal was enough to save them.  Yes, I so much wanted to save them, tainted by mixed blood.  They were each dear and important to me, regardless of blood.  Both are gone now, leaving only my granddaughter to remain."  The Arch-Magus'' family story was starting to have Ehryinae''s eyes water.


    "More tainted than their blood is the disregards of those too foolish to understand.  You, you were among the foolish, and yet left me with the belief that you were the best recourse.  My own foolishness, to have counted on you."  "I.. I''m.. Uh.. She.."  "I don''t want to hear it.  You had best hope I can still find her.  If you cost me my family, I''m not sure how safe your own will remain.  Ehryinae!"  Ehryinae jumped at being called over by the Arch-Magus.  She had a suspicion that she was being made to hear all of that for a reason.


    "Yes, sir."  Ehryinae quickly rushed to the Arch-Magus, who then continued speaking to her.  "If you check our records, it seems there has been a slight trickle of funds leaving the Citadel, going to a.. specific Inn.  I would ask that you would put a halt to it, in order to give me the opportunity to fully investigate it."  Oh, so some of the Inn''s business was even profiting from this service to the Arch-Magus.  Foolish indeed for that to be forgotten.  "With our business concluded, I believe it''s time to depart.  I trust the Citadel Inn will be certain to pass along any useful information that would... fit it''s long term interests."  Ehryinae took the cues that they were leaving, and opened the door for the Arch-Magus.  Then, she promptly closed it before the Innkeeper father, treating him as little more than dirt.


    Once safely away, the Arch-Magus addressed her again.  "I trust you understand the terms of this situation.  Mostly, at least, in consideration.  Suffice it to say that the girl''s grandmother was no simple elf, a circle elf in fact.  A blood mixture then of considerable potential, that potential might be a bigger risk for her than the hatred held for mixed bloods in general.  I''m certain this same fear of potential is in most what killed my daughter... ... Ehryinae, she MUST be found.  I suspect she doesn''t even know of her own potential."


    The Arch-Magus took a moment to gather himself before continuing, his tone going much more formal at this point.  "Ehryinae, dispatch the Embers, find her."  "Sir!  All of them?"  "All of them."  Ehryinae was stunned.  To send the entire Pillar of Embers to search for the girl, something must have the Arch-Magus concerned.  The Arch-Magus pulled out his previous Tome, glancing at it worryingly.  "Oh, and Ehryinae.  Please keep me informed of any... unusual weather patterns you notice during the investigation."


    Ehryinae set out to gather all of the Embers.  She didn''t tell any of them why the girl was important, just saying that the girl was part of an arcane investigation by the Arch-Magus, and thus had to be found.  They tracked down that the girl was seen leaving with three other women, heading towards the great mountain.  Her company was suspicious, but the path around the great mountain would take no less than three days.  It gave her an opportunity to catch up, before she lost the trail.


    During her investigation, she found it concerning just how many travelers had appeared, who seemed to be doing investigations of their own.  Taking a catalog of the travelers, she learned one party hailed from Wyxir and was composed of members of the Royal Guard themselves.  Another was a suspicious escort of the Qiciri hero.  Lastly, elves had came from the Elnir Woodlands, Wardens specifically.


    It was exceedingly clear, something big would inevitably happen.  Whatever it was, the world was already moving in response.

 10: Ensuing Descent

    Once outside the cave, the four of them were faced with another cliff to reach the main path.  At the rate they were going, they would pass the great mountain by lunch that same day.


    Going down the cliff was much easier than going up, least because they were better outfitted for the climb.  Lwyn took the lead again, followed by Mhyl.  Qheria took the tail end of the group, considering she had the best leverage, with Thanrie on hand as backup if needed.  The four were still on guard, but they weren''t as tense as before.  Once back on the path, they looked onward as it sloped before them in bumps and ridges in its spiral decline, then agreed on taking a break.  They had skipped breakfast, after all, and were getting quite hungry.


    "All things considered, we''re still making pretty good time.  I didn''t originally account for needing a whole day to make this trip, but it''s not bad regardless.  Cutting through the mountain alone saved us plenty of time."  Qheria congratulated everyone for their hard work, though Mhyl was still feeling like a liability.  "I''m sorry for slowing everything down."  "Oh come on, Mhyl, don''t be so hard on yourself.  You kicked ass back there you know.  Never would have expected you to be so dangerous with a book.  Thanks for saving me, by the way."  Lwyn came to Mhyl''s defense, still remembering her atlas slam.


    "Speaking of danger, I''m getting the impression we''ve been a bit too careless."  This coming from Thanrie was pretty mind-blowing.  "We might have only had a danger once, but we haven''t really ever prepared for anything.  We were downright lucky to have weapons readied.  Getting that far without getting jumped, it was probably pure luck.  Going forward, considering how civilization ended with the mountain, we should be much more prepared."


    "A land without civilization is one ripe with outlaws.  It means we shouldn''t be careful around anyone, while expecting an ambush at every moment."  Mhyl didn''t look up from her Atlas while she spoke.  Lwyn looked up in consideration of such terms.  "Speaking of ambush, those bandits will be pretty mad when they wake up.  We need to be careful in case we end up followed."  "If we can reach the end of the mountain, that will become much less of a problem.  From there, it''s all hills and valleys, realistically we could be assumed to have gone in any direction."  "Except, aren''t we just going to follow the river?"  "Hmm, according to the map, that might not be the best assumption.  The river has a wide curve, we would do better going straight to our destination."  Mhyl had a pretty good grasp of the geographical situation from her maps, plotting the best route to the lake.  Lwyn was thinking of things differently, but Mhyl''s logic made sense.


    "We might need to consider our resources to figure out the best path.  If everything is as dry as you were saying, straying too far from a water source might not be the best solution."  Qheria mentioned a thought Mhyl had forgot to consider.  She remembered travelling through some of Earth''s dry climates, where water was important.  Here, water would be much more difficult to transport.  It was a shame this world had no such vehicles.  Actually, as she could remember, any sort of beast of burdens wasn''t a popular thing either, Celese didn''t have any particularly accommodating creatures like horses.  Having a reduced amount of stamina, not being able to catch a ride was to be even more unfair.  She was starting to see why Lwyn regretted her heritage, being an elf wasn''t fun at all.


    "Oh, Lwyn, that reminds me.  Before we find ourselves facing any more humans, can you teach me a bit of Izhaethyx?  Having learned a ton of languages in my Terran life, I''m pretty sure I can pick things up quickly.  I know this won''t be an overnight thing, but some of the more simple words and phrases might be helpful."  Mhyl turned to Lwyn, once again seeking language lessons.  Thanrie replied while Lwyn put some thought into the request.  "Oh, the best thing to start with is all the swear words.  That''s how I learned English."  "Somehow, that explains everything."  "Actually, wait, are there any swear words in Izhaethyx?  I can''t think of any."  "As a noblewoman, I get the impression your lifestyle had you focus on dignified and formal speech over any other forms."  "Wait, f~~k, I think you''re right!"  Thanrie and Qheria bantered between each other regarding Thanrie''s vocabulary.


    Mhyl''s lessons continued through breakfast and back onto the trail.  They had started with some common phrases and questions, from a passing greeting to asking for someone''s name.  Then, they moved on to some nouns for objects that weren''t unique to humans.  After all, any human-unique object ended up with the same word in elven as well.  Mhyl was still having a few problems picking up the difference in grammatical sentence structure.  Falling into familiarity with the pronunciation, she kept switching to elven grammar over human grammar.  Her own failings were irritating herself.


    In an effort to help with Mhyl''s lessons, the four of them cut down on using English.  Occasional English was still used, but Izhaethyx became much more common.  Lwyn started switching to Elaethyx for her language corrections.  Sometimes, she would directly translate something the other two said in Izhaethyx to Elaethyx, so that Mhyl could compare.  Using the two similar languages together was making the lessons much easier for Mhyl to understand, and she started catching on to some of the basics of Izhaethyx grammar.  She still had a long way to go, though.


    "Switching to all this Izhaethyx like this suddenly reminded me of home.  Ever since that night, everything has seemed so unreal, it was like an out-of-body experience, like we weren''t in Celese anymore.  It... still feels like I''m suddenly someone else, like neither of my memories are exactly who I am."  Theria was talking in her normal Izhaethyx voice, which had the effect of building impact on her statement.  Qheria didn''t have quite the same effect, considering she wasn''t being her old timid self.  "You are simply you, that''s how it works for us all.  In a way, that simply means that who we are are both neither and both of our memories.  Our self has been shaped by our thoughts and memories, but what it results in is something else entirely.  However, we aren''t made of thought and memory alone, our physical self hasn''t changed."


    Theria paused for a moment, understanding.  "Yeah, that''s why I thought of home.  I mean, I wonder what my brothers are doing, without me around anymore.  Not that I think it would impact much, Ihzy might be a bit more bored, but he''ll be fine."  Theria had her own nickname for her Third Brother.  Qheria considered the same question.  "I''m rather certain everyone has forgotten I''m gone, myself.  Though, I''m sure that''s for the best as well, the change in attitude would throw them for a loop.  I suspect it''s the same in your case."  "Ha!  For certain.  What about those two?"  Thanrie indicated the other two, Mhyl and Lwyn, hard at work with their language lessons.


    Qheria reflected on what she knew of Mhyl and Lwyn.  A bookworm and an... Inn servant.  "Mhyl said she had spent a lifetime in a library.  The only one who would miss her there are the books.  As books, I don''t even think any of them would then notice she changed.  Lwyn, she was going through hard enough, if any of her family did notice she''s gone, it would only be because they didn''t have someone to take the blame anymore.  None of them would even care how much she has changed, and she would probably have hidden it from them anyway."  They were all pretty much in the same boat.


    Thanrie stopped for a moment to watch the two elf-kinds.  She was wrong to call it home, none of them had a home anymore.  Home was what they were searching for.  "That whole incident brought us together, didn''t it.  Without it, we would be quite a mismatched set.  A Wyxiri, a Qiciri, an Elniri, and a... Citadel girl?  I don''t remember if the Magus Citadel had a nation name.  I don''t think it has one, that would be how it got its neutrality."  Thanrie looked them all over once more, they certainly weren''t such a mismatched set anymore.  Their memories of Earth had quickly brought each of them together, while polishing their attitude enough that they could.. somehow just mesh.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "That whole incident is still a giant unknown."  Qheria reflected upon the original storm.  "What kind of storm gives you memories from another world?"  "Qheria, we don''t even know for certain if the storm gave us memories or just awoken them.  Was our.. Tzeyhaen.. selves instead always there, sealed our whole lives, and this was just a matter of resolution?"  Thanrie tried her best to use an aethyx pronunciation of ''Terran'' for her explanation, as she countered Qheria''s question with another question.  Her efforts weren''t the best of quality, as she vocally tripped over the word.  "But that would mean that something has been spinning this fate our entire lives.  Considering the exactness in all of our ages, I''m personally tempted to contemplate a greater force at work here."  Thanrie kept talking, leaving Qheria to ponder the subject as she talked.  Neither had any clue as to what machination could cause something with such a magnitude.


    "Tzeyhaen?  What in the world was that?  Did you just try to say Terran?"  Lwyn broke out into English suddenly, stifling her laughter.  "I''m sorry, some of us here aren''t exactly language teachers.. " Thanrie gave an angry reply before switching to Japanese ".. moron."  Mhyl looked between the two of them, before defusing the situation with an attempted Izhaethyx.  "No.  Take friends.  Give nice."  The true linguistics expert, putting her heart into sharing a message with her friends in a language she hardly knew, was far too adorable for them to withstand.


    At one point in their travels, the rock suddenly gave way to short, stubby grass.  The grass was a strange yellow color, a very unfamiliar sight for both of the pure humans.  Both elf-kinds however had seen grass like this before, back on Earth.  Not long after, the path intersected with a small river.  Mhyl confirmed that this was probably the same river they would be following, the same one ending in a lake.  It was fairly fast flowing and rough, so she opted to keep her distance.  Qheria suggested they find a good spot nearby for lunch, as they could use the river to restock their water supply, which would help with cooking.  Lwyn found a grassy hill nearby, almost ideal as a picnic location, except for there being no trees.  Qheria offered to handle water supplies.  Mhyl and Lwyn cooperated in preparing a lunch.  Thanrie stood guard, a role they all agreed would be required going forward.


    Brandishing her sword, Thanrie took in her surroundings.  The grass was still concerning her, but she didn''t feel compelled to question it, not when half their team was familiar with it.  Possibly, it was the issue with living in one place your whole life.  Both lives, she never really traveled much, she never actually had any interest in learning about things far from home.  On earth, she was pretty comfortable in her own little corner of Japan, the busy of the city filling all the sights she felt she needed.  On Celese, she never left the Capital.  It was two lives in a busy city.  That was nothing like here, she was no where near civilization.


    For their trip so far, rock had formed walls on both sides of the trail, diminishing the view they could get of their surroundings.  Here though, she could see a pretty good distance ahead.  It showed they weren''t far from the valley.  She looked out into the distance, as the river shrunk off and away.  Tiny specks marked the horizon of what they would be going to see next.


    Qheria came to join Thanrie, concerned that she had found something.  Their water supplies was refilled, and the other two girls had plenty to work with.  "Is there anything wrong?"  "No, sorry.  I guess I got distracted.  I can''t say I''ve seen a view like this all my life.  It looks strange, like nature swallowed everything and then.. died."  Their conversation passed in Izhaethyx, with Thanrie motioning to what she was speaking of.


    Qheria took her turn to check the view, as Thanrie resumed her duties.  Unlike Thanrie, Qheria wasn''t just city grown.  She had been to several places in Germany, in her life back at Earth.  Celese, her work had taken her all over Qicir, not that Qicir was that big in comparison.  Even so, this was not a sight she was familiar with.  Maybe this could be what it would look like to stand at the edge of the Alps and gaze ahead into the distance, she would probably never know.  She started to understand Mhyl''s regets in not having traveled much in this world, being a world traveler on earth, getting to see sights like this all the time...  She took a moment to appreciate the view, looking off into the specks in the distance as the river shrunk from view into a distant glint.


    Mhyl approached Thanrie and Qheria, bringing food.  Lwyn was still busy cleaning up.  Mhyl set the food out for everyone as she presented her question, in English.  "So, how are things here on watch duty?  It appears Thanrie has got you helping her, Qheria."  "Actually, no.  I caught her enjoying the sights.  She had invited me to take her spot in that as she went back to her real job."  "So, what did you find?"  "An endless golden tide, the river becoming microscopic off in the distance."  "Oh, I want to see.  Let me see."  Mhyl finished setting up the food as she motioned Qheria out of her way.


    Mhyl resolved a look of shock on her face, as she looked out into the distance.  Qheria found it a bit surprising, certainly this was the view she was speaking of earlier.  It matches exactly what was described from the atlas, a feature Mhyl had claimed to have seen before.  Qheria started to worry as Mhyl became pale.  "What''s the matter?"  "That.. that.. do you see way over there, on the horizon.. that.. it.."  Mhyl couldn''t even complete her statement.  Thanrie joined to check what all the fuss was about.  "The horizon?  You can see out there?  It looks like nothing but tiny dots of... I can''t even tell.  How are you making anything out of that?"


    "So, I guess it''s time for another lesson in elves."  Lwyn had finished cleaning up and had came to join them, catching the tail-end of the conversation as she approached.  "Another difference between humans and elves is that elves have remarkably good sight.  Mhyl can probably spot details far too small for either of you to figure out.  Mine won''t be as good as her''s but I still probably beat you both in this area."  Lwyn finished her explanation as she got in position to check things for herself.


    Lwyn got a good look, and then took a moment to compose herself.  "Okay, that''s not a thing that should happen.  Mhyl, please correct me if I''m wrong and my eyes are failing me, but... aren''t those buildings?"  "I don''t see what''s the matter with that, if the place was taken by outlaws, they would need a place to live, right?  Houses, even a fortress might not be unexpected."  Qheria still didn''t understand what the big problem was, so Lwyn tried again.  "No no no, you don''t get it.  When I say buildings, I''m not talking wood shacks.  I don''t even thing that''s a stone foundation.  We''re talking metal and concrete, really high quality stuff.  Mhyl, can you make out the small white things up top?"  Mhyl replied in Elaethyx, too stunned to invite questions from the other two, and so counting on Lwyn to explain.  "Lightning..."


    Obviously, the elves had no better word for it.  Electric lanterns decorated the top of the steel infrastructure of the buildings in the distance.  There wouldn''t be any Aethyx word for any of it, it was far too advanced for this world.  Still not as advanced as the Earth they had in their memories, it was like some type of Steampunk civilization.  When they had expected to find a place with less civilization they their Celesi lives had endured, the sight before them denied their assumptions, it was instead far more civilized than anything their Celesi eyes had seen before.


    Lwyn knew it was up to her to explain.  Mhyl was slack jawed, white as a ghost.  "Okay, so.. things just got a lot more complicated.  Someone brought steampunk to Celese."  Thanrie started to go pale as she started catching on too.  Qheria froze in thought for a while before trying to restart her brain.  "Wait, wait, what, what?  Steampunk?  You mean like.."  "I mean like trains and rifles and .. and .. hair dryers."  "Wait, what, you two can see THAT well?"  "No, no, I mean, like that.  Specifically, Mhyl spotted some big lights on the walls, the electric kind of light.  I swear, the walls are made of f~~king concrete with some steel panels on some things."  "Okay, okay, calm down.  You two are getting a lot more information than Thanrie and I, that''s obvious, but you are both still jumping to conclusions far too quickly."


    Thanrie jumped in at this, being Thanrie.  "Actually, this doesn''t change our destination either way.  If the bandits got their hands on some super tech, stuff they shouldn''t have, then it''s going to be a problem.  But it will be a bigger problem if we do nothing.  The four of us actually have memories to match that sort of thing, we can do way more than the average person could in this situation.  Besides, I''m kinda interested in what kind of novelties they might have managed to come up with."  Dark Thanrie graced their presence, as her voice chilled the air.  With that, the four of them finished lunch in silence, feeling the need to keep moving.


    It wasn''t much longer until their trail ended and they found themselves at the base of the mountain.  They looked ahead at the expanse of plains that laid before them, their destination just beyond.

 11: Rascallion Gentleman

    The heat of the day was trying on all four women.  Having came from cooler, wetter climates, none of them were physically used to the difference.


    "Qheria, is there more water?"  "Lwyn, don''t over-drink the water.  It will do more damage to your body in the long run."  Mhyl ensured Lwyn took proper care of herself.  Having knowledge of these circumstances, she knew what to do.  However, her own body questioned her logic, she herself craved more water.  Mhyl scolded her own weakness, having endured worse in Earth.  This wasn''t even a desert, this should be easy, amateurishly easy.  Should be.. no problem...


    "Mhyl!"  Lwyn ran to help the fallen Mhyl, who had been pushing herself far beyond her limits.  The others were around to assist.  "Mhyl, are you okay?  Have some water."  "Oh Mhyl, stop pushing yourself so hard.  Elves can''t keep a human pace."  Qheria shared some of their water supply.  Mhyl was suffering heat exhaustion, trying to do exactly what Lwyn had scolded her for.  Thanrie checked the nearby surroundings.  "The hills offer a bit of shade just over that way.  Maybe we should make our way there and stop for a break."


    Everyone agreed that a break would be the wisest course of action.  They helped guide Mhyl over to the chosen spot, and set down their supplies.  "I''ve got lookout this time, you two look after Mhyl."  Lwyn volunteered to keep watch, scampering up the hill.  "Let''s hope Lwyn isn''t pushing herself too hard as well."  Thanrie reflected on how Lwyn had a tendency of being over-protective of Mhyl when it came to elven matters.  However, Lwyn was herself partly an elf, and would need to take it easy as well.  She let the matter drop, also recalling that posting an elf on a hill made for a better lookout then any human could.


    After a time, Mhyl began to recover.  "Thank you.. "  Mhyl thanked them both before breaking into some coughs.  "Thanrie, I''ve got Mhyl here, you bring some water up to Lwyn and make sure she''s doing okay too.  We don''t want two elf-kinds going through this."  Qheria handed Thanrie a small bottle of water.  Thanrie took the bottle and went to check up on Lwyn.  "So, everything doing okay up here?"  "Oh, yeah, I''m fine.  I''ve put myself through plenty back at the Inn."  Lwyns confidence started to worry Thanrie, in case Lwyn was doing the same thing Mhyl was.  Lwyn understood the concern.  "Don''t worry, I''m serious, I probably could have lasted at least three more hills before falling over.  And yes, I''ve been taking it easy up here too."  Lwyn took the water from Thanrie, finally getting the share she had asked for earlier.  Thanrie had remembered that as well, and started to calm down.


    "So, I''ve been watching.  I''m not sure if you can see, but over there, those are tents.  The yellow is pretty smart, given the surroundings.  I think I''ve seen some motion, but it''s hard to tell, there might be people there.  Mhyl probably would have no problem seeing at this distance."  Lwyn passed her report to Thanrie, who herself saw nothing but a tide of yellow.  Thanrie nodded, still in appreciation of elven eyes, and made her way back down the hill.


    "Something the matter?"  "Lwyn says she''s found something, though I couldn''t see a thing for myself.  There is no hurry, but she''ll need Mhyl''s help when we''re ready to go."  Qheria made sure to collect Thanrie''s report.  Mhyl looked up the hill, curious at what Lwyn had spotted.  "I should be good for now.  No really, I should be more than twice as good as I should normally be now.  That should make up for any not-as-good as I might be because I''m an elf, right?"  Mhyl''s train of though almost made the two humans dizzy, so they let her go.


    "So, what are we seeing?"  "Over there."  Lwyn pointed in response to Mhyl''s question.  "I''m certain those are tents, but I can''t figure out if there are people there.  What do you see?"  "Uh.. oh!  Yeah, people.  Most are carrying weapons.  Hmm... OH!  There is a commotion going on.  Something''s happening."  "Something good or bad?"  "I have no idea, but most of them have that same bandit feeling as from the cave.  Maybe some infighting?"  Mhyl shared what she could figure out from this distance, which was still much more than Lwyn could put together.


    Thanrie had showed up to hear the tail-end of the conversation, while Qheria was packing up.  "We probably shouldn''t get involved, but we should definitely figure out what is going on.  Moving into the area, knowing the ways of the locals is going to be kinda important."  Her tone heralded a return of dark Thanrie, carrying a sense of natural political awareness.  Lwyn left to report the situation to Qheria.


    Qheria caught up soon after, also then aware of the situation.  "If we have any interest in learning about a local dispute, we should hurry.  Weapons have a history in resolving problems with potentially a lot of speed.  However, we should also take a lot of care to not be noticed, so that we don''t get involved ourselves.  Mhyl, Lwyn, you both have excellent vision, make use of it so that we can spot them before they would spot us, while also trying to pick up any of the situation from a distance.  Mhyl, let me borrow your atlas, just show me a page with a half-decent map.  I''ll use it to plot us an advantageous position.  Thanrie, you just keep your weapons ready.  We need someone ready to react if something goes wrong."  Qheria was quick to come up with a plan.


    All four of them set the plan in motion, and quickly made their way to a nearby location, overlooking the discovered camp.  They had no problems getting into position, as everyone on site was already otherwise preoccupied.  Their exact location was obscured by the tents themselves, and were then close enough to hear what was going on.  Mhyl put away her atlas after being returned it.


    "Zyuixqs, cut with the games.  Give us the elf brat, and maybe we''ll return you to your father in one piece.  Don''t make this harder on you."  "Foul knavery.  I shan''t stand a moment of your brigandage.  Have at you."  The first to talk appeared to be a sort of leader for the bandits, using a pretty substantial amount of slang in every sentence.  The second, the guy named Zyuixqs, held his spear fast against the bandits, while a boy hid behind him.  Both were talking in Izhaethyx.  The leader brought his maul to bear, laughing at this foolishness.  "Look who is talking.  We''re in the Hyxir.. heck the Hyxir of the Hyxir, there''s nothing here except thieves and cutthroats.  Ye got one behind ya, in fact."  Hyxir effectively meant ''out-lands'', but the term ''Hyx'' implied something beyond natural order.


    "Look, kid, that brat took something of ours, we''re just taking it back.  There is just a matter of consequence to look into, the brat has to learn who you don''t steal from.  But, if you''re plan is to steal him from us... well, it might mean you''ve got a lesson to learn yourself.  I don''t rightly care who your father is, but I suspect I know someone who might.  Maybe we should send you to the fortress instead, that would put you in line pretty good, huh?  There is a pretty good bounty on everyone in your petty rebellion, after all, would net us a really decent reward, actually."  The leader passed his threats to Zyuixqs.


    One of the other bandits spoke up.  "Wait, why would one of them ''bellion fend for a brat.  Ye think the brat is one of his own?"  The leader''s eyes narrowed at this insight.  "Ah, is that it?  Ye came to stand fer one of ye own people, that''s why yer here.  That makes sense now.  This is perfect.  Everyone, I have some wonderful news.  It seems we have before us not one but TWO bounties.  We gift wrap them, ship them off to the fortress, we''ll get a nice fat return that will gladly make up for this trouble.  No reason to play nice anymore, box em both up rough as needed.  Ye people are nothing but dirt, anyhow."  The others started to grin with glee.


    Qheria was livid.  She was raised as a knight, to stand for the defenseless, and this was a brutal slash against everything she believed in.  She twitched at both references to ''ye people''.  A shieldbearer does everything for the people.  Thanrie was next to Qheria at the time, watching her first draw her shield, then her sword.  "Qheria, what happened to not getting involved?"  Thanrie quietly whispered her own English concerns, to no avail.  Qheria  started to advance, so Thanrie gave up.  "Oh, f~~k it."  Lwyn made sure to ready her own bow.


    Also futile, Zyuixqs stood ready against the leader, and parried the giant maul with his spear.  The spear couldn''t hold it''s own against such a powerful weapon.  Zyuixqs took a blow to the side and went flying into the face of the hill, not far from where Qheria appeared.  The leader spun his maul in welcome to the new guests.  "Ah, some Hyenzaelni.  Welcome to the Hyxir."  Hyen was a word that meant ''new'', but applied more to a newly created or newly founded, when something is given shape, such as smelting a new sword.  The phrase Hyenzaelni in that way translated to ''new blooded''.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "As yer welcoming committee, I''m obligated ta let ye know ye should be careful with whom ye get associated.  Ye don''t want ta make enemy from ta fortress, after all.  Should let ya know, we''re pretty friendly with ta fortress, if ye come here makin a mess, yul just find yerself with a bounty on yer own head.  So, if ya were smarts, ya would just wait until we finished with our business, then we could give ya a tour and get ya well acquainted with how things work around here.  Sounds good?"  The leader passed out his introduction as a few of the other bandits started forward to deal with the two uninvited guys.


    Qheria replied wordlessly, stepping forward into the path of the bandit moving towards Zyuixqs, to slam him across the head with his shield, sending the bandit crashing into a nearby tent.  The tents were apparently metal-reinforced, so it didn''t collapse, but the metal had a human-sized hole in it now.  Another bandit, the one progressing on the elf, turned to stab Qheria, only to get a visit from Qheria''s own longer sword.  One of the bandits picked up Zyuixqs'' spear, in an attempt to throw it, and instead got a knife in the forehead, this time the blade was in the right direction.  Another bandit got an arrow in the shoulder before they could do more than draw an axe.  More bandits arrived on the scene.


    "Hey, over here, come this way!"  Mhyl experimented by calling out to the elf in Elaethyx.  The elf boy took the invite of a rescue and ran towards Mhyl.  A bandit tried to follow, and got a book to the face, a side swipe with the side of the book.  Somehow, this drew blood, slashing the bandits face as he went sprawling, already unconscious.


    Qheria blocked one bandit with her sword as a second approached, who got the edge of her shield slashed across his torso.  Three more were on intercept, faster than she could react.  Thanrie''s sword came down hard on the first, then cleaved through the other two.  "I''m serious, you have this sword and shield thing backwards."  "Thanrie, you''re slow."  Both spoke in Izhaethyx in the heat of combat, Qheria taking out the one she blocked with a follow-up slashing blow from her shield.


    Lwyn was trying to keep up, but there were too many.  "If you are done over there, I think it''s time to go."  Three more bandits went down, one a knife through the chest, one with an arrow to the knee, the last with an arrow in the arm.  Qheria turned back, picking up Zyuixqs on the way passed, Thanrie felling two more to cover her with a sweep of her sword.  Thanrie reflected on the scene as she fell back. "Lwyn, you said you were good with a bow.  Your aim is lacking, unlike whatever games you''ve had in the past, no one is ever taken out by an arrow to the knee."  Thanrie might have had rougher terms to express her opinion, had she instead been using English.


    The four girls withdrew with their two rescues.  The bandits moved to follow, but their leader stopped them.  "It''s too late, let them go.  Da hills are a rats den, dey will escape easily enough.  Prepare a message for da fortress, lord Khaexyn will be wantn'' ta know dat we found some weapon-trained Hyenzaelni who are falling in wif de ''bellion.  He''ll make em learn."


    As they fled, the elf they rescued took them on a detour that lead... into the hill.  It seems the boy was familiar with some hidden passages in the area.  They went a short distance along the tunnel, then stopped for a break.  Their elf companion collapsed in exhaustion, clearly worn out from the proceedings.  It probably didn''t help that he was an elf.  Their other rescued companion was still unconscious., but was going to be okay.  Mhyl set after looking into Zyuixqs'' injuries.


    "Will he be okay?"  The elf was inquiring on Zyuixqs, possibly feeling obligated for the injury.  Mhyl confirmed she had everything under control.  "He''ll feel it for a while, but he''ll be fine.  Just give me some time, I''ll make sure he gets better."  Mhyl was the effective party healer, she could still get that job done.  Lwyn followed along with the discussion, impressed at seeing Mhyl at work, and able to hold such confidence in her own abilities.  Up to this point, the only combat abilities Mhyl had shown was with a book, so Lwyn had almost forgotten she was the party healer.  She thought back to that last encounter, where Mhyl had drawn blood using a book.  Maybe they needed to find her another book to weaponize, that atlas was pretty important.


    Thanrie and Qheria were left with awkward circumstances, being excluded in an Elaethyx conversation.  They figured that this must be what Mhyl had been worrying about during their travels.  "So, uh.. yeah, I don''t suppose our new elf friend knows Izhaethyx?"  Thanrie tried to find a way around the awkwardness of their current circumstances, though the Elf didn''t react.  Lwyn repeated the question in Elaethyx.


    "Oh, uh, sorry, no.  I''ve learned a few words here and there from some of the others, but I haven''t gotten very far."  After hearing these words from the boy, Mhyl turned to him and gave him a big sympathetic hug, finally finding someone else who understands her own hardships.  "It''s awesome to meet you, I''m Mhyl, by the way."  "Oh, uh, likewise?  Mine is Chyurae.  We don''t see many elves around here."  Chyurae was getting shy around Mhyl.


    Qheria coughed, reading the room gave her little need to know what was going on, but she asked Lwyn for clarity.  "I''m guessing some introductions were in order, do we have a name?"  "Oh, yes, he introduced himself as Chyurae, though hasn''t said anything more."  Lwyn passed forward the name, Chyurae jumping at his name being spoken by someone else.  "Wait, are you an elf too?"  Chyurae''s question put Lwyn in a really tight spot, so Mhyl came to the rescue.  "Lwyn is just very good with both languages, she''s been my translator as we''ve traveled.  The other two are Qheria, who was speaking earlier, and then Thanrie, the one who is being unexpectedly quiet.."  Mhyl completed their introductions.


    "I heard my name there!  What''s going on, what is everyone talking about!  Plum-leaf!"  Being forced to speak Izhaethyx, Thanrie spontaneously had thrown in a normal word in place of her usual curse words.  The limitations of her own vocabulary clearly frustrated her right now, only made worse by a whole other language she was excluded from.  "Ah, there, now she isn''t being as quiet."  Mhyl remedied her previous description, giggling.  This only frustrated Thanrie more.


    Hearing the commotion, Zyuixqs regain consciousness.  "It.. it appears I''m being swarmed by the ladies again.  Veritably, my apologies for not being properly receptive to four beautiful young women.  It pains me that you had to find me in such a disheveled state, un-befitting of a gentleman.  Pray tell, did you find an elf around as well?"


    Thanrie went stiff for a second, before responding to Zyuixqs.  "Yes, we''ve found both of you.  So now please stop talking and just get more rest."  Her tone held a subtle fury, which only got worse as Zyuixqs replied.  "Many thanks mi''lady.  Your gentle kindness speaks volumes of a remarkable beauty that would only befit one as refined as yourself."  Zyuixqs complied, completely missing Thanrie clenching a fist.  Thanrie was trying really hard to hold herself back.


    "Mhyl, I''m sorry, but I''m kinda tired too.  Would it be alright if I had a short nap?"  Chyurae asked his question of Mhyl, but it was Lwyn that responded.  "Sure, take a rest.  I''ll be keeping watch again.  I think everyone needs the chance to relax a bit."  Lwyn then passed on the same message to Qheria and Thanrie.


    A while later, after some rest and recovery, Mhyl had also prepared dinner.  They took it easy over dinner, keeping for the most part quiet.  After dinner was completed, the conversation resumed.  "I feel so blessed to be cared for by four beautiful women.  Don''t worry, for I shall endeavor to return this kindness in the future.  It would only be right for a gentlemen to protect a lady from harm, and four ladies isn''t too much for a gentleman like myself."  Zyuixqs'' speech brought Thanrie back to her irritated state.  "Please don''t worry yourself over it.  Don''t worry, us four are really good at looking after ourselves."


    "You don''t understand, it is the way of men to look after the ladies, we are obligated to do so.  I know, as a lady, you would not truthfully understand the ways of men, but rest assured.."  Zyuixqs was immediately cut off by a fist to the face, as he went sprawling into the wall behind him.  Thanrie was still clenching her fist, the rage seething over her.  Listening to him talk had been putting her on edge as it was, suddenly being told that she ''does not understand the ways of men'' brought to light a couple days worth of additional intense frustration, pushing her well over that edge.  Zyuixqs was unconscious again.


    When Zyuixqs eventually reawakened, he decided against saying anything further.  While waiting for Zyuixqs, Chyurae had shared with them the location of a nearby underground hideout, where they could get some proper sleep.  Tomorrow, they could discuss things further, and decide on an appropriate course of action.  They didn''t originally expect to become suddenly so involved in the matters of this region, but they were in need of a home, this was just a step in that direction.


    Packing up, the six of them headed off to the location of the mentioned hideout.  The rumors of beds being found there made the invitation incredibly tempting.

 12: Subterranean Expedition

    The four girls had been blessed with a peaceful night of rest.  The bed might not have been the highest quality, but it was still an actual bed.


    The four girls still weren''t being too carefree.  They had each taken a turn staying awake through a quarter of the night.  Qheria had taken the first shift, feeling restless.  Mhyl had gone second, quietly minding to her own thoughts.  Lwyn had gone next, ensuring that their supplies was tended to.  Thanrie had gone last, and thus was the first one awake.


    "I''m certain the ladies would appreciate a bit of gentlemanly service first thing in the morning, so lets see.  Huh, the door is locked.  No matter, a bit of this and a touch of that and.."  Zyuixqs got the door open, balancing a tray of breakfast with three sets of flowers.  As the door opened, Thanrie''s sword slammed the ground through the parting doorway, with Zyuixqs backing off post-haste.  Zyuixqs held up the foot tray in his own defense, afraid the sword would come down on him next.


    Thanrie poked her nose out of the door.  "Oh, it''s you again."  She already knew it was him, but she didn''t know he brought anything.  "Oh come on, breakfast and flowers?  Is that the best you could do?  Wow, your style is weak."  Regardless, she took the tray and closed the door on him, locking it again.  Zyuixqs decided to leave them alone for now, and maybe come back later.


    The other three had woken up together during the commotion.  Lwyn wasn''t impressed.  "Come on, do you HAVE to be this loud so early in the morning?"  She yawned, which became contagious around the room.  Thanrie set down the tray in the middle of the room.  "Someone was offering to provide us some breakfast, was about to bring it in here personally.  By the way, it seems that locking the doors here doesn''t do anything."  Lwyn decided that now would be a good time to get properly dressed, instead of waiting until she finished fully waking up.  Thanrie had noticed.


    "Flowers?  Then again, getting flowers out here might be hard.  Three of them huh?"  Qheria was observing the offering that was provided.  Thanrie shrugged.  "Lots of wasted effort from that one."  Mhyl went to check the three flowers for herself.  "Flowers?"  Lwyn then gasped, noticing that everyone had been speaking Izhaethyx so far all morning, Mhyl was falling behind on what was going on.  However, Mhyl herself had also spoken in Izhaethyx.  Lwyn made sure to clarify.  "Yes, Flowers."  She then switched to Elaethyx.  "Flowers."  Thanrie let the two of them keep the flowers, seems it might not have been a complete waste after all.


    A little while later, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by silence.  Thanrie got up to answer, but Lwyn stopped her and went instead.  Opening the door, she found Chyurae on the other side, waiting patiently.  "Yes, can I help you?"  "I.. I was just wondering if everyone was done getting up and stuff.  There really aren''t many people I can talk to around here, so... it was feeling quiet."  Mhyl rushed to check the door too, hearing Chyurae.  He was carrying a few documents.  "Hello Chyurae, welcome.  Yes, we were just finishing up here, I''ll be out pretty quick.  What is it you have there anyway?"  Chyurae fumbled with the documents nervously.  "Oh, this was just some notes I swiped from the Bandits yesterday.  Since you helped me bring them, I thought I could share it with you and your friends.  I... I can''t exactly read them."  That probably meant they were written in Izhaethyx.


    "I''m guessing we''re wrapping things up here."  Qheria inquired upon Lwyn after she closed the door.  Lwyn nodded.  "It seems we might have a few interesting things to look at."  The four of them finished up breakfast and got everything together, then went to look for Chyurae.


    Chyurae was waiting for them at a large table, his papers scattered across it.  Lwyn handled the explanation.  "These are some documents the bandits were keeping around, Chyurae can''t read them, so they are probably in Izhaethyx."  Qheria picked up a page inquisitively, and quickly skimmed it.  "And... that''s not good.  It''s a letter from.. someone.. telling the bandits to stand watch for people passing through.  Most especially, people leaving.  Something about silencing people who didn''t have the right paperwork.  They didn''t want the wrong people... leaving?"


    Thanrie picked up another paper, and started reading.  "Passage of time... something and something... still waiting... something and something... will be soon as... Wyxir and Qicir would be going to war soon.  Weapons are on standby, waiting for deployment.  Still waiting for confirmation of the war beginning, send word of any new development."  Qheria was alarmed by this.  "Wait, weapons waiting for war?  Does Hyxir plan to interfere with the battle?"


    Lwyn looked up from the last page.  "Uh, if this is any accounts, that''s what I would believe.  This is basically a recruitment poster for getting bandits to sign up in a war.  It speaks of bringing the elements to bear against their enemies, with ''the great might of the fortress in full display''.  Remember the stuff we saw from the mountain?"  Lwyn was reflecting upon the elven steampunk nightmare that they had been going over before.  Putting all of this together, it meant that considerably advanced technology was being prepared for war against the other civilizations.  Worse, information was being denied from returning, so that the whole thing could be one big surprise.  This also explained why there weren''t even rumors of it back there.


    Lwyn turned to Chyurae in Elaethyx.  "How much do you guys know about the powers of this ''fortress''?"  Chyurae shook his head while Zyuixqs walked in, having at least caught the last word.  ''Fortress'' was in fact a human origin word.  "Chyurae wouldn''t have much information on that, but the Rebellion has been collecting plenty.  Armored platforms mounted with barrels that throw fire and lightning, which can slide across the ground at will, that''s the kind of thing we''ve been standing up against.  Spears and bows, neither put a dent in the thing''s armor.  That''s the most fearsome thing we''ve seen, but its not the only one.  Their siege weapons are a thing from your deepest nightmares, but their defenses are just as impressive.  Lightning coils and surges along the walls of their fortress, making it impenetrable.  Their search-lights alone seem capable of slicing a man in half."


    Lwyn gave her comment openly in English.  "So, not even just steampunk.  Tanks, electric walls, lasers.  Our enemy has an unknown mismatch of tech that might compare in areas with Earth itself.   And that same enemy is about to go to war with people who use swords and bows.."  It wouldn''t even be a challenge, that level of technology difference.


    Qheria pitched in, still using Izhaethyx.  "So, what do we do to stop this?  Sending back a warning, not only is that something they are looking to deal with, but honestly I don''t know how much that would accomplish."  Zyuixqs had a reply ready.  "Sabotage.  Wreck the weapons, they can''t be used.  It''s been easier said then done, the things can''t be fought, but when left abandoned, they have seemed reasonably vulnerable from the inside."  That was one way to deal with such a threat, encouragingly.


    Thanrie liked the sounds of the plan.  "Great, I''m in.  Let''s break some stuff.  Question, how do we get any opportunity?"  Zyuixqs had no doubt Thanrie could break stuff if put in the right place, so was encouraged to provide.  "Well, as you''ve seen, they do some recruitment from the bandits.  That means, if we''re lucky, hitting a bandit camp at the right time will give us information on the next opportunity.  Then we just follow the bandits."  It was quite an easy plan, though it did require a bit of good luck.  Fortunately, the four of them had been doing quite well with luck over the past couple of days, all things considered.  It was worth a shot.


    The six of them worked on the plan.  One of the nearby bandit camps held a prominent advantage in being picked for new recruits, they had word of Fortress activity in the area.  The camp in question had the master tent in the back corner of it''s encampment, but there was a small break in the hill leading up to it, providing a back door.  They could sneak in through this entrance, and find what they needed.


    "They aren''t just going to let us work though, certainly they aren''t THAT naive, right?"  Thanrie made use of a term that used to describe herself pretty well.  Still, as someone who used to be pretty naive, she was certain that even her old self wouldn''t have just been left unsuspecting of this.  You don''t leave important places like this without guards.  Qheria nodded her agreement.  "We should expect at least some guards for this back entrance.  Even getting passed them without raising an alarm might be difficult.  Trying to find what they need while the place was in high alert might be too difficult."


    Lwyn disagreed.  "I''m pretty sure I could secure us a quiet way in.  You two are more the loud types, but have confidence in my own abilities."  Lwyn withdrew a few of her remaining knives and held them as a fan.  They had seen before how her knife throwing had resulted in some silent take-downs.  Thanrie silently remarked upon how she was supposed to be the team''s bow-user instead, but let any remarks slide.  She would cover their path of retreat.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It was decided that Mhyl would herself be their main instrument for searching for the desired papers.  While her abilities with a book were awe inspiring, she was still the least combat trained of them all.  Her book would just simply remain a backup weapon, in case anyone managed to reach her.  Chyurae would remain nearby, to help her with her search.


    The other three would be responsible for securing the main entrance.  The metallic sheets of the tent created a natural barrier, they could work with the entrance as if it was a door.  Reinforcing the entrance would provide them the time they needed, they just needed to be fast enough that no one took the long way around and cut them off from the other side.  In few enough numbers, they could even work with that, but taking too long would put too many bandits along that path.  If things took too long, they would have to withdraw before they got cut off.  They could also withdraw if the front entrance was lost.


    Getting into position would not be a problem either.  Chyurae was well aware of which underground exit brought them really close to their destination.  Making their advance mostly from the safety of the underground, they could feel safe in knowing that their approach would remain mostly undetected.  However, there was no certainty if there were any enemies just outside the underground exit, that''s where most of the uncertainty laid.  Chyurae would have to make sure the coast was clear.  They weren''t quite sure what they would do if their exit wasn''t available.  That alone might end the whole operation.


    They prepared for their mission.  Zyuixqs had a few spare arrows he had found lying around nearby, and passed them to Lwyn.  There weren''t any extra spare knives suitable siting around with them, unfortunately.  Zyuixqs himself had a spear handy, the kind they had watched him used before.  Thanrie had quietly reflected upon it in English.  "An extra long shaft, designed to stab people.  It''s like the guy was trying to compensate for something."  Her comment was effectively ignored.


    Everyone else had their normal weapons handy.  Chyurae didn''t appear to have any weapons, but next to Mhyl that was considered acceptable.  Lwyn wondered if their other elf had any unconventional weapon of his own, and considered if this might be an elf thing she was never told about.  Her elf knowledge wasn''t perfect, after all.  Thanrie still had her two handed sword, which while it made her really slow, hadn''t let her down so far.  Qheria still had her sword and shield.. or was that shield and sword.  Her reverse usage still got her a lot of criticism from Thanrie, who was the one who personally used a sword to slash things.


    They made their way on site as planned, then took a quick break before starting the whole operation in earnest.  If things went well, they could make it back to the hideout with plenty of time to spare before lunch.


    Near the end of their break, Chyurae had gone ahead to check the situation.  He returned with a grin and a nod, the coast was clear.  All of them rushed to pack up and followed him to the underground exit.  Lwyn would be up first, so she got her knives ready and went on the prowl.  They exited the underground and went around the corner, arriving at another corner, Lwyn noticed the two guards that were posted.  She quickly checked around, thankful to have the edge in sight against her enemies.  There was no one else to worry about.


    The first one went down, knife through the throat.  Even if he didn''t die instantly, he had no way to scream.  His partner jumped in surprise, but before he could react, he too found himself silenced.  Lwyn made sure to recover both knives from her enemies throats, she might need them later.  Thanrie took a moment to contemplate how she was actually the only one with a normal fighting prowess.  She had reflected on the other three girls individually, but in truth, it was all of them.  She was the odd one out for actually having nothing strange to talk about.  Did that make her the strange one?


    They made it safely into the targeted tent, finding it fully unoccupied.  The two elves set to work, searching for relevant documents.  Qheria cracked the tent open to peer outside.  At one point, she noticed the guards on alert, probably hearing sounds from the tent.  Qheria let fall the exit and motioned to it quietly.  "We''ve got company."  The three of them moved nearby debris to barricade the exit, which was much louder than what the elves were doing.


    Bandits started working at the barricade, trying to force their way in.  An alarm was raised over the entire camp.  They could hear the sound of many other bandits on the way.  Thanrie turned to Mhyl, pleading.  "Please hurry up."  Mhyl was frantic, searching through a bunch of useless papers.  She was finding nothing.


    A familiar voice could be heard on the other side of the barricade.  "What I tell ye?  I was certain the bait would be tempting enough.  Seems ev''n the trap has been sprung, so ya owe me."  "We can discuss it later, there is work to be done.  Archers, as commanded."  The second voice was not as familiar.  What was that other bandit leader doing here?  They suspected the second voice was the local bandit leader for this camp.  They were working together?


    A set of arrows were prepared, but instead of being fired into the barricade of the tent, they flew over the tent.  A foundation of rocks were struck, and broke apart, drooping the collection onto the path below it.  Their exit had been cut off!


    Thanrie turned to Zyuixqs for a new plan.  "So, is there any other way out of this mess?"  "There is only one other way out."  Zyuixqs motioned towards the door they were blocking.  "Not the answer I wanted to hear."  Thanrie realized that they would have no choice but to cut their own path out.  Qheria''s instincts kicked in for a moment, as she pulled both Thanrie and Zyuixqs from the barricade.  It was well timed, as a giant maul came crashing through the platting, destroying the barricade all at once and leaving a massive hole in the wall.


    Through the new exit, they could see the same leader from before, stepping back to stand with what was probably the other leader.  He had a giant.. harpoon.. that made Zyuixqs'' spear look tiny in comparison.  He was also waving around a few sheets of paper.  "Might you all be looking for something?"  Lwyn made sure the elves were also aware with Elaethyx.  "Mhyl, he''s been carrying those sheets the entire time, there''s nothing here!"  Both elves stopped searching, Mhyl taking her book out once again.


    A few of the bandits started forward.  The first got a spear through his chest, to be blown back by a sweeping sword.  Two more replaced him, quickly earning an arrow in their arms.  Qheria knocked aside the axe of the one with her sword and then smashing him with her shield and the sounds of breaking bones.  The other was taken out by Zyuixqs again, Thanrie being by far the slowest one there.  Qheria pivoted to take out the next, supported by a knife flying past and immediately taking out another through the head, with a third stumbling by a non-fatal jab with a spear.  As the bandit was supported by two more, Thanrie came in for another sweeping blow, clearing the exit.  The group step forwards, in order to forge a path.


    Lwyn took out another two with some of her remaining knives, and went back to her bow to conserve the rest.  Qheria stepped out to the right, Zyuixqs taking the left, and Thanrie holding the middle.  They each looked around for an opening, but they were very much surrounded.  Lwyn unleashed six more arrows to take out another two bandits while their front lines held the defense.  Another four arrows took out one more, as their front lines started to tire.  Lwyn reached for another arrow, and found nothing there.  She switched back to her knives, but was getting concerned, they couldn''t keep this up.  To control information, she called an English message forward. "No arrows left."


    Thanrie was having problems holding on as is, the weight of her sword was really getting to her.  They certainly couldn''t hold on much longer, but there was still no opening.  In frustration, Thanrie stepped further forward, deeper into the fray.  Qheria knew this was overextending her, but they were really running out of options.  Lwyn supported with her last three knives, taking out another three.  Then, in desperation, simply threw her bow like a boomerang.  The thrown bow caught a bandit''s neck and strangled him, killing him.  Thanrie had noticed and was determined that, if they got out of this, she would ensure Lwyn would give up on shooting arrows.  Clearly throwing weapons were far more her style.  But she was also questioning the wisdom of her own weapon, her attacks were proceeding far too slowly.


    The bandits noticed with relief that the ranged attacks had halted, and their enemies were in the open.  Both leaders hoisted their weapons and stepped forward.  In a reenactment, a maul came crashing towards Zyuixqs from the side.  However, Thanrie was there, and she redirected the swing to crash into the ground early.  Zyuixqs in turn deposed of a bandit that was targeting her.  The harpoon bandit advanced upon Qheria, a lancer thrust charged into her shield, pinning her back against the wall.  Her shield was caught by the massive weapon, she couldn''t bring it to bear, and tried to swing for the bandit with her far shorter sword.  It was to no avail.


    Thanrie realized that Qheria was in big trouble, so turned to help her.  The moment she turned, the same previous maul came back for another round, catching her off guard.  Now it was her turn to go crashing into the tent, her sword lost in the process.  Zyuixqs tried to come to Thanrie''s aid, but fate proved it would not be avoided.  In a perfect second repeat of Zyuixqs trying to stand guard against a maul in the defense of another, the inevitable happened, and Zyuixqs was out of commission once again.  Finally, the maul wielder advanced at the last of their front lines, pinned defenseless in the corner, and brought his weapon crashing down.  It was all over.


    Mhyl rushed out to try and help the nearby fallen Thanrie, but other bandits were closing in on her.  She had no time to do anything, there was no chance she could achieve anything.  In that moment, she noticed both her book and Chyurae were gone.  Lwyn stepped up beside Mhyl and called their surrender.  Mhyl complied likewise with the same.


    Each of them were tied up at that point and taken away.  Their luck had finally ran out.

 13: Pincer Maneuver

    Not that far away, other members of the Rebellion were also hard at work.  The Rebellion operated as a large organization, it fortunately didn''t depend on the victory of a half dozen people.


    Commander Rhyde was reading through some of his reports.  He was well aware of the operation Zyuixqs had set out for.  He didn''t think highly of their successes, but it wasn''t any of his business.  Zyuixqs'' father would probably do something, after all.  What was his business was the sabotage of enemy resources.  His Marauders have had considerable experience dealing with the enemy''s advanced weaponry, and it was their experience that would matter in the conflict.


    The siege weapons being tested were designated ''Destroyer'' class armored platforms.  Still powerful enough to get a siege designation, but it was still a roughly mass-produced weapon.  They had dealt with a number of them already.  Catching them unmanned has been the leading solution, but it wasn''t the most reliable one.  They had learned that muffling the main weapon generally resulted in it''s self-destruction.  Getting the opportunity to muffle the weapon was still the hardest part.


    Rhyde checked the map he had prepared, collecting the results of the reports.  It seems everything lined up.  The nearby hills had concealed no less than a dozen Destroyers, but there was only enough supply to operate half of them.  Storming the grounds with the intent of putting priority on the idle ones would be foolhardy, they had to deal with the armed ones first.  In counter, they had almost 3 times as many tar barrels, a substance which has proven dramatically effective at muffling the weapon.  However, they only had 3 catapults and 7 slingers, which weren''t the most mobile.  The alternative was close range application by hand, which was both dangerous before and after success.  If things got too dangerous, they would withdraw, though that would give their enemy more weapons to make use of later.


    The plan he had before him involved setting up a chock-point to anticipate the weapon''s approach.  In most cases, Destroyers were found to be hardest to control the soonest after activation, so they needed to get as close as possible.  Catapults had the best long range viability, though they were also really large targets, so they were placed quite a distance away.  Slingers were placed effectively around the first corner in both directions, one being left near the catapults in case the backup was required.  Each position had at least 13 barrels, with additional placed in storage underground safely nearby.  After taking out the active bunch, they would get to move to the easier part.


    "Commander, it appears our scouts have reported activity in the den.  The Destroyers are being activated."  "Ah, Yuxzn, glad you could join me.  Do you see anything that was missed?"  "No sir, by my calculations our preparations should be more than sufficient for 6 Destroyers.  There is suitable odds as well that were all 13 to be activated, all of them could still be dealt with.  Our spare tar would need to be applied in that case, of course.  Enemy bandit capabilities are, as usual, negligible in this scenario."  Rhyde was glad to have his elven strategist at his side, Yuxzn had always proven to be highly capable.


    Not all of Yuxzn''s news was good, however.  "I''ve just been concerned about reports sighting Khaexyn''s personal presence in the area.  That man has been a wildcard in any encounter, we still don''t fully understand exactly how much he''s capable of."  "Khaexyn?!"  Rhyde did not like hearing that the Fortress Lord himself might possibly make an appearance.  "With him in the area, put a greater priority in ensuring a proper escape route.  We should ensure we can abort the whole operation in the event that something unexpected happens."  "Of course."


    Rhyde trusted Yuxzn to his task, and himself moved into position.  Getting things taken care of before Khaexyn arrived would be ideal.  He went in position near the middle Catapult, and got a report from a scout.  "Sir, our scout has spotted a large group moving in this direction from our backs.  They do not appear to be bandits, but they are not otherwise identified.  We suspect they are a platoon of Hyenzaelni."  More unwelcomed strangers?  Zyuixqs had already recently found four, but this was getting ridiculous.  They could also affect the whole operation!  He returned his orders.  "Send word to Yuxzn, tell him that I need him to hurry and return to me.  Report your same findings to him, he will understand."  The scout saluted and departed.


    Rhyde turned to search for their guests.  Eventually, he spotted their company approach.  They proudly bore the flag of Wyxir.  Rather than castaways, they looked official.  More problems.  He still proceeded professionally.  "Good day, Commander Rhyde.  Could I ask what your team is doing here?  This region is currently high threat."  In response to Rhyde''s introduction, prince Ihzyhur stepped forward.  "Much of what we''ve found here has been a surprise, but our mission is still urgent.  We''ve been seeking a high priority individual into the area, with urgent needs to secure and return her.  We would ask for your cooperation."  Rhyde wasn''t quite sure what part of ''high threat'' wasn''t clear.  "I''m terribly sorry, but I don''t have time for this right now."  The seekers all drew weapons at his command.  "I''m terribly sorry as well, but I insist.  If you are as busy as you say, we shouldn''t take much of your time, but it would be unfortunate to lose such a good opportunity."


    Wyxir was always known for being quick for threats.  He really didn''t have time for this.  "If you plan to do anything rash, you will only get us all killed.  Our enemy is about to deploy some rather heavy weaponry .." "Female, age 17, 7 and 6 Uyn tall, orange hair, hazel eyes, composed build.  Has a very calm and collected personality, and maidenly disposition.  Goes by the name Thanryitaeli Zyxaesteyln, or any iteration."  Ihzyhur interrupted Rhyde with a summary description, running out of patience.  His attitude was getting expressively cold again, like a Dark Ihzyhur variant.  In this way, he was like his sister.  For reference, 8 and 0 Uyn was just under 5 and a half feet, or about 165 centimeters.


    "Ah, I was wondering what the Wyxir Royal Guard and the Third Royal Prince were doing way out here.  It seems the princess herself has gone missing.  So her dear brother has gone searching for her?"  Xyithy all but melded from the shadows, her Reavers standing with her, weapons also drawn.  Ihzyhur turned to Xyithy with contempt.  "So the Qiciri have been stalking us!  You will not have my sister!"  Really, Rhyde wished they would all just go away, maybe fight each other somewhere else.  If he was lucky, they might kill each other.  Xyithy however had her own agenda.  "While the absence of your sister is certainly fascinating, I have more important things to worry about.  I''m looking for someone else myself."  "Really, I need to be getting back to.." "If you have time for this Wyxiri scum, you can wait a few more moments!"  He didn''t actually, pointing back at the catapults.  Xyithy didn''t even give him enough time to be interrupted.  "I could care less of whatever you happen to be otherwise busy with, my daughter WILL be found!"


    This time, Ihzyhur was impressed.  "Oh!  So the hero''s daughter has.." "Female, age 17, 7 and 8 Uyn, black hair, blue eyes, slightly muscular build, at least better than that shrill of a princess.  Timid and hesitant, but determined and does everything by the book.  Qheriyaehyzeiri Aiylthhiylz."  Xyithy was even willing to speak over Ihzyhur, an authority that might have been the original cause of Qheria''s shyness.  Using the same descriptive model Ihzyhur had used.  "Really, later would be better, first I need.."  Rhyde begun again as he turned around.


    Standing behind him it appears was a group of elves now.  He didn''t even notice them until that moment.  "This is not the most appropriate way to ask questions, I would have expected better from Qicir and Wyxir.  Certainly this is not how you plan to conduct yourselves before the Elniri, is it?"  At Aelyiq'' commentary, weapons were put away.  With this under control finally, Rhyde started on his way back, only to be blocked by the elves.  "Female, elven, age 17, 8 and 1 Uyn, blue hair, green eyes, incredibly slender.  Gentle in her nature but not used to being around people.  Mhylzhyine Ihrnaelzyhr."  Aelyiq matched the same template used by the others, before crossing his arms to also include one more remark.  "The High-Sage expects her daughter returned to her, and trusts that the positive relations Elnir has with her neighbours will warrant their cooperation, even in these trying times."


    A loud alarm was sounded off in the distance.  Rhyde had ran out of time.  "Look, I''m sorry, but this place is about to become a war zone, like.. right now.  That sound means the fighting has started, and if you don''t leave, you will all be caught in it."  Rhyde forced his way through the elves, making sure everything was still going according to plan.


    Returning back to the catapult, Rhyde found an unfamiliar woman inspecting its design.  Ehryinae''s robbed escort of Embers were close by.  "Fascinating using a catapult to hurl.. what appears to be Tar.  I would question the relevance of such in war, but I''m no strategist.  Yes, yes, please make sure to pass some instructions to your men.  Please hurry, there are other matters for us to discuss."  They were honestly popping out of the hills.  Rhyde however was very inclined to pass off his orders, and coordinated the initial strike.  "Weird, I can''t discern the nature of your enemy either.  Very strange.  But yes, to matters at hand, I know you''re already familiar with the request of the others.  Female, age 17, 7 and 3 Uyn, blonde hair, violet eyes, very agile build.  She''s known to be rather pragmatic, slight case of depression, and if she is anything like her grandfather, probably impulsively curious about things she doesn''t understand.  Lwynitsse Qtehlatys."


    Ehryinae turned to note the arrival of the other three parties.  "What they might not have told you was that all four women were travelling together.  They would have arrived mutually as a party of four, travelling together ever since their still unexplained meetup at the Citadel Inn."  Part of her explanation was to pass off information to the other three groups, who were still unaware of this.  This caused conversation to form between the other three, as the three people in question working together made no sense at all.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The inclusion of the part saying that all four women were travelling together run a bell for Rhyde.  He recalled Zyuixqs had reported upon working with four Hyenzaelni women.  It was very likely related.  However, it was still in no way related to his current situation.  "I might be able to get you some information, but I have a job to do first.  Our enemies won''t dispose of themselves."  "Maybe, but that''s not exactly our problem is it.  More importantly.."  Rhyde had tried to be nice, but even Ehryinae was becoming insufferable.  "No, more importantly, Khaexyn''s Siege Weapons must be stopped!  We''re throwing our necks on the line here, and it''s quite insulting for you to claim you have no place in this.  Those ''Destroyers'', as they are called, are being prepared to attack YOUR homeland.  So if you''re just going to bicker, get out of our way!"  Rhyde still kept a professional tone, but a resolute one, one with an undertone bearing strength.  The undertone of his message likewise bore strength.


    "Wait, siege weapons?  What are we dealing with?"  Ehryinae shifted her focus, this was highly unexpected.  The Arch-Magus was going to want to hear about this.  The others also stopped relenting, their concerns mounting.


    At the battlefield, bandits had engaged their ground troops on patrol.  It wasn''t unexpected that they would have a leading foot troop to check for trouble.  The lines were held carefully so that there was no scout report by the enemy about the tarlines prepared, so that the enemy would be lured without knowledge.  But at this very moment, the first Destroyer had broken into the line of fire, setting loose an explosive round that sent rocks scattering with its main weapon.  The catapults fired first, striking the firing barrel true.  The Destroyer attempted to fire another round, only to explode itself.


    "Ah, so that''s how the tar works.  Though, looks harder to use if your enemy actually knows your there."  As if to prove Ehryinae''s point, the right catapult exploded, as a Destroyer fired upon it.  Yuxzn finally caught up.  "So, am I to assume all of this is the guests that was in the scout''s report?"  Rhyde put his hand on his forehead in frustration.  "Yes, and they have me rather occupied.  As everyone is hopefully clear right now, I have a lot of work to do in order to hold our advantage.  So if you will excuse me.."


    Ehryinae motioned to the Embers.  "Actually, you have me convinced.  Embers, we''re moving to assist.  Our target is the armored mobile platforms.  It appears they are highly susceptible to explosive force within their main weapon."  Ihzyhur was still in awe of the force that took out the catapult.  If this was used in his homeland... "Seekers, we''re joining as well.  Join the vanguard, lets show them what it means to make an enemy of the Wyxiri."  Xyithy would not be outmatched by the Wyxir, she too motioned her orders, not needing to say a word.  The Wardens were left, who were communicating with Aelyiq in Elaethyx.  They too decided to join in.


    "Sir, are you sure about this?"  Yuxzn expressed the same doubts Rhyde had, but it was too late.  Rhyde hoped that maybe they would at least provide suitable distractions.  As he was about to shout new orders, four Destroyers exploded.  It appears their guests had secrets of their own.


    A new guest appeared in the middle of the field, shimmering with lightning around him.  A passing attack glanced off the barrier, with no affect.  Khaexyn had taken front stage.  "What''s this?  Suddenly I find soldiers within my lands.  They aren''t even simple soldiers either, elites from the four corners of their lands.  This won''t do!  This won''t do!  It is still far, far too soon!  Send out more Destroyers, all of them!  Use the spare supplies, I don''t care.  They will all die!"


    Yuxzn had gone pale.  "This isn''t good, 8 Destroyers with commands to rush.  I mean, our supplies could take it... but there are far too many variables now."  "Relax, friend.  While still uncertain elements of the plan can make things difficult, our guests have already spared us most of our supplies.  If they are somehow taking out Destroyers on their own.. " Rhyde tried to calm down Yuxzn, as another four Destroyers exploded as to prove the point.


    Khaexyn didn''t look pleased.  "Why?  Why are you elites so infuriating.  I must squash you like the bugs that you are.  Deploy the Colossal!"  Rhyde now took his turn to go pale, this was not a word they have heard before.  A siege weapon they had no information upon.  A large whirl was heard in the distance, followed by the destruction of four more Destroyers.  The sound continued to build, like a loud siren.  The four teams returned.


    Ehryinae made sure to inquire on their next steps.  "So, Colossal, what''s that and how do we kill it?"  She then saw Rhyde''s expression, as he shock his head.  "This is something new, and it won''t be good.  We have to be ready to leave."  He motioned that last part to Yuxzn as an order.  Moments later, the whirl sound echoed a pop, followed by a huge crash and the entire area filling in dust.  When the dust cleared, they looked towards the Destroyer encampment.  Towering well above it at an immeasurable height was a steel giant, similar in design to a soldier in full plate armor.  An artifical stormcloud was surging overhead above where Khaexyn used to be, a fact of which Ehryinae was sure to make a mental note of.


    All four of Rhyde''s guests moved to engage it, but quickly returned.  Xyithy made the report "That thing is certainly not going down anytime soon.  I guess it really is time to leave."  Everyone agreed.  Yuxzn, competent as he is in even the worst of situations, managed to secure a path for everyone''s escape.  Rhyde wondered if this really might be the worst of situations.


    Once safe, Aelyiq was the first to speak.  "If that thing is going to be brought to bear against the Elniri and her neighbours, there isn''t a moment to lose!  We must find the Saviour!  Where is Mhylzhyine!?"  Aelyiq was considering the High-Seers words, this great threat could very seriously be the danger the High-Seer had warned about.  If so, their Saviour needed to return right now.  Rhyde contemplated that he probably couldn''t delay this any longer.  He signaled to Yuxzn.  "Yuxzn, bring the report that Zyuixqs had submitted earlier."


    Yuxzn brought the report and handed it to Rhyde.  Rhyde took the papers and found what he was looking for.  "So, according to this, one of our own had taken under his care four girls, who came from your land.  Also included is his description of them.  Let me know if this is the same people."  Rhyde begun reading from the paper.  "A woman of 7 and 8 Uyn with black hair and blue eyes.  Her physical strength was only matched by her strength of will, acting as the groups assumed leader and taking charge of each situation.  Has became known for her very impractical usage of a shield.  Is known within the group as Qheria."  Rhyde paused and found the next entry.  ".. woman of 7 and 6 Uyn, flame-color hair and brown eyes.  Her gentle stature is but a bluff, for she is quick to anger and strikes with the ferocity of a beast.  She acts as their other front-line assailant, carrying a mighty and fearsome weapon.  Is known within the group as Thanrie."


    At this point, Ihzyur and Xyithy were getting a bit concerned.  Some of the details matched, but this couldn''t be the girl they knew, could it?  They caught each other''s perplexity, and realized there were no further answers to be had.  Rhyde continued.  ".. woman of 7 and 3 Uyn, golden hair with purple eyes.   Lithe stature, complimenting her hyperactive optimism, which she shares with her friends to build team morale from the back-lines.  Is known within the group as Lwyn."  Ehryinae was momentarily concerned she got the wrong report.  But the Arch-Magus would never do that.  Something wasn''t right here.  The four person group was correct, as was too many of the details, but not all of them.


    Rhyde completed the last entry.  ".. woman of 8 and 1 Uyn, blue hair, green eyes, with a very light build.  Gets along impressively well with humans, despite a weak grasp of Izhaethyx, which has probably came from years of interactions and experience.  Takes a support non-combat role in the back lines.  Is known within the group as Mhyl."  Aelyiq in particular remembered her unfamiliarity of anything remotely human, she had never met one before.  But.. the other women were all humans?  How in the world did that work?


    Ehryinae motioned to see the same report, and confirmed that it did describe exactly what was explained.  She shared it with the others while contemplating it''s meaning.  In every case, the physical description was almost exact, and the names used were exactly the short forms of each girl.  The differences were exclusively psychological.  Definitely something to look into.  "So, where are they right now?"


    Rhyde was tired of working with bad news, so Yuxzn reported for him.  "The four women in question had last reported themselves on route to deal with the same Destroyers we had successfully taken out.  Our watchmen had found indication of their failure and captivity by the enemy.  Khaexyn has them now, the leader of the group we saw earlier."  The same Khaexyn that had that Colossal at call, which was then going to be a problem.


    "We should mount a rescue team to.." "We need to send a messenger to.."  Xyithy and Ihzyhur had opposite ideas again, but with the same intent.  Ehryinae brought their intent together.  "We need to do both, mount a rescue team, take out that Colossal, send back a Messenger."  Yuxzn was shaking his head, clarifying the situation.  "Unfortunately, most of that is going to be a problem.  Without taking out the Colossal, we can''t pinpoint their location effectively.  However, as you''ve seen, we don''t even have the capability to take it down.  Most likely, that weapon is being saved for attacking your own homelands, so if we wait, we might get an opportunity.  However, while waiting, the danger to your homeland grows.  Meanwhile, any messenger you send won''t make it, Khaexyn has established orders to have any such messengers killed when they pass through.  The only way you''re going to get a messenger through is with enough numbers to back them up."


    Rhyde brought everything finally under control.  "Unfortunately, you will have to pick which is more important, saving your homeland or rescuing your lost kin.  Keep in mind, one of our own is there too, the Rebellion as a whole will be probably be looking into finding a solution.  But sadly, there isn''t anyone here who can send a messenger for you.  What I would recommend is taking your groups and breaking the wall of silence Khaexyn has created.  This will secure both a route for respective messengers AND give us a direction to send your four kin towards.  I can''t promise anything, but the Marauders will certainly at least try to send them your concerns.  If that''s not enough, you should come back with enough forces to take down that monster.  Certainly, if you can do that, everything else will just sort itself out.  Of course, if you plan to take out Khaexyn, you''ll have the support of the entire Rebellion."


    Backing down like that wasn''t exactly what any of them wanted to do, but they could still see Rhyde''s point.  Not having learned anything, the aforementioned ''wall of silence'' was effectively a weapon against all of their homes.  Being used to hide things such as the Colossal, along with who knows what else, it was all but a declaration of war, especially having witnessed how Khaexyn had phrased things.  Things were getting out of control, they would need reinforcements in order to save their kinfolk, the four girls.  There was no other way, they would just have to make haste with the plan brought to them.


    All four teams set out immediately, traveling together for once, if but by a small truce.  They shared a plan of action together, the second unification of the four different factions seen in years.

 14: Broken Shackles

    The team wasn''t exactly certain how much time had passed.  Passing in and out of consciousness due to thirst and exhaustion, even a day or two would have felt like weeks.


    Lwyn awoke for yet another time, still finding herself in that same sun-bleached cell.  The whole area had a carefully positioned sunroof to gather as much sunlight as possible and fill the room with a dry heat.  The room was designed to contain heat, and the roof was closed overnight, to prevent the heat from escaping.  There wasn''t even a drop of water to be found, it was torture.  Her companions she knew were nearby, but chained to the wall, she couldn''t see them at all, and none of them had energy left to talk.  At this time, the sunroof was still closed, so she expected it was night time outside.


    Not long after, Hammer-face showed up.  It wasn''t exactly his name, but Lwyn had decided it fit well enough.  She just sorta wished someone would take his own maul to his own face.  "Ah, so yer awake again, and at this hour.  Seems is only yerself who isn''t off dreamin, less the others are just thinkin'' with eyes shut.  I hope ye been liken the ''modations, it really suits a Hyenzaelni who din lisen to wurds oh wisem.  Puttin'' yerself in with the ''bellion, wasn''t so smurt was it?"  Lwyn felt like her ears were bleeding trying to listen to him.  His utterly atrocious Izhaethyx was... well, utterly atrocious.  However, she wasn''t in any position to offer complaints.


    Not getting any answers, he promptly bashed her head into the back wall behind her.  "Ye better not be ignorin'' me.  When I talk, is alway'' good ta listen.  I can bring ya some of the best advice ye ever seen.  Ah, I get it, maybe yer too tired and this ear muff''r is makin it hard''r ta listen good.  Don''t worry, I got it fer ya."  Hammer-face tore her hairband off, exposing her ears.  "Oh wow, look what we got ''ere.  Hmm, ye seem ''alf the pointy folk.. ah, maybe ye are."  He begun chuckling, his stupid laugh.


    "So, more than just a Hyenzaelni, yer more like a Hyxzaelni then."  His chuckling continued while she managed to shoot him a glare.  She had never heard a worse way to call someone a half-elf.  The title basically translated to someone ''of blood created beyond natural order''.  Hammer-face noticed her reaction.  "Ah, seems ye finally got some ''earin'' back.  Glad I could help.  Now, just no growin'' too attached to dis, I got word from Khaexyn that we''ll be movin'' ya te ''is fort.  Gonna be such an ''onor fer ya."  Still finding himself the comedic expert, his laughter rung through the halls.


    A bandit rushed in, quickly making his way to Hammer-face.  "Sir, we have a problem.  It seems our own camp has fallen under attack in your absence.  We really need your guidance."  Hammer-face still felt proud of himself.  "Ah, yes, yes, what would y''all do without me.  No idea who''d be so fool ta attack us, let''s go find out.  Our prisoners might need ta make more friends.  Round up all da others, we''re leavin''.  Just leave things ''ere ta da locals, be easy ''nuff."  Hammer-face finally rushed away with the other bandit, the area going dead silent.


    A while after, a faint sound could be heard from the entrance.  It sounded like one of the bandits were having a problem getting the door to work.  After a few more moments, the door had finally opened.  Mhyl was actually awake, but having the least stamina, she didn''t have the energy to do anything as hard as look around.  However, the sound from before also came up to her, and started messing with the lock on her cell.  Soon after, someone was working on her restraints.  Mhyl expended the energy to look, and found Chyurae picking the lock.  When the restraints were gone, he helped her get seated safely, and handed her some water.  She knew to drink carefully.  Chyurae then went to the next cell.


    Lywn heard what was going on, and put a bit of effort to have her hair fall over her ears.  It wouldn''t do to have someone else find out.  The process was exhausting, without her hands.  Thanrie came over, noticed her situation, and managed to get in the way in just the right manner as to not have Chyurae look carefully at her ears.  As he was an elf, Thanrie knew she had to be extra cautious.  Once the door was open, she hurried to get her hairband back on, roughly in good enough spot, before adding some quiet English "Don''t worry, I''ve got you covered."


    Once free, Lwyn noticed she was also last.  Mhyl, Qheria, Zyuixqs, Thanrie, Lwyn.  Qheria had been taking care of Mhyl in her extra exhausted state, with Zyuixqs looking for a way to be useful.  Thanrie had gone with Chyurae possibly in order to not have to deal with Zyuixqs, but Lwyn was thankful for the help anyway.  After having freed Lwyn, Chyurae had gone back to help Mhyl again.  "Mhyl, are.. are you okay."  Mhyl nodded softly and silently at Chyurae''s question while Lwyn took some water offered from Thanrie.  "I''m... I''m sorry I couldn''t come sooner, there were too many guards around.  They... they had all suddenly left though, so I..."  Chyurae trailed off, not sure how he would defend himself from people who didn''t even have the energy to reply.  It was a bit awkward.  "Oh, also, I made sure to look after this for you."  Chyurae held out the atlas.  "I know you really like this book, and I figured they would take it away from you, so I tried to look after it for you."


    Qheria saw the book being offered, and took inventory of their remaining supplies.  The bandits hadn''t bothered to strip them of their clothes, not even the armored parts, but that was possibly simply to try and keep the heat up.  They did, however, leave none of their other possessions, including their weapons.  That means, at this point, the only one with a weapon was their support, and it was a book.  They would be in trouble if they were discovered, with no capacity to defend themselves.


    Qheria, Thanrie, and Zyuixqs recovered the fastest, waiting only until they had the minimum energy they needed to get work done.  They could recover further when it was safe again.  Qheria started making her way to the exit, but was stopped by Chyurae, who was also shaking his head.  They had a language barrier, but Chyurae''s meaning was clear enough, that way wasn''t going to work.  It possibly wasn''t safe for a crowd their size.  But then, what else was there?  Thanrie came up with another idea.  "What about up?  That infernal sun came through from that way, and I don''t recall it being bared."  It probably had a daytime watch, but was sealed so that the watch could sleep.  That would be perfect.  The only problem was, how was it opened?


    Chyurae noticed the others looking for something, but didn''t know how to help.  Lwyn gathered what energy she could muster for a simple Elaethyx word.  "Roof."  Coughing after the effort, Lwyn went back to her water.  Chyurae however did catch the comment, and went to help.  By this point, Thanrie had found what she believed was the right mechanism.  "Yeah, this won''t work, it''s locked.. pretty nicely too.  Shovel-sticks."  Thanrie had also made another attempt at a swear word, both attempts leaving her unsatisfied.  Chyurae however went to check it out.  Thanrie looked around, searching for a third option.  "Unless there is a secret panel here, I''m not sure what..." Click, the panel Chyurae was working with moved, unlocking the sunroof.  Chyurae then opened it up.


    "Have confidence, milady, Chyurae has... AHH!  Please, I''m serious, Chyurae has always been skilled at finding his way into places otherwise sealed.  Please don''t hurt me."  Zyuixqs started off with his usual style, only to finish with a bit more fear as Thanrie reacted.  She left him alone though, nothing here was his fault.  Chyurae however, the elf did seem to have quiet the talent of a thief.  Lwyn herself was wondering if his skills included disarming traps, just in coincidence.  There was however still another problem.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "So, I know it was my idea, and I''m sorry for being so stupid, but how exactly do we get up there?"  Thanrie was criticizing her naivety crawling back once again, as there was no possible way they could reach the sunroof.  Qheria found a long chain and threw it through the opening... only to watch it come right back.  They were at a loss again.


    Lwyn got up, feeling at least recovered enough to lend a hand.  She had an idea.  She picked up the chain with a firm grip in one hand and turned to Qheria.  "Can you throw me up there?"  Clearly, the lack of hydration was getting to her sanity, maybe when her head was bashed into the wall recently.  When no one reacted, she shock her head and tried again.  "No, I''m serious, hoist me up there.  I''ve done worse before."  Qheria decided to give it a try, it was better than nothing.  She provided Lwyn with a footstool and flung Lwyn as high as she could.  Lwyn grabed the edge of the sunroof with her free hand, set the chain down on the roof to affect her momentum, and flipped onto the roof.  She then disappeared for a moment, dragging the chain in a search for a place to tie it down.


    Thanrie turned to Qheria with some quiet English.  "See?  Cat."  Qheria shrugged, switching the conversation back to Izhaethyx.  "She''s just Lwyn, that''s just how she is."  Zyuixqs looked up after her, having missed the start of the conversation.  "Quite impressive."  Thanrie retorted after him.  "Maybe, but stop gawking.  We still need to figure out how to get Mhyl out of here, she''s still not recovered."  Thanrie dragged Zyuixqs off towards Mhyl, as if to expect him to suddenly be useful.


    Soon after, all six of them were up on the roof.  The roof was attached to a nearby hill, providing a suitable way down.  Qheria set Mhyl down, while Thanrie scolded Zyuixqs for being useless.  Lwyn detached the chain and brought it with them, but it was too bulky and heavy to carry very far.  She set it down nearby on the hill, not wanting to make further noise.


    "Well, we''re lucky that wasn''t the Fortress, escaping from that would have been effectively impossible."  Zyuixqs'' statement proved a ''it could have been worse'' perspective.  After all that struggle just to escape a simple bandit camp, they were lucky it wasn''t that worse.  Lwyn reflected upon that statement.  "Hammer-face was actually saying that''s were we would be sent there soon.  If we waited much longer to leave, we would have had to escape from the Fortress.  Lucky us, huh?"  Truthfully, maybe they did still have a bit of luck remaining.


    "Wait, Hammer-face?"  "Of course!  With a face like that, I''m certain he''s made a few mistakes swinging around that big maul of his.  Probably explains why he talks like a moron, too."  Thanrie hadn''t considered the alias herself, but after hearing it, it really did fit.  Lwyn could sometimes be an expert at tension relief.  Thanrie was especially fond of how skilled Lwyn was with insult dropping in Izhaethyx, a talent Thanrie felt she herself had to acquire eventually.  Maybe when Lwyn got that far in lessons with Mhyl.


    Qheria however brought things back to all seriousness.  "Zyuixqs, we need an escape route.  Got any ideas?"  "Actually, I''m still trying to figure out where we are.  Maybe try asking Chyurae?"  Zyuixqs was still being useless, but did kinda have a decent idea.  Lwyn turned to Chyurae to inquire in Elaethyx.  "Chyurae, how do we get out of here?"  "Oh, we don''t have to go far.  Just follow me."  Chyurae took the lead and showed the others to yet another hidden underground entrance.  However, on the way they were spotted by a guard.  The alarm was raised, but they were close enough that they slipped away.  The bandit that found them had no idea where they had gone, but made certain to report upon the escape.


    Once safe, the six of them stopped to get a proper break.  They were all getting hungry too, and could use some more water, although they were out of both.  Rest would have to do for now, more would come later.  They all chatted while waiting, Lwyn sharing her opinion of Hammer-face in Elaethyx with the elves, who had missed out, while the others had their own conversation.  "I''m sorry, it was a foolish decision to put the six of us against that many Bandits.  I should have known better."  Qheria was attempting to take the blame for everything, probably in memory of how things always worked out in the past.


    "Really, don''t be so hard on yourself.  I don''t see how anyone is more to be blamed than anyone else.  I mean, we were all there, right?"  Thanrie was seeming slightly uncharacteristic of herself, when in truth she just wanted in on some of the blame.  She felt like a true idiot, missing so many different things.  She had thought her other memories had fixed her naivety, but maybe she was even naive to think that.  "Ladies, do not look down upon yourselves so much, for your greatness and beauty..."  "Okay, correction, we can blame Zyuixqs more than anyone else.  He''s supposed to have been familiar with all of this."  "I ... I ..."  Zyuixqs'' comment at least brought Thanrie back from her self-deprecation.  As usual, Zyuixqs had no idea how he should defend himself against her.


    "So, Chyurae said something about an underground smithy.. or was it market?  ''Stock'' I guess is the best translation for it, a weapon stock.  Zyuixqs, do you know anything about it?"  "Oh, yeah, there are a few bigger underground outposts, as different headquarters for different groups.  The closest one to here would be the Marauder''s command.  We could try it, but it might be better to find something closer.  I''m sure you fine ladies... I''m sure everyone is hungry."  Lwyn turned to the humans and brought up something the elves were talking about.  No one had weapons anymore, and the only place they knew that had a real assortment of weapons was way back at the Citadel.  They would need weapons much sooner than that.  However, Zyuixqs did have a point, that would have to wait until their more pressing needs were addressed.


    Once they felt rested and hungry enough, they set off once again.  Eventually, they found themselves back in the same area that had sported a bed for each of them before.  Mhyl went straight to her bed and flopped upon it.  "Mhyl, you should really have something to eat too, to get your energy back.  And water, water would help too."  Lwyn was almost providing the reversal to how Mhyl had tried to help Lwyn before.  Ah yes, the first time she had collapsed due to thirst and exhaustion when they had arrived here.  Being an elf really sucked sometimes.


    Mhyl still got back up and joined the others.  Technically, she was honestly more hungry than she was tired, she was even more thirsty than hungry.  The food Lwyn had set to preparing right away was making all of their mouths water.  Each of them quickly replaced that water with ample amounts of drinkable water while waiting for food to be ready.  "So, how does this place get restocked anyway, actually?"  Lwyn had a really good question, as she searched though the available stock.  She was certain there were more things here than there were last time.


    "There are a large number of people working for the Rebellion, everyone has their own roles.  Some do the fighting, yes, but some just work hard to make sure that the fighters can keep fighting.  Like the place we''ll be going later for some weapons, people do that, or repairs, or even just run supplies around so that we can take care of ourselves.  There are people who even sweep the floors."  Zyuixqs covered some of the responsibilities of other members in the Rebellion, and it reminded Lwyn about her time at the Citadel Inn.  It was a lot of work running around cleaning up that Inn, she couldn''t even imagine how much work it would take to keep everything clean in the many multitudes of underground tunnels and rest stops that were placed everywhere.  Out of respect, she made sure to put in extra effort when cleaning up after her cooking, and took careful account in little ways to make the place easier to manage later.


    After food was eaten, which probably counted as breakfast, considering the time of day, and a bit of extra sleep was had, the six of them prepared to set off again.  Thanrie noticed Zyuixqs working in one of the offices.  "So, what are you doing?"  "Ah!! Um, I''m just writing up another one of my regular reports.  These have to be sent off regularly so that the rest of the Rebellion can work as a unit."  Thanrie startled Zyuixqs, who was more worried about who had came to visit him than anything else.  Thanrie let it go, making reports makes sense.  She hadn''t seen many reports in this world, but she did recall all the paperwork needed in her father''s business.  She never personally liked such paperwork, but thankfully she wasn''t being asked to do any.  Zyuixqs was welcome to such bothers, as long as she didn''t have to worry about it.


    With that, the six of them departed for the Marauder''s underground base.  After all the enemies they had been faced with, they felt that meeting new friendly faces would be a nice, calming change of pace.

 15: Psychological Collision

    Still mid-morning, the six of them entered the bustle of the Marauder base.  The place was swarming with activity and new faces.


    "So, the plan will be to outfit you beautiful ladies.. courageous warriors with custom-made weapons.  I''ve made sure to record a detailed report on everyone''s fighting styles, in the hopes that maybe we could set you three up with something you might feel very comfortable with."  To Zyuixqs'' statement, Thanrie paused her sideward glare, suddenly impressed.  "Actually, that might be pretty good.  It''s felt like I''ve been a little too slow with that sword, and Lwyn should definitely give up on using a bow.  Qheria.. I''m not sure, I''ve gotten used to her smashing things with a shield, but something is missing."  "Don''t worry, the smith here is an expert.  We''ll figure something out."  Zyuixqs at least was optimistic, leading them to their destination.


    "Ah, Zyuixqs, so this would be the four women from your report."  The smith greeted them earnestly.  "I''ve actually been started on everything already, had some good material ready in advance.  We''ve got some good plans based upon some Fortress designs we''ve fallen upon, so you''ll have yourself something you can count on being pretty advanced.  With consideration to some of your.. unique styles.. I''ve came up with a few ideas I wanted to try out."  The smith indicated three assortment of weapon parts and molds, in various phases of production.  "As per your suggestions, we''ve got parts together for a ranged weapon that.. isn''t a bow in it''s nature.  We''ve also been working on a shield design that fits something close to solving all the problems you had mentioned.  Finally, we''re working on a spear that.."


    Thanrie became disgruntled at the last statement.  "Wait, spear?  The sword I had might have been a bit heavy, but I was perfectly happy with slicing things up and everything.  Don''t go thinking that just because spears suit you so well that I would be fine with some stupid poking stick!"  Thanrie confronted Zyuixqs again, enraged.  She drove him into the corner... which knocked against the same pile of supplies holding the work in progress for the selfsame spear.  The pile shifted dramatically, and the smith went to go check things out.  "Oh, good, everything is okay, but the blade edge might have been affected."  "Wait, blade?"  "Yeah, the reports wanted a long, slender blade.  I guess that makes it more like a glaive or something, but all three of these things sorta have their own uniqueness to them."  Thanrie was intrigued by the smith''s idea.  At least it wasn''t a poking stick.


    The smith finished inspecting the mess.  "Oh, good, everything should be salvageable, but I might need to adjust the shape of the blade to compensate for the bending.  Shouldn''t affect the durability, but will probably affect how it''s used.  I''ll think of something."  "Uh, thank you.  I''m sorry for causing you more trouble."  "Bah, I''ve had to deal with worse on a regular basis, don''t worry about it.  Just, maybe you could give me some room to work with, so that I can get things done.  Zyuixqs, this work has some more paperwork for you to work on, it''s a stack.  You might want to get started."  Thanrie was sorry for having caused problems, accepting the Smith''s suggestion that they should get out of the way.


    "Oh, and the four of you might want to know, Commander Rhyde is expecting you in his war room.  Seems he has a few things to talk about, heard you were dropping by, and asked for you to be sent his way.  Might be better to take care of that sooner rather than later."  The smith provided an excellent way for the others to occupy their time.  Chyurae had already ran off somewhere during the commotion, but certainly he would take care of himself.  Following instructions they were provided, the four of them went off to meet Commander Rhyde.


    It didn''t take long for more trouble to begin.  ".. while I understand that you already have your own crew to worry about here, I still believe we will be fine."  "Really, cause according to these reports.."  "If you would please stop pressuring on a single mistake, maybe you might be able to see the big picture."  Quite quickly, Qheria and Rhyde broke into an argument, as Rhyde had simply insisted they should all just go home.  "I could care less how you plan to run your own crew, but the four of us worked really hard to try and find a new home for us, we won''t be giving it up just because people aren''t used to having us around!"  Rhyde could swear he had a very similar conversation not that long ago.  The fool of a girl was as stubborn as her mother.


    "Listen, mistakes out here are matters of life and death, you should frankly be impressed you''re still alive.  Your inexperience here is going to kill you very quickly.  You can go wherever you want, just don''t stay here.  There isn''t place here for more inexperienced Hyenzaelni to.."  "I''m not some axzyhqn .. Hyenzaelni..."  Rhyde was putting to terms the danger of their own failure when Lwyn reacted without warning.  It seems she was still deeply troubled by the insult Hammer-face had thrown at her, and the similar word struck a sour note with her.


    However, Thanrie was also intrigued.  She had never heard the word ''axzyhqn'' before, which itself meant fallen or disgraced, descriptively representing someone or something deserving of contempt.  It was very derogatory.  Thanrie could tell by how it was used that it was an excellent curse word, even if she didn''t completely know what it meant, she would still take careful note of its potential future usage.


    "Maybe things aren''t clear because you''ve started feeling good about yourself because you could beat up a few bandits.  I''ve got news for you, bandits are wimps, their only redeeming quality is their numbers.  You might remember plowing through their pawns, easily knocking them down one to the next.  Each one of you might equal no less strength than at least a dozen bandits.  However, add two leaders and the six of you fell.  I hear it wasn''t even hard either."  "..and that''s why we''re working on improving.  As is, Zyuixqs is hard at work making sure that our street corner weapons are replaced by something actually worth writing about.  Give us time to adjust and.." ".. no, you aren''t listening.  Not listening itself is your problem, you aren''t learning, so you won''t learn.  You''ll stay inexperienced, and by the divine no fancy toys are going to change that."  Qheria and Rhyde continued to argue without end.  Thanrie wished she had a notebook handy to record today''s lessons, that ''by the divine'' might be a good one too.


    "Having your families come and bother me about the fact you all ran away from home has been troubling enough.  You staying here means they will come back, and I certainly don''t want to explain your deaths to them.  Staying here, you will die, that''s inevitable."  "Wait, families?  When did our families arrive?"  Thanrie was concerned about hearing from Rhyde that their families had shown up.  Qheria however was giving no opportunity for Rhyde to reply, as she kept hounding him her original point.  Lwyn was trying to get Qheria to calm down, but to no avail.  Yuxzn, who had been standing nearby silently, noticed Rhyde''s signal and handed Thanrie a report.  It specified the search request of all four groups that was presented before the attack had begun.  It also detailed the search descriptions offered by each team for each of the four girls, and was matched to the descriptions Zyuixqs had provided.


    Thanrie looked it over, concerned that her brother was putting in this much effort to find her.  It seemed the other three girls also had people working diligently, searching for them.  She was thankful that it seemed that all four had been turned away.  It appears it might have been the same four groups that were responsible for attacking Hammer-face''s camp.  If that was true, she could imagine what little would be left of it.


    Mhyl came over to check what was going on, though she couldn''t read the records.  The room being quite loud, she decided to ask Thanrie in English.  "So, what does it say?"  "It says our families showed up and raised a fuss.  Rhyde got them to leave, so they tore up some bandit camps along the way.  It says that your mother is the elven High-Sage, that''s a pretty big deal."  "No, it actually isn''t.  I''m no more important than any of you."  "Well, other than your mother sending out the Elven Wardens, it seems Qheria''s mother is a Qicir hero, who personally came here to raise a fuss.  She didn''t get along well with my brother, probably being third prince of Wyxir and everything."  "Wait, you''re a royal princess?"  "I''m certain I said that before, didn''t I say that before?  I''m certain that came up already."  Thanrie pressed her memories to try and remember if it had ever came up.  In truth, Mhyl''s surprise was understandable, Thanrie was only ever known as a noblewoman, not a royal princess.


    Mhyl considered carefully the details.  There were four parties that showed up searching for them.  The Citadel Inn making a fuss over Lwyn, that didn''t make any sense, they had treated her like dirt.  "What does it say about Lwyn then?"  "Oh, that''s probably the most surprising part.  Says the Arch-Magus himself had dispatched the Pillar of Embers.. oh f~~k.." Thanrie suddenly broke into laughter, as the Izhaethyx term for ''Embers'' was ''Aethyum'', pronounced almost exactly like ''Autumn'' if you discount any of the o-type sounds.  More earth-side memories of first person shooters, this time shooting aliens upon a ring in the stars.  Mhyl herself wasn''t as impressed, though she was perplexed about why the Arch-Magus was involved.  All four of them needed to have a chat later.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Thanrie skipped ahead, trying to take her mind off the funny reference.  There, she found Zyuixqs'' detailed descriptions about the four of them.  "The f~~k!  Zyuixqs report includes our heights!  When the f~~k did that jerk find an opportunity to take measurements like that?"  "I don''t know, considering him, we might be lucky that those are the only measurements he took."  Mhyl''s comment bothered Thanrie even worse.  Thanrie gave Mhyl the report, kicked a nearby chair, and headed towards the door.  Thanrie knew he was safe for now, working with that smith, she wouldn''t bother him now.  Though, he was sure to get what''s coming to him later.  For now though, she needed to find somewhere to cool her head.  The arguments in the room weren''t helping with that either.  "I''m going to take a break, too much is going on right now."  Thanrie left the room.


    Unable to read the report herself, she went to Lwyn.  Lwyn, having watched Thanrie storm off, had given up on trying to calm down Qheria.  She instead turned to Mhyl, beginning a conversation in Elaethyx.  "So, the others seem to be in a bit of a bad mood.  How are things going for you?"  "Thanrie left me the report, though I can''t read it.  Seems we''ve missed some interesting events.  Did you know Thanrie is a Royal Princess?"  "What, really?  That''s totally nothing like her at all.  Though, somehow, that makes sense.  What else was in that report?"  Lwyn asked for more updates, her unsatiated curiosity making her forget that Mhyl was not actually reading from the report.


    Lwyn''s question and excitement did not go unnoticed.  "If you have questions of what had transpired in that encounter, maybe I could answer a few of your questions.  I had missed some of the earlier conversations, but Commander Rhyde had answered many of my questions during the creation of that report, and some of the observations we made were not considered valuable to the report.  If you wish to discuss it, we can talk in one of the side rooms with more peace and regard."  Yuxzn approached and joined the conversation, being himself elven.  He hadn''t been far from where Lwyn was standing in the process, considering Lwyn was hanging around the main table near Qheria and Rhyde.  He motioned for them to continue in the nearby room, leaving Qheria and Rhyde to continue their argument without them.


    Once the three of them were within a much more quiet room, Yuxzn got a closer look of Lwyn and changed the subject unexpectedly.  "So, why are you hiding that you''re an elf?"  Since everyone knew Mhyl was an elf, it was obvious who the question was directed to.  "Huh?  What do you mean?  I just know how to speak Elaethyx, that''s all.  Lwyn was suddenly concerned that she had messed up somewhere.  Yuxzn had in fact noticed something she wasn''t aware of.  "You might not be aware, but your eyes give away your heritage. You''re eyes are far more elven than not. While the color itself is almost unheard of in humans and very common in elves, the iris is far more focal than otherwise."


    This was actually completely new to Lwyn.  In truth, Elven Iris have a slight spiral to them, to compensate for the increased detail magnification. This detail is difficult to spot for humans unless from very close, but is easier for other elves to notice. Mhyl reflected upon Chyurae inquiring as well if Lwyn was an elf.  He must have noticed it too.  Mhyl herself, now that she knew about it, could see it plain as day, even from a fair distance.


    "Yes, yes, it''s so subtly obvious.  While it would take some considerable ability for anyone else to come to the same conclusions, I''ve got a knack for figuring out the subtle.  If my calculations are correct, you''re probably of a mixed blood.  Considering this, it may be easier for you to pretend to be elven instead of human, if you''re going to hide all of your other mixed features except for your eyes. Don''t worry, I''m familiar with the prejudice held against those of mixed blood, I won''t hold it against you. Fortunately, none of the reports have actually established that you are human or elven, so I''ll simply make sure the matter is clarified."  Lwyn was taken aback.  Not only had this elf figured out her most horrible secret, but he was being really nice about it.  Weren''t half-elves something to be despised?


    "I... I thank you for your suggestions.  It''s irrationally nice of you, honestly."  "While others may fear people under your own circumstances, I see no rationality behind it.  Statistically, every individual is different, regardless of being human or elf.  Finding your way between makes you no less of a person."  Yuxzn''s sincerity continued to blow Lwyn away.  Yuxzn took a closer look at Lwyn''s eyes.  "By my estimates, gauging the elven qualities of your eyes, I suspect your vision abilities are probably closer to elven than human.  You would have a better than average sight for a half-elf."  Lwyn was shocked at getting information she didn''t even know about herself.  Mhyl considered how Lwyn''s stamina was also more human than elven, and decided that this wasn''t fair.


    During his observation, Yuxzn also noticed to what degree Lwyn was always eager to learn more.  It was related to the same excitement that had originally inspired Lwyn into the room, dragging Mhyl behind her.  "Your eagerness to figure out more about elven features you knew so little about, it is like the reports said, you are indeed as curious as your grandfather."  "Wait, how do you know my grandfather?"  It was a very smart and talented transition back to the original point of discussion, owning a lot to Yuxzn''s abilities.  Lwyn was drawn in even further, hearing about family she didn''t even know about.


    Lwyn was brought up to speed with the same details Thanrie and Mhyl had covered.  Yuxzn had also shared that the Embers knew who Lwyn''s Grandfather was, which was not on the report.  Yuxzn also shared his personal observations in known similarities between each girl and a suspected family member.  Thanrie''s darker behaviours were considerably like her brother''s.  Qheria''s stubbornness was a fine match to her mother''s.  "I have gotten the feeling that Mhyl''s mother being so protective of her daughter is actually a lot alike the same devotion Mhyl herself has shown for her friends.  The feeling of a gentle heart is akin to both, though you embrace it in different ways."  Yuxzn''s judgement of character was almost frightening.


    "What may be the most concerning part of both reports is how we have two different personality profiles of the four of you, and yet they are so dramatically different.  And yet, I''ve seen for myself, Zyuixqs'' assessment was not wrong.  However, to have close family members make such an incorrect assessment, it doesn''t make sense."  Yuxzn was worried about this particular point, although both Mhyl and Lwyn did not share his concern.  They already had a pretty good idea what had caused that difference.


    Lwyn scanned the report for a new topic to shift to.  "It says here you guys had taken out some Destroyers.  Those were the ones we were trying to take care of, wasn''t it?"  "Ah, yes, in fact, it was.  We had a dramatic operation in place to deal with the whole situation, although your four envoys had proven surprisingly adept at dealing with these particular problems."  Yuxzn accepted the shift of topic, still realizing they had little to account for regarding exactly how the destroyers had been disposed of so easily.  It appears it had happened so quick, the scouts had nothing to report.


    Yuxzn''s hopes of getting information regarding the capacity of their respective envoys were instantly dashed.  "Oh, how did they do that?  Did they have some kind of neat weapons?"  "Is there anything that would have affected armor that thick?"  Lywn''s curiosity proved she knew nothing, and Mhyl''s doubts share the same.  But right away, there was something that bothered Yuxzn.  "According to the reports, none of you had ever seen a Destroyer before.  How are you so confident how thick their armor is?"  Mhyl froze, concerned in how she could back up her own assumptions.


    Yuxzn caught on to how they had suddenly gone on the defensive, and thought of a better approach, considering all of his current observations.  "Here, to clarify, could you draw me a picture of what you think these would look like.  Show me what you mean by their armor?"  Lywn re-read the part detailing the Destroyer''s combat capabilities, and explained it to Mhyl.  "I can try, I guess."  Mhyl took to the paper and started creating her vision of what it would look like.  Her artistic skills were impressive and highly detailed.  Falling for the trap of having doubts set against her, Mhyl set to drawing a German Panzer Tank, so that she could argue the point of it having such heavy armor.  Yuxzn saw the image and was stunned, it was similar to the Destroyers, but seemed almost more advanced.  Lwyn however was concerned about other things.  "Mhyl, why did you draw a TANK!?"  Lwyn was worried that an earth-picture shown to a really smart elf was going to be very hard to explain.  She had thought Mhyl would have drawn something much simpler to hide how much they knew, instead of working so hard to prove a point.


    "This ''Zyianq'', it''s almost as if its a higher quality Destroyer than what we faced. Where... where did you see this from?"  Yuxzn had heard the English word being used, but couldn''t pronounce it.  Mhyl at that point noticed her own mistake.  Lwyn also noticed her slip-up.  Both of them turned scarlet and went silent.  Yuxzn finished putting all of his observations together.  "The reports, the mismatch in mental profile, the strange language Mhyl and Thanrie were sharing outside.. it''s all adding up.  Each of you have been somehow exposed to information well beyond what you should naturally know, and it has affected you accordingly.  It''s the only possible explanation.  Would you care to explain anything further upon this?"  Yuxzn had in fact noticed Mhyl and Thanrie talking earlier, while knowing that neither of them spoke the other''s language.  It had been another mistake they had made in this whole mess.


    It seems in a single meeting, Yuxzn had figured out not one, but two of Lwyn''s biggest secrets.  Mhyl and Lwyn decided that they had no choice but to give in.

 16: Fortified Arsenal

    As since was getting very close to lunch, the three elf-kinds returned to the war room.  It was about time to put a break on the casual conversations and bring everything back together.


    Mhyl ran off to go find Thanrie and bring her back.  Qheria and Rhyde were still arguing, even after all of this time.  Lwyn went straight to Qheria.  "Qheria, just stop, please!"  The seriousness of her tone had far more impact than her earlier attempts, and Qheria turned to Lwyn.  In the moment of silence, Yuxzn also gave his report to Rhyde.  "Commander, we''ve happened upon an unexpected tactical discovery."  This in turn got Rhyde''s attention.  Yuxzn continued with his report.  "Rather than investigate the matter at hand so informally, I would recommend moving us to lunch, so that we can explore the matter in depth.  It will involve our four.. guests."  Yuxzn took caution to not call them Hyenzaelni, out of respect for Lwyn''s earlier outburst.


    The room was rapidly prepared for lunch, with Mhyl and Thanrie arriving quickly into preparations.  The food was prepared quite quickly, although it also wasn''t anything special.  Rhyde might be a commander, but he wasn''t exactly high class.  "So Yuxzn, regarding that unexpected tactical discovery you mentioned earlier, please do tell me more."  "I have been inquiring with our two elven guests regarding the dramatic psychological profile differences from both reports.  Exploring the matter in depth, it appears that we''ve been kept out of the loop of a rather exceptional secret."  Lwyn noticed that Yuxzn had so simply in passing just profiled her as a pure elf.


    "What had raised my suspicions on the subject was witnessing Mhyl and Thanrie communicating earlier, despite neither of them knowing the other''s language.  According to the reports from the Embers, they were known to have suddenly collected at the same location, having never met each other before, and then suddenly collectively moved on as if they were somehow bound together by some mutual terms.  Upon being confronted by my suspicions, both elves had agreed to come clean regarding this shared secret."  As Yuxzn proceeded, Thanrie and Qheria were stunned at the matter of discussion.  This elf was too smart.  Mhyl and Lwyn''s downcast expression confirmed the proceeding.


    Having ensured that the other half of their guest''s party was brought up to speed, Yuxzn''s explanation became more direct.  "It is clear that each of them have been somehow exposed to information well beyond what should be naturally known, and have been affected accordingly due to possessing such additional information.  It is highly suspected that the time of discovery was either soon before the four girls had initially set off to a mutual location, or soon after their mutual gathering.  While the changes in their mental profile are impressive, I think you will find of greater interest some of the knowledge they had gained during this same process."  Yuxzn pulled out Mhyl''s drawing and set it in the middle of the table.


    "By the divine, what is this?  It looks like a Destroyer, but.."  "Effectively, it is a Destroyer, the girls say that it''s original name was something called a Zyianq."  Rhyde was starting to catch on, as Yuxzn still could not properly say ''Tank''.  Lwyn proceeded from there, as promised.  "The four of us have memories of a life in another world, from different nations of a place called ''Earth''.  We still have no idea how or why we got these memories, they simply awoke in each of us at the same time.  This other world is very different from Celese, it''s considerably more advanced, with ''machines'' that are capable of far more than we''ve achieved here.  ''Machines'' that let people fly in the air, ''machines'' that let people talk from any distance, ''machines'' that carry far more than anyone could dream of lifting.  However, there were also ''machines'' like this one."  Lwyn indicated the picture again.  She had been using the English word ''machine'' though her explanation, since she couldn''t think of a decent Izhaethyx word for it.


    Qheria recognized the picture right away, it''s quality was so good.  "This looks specifically like a model of tank that was used in the same nation my other memories came from.  It was used to great effect in very large wars."  Rhyde was very interested in this statement.  "Wait, how personally familiar are you with it?"  "Over there, I had some military training, which included a little on being taught how to drive a more modern version of this tank."  Rhyde and Yuxzn were stunned at hearing the phrase ''more modern''.  As if this one wasn''t modern enough.  Rhyde understood what Yuxzn had implied by a tactical discovery, this could yield quite an advantage, if only those with this knowledge weren''t so inexperienced in matters otherwise of relevance.


    Yuxzn''s tactical prowess didn''t end so easily.  "By my estimates, considering the similarities in design and function, I suspect that Khaexyn has himself been using knowledge from the same world.  It would explain his rapid advancements over the last 18 or so years.  Our lack of understanding of the principles and nature behind his every creation has brought new challenges at every turn.  Having someone on our side that can help shed understanding of the nature of each new weapon would give us a sizable advantage against him.  Having four.."


    Lwyn had been trying to constantly translate for Mhyl over the course of the conversation into Elaethyx.  However, her approach and formality weren''t exactly of equal par.  "So them not knowing a ''laptop'' from a ''machine gun'' has made it harder.  They think it''s good to.."  Lwyn had been flavouring her Elaethyx descriptions with English terms.  Thanrie then only heard ''laptop machine gun'' and broke out laughing.  "Oh, sorry, sorry, I was just listening to Lwyn''s references."  To Rhyde, nothing Lwyn had been saying had made sense, he just knew it was an Elaethyx translation, leaving him perplexed.


    Yuxzn had however caught the two unfamiliar phrases in a foreign language.  He had understood that it was more communication in such a foreign language.  As Thanrie''s explanation clarified nothing, Yuxzn made his own attempt.  "Lwyn herself had been speaking in mostly Elaethyx, however she had been occasionally slipping in words in.. Hyxaethyx."  Yuxzn had no other word to define it, but Lwyn was still bothered by the implications of the word, again stressed about Hammer-face.  She didn''t want to be seen as so unnatural, so she stepped in with an Izhaethyx retort.  "Probably the best word for it would actually be ''Terran''.  Shouldn''t mix things up that much, after all, might get confusing."  Her ending excuse for the phrase was at least accepted by the others.  Rhyde and Yuxzn tried to pronounce the phrase, but with a bit of effort.  Mhyl reflected upon their effort in English to the others.  "It''s like they are both saying it in French."


    Rhyde had felt he had came to terms with the situation, going over every passing detail wasn''t a good usage of time.  Instead, he would need time to carefully consider the new resource made available to them.  The idea that Khaexyn was taking knowledge from another world both explained a lot and was additionally further concerning.  If the four girls also didn''t know how they got this otherworldly knowledge, it might also need further investigation, dealing with the source of Khaexyn''s knowledge could possibly be the best way to secure a complete advantage.  If the four of them were going to stay, he would need to find a way to make them useful.. without getting them killed.  He still did not relish another family visit, and knew it would be inevitable.  The four families would one day return with enough power to address the issue, would join with these four and the knowledge they had, would bring everything they had to bear against Khaexyn, and victory would send the lot back home.  It was the happy ending Rhyde could only dream of.


    "Yuxzn, I think our meeting has gone on well enough.  There is much to consider with this, and I''m certain our guests have much they need to work out between them.  The four of you however need to keep in mind, your knowledge of this other world, this ''Terran'' knowledge, it still does not give you much more present experiences.  Your past failure should prompt understanding of your own weakness.  Do not attempt any further rash actions.  Yuxzn and I will instead consider more appropriate usage of your particular abilities, and will ensure they are applied appropriately."  Qheria felt a twinge of victory, Rhyde had finally agreed to let them stay.  She did understand that it wasn''t a complete victory, it did come with certain conditions, but in light of the situation it was fair enough.


    Lunch was completed promptly after that, and the four of them were dismissed.  Having completed their task, the four of them decided to go check up on the smith.  Once they returned successfully, they found Zyuixqs waiting for them.  "Impeccable timing, ladies.  Your offerings await."  This reminded Thanrie of the situation, she was immediately concerned about what was prepared for her.  Zyuixqs lead the other four to where their weapons waited for them.  The smith was back at work on other projects, but stopped to properly introduce the results of his hard work.


    Thanrie took the opportunity to express her concerns.  "So, what have you guys managed to come up with?"  Zyuixqs rushed over to start with Thanrie''s weapon, visibly excited.  The smith meanwhile begun his introduction.  "So, all three of these creations came out really nicely.  They might look a bit strange to you at first, being so heavily based upon Fortress designs, but I''m sure you will appreciate their efficiency."  Zyuixqs held forward the first package, while the smith continued.  "So, first up, the bladed spear.  As mentioned before, the blade''s shape didn''t turn out as originally planned, so I had to make some additional compensations for the shape.  The spear grip had to be shortened, to provide stability for the crescent-shaped blade.  You''ve probably never seen a design like this before, but.."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Thanrie picked up her new weapon from Zyuixqs.  Rather than being a spear, it was in the form of a crescent sickle, and holding it made her look like a grim reaper.  She pulled on her hood for added effect, feeling very badass.  Falling in love with the design, she immediately gave Zyuixqs a hug, without warning.  Zyuixqs had no idea how to react.  Thanrie turned to the smith in thanks.  "Really, I love it already, thank you so much."  "Oh, and we haven''t even got to the best part yet.  Feeling bad about having to reduce the length of the grip, I threw in some Fortress tricks into it.  Bring it this way."  The smith guided the four of them into a rather large room, mostly empty except for a few small empty wooden boxes scattered around.


    "Okay, so, I know you like doing some sweeping with your blade and all, so I thought to myself that this isn''t as much sweeping as you might have liked.  So, I got you a very custom grip for it.  You can see it has two parts to it, and if you push here.." The smith manipulated a section at the lower end of the grip to demonstrate what he was talking about. ".. as you can see it the handle splits into two parts.  It''s all connected by a really sturdy chain, didn''t use regular metals for that one, very Fortress-branded stuff.  Inside the handle is some weirdness that pulls or releases the chain.  This means you can swing it and have the blade fly away from you, then with a flick of the wrist it will just all come back together.  It can come back together very quickly, which is mostly for safety reasons.  Moving quickly prevents the blade from coming back pointy side first, but it will mean that anything between you and the blade is in danger of being sliced in half."


    Thanrie took the weapon up and gave it a few general swings.  After that was completed, she faced into the depth of the room and tried the chain release mechanism.  Swinging with a lot of force, she swung the chain a fair distance into the room, and at the end of the motion manipulated the handle to have the blade return.  In a swift motion, the blade flew back, a slicing sound ringing through the air, followed by the impact as the two pieces came together.  Thanrie wept with joy, it was the most beautiful weapon she had every seen.


    "So next up.." As the smith moved on, Zyuixqs ran to pick up the next package. ".. we understand Qheria had been quite skilled with her kite shield.  Didn''t want to take that feeling away from you.  However, this one isn''t some simple kite shield.  Lets get it on and show you how it works."  Zyuixqs returned and presented Qheria with the new shield, which she put around her arm.  It had a strange hand-grip to it.  "So, the handle at the end also has some Fortress-branding going on.  While still good for getting an extra-tight grip on the shield, we also know how much you love having your shield hurt your enemies too.  So, that handle can rotate backwards, if you turn your wrist backwards into like a half-open palm.."  Qheria did as instructed, and an thick arming sword extended from the base of the shield.  ".. that happens.  Will give you something good to cut up your enemies with, also works well for stabbing if you like the motions of punching your enemies with an open palm."


    With the blade out for usage, Qheria looked incredibly intimidating.  "If you instead still prefer to smack your foes with the shield itself, the shield is designed to ring like a bell, will leave your enemies reeling.  Now, if that isn''t still enough, since you would still have a free hand, we''ve got something for that too.."  Zyuixqs presented the other item that came with the shield.  ".. another shield, just like it.  Why use just one, when you can have two, right?"  It was like a market pitch for a two-for-one sale.  Qheria put on the second shield, now dual-wielding shields, and looking outright fearsome.  Qheria tested out the two shields with some free-form motions, her posture looking like some kind of monk.


    "Lastly.." Zyuixqs ran off again to get the final package as the smith continued. ".. we have a crossbow."  Thanrie did not like the sounds of that.  "Lwyn doesn''t use a bow though, she is far better at throwing things."  "Ah, but this isn''t a simple bow.  Firstly, being a crossbow means she doesn''t need to apply strength to pull a string, it''s all about slight of wrist, which she seems to be pretty good at.  Secondly, it''s also Fortress-branded." Zyuixqs arrived with the crossbow in question and gave it to Lwyn.  "It has a simple grip for quickly reloading shots, and the shots if uses aren''t even simple bolts, but special sheet blades.  The blades are simple to make, could easily get you more, but a single load contains 800 exceptionally light shots."


    Lwyn held the auto-crossbow like it was a pump-action shotgun.  The auto-crossbow was itself kinda pump-action in how it reloaded, making it considerably faster than a bow.  Thanrie was still skeptical.  "Maybe, but I''m still not sure it.."  Lwyn lazily moved it through the air, aiming from the hip into the air to her right, and suddenly fired.  The blade rebounded off of the walls and tore through all 8 wooden boxes in the room, leaving them in shreds.  "..nevermind."  Thanrie was convinced, but the smith wasn''t finished.  "If you find yourself partial to a situation that asks for a throwing blade, the crossbow is designed to very easily retrieve the loaded blade, so you can throw it by hand.  The balance of the blade was also designed to be thrown just as easily as it is to be shot, just be careful holding it."  This crossbow practically had Lwyn written all over it.


    Having completed his demonstration, the smith gave his closing remarks.  "Just be careful with those things.  Repairs are one thing, but replacing them would be kinda a big problem."  Being so advanced, that made simple sense to everyone present.  "Oh, and before I forget, there is one more thing.  I had a guest who wanted to work on something of his own in the meanwhile.  Communicating was rough, but it seems he''s proud of how it turned out."  The smith introduced Chyurae, who had just walked in shyly and approached Mhyl.  He handed her a fourth package, before doing his own explanation in Elaethyx.  "Mhyl, I wanted to make something for you, to help you take care of yourself.  I know you''re really good with books, so I made one for you."  She picked up the rather heavy book.  "Be careful with it though, it doesn''t use paper.  It has something called sheet-metal, which is a Fortress thing that is very sharp, and is like the bolts they made.  It''s extra heavy because of the metal put into the binding, which is like the shield they were making.  The book''s outer binding was made from the same material as the spear grip, so you can hold it safely."  Chyurae had clearly put a lot of thought and effort into the book, so Mhyl gave him a great big hug.  "Thank you so much, I''ll take good care of it."


    The gentle kindness of the moment seemed to gloss over the fact that this was an unconventional book with the capabilities to commit harm.  The smith clarified the fact for those who didn''t know Elaethyx.  "Be careful with her new book, it will give a person something much worse than just a paper-cut."  With that and a smile with a wave, the smith returned to his other projects, leaving the six of them to explore what had transpired.  Thanrie noticed something quick.  "Wait, Zyuixqs had lost his weapon too, what about him?"  "Oh, me?  My father is having something prepared for me.  It probably won''t have all the Fortress tricks put into it, but when your father is the leader of the entire Rebellion, there is a slight matter of ceremony when it comes to my weaponry.  Possibly is also insulting to have the son of our leader using enemy weapons."


    Overall, this still left them with four custom weapons styled on Fortress designs.  A detachable chain-linked crescent sickle with high-velocity return, two dual-wielded kite shields with palm-rotation extendable arming swords, a pump-action sheet blade auto-crossbow with throwing support for ammunition, and a metallic reinforced custom-bound book with sharpened sheet-metal pages.  It was quite a significant improvement to the weapons they had been using in the past.  They would need to make good use of these gifts.


    On other matters, the four of them hadn''t realized his position in the entire rebellion.  Thanrie was shocked.  "Wait, what?  Your father runs everything out here?  Doesn''t that make you, like, really important?"  Lwyn reflected on stuff she had learned earlier.  "Thanrie, look whose talking.  You left us all unaware you were the royal princess of Wyxir."  Qheria, having missed everything due to her argument with Rhyde, was still unaware of this particular fact.  "Wait, what?  Thanrie, really?"  The royal princess of Qheria''s nationally esteemed enemy, it was almost mind-blowing.  Lwyn''s expression conveyed that this is why she should have been paying attention.  "Yup, we learned about it from some reports.  It seems our families have been looking for us, like your own mother."  "Why would mother care?  She''s got my sister already looking after everything with her, there is no place left for me to mean anything.  After just dumping me in with the Shieldbearers, would have thought she wouldn''t have any reason to care I had gone a bit farther from her."  Qheria claiming it was only a ''bit farther'' was a clear understatement.


    Mhyl was noticing everyone was getting carried away, though she couldn''t understand, so she switched to English.  "Okay, okay, everyone calm down.  Lets just head back to rest, get settled, maybe wait for whatever we''re going to end up doing next.  It might even be good if you each find time to practice with your new weapons.  A lot of things have been going on, and getting some time to relax would probably do all of us some good.  Lets just go home."  It seems that small part of the underground, to be visited for the third time, was being considered as their home for the time being.


    The others agreed to return to the aforementioned home.  It had been a long day already, and it was only half over.

 17: Basic Training

    Once the group of six made it back to their supposed home, things started to calm down.  It seems they would be allowed to stay, but they did have a lot of things to work on to simply be able to help out with the Rebellion at all.


    Before the Marauders would be willing to let them attack more bandits, they would have to learn how to take better care of themselves.  Having already lost once, they needed to improve, so that there wouldn''t be a repeat.  They had been spending the better part of a week with a training routine to help themselves improve.  It involved a lot of weapon training, report reading, and generally felt like they were in some kind of home-schooling program.  Considering the four of them were in this together, that wouldn''t necessarily be a bad thing.  On the other hand, school was still school.


    "Lwyn, stop calling this a school for F~~k sakes.  It''s just makes everything even MORE shitty."  Thanrie could still remember days of earth school.  Rather than reflect on earth school, she was more intent on her favourite Celesi type of training, weapon''s training.  She quite enjoyed practicing with her new weapon in particular.  Her Celesi self had enjoyed opportunities for weapon training for years as one of her favourite hobbies, though such devotion to practice without the excitement of application would have been very boring for her Terran self.  Her plan had been to focus on her Celesi-styled interests.


    "Well, this is a lot like school, really.  Right now we''re doing gym, later I''m going to do some language studies with Mhyl, we might need to do some Geography and Geo-politics, and if we get lucky we might have time for science class!"  Lwyn thought she was clever in matching all of this up, but it just reminded Thanrie of Earth.  Thanrie was trying very hard at this point not to think of Earth.  As a demonstration, she stopped talking in English.  "By the divine, could you please stop?  I really don''t want to think of myself as some axzyhqn trainee."  Thanrie did, however, put to good use some of her newly learned words.  It felt like a good time.


    Thanrie however still wasn''t clear exactly what ''axzyhqn'' meant, so to Lwyn, it looked like Thanrie was taking this pretty hard.  "Thanrie, sorry."  She went back to her own weapon training, very unsure what she should be saying.  She just didn''t want to hurt Thanrie.  Thanrie meanwhile paused in concern of what had just happened there.  She watched Lwyn aim a shot at one of the small metal sheets that were setup across the room.  A line was drawn through the middle at a slight angle.  Lwyn aimed carefully, and the sheet split in half right along the drawn line.


    Thanrie opened up conversation with a new topic, inadvertently destroying her own goals in an attempt to appeal to her friendship by reverting to English.  "Lwyn, it would have been great having your crazy skills on my team back at earth. Like first place before the second storm circle or something.  You''re really good at this, do you think you practiced back at earth?"  Thanrie was talking about more first person shooter games, though there was the chance she was also implying a real firearm, considering Lwyn''s personal talent.  "Me, no?  I enjoyed turn-based stuff because I wasn''t very good at anything asking for fast reflexes.  RPGs that asked for me to aim... if it didn''t have any kind of aim assist, I would suck.  Also, I''ve actually never seen a real gun myself, just pictures and games.  In Canada, guns can actually be super rare, unlike down south."


    Thanrie pondered that Lwyn''s abilities were very possibly all Celesi then.  Her elven eyes probably helped a bit, but the rest probably is her own physical talent while growing up.  It would include training from her Inn, possibly not the best thoughts for her to have of training.  It was there that Thanrie figured out why Lwyn was enjoying comparing everything to learning from Earth over learning from her Celesi past.  Some of it might even be her own craving for learning more about herself from Earth instead of just her surroundings.  Everyone had their own hardships.


    Lwyn sliced another sheet in half, from a much harder shot, and realized her pile of targets was empty.  "Oh, I''m out again."  Thanrie was actually low on her own targets.  "Lets see if we can get more."  She went to hunt down Zyuixqs, who ran to hide when he saw her.  She pulled him out anyway.  "Please stop wasting effort like that.  We need more things to train with, your stuff breaks so easily.  Actually, maybe you should fine us better targets to train with."  "What?  We went from wood to metal, what more could you expect?"  "''Titanium'', hopefully.  Or at least, maybe some kind of extra durable ''steel'', if the Fortress has any to offer."  Thanrie making irrational requests of Zyuixqs only got easier once the Terran Secret became known.


    Mhyl wandered into the conversation, expecting it was time for more Izhaethyx training.  "Lwyn, are you still busy?"  "Oh, uh, I guess not."  Mhyl was talking in Elaethyx, to get into the swing of pronunciation.  Lwyn responded in kind, but then switched to Izhaethyx so Mhyl could get some practice.  "We should begin."  This startled the other two, before they noticed what was going on.  Mhyl and Lwyn went off to another room regardless, where Qheria was inside reading over some reports.  The two elf-kinds worked on their lesson for a bit before Qheria started feeling like her reading environment was getting too loud.  "I''ll just go back to do more weapon training.  Good luck you two."  She put the reports away and dismissed herself with her own excuses.


    At Qheria''s comment, an idea occurred to Mhyl, which she asked in English.  "Actually, about the weapons we''re training with.  I''m still wondering why such advanced weapons were provided for us before the Marauders learned anything."  Being curious by nature, Lwyn had actually wondered about this a while ago.  "I was wondering that too, so I looked into it. Remember how Zyuixqs wasn''t allowed one? There is an almost devoted hatred for Fortress tech.  Instead of ''suffering any taint to their honor''.. really no one is willing to fall to that level.  Being brand new to everything, we were really just a guinea pig.  Still, its not like our smith is to blame for anything, everything is a really good quality, it actually sucks that no one was willing to accept his hard work.  I say lets just work hard and show everyone else just how good technology can actually be!"  Lwyn put a touch of emphasis on the remark about honor, it was more unjustified paranoia.


    People will always fear what they don''t fully understand.  Being a half-elf, Lwyn was not ignorant as to how difficult it can be to convince people to accept something different.  However, being told to learn and adapt, so that they could improve to the way things work, it held a subtle irony that those faced with the impacts that were demanding such changes were themselves unwilling to fully adopt the same change.  Being well versed with Terran cultures, Mhyl understood that there was considerable value in adopting a sense of open mindedness.  "It''s just like something I read about in a Terran book once.  ''Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.''  Clarke''s Third Law."  Mhyl was almost random in coming up with this quote.


    Lwyn felt weird at the sudden reference, having believed she was the one doing the teaching at the moment.  Magic was something made of dreams and wishes, this was the real world.  The rebellion would be better off just accepting things too, moving forwards, and making the most of their sudden discovery.  It could technically put them centuries ahead from the progress they had so far, and everyone would be better off for it.  Technology had a war side too it, yes, but it had a lot of really useful comforts as well.  Air conditioning to beat the heat, cars so that people don''t have to walk everywhere, the internet so that looking up useful information wasn''t so difficult.


    "I think even an electric fan would be nice right now."  Lwyn shifted her thoughts into a statement unexpectedly.  "Oh, well, maybe we should go take a break then, get something to drink.  I''ll be right back."  Before Lwyn could explain, Mhyl rushed off to get them something to drink.  With things as dry as they were, staying hydrated was important, so some water would be good for them.  No one wanted to see the elves collapse again.  Lwyn was still appreciative that Yuxzn had established with everyone that she was an elf, even knowing the truth.  Still, the result had been that she had suddenly stopped being treated as possibly one of the humans, and instead being one of the elves.


    Zyuixqs of all people showed up at that point.  He was one of the people who had been unsure of how to treat her since then, having treated her as ''someone like Qheria'' to now ''someone like Mhyl''.  It meant being uncertain in how to properly approach a situation, although Zyuixqs was still Zyuixqs.  "Hello mi''lady.  I have taken the opportunity to make sure that you''re targets are all in order, again.  I see that you are finding yourself alone away from your friends, if you are in need of company I could... uh.. hmm.."  Zyuixqs was trying to do his usual courting of ladies, but her being an elf added complexity.  There were cultural factors to always keep in mind, which affected tastes and preferences.  There was also the whole ''humans and elves don''t pair up very well'', due to the obvious fear of half-elves.  It was some added complexity, stuff that Lwyn wasn''t very fond of.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Oh, hey Zyuixqs.. oh, and Thanrie is right behind you."  Lwyn pointed behind Zyuixqs, so he dove into the nearest cover he could find, under the table.  Lwyn poked her head under the table and waved at him.  ".. Just kidding, no she isn''t.  You can relax now."  Lwyn felt a sense of justice against him by bringing up Thanrie, she really did leave quite an impact on him, especially if she was in a bad mood.  Zyuixqs sighed his relief and got up from out of the table.  "Please don''t scare me like that.  There is no telling what that woman would do to me for simply being a gentleman."  "Hmm, she would punch you in the face?  Also, it might help if you took some time to treat her as a human.. as a person.. instead of just some expectations on what you think she should be like."  Lwyn corrected herself, pointedly remarking upon her own personal grief.  Maybe Thanrie was right, maybe there was at least a couple of similarities between her having a mismatch of genders between memories and Lwyn having a half-elf crisis.  Being a half-elf was still worse, though.


    "Her own expectations are rather steep.  Asking for strange Terran stuff, it''s impossible."  Oh yeah, Zyuixqs was talking about all that Titanium nonsense from before.  Thanrie was most likely joking, but maybe Zyuixqs was too scared of her to tell.  Lwyn tried to help.  "Don''t worry, after all of this Terran stuff finally got into the open, she''s probably just happy we can talk about Earth without causing problems.  We had to work really hard to be quiet about all of this stuff before.  I bet you she''s really happy that she can bring up such Terran wonders like that."  "About that, if your memories are from a place called ''Yhiuze'', why do you call their stuff ''Terran''? Wouldn''t it be ''Yhiuzi''?"  Zyuixqs was finding it very difficult to pronounce ''Earth'', and had made a rough effort.


    "Because that''s not how it works there.  The sound they would usually put at the end would make it ''Earthen'', but that ends up meaning ground.  So we started calling it ''Terran'' instead.  Earth stuff is pretty complex like that."  Lwyn was left reflecting that the fault wasn''t exactly from Earth, but was technically a fault of the language English.  Sometimes it felt like English was the really complicated language.  She was certain this idea had never dawned upon her back at Earth, but there she had only known the one language, anything different was hard.  Here, she knew two other languages, so she had something to compare it too.  Her observations taught her that Mhyl must be insane, having learned so many languages, because the differences between different languages was stupidly complicated.  To Lwyn, her head felt like it hurt just thinking about it.


    "Oh, Lwyn, are you okay?  I got us some water, please have a drink."  Mhyl finally returned with the water, getting the wrong idea for Lwyn''s dizzy spell.  "Thanks, uh.. maybe we should call it a day for now with the language lessons.  We made some good progress, we can pick things up again next time."  Lwyn was reminded that she herself was teaching that same multi-lingual expert one of those stupidly complicated languages.  Mhyl nodded and turned to Zyuixqs.  "Please have nice day."  Hearing Mhyl make another Izhaethyx attempt, Lwyn wondered how Mhyl could stay so strong despite the same ''stupid complexity''.  She didn''t understand that Mhyl only wanted to be able to communicate with everyone around her, to not be left out, to stop missing out on what was going on.


    Zyuixqs decided it was about time to fill out one of his many reports, and left.  Lwyn looked at the report Qheria had left behind, the one sent by the Marauders for them to study.  That copy was for Qheria and Thanrie to share, Lwyn and Mhyl were given one in Elaethyx to share recently, again being treated as one of the elves.  She still had to somehow get a message back to Yuxzn to explain that she actually couldn''t read Elaethyx, only Izhaethyx.  "Oh, I have an idea, lets go over our report together.  I''ll read it out loud for you in Elaethyx, and help you figure it out."  It seems language lessons weren''t over, Mhyl was just going to take over the teaching role and Lwyn would become the student.  It was another class she had forgotten she was due for.


    Having been doing mostly weapon training the whole time, Thanrie stopped for a break.  She went to Qheria, who had been quietly practicing her stances since she arrived.  "Hey Qheria, duel me."  "I really don''t think it would be a smart idea.  Your blade has way more reach then mine, we have no idea what will happen to either weapon if one blocks the other, and if either of us can''t block.. it''ll hurt a lot."  "Hmm, good point.  But there is a lot of wood left around here.  Want to make some practice swords and duel with them?"  Thanrie was just eager to duel someone, having done that with her brother frequently in the past.  Back then though, it was usually him that asked her.


    Qheria considered it for a moment, then contemplated her own training.  There might be one style that would prove useful for them both.  "Fine, we can duel, but bare handed.  I know you can do it, we all saw you lay into Zyuixqs.  Being able to trust our own hands would be far more useful right now than figuring out some wooden sword."  It was not an idea that had occurred to Thanrie before.  Most of her practice with her brother was with mock swords, she had generally avoided training with her fists.  Mostly due to any concerns relating as to how she wasn''t to injure her hands.  However, that was only in this world.  Her memories of earth remembered a few of the brawls she had gotten herself into back then.  Finally, something from earth that she actually had positive memories with, even if they were nothing but street brawls.  The fights were utterly stupid, for no real purpose, and was probably iconic to the worst of her Terran-self''s personal qualities.  But, this wouldn''t be some street-side brawling, it moved from that into something of value.


    Thanrie was finally being offered a ''class'' lesson that resounded with her, that spoke of her other past and of how to overcome it.  To take unrefined movements with unarmed combat and turn it into a weapon of purpose.  This was something she needed.  She set aside her weapon and moved into the middle of the room.  "Deal.  When you''re ready."  This room had no hard floor, everything here was dirt, designed specifically to soften blows and noise.  Lwyn had found it extra challenging as she couldn''t rebound shots off the walls this time.  For a duel, the soft floor was perfect.


    A few seconds into the duel, Thanrie got up off the floor.  She had lead with some good moves as far as she could tell, but Qheria had just blocked them.  Then her own momentum was used against her, she found herself flying, and was down on her back.  She had forgotten, she was actually reasonably light, probably especially compared to the ''self'' she remembered of earth.  She wasn''t compensating for that at all.  She was strong yes, she was even fast, but she was very light and not very good at defending herself.  Someone who could block her and just go for an opening, she would have no chance.  She had found one of her own weaknesses, a priceless lesson.


    "So, want to try again, or are you done already?"  "Of course not, only getting started.  But, if we''re going to be smart about it, there''s no point rushing ahead.  I''m pretty sure that if I don''t come up with something new, I''ll just be on my back again."  Thanrie was being careful, which was very uncharacteristic of her.  It was another moment where Celesi Thanrie was overwhelmingly imposing over Terran Thanrie.  However, she was also avoiding being naive about it.  The visible quality of effect on Thanrie was something Qheria had to respect.  Maybe the two of them would have to do this sort of thing much more often.  Thanrie though was also making use of her knowledge of fighter games to the application of her current situation, for whatever that could gain her.


    Another minute later, Thanrie got up from the floor again.  She had made another attempt and it had failed.  Knowing a few moves from a bunch of made-up video games didn''t actually yield her much of an advantage.  She had however avoided Qheria''s first counter by actually managing her own movements.  However, it was the follow-up that got her, as she wasted too much movement in a dodge.  While working on figuring out some other way, a thought dawned upon her about her opponent.  Qheria was actually really really good at this sort of thing, it was surprising just how good she actually was.  Qheria was also pretty quick, and really strong, making you think she just fought like a bear.  More than that though, she was tough, precise, and.. actually kinda graceful in her movements.  What stood out the most was how she fought with her hands like she herself embodied the shield she frequently carried.  Her style was very defensive, none of her actions were very aggressive, and all of her dangerous moves were counters.


    This also meant that Qheria was very effective against someone who was very aggressive, like Thanrie.  It would be several more hours before Thanrie finally called for a break, never having landed a single attack.

 18: Weather Predictions

    On the other side of the great mountain, it had also been a busy week.  After all the running around between the four corners of civilization, things were finally coming together.


    Ehryinae once again found herself following the Arch-Magus.  This time around, she wasn''t alone.  Also present was the head disciples for the Pillar of Frost and the Pillar of Gusts.  Behind them were a few members of their own Pillars, mostly for sake of ceremony.  A proceeding of this magnitude had a lot of ceremony to it.  The central hall of the Citadel was hardly ever used, because it was just too big, like a massive atrium.  Today, it was almost ablaze with activity, mostly staff who were working to ensure everything was prepared.


    Today was finally the day the four different factions would gather under one roof and discuss their mutual futures.  Not even a fortnight from being sunken into the patterns of a war soon to come, things had came to a dramatic turn.  She knew why, it was because the collective groups had returned empty handed but full of warnings.  The warnings just begun the flood, as the removal of the Wall of Silence caused further unrest.  The uncivilized lands were preparing for war, and were very well prepared.


    On queue, she entered the central hall with her peers, the others hanging a distance behind.  The entire room was divided into four sections.  She approached her designated section, and took the seat to the right of the Arch-Magus, beside the Disciple for the Pillar of Gusts, her last peer would be seated on the other side of the Arch-Magus.  Directly across from her in this grand assembly was the approaching elven embassy, taking their own seats on their own side.  The High-Sage was in the middle, with two members of the Circle to her one side, and a couple of the Wardens to the other.  Aelyiq actually sat uncomfortably between the High-Sage and the Circle, and just behind them was an assortment of translators.  On the two sides of this giant square would be representatives of both warring factions in this meeting, making sure to establish peaceful terms in this neutral environment.


    On the east side were the Qiciri, almost like a geographical representation of their square.  The royal family took the center of this envoy, with one side holding commanding generals of their army, and the other being represented by the Shadow Reavers.  This included both Xyithy and her eldest daughter.  Across from them, on the west side, sat the Wyxiri royal family, including their three sons.  The eldest of the three sons preceded as the head of the Wyxiri gathering, instead of his parents, having all but given the title of king already himself.  The second son sat as the head of the delegation of their army, with the third son sitting sitting on the other side with his Crown Seekers.  Everyone was present for this assembly.


    "I thank everyone for taking the opportunity to gather for this occasion, despite our various differences.  My citadel is glad to be host to such a significant gathering, and I am glad to offer you all my hospitality, in hopes that we can come together in this time of strife."  The Arch-Magus preceded over the assembly himself, making the initial introduction.  "There is much we have to discuss.  I am certain by now that each of you have became aware of the situation.  While some of our guests here prepared for war, others stood waiting for the moment to strike once the lands were already drowning in blood.  Each of you in fact has witnesses of your own lands who have seen this first hand, including the Citadel."  The Arch-Magus motioned for Ehryinae to stand.


    "Envoy of the Citadel, the Pillar of Embers had set off to locate an individual of interest presented by the Arch-Magus that had departed without warning.  Tracking this individual, we fell upon a group working with insufficient resources in an attempt to stop a faction of their own from developing weapons of unknown origins.  These weapons are of a design never seen before, and are very advanced in nature."  Ehryinae was talking as Aelyiq requested to step in.  It was acknowledged.  "The Elniri had from very similar circumstances visited the same scene.  The individual found greeting us from an allied position was very overwhelmed and so handled us with some uncertainty, however their enemy did happen to also greet us with exceptional venom, directing their weapons to confront us directly.  Against our combined might, the first threat went down easily enough."


    People nodded in understanding, this was the uncultured lands, of course they couldn''t keep up.  Xyithy however signaled her turn.  "The Qiciri were also present for this, for actually very similar reasons.  There is still some confusion regarding the weapons used by the enemy.  Their initial weapons were using something we have currently no hopes to replicate, but were a mass-produced weapon they were treating akin to nothing but a sword.  A sword itself would have done nothing to such a monstrosity, only some of our best were able to take down weapons they were making casually.  The weapon itself was much larger than any person, and was capable of causing explosions with more speed and intensity than any catapult, while still remaining faster moving than any runner."  Finally, Izhyhur wanted his turn.  "The most alarming part of that confrontation was that we were eventually forced to retreat.  Their simple weapons we could deal with, but nothing we had was even having a visible effect upon the gigantic monstrosity that came after.  This gigantic armor was of a size that could step over most castle walls, but was itself carrying weapons that caused even more devastation.  All four groups, plus those standing defense already, couldn''t stand up to it."


    This was a monumental statement, considering all four groups were aware of how effective their dispatched teams were.  This was what was preparing to stand against them.  "As High-Sage, she is gifted with the ability to hear the voice of nature.  Nature has itself found a saviour that will protect us.  But speaking with it, we have also learned that the time of danger is also quickly approaching, the threat to us all is indeed this unexplained threat."  The translator spoke on the behalf of the High-Sage herself.


    The second Wyxiri prince spoke up next.  "It is not like our own princess is without her own gifts, even if your voice does not hear of them.  Having our back to such an enemy with such forces, the tactical prowess of such a maneuver is sound.  I do not doubt what my brother saw, none of his men would have willingly returned unsuccessfully had they not believed they had no chance of winning and that their efforts would be a waste.  Likewise, the Wyxiri do not take kindly to being treated as expendable pawns, this enemy needs to be put into their rightful place."  This dark tone was quite common across their entire family.


    The Qiciri King spoke his next piece.  "It is clear that our current rivalry would need to be put on hold, to deal with the threats at our back.  It is then almost comedic that our new enemy was so willing to take on not only the combined might of the Qiciri and Wyxiri, but also the Elniri and the Arch-Magus himself."  Wyxir''s Eldest Prince interjected.  "That would be a very smart idea, but maybe we could also lend false belief that we are still in conflict?  That could draw our enemies into an illusion of confidence.  It would still be amusing to sustain a false pretense."  Xyithy''s Eldest Daughter did like this idea.  "This is probably wisest, especially for reasons of morale.  After all our hard work, giving up wouldn''t be the wisest course, we might even end up resuming our previous status once our mutual enemy is out of the picture."


    It was clear this new enemy was turning their conflict into a sense of rivalry.  That might be good in its own right, but there was still a matter not yet broached.  "The situation still remains very complicated, more than any of you appear to be aware of."  The Arch-Magus suddenly surprised everyone with even worse news.  "The disappearance of the four.. that was not a matter of coincidence.  Everything points to something far more extreme.  My own first clue was when I noticed a very abnormal storm at my own doorsteps.  A Celestial Storm had gathered, attracted to a concentration of potential, potential from the same four people we had been seeking.  But this energy had an origin, and it appears its origins are from our enemy tearing at the veil of the world, grasping for something beyond.  Undoubtedly, this is where his power originates.  However, little does he seem to know that the continued actions he takes could eventually tear the veil into shreds, which would destroy all of Celese.  The dangers our enemy presents is not simply conquest, but world destruction.  Our very world is reaching out for help in anguish and pain."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The Elven Circle spoke up again, which was translated.  "Wasn''t this simply as the High-Sage had been saying?  That we need our Saviour, or everything will be lost?"  The Arch-Magus shook his head.  "The High-Sage''s daughter is only one of the four.  I suspect that she is more in tune with the flows of the veil by her own personal potential, which is what the High-Sage has been seeing.  However, the Celestial Storm gathered because four people drew it to them.  In turn, those same four appear to have been drawn to the tear in the veil, as if guided by the winds of fate.  All four have an exceptional potential somehow, some secret not yet revealed."  The two elder princes and Xyithy couldn''t look the Arch-Magus in the eye at his statement, even though the Arch-Magus himself had something he couldn''t share.  "If the four are being guided by the wills of the world itself, that makes their rescue all the more complicated.  However, of greater concern is still the necessity for it.  We can''t afford to just wait for our enemy to attack, and destroy them as they come.  Doing so, the veil could be lost."


    Ehryinae herself sought wisdom of this, out of concern.  "But, we still could do nothing against that monstrosity.  There is even concern that they have other things, maybe even worse things.  We don''t know our enemy at all."  The second prince nodded at this insight.  "Yes, rushing into a conflict without enough knowledge would be foolish.  That should be our first priority, as we assemble what we would need to deal with our enemy."  Aelyiq himself spoke up at this.  "Isn''t that what the four girls are doing, diving into the area infested by the enemy, learning more about them?"  Xyithy was shocked at this revelation.  "Ah, so it seems maybe we might have a new goal, to find them, learn what we can.  Instead of bringing them home, we need to back them up.  But we don''t even know if they are safe.."


    There was silence for a time with that comment.  The High-Sage''s Translator answered at this point.  "It appears nature has revealed that the four in question were in danger, but are now safe.  The world indeed has its eyes on all four women."  The Arch-Magus resumed with this revelation.  "Taking to the front lines to learn more of our enemy might be the smart move, but we need to be careful what our enemy does, what our enemy learns.  Drawing attention to the four women is not good for their safety, we should minimize contact with them as such.  This makes everything.. so much more challenging."


    Ehryinae spoke out once more.  "It sounds like the most important thing is to work with small groups in an effort to gain information from our enemy.. and seeing what can be done to support the Four women from the shadows.  The Wall of Silence is down, we can manage messengers with ease, especially if we make sure it stays down.  The four groups sent only turned back because we couldn''t save the four women, but it appears they are fine for now.  The enemy still has stuff that can''t be dealt with, but still has dissonance on their doorsteps, people fighting against them, and they are still going.  Maybe the best course of action is for our four groups to return, with the goal of discovering as much information as possible, returning it to this entire council, along with doing our best to make things easier for the renegades at our enemies doorsteps.  This won''t do anything lasting, but you did say information was the next goal."


    Spying at the gates, that was something everyone here was familiar with.  Even better, there were delegations of people already familiar with some of the lands, they could be sent to accomplish this.  This brought their meeting rapidly to a conclusion.  Xyithy''s daughter would work with the Qiciri Army to create a siege force capable of dealing with the enemy, as information arrives.  The second prince would be doing the same for Wyxir.  The circle would be meeting to determine appropriate measures required to command the forces that would be needed in the upcoming conflict.  The Pillars would also be meeting to figure out a way to properly apply their own resources to this new threat.  Both the Arch-Magus and the High-Sage would be applying their own efforts to investigate the world status itself.


    However, beyond that, a scouting expedition was expected, and already assigned.  Ehryinae, Aelyiq, Xyithy, and Ihzyhur would be working together in the shadows of the front lines, exploring the capabilities of this new enemy.  They knew they had to be careful, Khaexyn would probably react dramatically were they to be spotted again.  Xyithy''s Shadow Reavers knew the shadows very well, this would not be a problem.  The Crown Seekers were not inclined to lose to the Reavers in a competition, Ihzyhur would take them into the darkness as well.  The Wardens were ones with nature, even in a land without trees they would find a way to harness the wilds to yield their own camouflage.  The Pillar of Embers.. Ehryinae would need to figure something out.  Sometimes, her Pillar was capable of standing out like a torch in the night.


    The assembly was adjourned at this point, and the four scouting parties due to meet again once preparations were completed.  In this time, she would have to find a way to turn her own Pillar''s light into something more refined.  It was upsetting that she had been picked originally for this, instead of say the Pillar of Dust, they were usually a lot better at this sort of thing.  She didn''t have the fortune of escaping this, inadvertently it was her own insight that had thrown her into this mess.  Technically, it was the Arch-Magus who had chosen her in the first place, that was what had caused this.  She still wasn''t inclined to simply pass the Arch-Magus blame for this, she was willing to take the heat for this problem.


    And then it dawned on her, their destination had her Pillar completely in their element.  Maybe that was why the Arch-Magus, in all of his wisdom, had chosen her in the first place.  Their destination wasn''t some sandy desert, but it was still really hot, and her Pillar knew how to work with hot conditions.  If the elves could bring what little nature remained in that wasteland to their own use, she could find a way to turn the warmth to her own advantage.  It would require some of their own... gifts... but the world was always built upon the hopes and dreams of the people who shaped it.  This was something the Arch-Magus had taught her, after all.


    Ehryinae set off to begin her preparations.  She would blanket the Embers in Illusions of Nothingness, as if they weren''t actually there at all.  Warmth within heat, it made total sense to her.


    For anyone else, her own thoughts wouldn''t have made sense at all.  But she was there, she had been a part of everything... she had been one of the few who had been capable of taking out a Destroyer in moments.  She was, after all, one of the Arch-Magus Disciples.  For anyone not a part of any of the pillars, this made no sense at all.  But the Arch-Magus had really shaped the citadel from the hopes and dreams of himself and those he cared about, including some of his followers.  Being able to shape the world from hopes and dreams, this was how the real world truthfully worked, after all.


    Most of the world were ignorant of the gifted, only a handful were aware of the blessing given unto those with the right kind of potential.  All of the Disciples were fully versed in this lesson, but there were others.  The Elniri Circle was secretly founded upon this principle itself, the Wyxiri Royal Family held this as their most closely guarded secret, and a few others had been stumbling upon discoveries relating to it, such as the Aiylthhiylz Family and even the High-Sage.  However, Khaexyn himself was not ignorant of the existence of this gift either, in fact he had his own gift to be proud of.  He had his own wishes to bring to form.  Everyone else still remained confused and ignorant.


    Ehryinae walked into her workshop, her mind filled with ideas on what needed to be done.  With little more than a motion, she lit the candles in the room, and set to work.  There was a lot left to be done, she wanted to get started right away.  Tomorrow, she would meet up with her scout peers to coordinate a plan further, but she wasn''t willing to become a liability to their efforts.  Her training as a disciple felt like it had accumulated for this very trial.


    Thinking about it, she considered the implications of the Arch-Magus'' words.  A secret potential, exceptional potential, ''guided by the winds of fate''.  The Arch-Magus had used those words to her before, to imply her own potential when she started studying under him.  Her arrival was also guided by the winds of fate, to someone her own fate had a connection to.  Winds of fate are a calling to go to where you belong.  If the same girls were to draw in the Celestial Storm caused by the tearing.. that means there was a similar connection between the four girls and the tear in the veil.  The Arch-Magus wanted her to know this.  She just needed to figure out what more she could do, knowing this.


    There was no other way around it, she would have to learn more about what was really going on.  They all would have to begin discovering exactly what kinds of secrets were still not being shared.

 19: Crash Course

    The four girls were due to meet with the Marauders for the morning, to sit in for another meeting. It was otherwise a very normal morning, all things considered.


    "No. Like I had told you, I''m not going to recklessly throw you into danger when you are still so new to everything here." "But how do you expect us to get experience when we aren''t even experiencing anything. All four of us are just sitting at home, beating up sheets of metal while reading books. That''s not exactly what I would call practical experience." Like normal, Rhyde and Qheria were arguing again. "There is still a lot you have left to learn.." ".. and there is very little time left to learn it, so why are we wasting time here? From what you''ve said, we should be expecting our families to come pick us up anytime now. We''ve got a lot of knowledge that can be of use to you, just giving up on it at that point and having us leave, wouldn''t that just be a giant waste of your time? We don''t want to get dragged off either, if we have nothing to show for our efforts, things are going to get a lot harder for us. Give us a CHANCE!!"


    Yuxzn stepped in at this point. "If I may, sir, this might be a good opportunity to at least get some information, especially considering how none of the reports they have read have actually included our own tactical implementation of dealing with Destroyers." Yuxzn was discreetly talking about their usage of tar to block up the enemy''s weapon so that it explodes, something the others still did not know about. "Qheria, if you were to be faced with the task of taking out an enemy Destroyer who was preparing to attack, how would you do it?" "Uh, tank mines? Wait, we probably don''t have those. It''s a shame, because an explosion from its underside could destroy the treads, bust the engine, and maybe even kill the people inside. Oh, maybe just the old classic of digging a big trench and hiding it, so that a tank would drive over it, fall in, and get stuck. If done right, the gun is usually pinned into the ground too, so the whole thing is completely useless. Then it''s pretty easy to even get on top, open the door, and kill all the occupants." Qheria didn''t even take long to think up a few rough strategies, borrowing from her Terran memories.


    Yuxzn and Rhyde were both stunned. This single question had already gotten them a lot of new information. Yuxzn wanted to look into this further. "Wait, you''re using a lot of Terran again." Terms like ''Tank Mine'', ''Treads'', ''Engine'', and ''Gun'' were all brand new, and needed some explanation. Yuxzn resumed after that was cleared up. "Ah, so the way these things pull themselves around, its like taking out someones legs. Hearing where the heart of these weapons are is also very interesting, but it sounds too complicated to work with. The main barrel, however you called it, that''s what we had been targeting. Clogging it up resulted in the whole thing destroying itself. It sounds like even taking out its strange legs would make the task so much easier."


    Rhyde thought about it for a moment. "There is a camp not far from here where a few of the bandits had acquired some Destroyers that weren''t working fully up to specs, the barrel''s firing ranges are much too low. The Fortress doesn''t care about them if they don''t meet their expectations. However, being so weak, they made suitable testing targets. Usually, if their weapon was weaker than normal, we would be cautious about using our usual approach. A weak weapon might not have the usual explosive reaction we had been depending upon. However, it is exactly as mobile as the rest, so it makes for a good experiment."


    Yuxzn considered this for a moment. "Ah, I see where you are going with this. The Destroyers are parked in two locations, usually we would have to divide our forces to deal with all 5 of them. There are no leaders in the area, and no Fortress activity at all, so this is about as harmless as it comes. We can leave their party to address one location while we take care of the other. This way, if they need backup, we won''t be far away." Having been given the parameters of the mission, the tactician was, as usual, quick to make the rest of the plan.


    The plan was set for just after an early lunch, hoping that the heat of the day would work in their favour. Rhyde and Yuxzn had some of their Marauders in a nearby location, executing their plan. Qheria was in charge of their team of six. They were to expect two tanks, and had to figure out a way to take them out using the same trap Qheria had brought up before. There was also a supply of Tar available, in case this didn''t work. Thanrie was standing by at the tar stock, making sure it was ready to use if it was required. Qheria was personally digging the trench with Zyuixqs and Lwyn. Lwyn was still being treated as an elf, so she wasn''t expected to dig much, but that only encouraged her to want to dig more. Mhyl was keeping watch with Chyurae, as they had some of the best vision in the group, and no real weapons or physical ability.


    "Mi''lady Lwyn, maybe you should just go with Mhyl and Chyurae and help them out?" "Are you kidding? Watching is just boring. I''ve spent a lot of time getting work done before, digging a stupid hole isn''t a problem at all. Can''t I help here?" Zyuixqs didn''t understand Lwyn''s hardships. Back at the Inn, this would be an everyday thing. At least this time she wouldn''t be blamed for everything. She was deep in warm happy thoughts when she tripped over her shovel and fell into the hole. Qheria helped her out, understanding why Lwyn was finding this rough. "You still need to be careful. We don''t want anyone to get hurt out here. Here, I have an idea, why don''t you start setting up some coverage for this hole, so that we can just apply it when we''re done." Lwyn grumbled at not being able to fit in with the other humans, but understood. Qheria felt sorry for the little half-elf.


    "I must admit, when I was told we would need to dig a hole, I didn''t expect we would need this much of a hole." "Tanks are pretty big, we need to get it fully stuck. Oh, maybe we can pack the bottom with some of the tar? That might help with messing them up." Zyuixqs and Qheria continued to dig for a while more, stopping when a tired Lwyn showed up with some carefully woven plants and grasses, switching to English. "Qheria, what''s the chance anyone is familiar with morning cartoons? Because this looks cheesy." "Don''t worry, Lwyn. Just like none of us knew about such cartoons before our other memories, the bandits won''t be so elegantly educated in the comedic arts." Lwyn was careful to lighten the mood with a funny reference, so Qheria went along with it. Deciding that the hole was deep enough, Qheria and Zyuixqs padded the base with some tar while Lwyn worked to get the whole thing covered. They were ready.


    "Thanrie, we''ve got things ready. Mhyl will be nearby, letting you know what is going on. I''ll have Zyuixqs on the other side, with Chyurae watching for him. Meanwhile, this is my idea, I''ll have to personally bait some tanks." "It''s like you want all the fun parts to yourself. Watching over some muck is like the worst job ever. Fine, I''ll stay here, maybe I''ll get to personally wreck some shit. However, do me a favour, at least bring Lwyn. If you are going to put yourself in the open, she can do something to watch over you. Oh, and another favour, if there are too many bandits, please bring them this way. I want my own fair share, thank you very much." Qheria passed on an update for Thanrie in English, who returned some personal requests.


    "Wait, Qheria, you''re missing something. How is Chyurae going to pass anything to Zyuixqs? Mhyl and I can speak English, but those two don''t share anything." "Simple, Chyurae would bring Zyuixqs to you, and you''ll explain for Mhyl." Thanrie didn''t like this part of Qheria''s plan, but there wasn''t much help for it. It just gave her an uneasy feeling that they were forgetting something else.


    After Zyuixqs was updated, she went to go meet up with Lwyn, who was updating each of the elves. "Lwyn, Thanrie thinks it would be a good idea if you came with me. Unlike any of our other.. scouts.. if I get attacked by a bandit, you can actually shoot them. Really, it''s not a bad idea. Also, having a bit better eyes on hand to work myself out as bait really isn''t a bad idea either." In a way, they had an elven scout for every human.


    Lwyn wasn''t the most excited about standing watch, but being told she would probably get to use her new crossbow made it much better. She had made sure to get all of it''s blades back, so she had a full 800 set. Qheria meanwhile got her stuff on and approached the Bandits. She waved to the guards, who went to call the alarm, only to both fall over before they said a word, their throats both sliced by the same blade. Qheria went back a bit and scolded Lwyn. "Stop that, being bait means I need them to know I''m here. Don''t silently kill them before they can raise an alarm." Lwyn put away the other blade she had taken out for throwing, ready to put another spin on it. Maybe she was a bit too excited.


    Having lost the guards, the two of them maneuvered into a better position. Inside, they could see all three tanks parked. "That''s not good, who moved a tank here? We aren''t ready for three tanks." Qheria was getting concerned at this break in the plan. Lwyn casually gave a quick retort. "Too bad we can''t just move it back or something." Qheria paused at this moment of brilliance. There was no witnesses currently, but nothing could possibly raise a bigger alarm. Qheria picked up Lwyn, completely surprised at this sudden turn, and ran towards the closest tank. It wasn''t exactly like the Terran tanks she knew of, but it was surprisingly close. She slipped Lwyn inside and joined her.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Lwyn, I''m going to drive this thing. The gun has it''s own scope, please use that to watch our surroundings. I''m going to cause a commotion." "Okay, but remember that the others don''t know about this part of the plan. We don''t want to get mistaken for the enemy." "Yeah, that will be your job too." "Wait what?" Qheria gave no time for further explanations, and Lwyn had to take her seat as the whole thing suddenly came alive. It seems no one had thought of ignition keys here either or something.


    Setting to full speed, she bashed aside one of the other tanks, and then barreled through the side of a nearby tent, as she drove hastily out of the camp. This commotion rose the alarm, assuredly. "Yup, they''re getting into the other tanks.. hmm, what does this button do?" Lwyn fired the main gun while facing one of the tanks, hitting the gun in a really dangerous location, causing it''s ammunition to detonate. That was one tank down. The other one was mobile and managing a lot more cautiously, weapon ready to fire. Qheria didn''t want to end up being shot at, so she was gone. She dashed the tank a short distance towards their trap. "Lwyn, I know this sounds crazy, but you''ll need to jump out. I''ll slow down for a bit, but you''ll need to tell the others what is going on. Tell Chyurae to move from the hill he''s on, him and Zyuixqs needs to move farther from Thanrie''s location, cause I''m going to be using that position to dodge the trap. Probably stay with the two of them, you can help with communication." Lwyn was going to be assigned something simple, it was almost depressing if something stupidly insane didn''t precursor it.


    Lwyn leapt from the tank as requesting, her natural finesse again proving dependable for this action. Meanwhile, Qheria turned 90 and begun her loop. Their enemy spotted her just as she dove behind a hill, the hill taking the shot for her. She guided her followers back in a loop around and returned back towards the trap. Instead of sticking to the smooth path, as projected, she climbed up the side of the hill, very unsteadily, which dramatically slowed her down. The maneuver looked like she lost control, even if that was just a feint. Her pursuit was closing in quickly, given this advantage. She cleared over the incline and set back down on the steady ground, clearing the trap successfully, and rounded another corner. Her pursuit did not waver, and stuck to the level ground. Right at the trap, the ground gave way and the vehicle fell in, stuck. However, the gunner knew she would be just nearby, and was preparing to fire. As the gun struck the ground, the gunner fired.


    The entire tank exploded with considerable force, killing any occupants. Shards of the vehicle went flying in the explosion, scattering everywhere. Some of the flaming metal went towards where Thanrie was waiting, contacted the Tar, and it ignited in a blaze and a blast. The tar was, after all, very explosive and flamable, that''s why it was being used for its purpose. It was very dangerous to stay near a large supply. The tar under the tank had itself propelled the flaming parts of the tank to such a distance. Thanrie was in serious trouble, Qheria didn''t even know about it at the time. Having removed all the other tanks, all that was left was the one she was in. She drove it to the edge of a hill carefully, got out, and then forced it to shift over the side. The tank fell upside down.


    It wasn''t until she was close that she realized the blazing inferno wasn''t just the other tank. Zyuixqs himself was carrying the unconscious and heavily burnt and bleeding Thanrie from the inferno. Zyuixqs himself was suffering from serious burns by braving the fire. Mhyl was providing directions for a safe place to set Thanrie down, while Lwyn was following instructions to weave another leaf mat to use as a stretcher. Chyurae was carrying some water, as he had been instructed. Like a medical rescue expert, Mhyl had full control of the situation, and was doing her best to help the fallen Thanrie. Qheria ran as fast as she could to them.


    "What''s going on? Is Thanrie okay? What happened?" "We forgot that leaving Thanrie by the Tar really wasn''t the safest place when it came to fire and explosions. Thanrie got caught in the blast, she''s heavily injured. I''m trying my best to take care of her, but we have no actual medical equipment. I''m not sure if I can save her, not with what we have. At least if we can get her underground, we would have access to more stuff, but this world doesn''t have anything close to a hospital." "Please, just do your best." Qheria was devastated by Mhyl''s news. This was all her fault, she was responsible for where everything was. She should have made sure the tar was better secure, she should have had Thanrie in a safe location, she should never had added the extra tar that increased the explosive force. She blamed herself for everything.


    The worst part was that she was also so late to the scene. Everything was already moving without her, it was her fault, and she couldn''t even help. She went at least to help Lwyn, but she was just wrapping things up. "Lwyn, I''ll carry that for you. I just want to help." Lwyn conceded to Qheria''s request, seeing in Qheria''s eyes just how she was taking things. "Qheria.. don''t be so hard on yourself. We all.." "Lwyn, please, stop." Lwyn went quiet at this request. She couldn''t help someone who didn''t want to be helped, and she knew that Qheria could be pretty stubborn.


    Once safely on the stretcher, carried by Qheria on one side and Zyuixqs on the other, the group followed Chyurae into the nearest underground entrance, and headed for a place to bring Thanrie. Lwyn got directions from Zyuixqs and ran off to get some help. Mhyl worked constantly to deal with burns and other injuries. She suspected a few bones might even be broken. Zyuixqs stayed on hand, doing whatever he could to help, and even Mhyl put her best effort in using very simple Izhaethyx to provide instructions. Being proficient in ''take that'' was valuable to this situation, she didn''t regret her language studies in the least. This would simply be yet another reason why she would need to study Izhaethyx further in the future. Chyurae stuck around as well to help where he could, especially since he was actually able to understand her more complicated Elaethyx instructions.


    Qheria again felt dramatically out of place. It was her job to protect her friends, and she had failed, so now Mhyl was cleaning up after Qheria''s own failure. Qheria made sure Thanrie''s weapon was put away safely, it hadn''t suffered much damage at least, but that didn''t feel like nearly enough. Mhyl called for Qheria at one point, saying that from here she would need a hand, and that the boys had to leave. Dealing with all of these injuries while Thanrie was fully dressed in heavy armor was not easy, it would have to all go. The boys were cast from the room, and Qheria worked with Mhyl to get all of Thanrie''s armor off.


    "I know you think of yourself as our leader, as our protector. I know that''s why you think this is your fault. I''m not even going to claim you didn''t make any crazy calls, that whole deal with stealing an enemy tank was probably far too rash, and it tripped all of us up. It was your own plan, you need to have more confidence in yourself." "How can I trust myself for anything, after this." "Because you care. You did your best, and you are deeply caring for the impact of what went wrong. I know you will take this to heart, I trust you. I''m pretty sure both Lwyn and Thanrie do too." ".. Lwyn tried to say something like that." "Yeah, and Thanrie would probably too, if she wasn''t in this state." Mhyl tried to support Qheria as best she could through this tragic moment, but Qheria wasn''t convinced. Mhyl was too busy to do anything more, first she had to save Thanrie.


    Lwyn arrived soon after. She had found Yuxzn, who was confused as to why they had suddenly disappeared. He was further concerned in that there were only two tanks and the spot the girls were working at was a raging inferno. He had quickly deduced where they would have fled to, and found Lwyn. Lwyn replaced Qheria with helping Mhyl, so Qheria went outside. Just outside, Zyuixqs was waiting seated just around the corner, waiting for anything that might be asked of him. His devotion to helping Thanrie was remarkable, especially considering the extent of his burns. Chyurae had started worrying about the same burns and was trying to offer water. But there before her stood the last person she wanted to face right now, Rhyde.


    Qheria faced Rhyde, already utterly defeated. "I know, you told me so. I know, this is all my fault. I know I let everyone down in my own recklessness and ignorance. I know..." "Yes, but at this point what you seem to be missing is that you''ve finally learned something. So did we, your idea worked remarkably on our side. Your own insight into that matter was sound, but you still have more to learn. I''m certain that this time, you will take to heart what is needed." "I don''t understand, why aren''t you being as critical as usual. Certainly this is when you should be saying that this is why we should have just given up and gone home and.." "I have absolutely no reason to be critical of your actions, you certainly seem to be doing a great job of that for me. From a leader to a leader, I know, taking responsibility of others is very hard. Every single mistake you ever make will come back to haunt you. The burden you carry, the burden you shoulder, it''s nothing easy. You should take a break to recover, you will need to give yourself your own chance to heal. I''ll have people help Mhyl with what she''s doing. We will use what supplies we have."


    He then turned to Zyuixqs. "As for you, as it seems that your team''s medical staff is at their limit, I would highly recommend you take the chance to recover as well. Looking after the girl is admirable of you, but take care of yourself as well. I would hate to have to explain anything to your father too. Yuxzn, lacking other experts, how do you gauge Zyuixqs'' injuries?" "Sir, as far as I can tell his simple burns shouldn''t take much to recover from, but they will only get worse if not treated." "Ah, so there you go Zyuixqs, your own medical diagnosis. I will make sure someone is around shortly to treat your wounds, you should go get some rest."


    Zyuixqs did as he was instructed, still not saying a word. Thanrie''s injury seemed to be troubling him as well. Rhyde then went to knock on the door, to which Lwyn answered. "Yes, hello, boys not allowed. Doctor''s orders." "Ah, I see. Please let Mhyl know that additional supplies will be here shortly. We have some medical staff that should be on their way as well." "Ah, that''s awesome. Sorry, rather busy, please wait outside or something." Lwyn closed the door, leaving Rhyde outside. Lwyn''s precision in matters of responsibility sometimes felt to Rhyde like how Yuxzn did seemed, somehow.


    Mhyl continued her efforts long after supplies came, and even kept working with the medical staff. Late into the day, worn out completely, she fell asleep at Thanrie''s side, still trying her best to take care of Thanrie.

 20: Positive Reinforcement

    An air of somber silence had conquered the few rooms being used by the four women.  Thanrie''s health was still a concern, none of them knew if she was going to be okay.


    Thanrie was still out, not having woken once since her accident.  Mhyl was in there with her to take care of her, not having left her side for a moment.  Chyurae was busy working with the Marauder''s medical staff, trying his best to help Mhyl by running supplies, even though most of it was taken care of for him.  Zyuixqs had waited just outside, always helping when something came up, clearly concerned for how Thanrie was doing and clearly wishing there was more he could do.  Qheria.. Qheria was still taking it very hard.  She had been trying to manage so far almost looking lifeless, and when there was nothing she could do to help, she went off on her own.  She seemed so withdrawn from them all, including herself.


    Lwyn was taking a moment to consider, at this point, that while she still had a lot to worry about with Thanrie, she was also really worried if everyone was going to be okay.  Mhyl didn''t even go to bed, had barely eaten, and was putting more effort into this than even a human should, and she''s an elf.  Her own health was going to suffer at this rate.  Chyurae had collapsed three times already by exhausting himself, being an elf pushing himself too hard as well, but was thankfully one reason Mhyl had eaten anything at all.  Zyuixqs fortunately had at least taken the time to get some basic treatment, his own burns not actually that bad.  But as soon as he could feint being well enough, he was back at Thanrie''s room, despite very obviously not being fully recovered.  His injuries were taxing enough, he looked like he didn''t even have half the energy Chyurae did.  Even sitting on a chair, he looked ready to face-plant the floor, sitting using pure determination alone.  Qheria, she was the only one of Lwyn''s companions that had not suffered physically though this.  However, Qheria still looked like she was in pure unrelenting agony.


    Lwyn was hard at work making everyone a snack, considering no one had had anything to eat today so far.  She doubted anyone would even bother with a real lunch.  So, to help everyone, she would bring them something to keep going with.  She was hard at work making a tea for everyone, something with a calm energy to it.  Her Terran-self was more of a coffee drinker, but Celese had nothing like coffee.  Her Celesi-self however had spent years getting good at something as simple as making tea, and herself enjoyed opportunities with it in the few chances she had.  Considering local cultures, the others would all be familiar enough with this brew, though she personally wasn''t sure what it was close to from Earth nor if the others even liked Terran teas.  The exact leaves were new, but close enough.


    In addition to the tea, she prepared some sandwiches.  Thinking about Terran stuff, some egg sandwiches might have been perfect, but that would have required cultivating birds.  Instead she had some thinly chopped meats cooked softly and served on a leaf bed.  The meats were from some local hunts, so it was at least tender enough, but she cared nothing for which animal it used to be.  She could imagine some of the local tunneling creatures being caught for this purpose, and that was enough for her.  Chopped ground-squirrel was just how food worked out here, in a land less cultivated than the very medieval inn she had left behind.  The leaves were almost a delicacy out here, having actually came from certain amber bushes closer to the river, similar to the low-quality delicacy tea she had made, and were known for being very healthy.  If only they had access to something like a tomato, she could have made something like a cheap BLT.


    "Hey, Zyuixqs, I made us a snack.  I still have your''s cooling a bit though, things have been hot enough as is.  Mhyl is still inside, right?"  Lwyn got a silent nod for her inquiry, nothing more.  Lwyn pondered if she should get everyone some pillows too, everyone was sleepwalking at this point.  Zyuixqs at least helped her open the door, so that she could bring stuff inside.  Mhyl had collapsed, again, the door opening had woken her up.  "Mhyl... Please take care of yourself.  Here, I brought you something to at least help you take care of you.  You should definitely have it, totally recommended.  I mean, mostly because having more energy is always helpful for us elves, right?"  "Lwyn, you know that stuff isn''t real energy, right?  But it will at least keep me more aware, so I thank you."  "The sandwiches though.  Doesn''t proteins do the energy thing?  And the amber-leaves are supposed to be really healthy too.  Either way, simple, easy to eat, and will have our doctor make sure she also can keep going, right?"  Lwyn handed off the serving to the very worn Mhyl.  Mhyl''s English tone even made her sound really tired.


    On the way out, she found Chyurae had shown up.  "Perfect, you need something too.  I know you really really want to keep helping Mhyl, but you''ll need something to help you keep going."  Chyurae silently indicated what he was holding, looking for the energy to reply.  "Yes, yes, yes, you should set that down for her over there.  Mhyl is awake again, so she knows you came by.  I''m guessing that''s more of that medicine stuff for Thanrie.  Now, come take a seat and relax with some nice tea."  She got him setup not far from Zyuixqs, who she also brought a helping of the same snack.  Both accepted it silently.


    Thanrie was in no condition for her own food, being unconscious and everything made things rather hard.  Fortunately, the medicines were supposed to help with that, so Mhyl would take care of it.  Lwyn knew she would have to take it easy too, switching rapidly between all three of her known languages so freely was making her light-headed.  Well, it probably wasn''t just that.


    Finally, she brought Qheria a serving.  Qheria was also hiding in a room, but was defiantly in no danger of sleeping.  This would be considered a bigger problem when you account for the fact that she hasn''t slept yet at all, not even overnight.  After everything that happened, Lwyn was positive Qheria was simply not letting herself sleep.  In her case, the tea was less about having energy to keep going, and more to have the calm energy to start up at all.  She was just sitting there on the bed, staring into her own thoughts and fears, like she wasn''t even alive.  "Qheria, I brought you something to eat."  Qheria also said nothing, but she didn''t move either.  Lwyn wasn''t even sure if she heard.  "Qheria?"  Lwyn startled Qheria with a tap on the shoulder, so she indicated her gift again.  "Food''s here."  "Oh, thanks."  Lwyn finally got a reply from Qheria, but it felt dismissive.  Qheria didn''t even look at what was brought.


    "Don''t worry, I''m sure everything is going to be alright.  We just need to wait for Thanrie to wake up."  "How can you be so certain she even will wake up?  Where do you even get that hope from?  Mhyl is good, but working miracles is asking for too much.  The odds at this rate really aren''t looking that good."  "So will you just give up then?"  "Give up?  You make it sound like there is anything left.  We shouldn''t have came here, this whole thing was a big mistake.  Now Thanrie has to suffer for it."  "Nothing was a mistake, and no one should give up.  Look, there is two ways things can go from here.  Either she makes it and everyone is going to need you to be strong so that you can lead us forward from this mess, or she.. won''t.. and we''ll still need to keep going.  Thanrie had worked so hard to help us get this far, and if we did lose her, I wouldn''t want to disappoint her by just giving up.  There is really no other choice, we have to be ready to keep going, and we''re counting on you.." Lwyn was trying hard to comfort Qheria, when suddenly Qheria bashed the wall in frustration.


    "I can''t.  I can''t do it.  It''s too much for me.  I can''t keep going like this."  "Then don''t, keep going in a way that''s much better for you.  I mean, this isn''t the Qheria I know at all.  She''s much more brave and creative, with wild ideas that always carry us forward no matter how uncertain we are.  She lets nothing stop her, ever."  "I can''t anymore, it''s too much."  Qheria''s stubbornness was clearly working against her in this situation.  Lwyn gave her a tight hug.  "You keep saying what you can''t do, but you''re forgetting, you aren''t alone.  I''m sure we can do it together.  Mhyl is working super hard right now too, but I''m sure she''s got your back.  Heck, even Rhyde has shown up twice now, once today, asking how you were doing, and you know how critical that guy can be.  The only one who has lost hope in you, is you."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Lwyn wasn''t sure what else she could do to help.  "Just please do me a favour, and have some of this stuff before it gets cold, okay?"  "... fine, fine."  At Lwyn''s insistence, Qheria finally glanced at the snack that was set aside for her.  Lwyn still wasn''t sure if she actually would, but she wanted to trust her friend, so she left it at that.  She closed the door behind her as she left, giving Qheria more space to work the matter out with herself.  She went to have some of the leftover tea for herself, finding she wasn''t actually alone.


    "I see you''ve been hard at work yourself.  Walking around with a mask that shows you have plenty left, while in truth being nearly ready to hit the floor."  Yuxzn was, after all, quite the tactician, and was quick to spot things that weren''t being revealed.  Lwyn couldn''t hide anything from him.  She helped herself to some of the tea and started mumbling into it.  "Things are going so wrong, I''m so worried."  "You keep working to stay strong even in the most trying of times, it''s actually impressive that you haven''t broken down yet.  Most people I know, probably even Rhyde himself, would have broken long ago.  In truth, his concerns for Qheria.. he''s not even keeping up anything close to his usual pace.  Just remember, you need to look after yourself too, don''t just ignore your own feelings."  Yuxzn himself, though he didn''t mention anything either, was fairly worried too.  It was why he had came, himself.


    Presented with her own release, tears took to Lwyn''s eyes.  Yuxzn was right, after all.  He tried to give her a shoulder so that she could unburden herself of extra tears.


    Eventually, Lwyn set to clean up.  Yuxzn noticed some of the medical staff had arrived, to do more work, and went to attend to them.  Lwyn went back to Qheria''s room, to recover her stuff.  The sandwich was still there, but it was partly eaten, along with some of the tea.  Qheria had fulfilled her promise, Lwyn knew she could believe in her.  Lwyn passed her a silent smile as she recovered the dried remains of the snack, which Qheria noticed, herself returning a fake smile with down-turned eyes.  She brought the remains into the food area, finding Zyuixqs and Chyurae had already cleaned up after themselves, although she suspected it was all Chyurae''s work.  Only Mhyl''s portion remained to be recovered.


    As she approached what was being used as the medical room, she found a large crowd collected outside.  It made sense though, the medical staff did just arrive didn''t they?  It was a misfortune of bad timing, but not much of a problem.  She noticed that Zyuixqs and Chyurae had gone inside with the others, which was going to make that room incredibly cramped.  She could hear people talking inside, but had no idea what was being said.  She was patient enough though, it''s not like there was any hurry.


    Eventually, Yuxzn alone left the room, looking stunned.  This was reason to be alarmed, Lwyn rushed to him to get an update.  "Did something happen?  What''s wrong?"  "Wrong?  Well, I guess nothing.  Thank you, above everything, I should keep in mind that this isn''t a bad thing."  Lwyn was left confused as Yuxzn took a moment to compose himself.  "Yes, well, after everything you''ve done, you should definitely be one of the first to know about this.  Qheria too, probably.  So it seems Thanrie will be fine.  That''s the good news at least, but what is mind blowing is taking everything behind that into account.  Our experts had just taken time to look into her.. the injuries she''s had.. shouldn''t have even healed in under a week.  At the rate she''s recovering, they think she might be up by tomorrow.  Something else is going on, something we don''t understand.  I''m hoping you might have an idea."


    Well, that was certainly good news, but being found by a miracle didn''t make any sense to her either.  "That does sound really weird.  Not that I''m going to be upset at getting found at the lucky end of a good fortune, but I have no idea what could cause that.  I mean, we''ve been having a lot of good luck technically for a while now, but even that I wouldn''t call extraordinary or anything.  Perfect luck wouldn''t have had us captured, and wouldn''t have had Thanrie hurt at all.  Nothing really unusual ever happened as far as I saw, though I guess we should ask Mhyl later, she was there the whole time."  "We already asked her, she hadn''t noticed anything at all.  Either way, I''ll keep working, you should let Qheria know the news."  Lwyn had no idea what would have caused anything weird, and was almost more willing to just suspect the ''experts'' had over-estimated the problem.  Still, it was very curious.  Yuxzn was right though, Qheria would want to hear about this.


    Lwyn rushed off to Qheria''s room.  At the flurry of motion, Qheria also turned up in alarm.  Lwyn calmed her down and repeated the situation.  "See, I told you everything would work out.  Everything is going to be okay, now.  So now it''s your job to be okay by the time Thanrie finally gets up, got it?"  "I guess we did get a miracle after all."  Lwyn and Qheria were both left wondering at their good fortune.  Qheria at least made a quick nod, as Lwyn left her to herself again.  They were going to be okay after all, hopefully.


    Lwyn made her way back, to Yuxzn still perplexing over the matter.  In that short time, he had found new questions for her.  "The families that are looking for you, what do you know about them?  Anything unusual?"  "Uh, other than being some of the most important people ever, no?"  "I was just going over one of our other unresolved mysteries.  When the four families had shown up, they had helped us take out some of the Destroyers.  Having faced some yourself, you''ve seen what that''s taken.  We had let them know about how we had been dealing with them, and without making use of any of our equipment, they had suddenly just walked in and taken out four in an instant, and another four quickly after.  One and one each.  Even with your related knowledge and familiarity for ourselves.. they took out eight like they were nothing.  More so, our scouts saw nothing, it had happened too fast.  It was something we couldn''t make any sense of, and this yet again is something happening beyond normal capabilities, with no witnesses."  Yuxzn had not yet shared this part of the event with their group.  With the connection made, he had asked to see what Lwyn knew, but Lwyn it seems was also innocent of the details behind this mystery.


    "Knowing you, you''ll keep an eye out for anything else strange.  Please let me know if you figure out anything, and I''ll let you know if anything related turns up.  Maybe eventually we can figure this one out together.  This could still be an important discovery, it could be of significant help in all of our efforts."  Yuxzn was counting on Lwyn''s dependable curiosity to uncover more details.  Lwyn herself was very perplexed on what possibly could have been brought to be that useful, especially for people who knew nothing of what would be out here.  A sword would be useless against a tank, but they didn''t have much better than that.  None of this made sense at all.


    As Yuxzn had other things to attend to, he had to be off, leaving Lwyn to her thoughts.  The others had left Mhyl to resume caring for Thanrie.  Zyuixqs once again was seated outside, and Chyurae had disappeared.  It was like everything had reverted to how it was earlier that day, except the gloom of the room was fading.  Lwyn was determined to make a decent dinner for them to enjoy later that day, after missing out on meals today.. everyone would need something.  Her idea would take a couple hours, but she had time for a plan like that.  It wasn''t a celebration, she was saving THAT idea for when Thanrie could join them.  And when things were better, maybe they could all talk about this latest development.  The others were actually family of important people, maybe they knew a few things about this stuff.


    Regardless of Thanrie''s state, the day still ended like it had begun, and the night passed much like the last had.  Until they saw Thanrie better for themselves, no one was going to rest.

 21: Guiding Light

    By the next day, Thanrie was still out for the count.  It was no simple task to endure injuries like the ones she suffered from, though even Thanrie herself was unaware how seriously she was injured.


    Caught away from the waking world, Thanrie was bound into the halls of her own worries.  In her slumber, she felt as if she was lost within the darkness, being chased from every angle.  She ran and fled uncertain what else to do.  Suddenly, a she was struck from behind, and she fell deep into a hole in the ground.  She grasped for a ledge to stop her fall, finding a sinister shroud haunting the ledge.  She tried to avoid it, but the shroud leapt for her, and thus she fell through the wall behind it.  She found herself then within a dark corridor, alone, still lost.


    She was tired and weak, but still she pushed on.  She wasn''t going to simply give up.  As she traveled forwards, the walls moved and shifted, from stone to steel.  The shadows gave way to gray, as an electric current surged along the walls in the same direction.  Even lit, nothing had color.  She pressed onward, but she was getting tired, unable to keep going for much longer.


    The steel shifted to glass, and currents shifted to cars travelling much too quickly.  She was lost among the colorless vehicles, passing as if in a blur.  She couldn''t keep up with everything that was going on, but still she moved on.  From behind, one of the cars came right at her and connected, even on this side of the glass, and she went flying through the glass above her.  Everything shattered, cutting into her.  After a moment, she got up from the pool of gray blood to look around.


    She was on a colorful flowery hill, her blood flowing downhill over the flowers, taking their color away.  She reached out for a flower, as it withered and died.  Soon, the blood had covered the entire hill in a lifeless gray.  She went down to the bottom, and found just beyond the hill were three remaining roses, half wilted by heat.  The dirt they were growing from was actually ash, the blood had stopped only because it was incinerated.


    She stopped before the flowers, still herself bleeding gray colorless blood, knowing that she needed to do something to help these last remaining flowers.  She reached out for the flowers in an effort to help them, and her hand lit on fire.  She shifted the ashes away from the flowers, and hill behind her inverted, going down instead of up.  The ashes started to pour down upon her, but she pressed on.  Soon, the ash was all behind her, the roses resting in normal brown dirt.  They were going to be okay.


    Rainfall started, the area behind her filling quickly with water.  She scrambled up, but found that the water could not touch her.  She passed through it like it was nothing more than air.  Water filled the area, relinquishing all of the flames, including her own burns.  Her other injuries, gone.  She arrived at the the area with the roses once more, and reached out to touch one.  In response, it bloomed.


    Thanrie opened her eyes, finally awake.  The fading thoughts of her dreams left her troubled about what she had actually been missing in the waking world.  She was back on a proper bed, the room filled with medicines and other simple medical tools, such as bandages.  She herself was wearing plenty of bandages.  A sudden twitch brought her agony.  She was injured?  She tried to look around further, despite the pain, and noticed she was not alone.  Mhyl was asleep on the edge of the bed, otherwise sitting in a chair.  She looked exceptionally ragged, like she had been pushing herself for a while.  This only concerned her further.


    "Mhyl?"  Thanrie''s own voice was very soft, a clear sign of her weakened state.  She couldn''t remember why she was so injured, but the whole situation had her very worried.  Despite her soft voice, Mhyl shot awake right away, banging her foot in the process.  "Oh!  Oww..  Thanrie!!"  Mhyl was visibly contemplating how to give her a hug, but could not figure a way to achieve that without causing Thanrie pain.  Meanwhile, Mhyl sounded absolutely exhausted.  Thanrie considered her circumstances awkwardly.  "I''m sorry for everything I''ve put you through."  "It''s.. it''s okay.  I''m glad you''re awake."  Thanrie''s concern only rose as Mhyl begun to cry.


    Zyuixqs dashed into the room, having caught on to what was going on.  "Thanrie!!  You''re... by the divine."  Zyuixqs looked ready to cry himself.  Everything was dead quiet outside, the speed he came in, he could have only been just on the other side of the door.  It seems Thanrie had been quite a problem for everyone.  "I''m okay, thank you for your concern."  Everyone''s concern for her was making her feel very touched, blessed with good friends.  She herself was ready to cry.  She didn''t know how to fully express her thanks, especially in consideration that her present company needed two different languages.  It caught her in a bit of a deadlock, as she couldn''t figure out what to say next.


    Mhyl suddenly thought in consideration and poked Zyuixqs.  "Lwyn.  Qheria."  Names were the same in every language, as far as anything mattered.  Mhyl, having mentioned nothing more than the two names, still gave a very clear request to Zyuixqs.  He got up and left the room.  As he ran off, Chyurae showed up, who hadn''t been very far away.  He shyly entered the room, having very little to say.  Thanrie knew she wouldn''t understand the words anyways, but his meaning was clear enough.  Everyone was pretty worried about Thanrie it seems.


    "Mhyl... I uh... what actually happened to me again?"  Thanrie really wanted an answer at this point.  While Mhyl was explaining the accident and her need for care, Lwyn had showed up.  Qheria still hadn''t arrived.  "Thanrie!! I..." Lwyn stopped mid-motion in an attempt to give her a hug.  ".. I knew you would be alright."  Lwyn''s motion settled into further tears, making it unclear if her own words were an attempt to convince herself of the same matter.  After a pause, she continued.  "You had us pretty worried there, you know.  It''s been like.. 2.. 3 days?"  Lwyn had clearly lost count.  Thanrie was still worried, that''s more than just a short nap.


    "So, how am I doing now?"  Thanrie thought she could get a rather good gauge of how she felt, but if everyone had been looking after her so hard, getting their opinion just felt.. right.  Personally, she felt like hell.  That might even be literal, her body was still tender from all the burns, while also sore from all the injuries.  Mostly, she felt thirsty and hungry.  "Much.. much better.  It was a miracle, really.  Thank goodness you''re going to be okay.  Oh, Lwyn, could you get something cool for Thanrie to drink, and maybe a snack to eat?  She should be starving at this point."  "OH!  Right!  On it!"  Mhyl''s statement was almost troubling how much it carried uncertainty.  Lwyn however dashed off quickly as was requested of her.  Thanrie marveled at how Lwyn could look so full of energy and so ready to fall on her face both at the same time.


    "I can tell everyone has been so busy, I''m sorry for putting so much work and worried on everyone else.  Thank you for being a miracle?"  Thanrie''s comment took Mhyl off-guard for a second.  "No, that''s not what I mean.  Your injuries, no one knew if you were going to survive.  We just knew that being hurt so seriously, you would be down for a week, maybe two, at the very minimum.  We would be lucky if you survived.."  As Mhyl broke into tears again, Thanrie realized she was being serious.  This is why she called it a miracle, because being this well shouldn''t have even been a consideration.  Still, it was clear that Mhyl had devoted so much into Thanrie''s care, she clearly still deserved some of the credit.


    Qheria eventually also showed up, somehow looking worse than everyone else.  Not in quite the same way, she looked mentally and emotionally exhausted much more than physically.  Her eyes looked half dead and half ashamed, no room left for life.  "I''m.. terribly sorry for.. letting all of this happen.. to you."  Qheria hardly had the stamina to finish a sentence, but didn''t sound as ragged as the others.  Thanrie thought back to what Mhyl had explained.  It was obvious Qheria was shouldering the entire blame for this incident.  Considering what Mhyl had also said about Thanrie''s chances of survival, having felt like Qheria had almost killed Thanrie.. it had ripped Qheria apart.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Lwyn showed up with some water and a few spare sandwiches.  "I''m back!  Oh, and we''re all here!  Awesome!  The gang is together again.  Here, Thanrie, for you."  Lwyn almost stumbled trying to pass her everything.  Thanrie could tell what role Lwyn had played in the process, trying to make sure everyone didn''t fall apart.  Lwyn''s own energy felt so much like it was nothing more than an illusion.  Thanrie accepted the generous offering Lwyn had presented to her, and began slowly to partake of it.  It hurt a bit to move, but watching everyone try so hard...  She was adamantly also very hungry and thirsty, so that was due enough cause.  When she was done, she laid back down.


    "Thank you.  Thank you so much, all of you."  "I.. I haven''t been able to do anything.  I''ve done nothing but let you down."  Thanrie was very thankful, but Qheria was still broken.  "What do you mean, you''ve done nothing?  I can see just how much concern you''ve had about.. everything.  You''ve wrecked yourself over everything ever since I got hurt, haven''t you?  I''m sorry for having left you in such a state.  I knew something felt wrong, but I was too much of an airhead to figure it out sooner.  This is totally my fault for having been staring at danger the whole time and being too stupid to figure it out."  Qheria was caught speechless as Thanrie shifted all blame onto herself, and even so Thanrie kept going.  "I thank you for being the focus of your care and thoughts through all of this, and I''m sorry that it''s hurt you so much."


    Mhyl was passing Qheria a ''I told you so'' faint smile.  Meanwhile, Zyuixqs had returned, having also passed message to Rhyde and Yuxzn, the later two waiting outside the cramped room.  Zyuixqs stop and froze, the words not forming for him.  Lwyn stepped in with some Izhaethyx on his behalf.  "Oh my word, and this guy.  He''s been strung to the front door the entire time.  But really, you should have seen him.  When the explosion happened, he dove right into the fire and single-handedly brought you out.  He''s still got the bandages from his own burns, he was roasted pretty hard.  Carried you out like a knight would a princess.  .. wait, you are a princess..."  Lwyn''s faint joke managed a small chuckle from those who understood.  Mhyl would be asking Lwyn later what was said at this moment.


    Thanrie contemplated the seriously brave rescue made by Zyuixqs, the same guy who was known for simply trying too hard to impress girls.  He might have gone overboard once again, but this time Thanrie was genuinely thankful for his effort and sacrifice.  "Thank you so much, Zyuixqs.  I knew you could be a real gentleman when the time actually came."  She gave him a soft smile, covering at least a bit of her appreciation with a counter-joke for Lwyn''s own statement.  Zyuixqs himself had gone red.


    Mhyl took account of the situation and realized some control would be needed, returning everything to English.  Not knowing what was going on was probably also frustrating for her, but there was something more important at hand.  "Okay, okay everyone.  Thanrie only just woke up, and is probably feeling incredibly weak right now.  We should let her relax, so she can finish recovering.  Lwyn, you had some plans for dinner tonight, you should probably get started.  Qheria, bring Zyuixqs outside, since he doesn''t know what I''m saying.  As we can see, Thanrie is going to be fine, make sure Zyuixqs actually gets his own injuries looked after.  At this rate, Thanrie is going to be better BEFORE Zyuixqs is.  Also, Rhyde and Yuxzn will probably want an update of the situation.  You are our leader, after all."  Mhyl smiled at that last statement proudly, showing her own confidence.


    As Zyuixqs and Qheria left, Chyurae stepped forward, a look of concern showing over his face as he looked upon Mhyl.  Lwyn picked up on it right away, and switched to Elaethyx before she herself left.  "Oh, yes you are right Chyurae.  Mhyl hasn''t been looking after herself either, and yet here she is telling US to look after ourselves.  I totally agree, she should take this wonderful opportunity to get some rest herself.  I am so glad you are here to help make this absolutely clear to Mhyl.  But Chyurae, if Mhyl is going to take a break, she''ll need a hand.  Can you look after her, make sure she safely looks after herself, maybe even takes a proper nap?  Oh, and when you''re done, you could help me with dinner?"  Chyurae had said nothing, having had words put in his mouth.  However, he still nodded in full agreement, and went to help Mhyl.  Thanrie, having understood nothing of the statement, still smiled when she caught on to the aftermath.  Once alone, she took some more time to rest and recover.


    When nearly dinner, she finally got up.  She was still kinda sore, but felt well enough.  However, she knew she would have to take it easy.  Her right leg felt the worst, it had probably broken.  Healing a broken leg in such a short time was seriously incredible.  As she tried to get up, stumbling, Lwyn showed up again.  "Ah, Lwyn, I''m mostly okay, but I think my leg could use some supports.  Do we have anything like Crutches somewhere?"  Lwyn ran off and quickly returned with some wood from storage that would work for the role.  She was sore, but getting up was making her head less dizzy.  She made her way out of the room and went to the main room to take it easy.  No one was there.  She kept looking around and found the others, all asleep.  Lwyn was the only one still awake, working hard to make sure everyone wouldn''t go hungry.  Thanrie was certain, after dinner was done, Lwyn was probably going to take her turn as well.


    Thanrie however felt rather restless, her mind running hard while her body was in no shape to keep up.  She went to sit with some of the reports that were handy, and found reports that had covered the day she had been injured.  With it, she also found reports on her own injury.  Mhyl wasn''t joking, her condition was very serious.  But things then didn''t make sense, to have healed all of that, in only a couple of days?  Even the best hospital would have been hard-pressed to match those expectations.  She set the reports down once again, lost within her own thoughts.


    Ever since waking up, she had been more refined than her normal of late.  She lacked the energy to be much more, so a lot of her usual ambition-less air-headedness was looking to have taken the front.  Within her mind though, that wasn''t fully accurate.  She was very focused on thought, thinking very clearly.  Everything they had done, it had been reckless, it had been depending on their good fortune.  Fleeing the Palace was itself reckless, the way she had done it.  Fleeing the Inn was much less reckless, but was still with plenty of risks.  They had been found by bandits, and almost taken in their sleep.  Instead, they got lucky.  Then they had crossed a wasteland of golden grass, barely accounting for anything with any practically, and had gotten lucky.  They had fallen upon a camp of bandits with no preparation and had been victorious.. by luck.  They had then came back for even more, with still poor planning, and had been unlucky enough to fall into a trap.  Even being caught, they got lucky enough to at least escape.  Their third attempt against bandits came with more planning, but more recklessness, and so she had almost died.  However, instead of dying, she got very very lucky, and was now alive.


    They weren''t achieving anything by skill, talent, ability, nothing.  They were just getting lucky.  They have pressed their luck so much that someone, herself specifically, had almost died.  The cost had taken its toll on everyone, as she probably would have also equally suffered if it was one of the others who had almost died.  Depending on luck, just so they could always be reckless, they were using up quite a lot of luck, and there was no way they could keep up this level of good fortune.  The most reckless member of the team was faced with the fact that being reckless any further could very well destroy them.  They needed to find a way to build up their own safety, their own certainty.  They needed something to turn probability into absolute, to gain an advantage over all of this danger.  But they were faced with uncertainty everywhere, their enemy had way more technology then they did, it was a clear advantage.  They needed a way to address the risks involved and increase their natural chances of success, to no longer simply depend on luck.  She had no idea how this could be done, but knew they would have to find a way.


    Dinner passed quickly and silently, the others going to sleep right away.  Thanrie stayed up for a while longer, until her constant planning brought slumber upon her anyway.

 22: Unordained Research

    The next day had passed mostly filled with rest again, with everyone still being exhausted.  Thanrie might not have been tired, but she really didn''t want to do much walking, so she took it equally as easy.


    The next day, Mhyl was the last one of them all to wake up.  Lwyn had woken up first, working to make sure there was a decent enough breakfast.  Qheria was next, who went to do some physical training after having neglected it for so long.  Thanrie was after that, though all she did was find a chair and consider her own thoughts.  The two guys, no one knew when they woke up, but they had disappeared at one point.  Chyurae disappearing was normal, but while Zyuixqs disappearing similarly was abnormal, the going idea was that someone was probably way behind on expected paperwork.


    Mhyl finally got up and out of bed.  The moment she left, Lwyn jumped her.  "Oh, awesome, I was wondering if someone was going to have to wake you up for breakfast.  With Zyuixqs back into the normal schedule, I was thinking we should try and get back to a normal routine too.  We have a really nice breakfast today."  It seems Lwyn had been very busy so far, and had ambitions to make something of the day.  That had her a bit worried.  Mhyl finished getting ready for the day, and went to check on Thanrie.


    "So, how are you doing?"  "Pretty good actually.  Gave up on those logs for giving me support, walking without is just a lot easier now."  Mhyl was surprised how much Thanrie has been improving.  At this point, there was hardly any signs Thanrie had ever been in an accident.  Zyuixqs was probably more injured at this point, and he was well enough to get back to work.  At least Thanrie wasn''t doing anything rough.  Lwyn''s plan to get everything back to normal might actually be possible today.


    Eventually, breakfast occurred.  As everything was wrapping up, Lwyn pitched her idea for everyone.  "So, I think it would be healthy if we tried to get something done today.  We''ve done a lot of nothing for a while now, even getting fresh air from the surface could be a really healthy thing.  So why don''t we..."  "No."  Lwyn was hyped to get something done, but Qheria shot it down hard.  "Why not..?"  "Thanrie has barely had time to get better, we aren''t ready to make any kind of.."  Lwyn was getting sad at her plans falling apart, having been shattered by Qheria.


    Thanrie however was the one to interrupt next.  "Qheria, stop it.  You can''t keep doing this to yourself, get out of your rut and get your head back in gear.  I know you''re not even worried about me at this point anymore, what is bugging you is just who is going to suffer next.  At this point, you''re suffering plenty, and you should stop that.  The only way I can see that changing is if we do something."


    Rhyde picked this fine opportunity to arrive.  As the others had been speaking English, he had no idea what was being sad, but the tones and emotions conveyed a lot.  "Is Qheria still at it?"  "Yes, she is.  She''s the only one not willing to actually get back to our original goals."  Rhyde picked up on the situation quickly, but Thanrie was being especially snappy with the current subject.  "Our goals, as you put it, are just going to cause us more trouble and.."  "Ah, yes, I see that she''s still lost in her own faults.  Qheria, you have to.."  "What we have to do is actually stop endangering our lives.  This kind of thing..."  Qheria and Rhyde were at it again, arguing endlessly about yet another subject, not letting each other stand in.  Mhyl looked at the situation rather hopelessly, while Lwyn tried to find an opportunity to do something.


    Thanrie smashed the table with her hand, bringing silence to the entire room.  "Both of you, ''shut up'' quiet.  Fighting and arguing isn''t going to solve our ''F***ing'' problems, we need to get over that right away so that we can fix the real ''F***ing'' issue here."  Mhyl fell off her chair, she was so surprised.  Thanrie had clearly snapped or something, her tone left no impression for compromise and Rhyde and Qheria had actually gone quiet.  Her insertion of English into her statement was clearly to project her own intent better, the usage of swears even felt like a desperation to grasp for expression she didn''t yet know.


    "So, I''ve been thinking for a while now, ever since I woke up actually alive from.. all that.  I can sorta see where Qheria is getting concerned, but you''re still missing the point.  Our original goals are still sound, our approach is just ''suck''.  It is ''F***ing shit''.  But that''s all been because the danger has been a thrill and the ride has been an adventure.  All of us forgot this wasn''t some ''F***ing'' game.  This whole thing is full of danger, full of risk, full of... ''shit''.  We forgot to play it safe, we forgot to play it smart, so we just let our luck carry us along.  Our luck has carried us really far, we are so lucky I wonder if anyone found a ''four leaf clover'' and didn''t tell anyone.  So, here''s a great plan.  Lets actually switch from depending on luck and start actually playing it safe.  This idea is so genius I''m surprised it never came up before."  Only truly understanding Thanrie''s English words mixed in with the rest, Mhyl wondered how that speech sounded to the others.  She really wanted to know what was going on, again.


    "While I agree that having you posted beside something flamable and explosive wasn''t the safest idea, I don''t think there was much more we could do to play safe, that''s why we can''t do this."  "Wrong, that''s why we can''t keep doing what we''re doing.  Being outclassed at the doorsteps of a giant ''super power'' in this area isn''t helping.  What would help is to stop being outclassed so hard.  We need a SAFE ''SAFE'' solution that doesn''t involve us fighting ''war machines'' with ''feudal-era katanas''.  The most important step is to get our ''head out of our asses'' and instead work on setting up something with less risk.  To do that, we need more ''tech''.  Rhyde, no one in the Rebellion has really cared about any of the Fortress stuff just sitting around, is there anything you know of, ANYWHERE, that would be where the Fortress would throw advanced stuff it doesn''t care about, and the bandits don''t care, and no one else seems to care, but it''s still piped full of Fortress stuff?"  Qheria got shut down hard as Thanrie finally expressed the ideas she had been pondering and wondering upon.  The trail of English and common words Thanrie used was almost enough for even Mhyl to follow along, she just didn''t understand the ending part completely.  Something about the Fortress.


    "There is an abandoned building near the river that is full of strange things the Fortress did not see need for, and we felt no compulsion to touch.  The others would have just lit it on fire, if it wasn''t for the fact that there was concerns about water contamination from a nearby open fire.  Everyone has just left the stuff alone, not having any want to have anything to do with it.  Unless there is more things due for storage in the same way, there won''t be anyone in the area."  "Oh ''F**k'', that''s perfect!  Yes!  A low risk venture where we can poke into something much more advanced than what we''re otherwise left with.  That''s perfect!"  At Rhyde''s explanation, Thanrie was overjoyed.


    "There is still too many complications.  Honestly ANYTHING could still go wrong, and I can''t... I can''t depend on myself to figure out the best way to prevent more problems.  This still doesn''t change anything." Qheria was a little less impressed.  Rhyde stepped in once again.  "I know how complications and uncertainty can make things difficult.  I know you four treasure the idea of reaching for something much more.. familiar.  This expedition then could be considered very valuable, so instead, I''ll personally be taking charge of this operation.  Qheria, your leadership will be exclusively only required in the context of figuring out how stuff works, I''ll have Yuxzn working on ensuring that safety is given its full attention otherwise.  We''ll find a way to make this work out, don''t worry."


    Qheria felt outnumbered and fully countered.  Everyone was making sure things would happen, no matter what she said.  "Then I''m glad to have your expertise working for us."  Qheria wiped her eyes clear, considering the plans again.  Lwyn turned to Mhyl with Elaethyx, excited to explain what was going on.  "Yay!  We''re going to go make progress, get stuff done, and feel good!  Checking out some abandoned stuff from the Fortress is going to make everything safer for everyone.  Thanrie has the best idea ever!"  It wasn''t exactly verbatim.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Rhyde begun making arrangements right away.  He knew almost none of his usual crew would be excited about this mission, so he kept everything low profile.  With the exception of making sure that there were tactical operations carried out in key other locations, he didn''t press anything of his Marauders.  Instead, he would simply be working directly with their usual team of six.  Yuxzn would also be joining them.


    "So we will be going out again?"  Chyurae had shown up after everyone had begun preparing, as if he had learned everything and just materialized from the air.  He looked ready to go again, but had no weapons.  Instead, he had his usual surface kit.  Being skilled with certain thief-like activities, that would only work to their advantage in a situation otherwise expecting no conflict.  He would probably be priceless at getting the door open too.  "Yes Chyurae, are you ready to go too?"  Chyurae nodded and took her hand, ready to go along with her.  He had gotten used to being the last to understand everything, being the only elf present with no secondary language.


    Mhyl found Thanrie working with Zyuixqs.  Zyuixqs himself had his brand new replacement spear ready to go.  It wasn''t at all anything close to a fortress-style weapon, but Mhyl took a bit of appreciation that it appeared Zyuixqs had requested a Glaive for himself.  It would at least compliment Thanrie''s style of fighting fairly well.  The two were talking in Izhaethyx, so she didn''t understand what was being said, but both were getting along much better than normal.  Zyuixqs wasn''t hiding, Thanrie wasn''t upset.. in fact, the two were getting along very well.


    Next, Mhyl found Yuxzn and Lwyn, also talking in Izhaethyx.  Being elves, she felt this was honestly unfair of them both.  Still, she could see Rhyde was just in the other room, clearly this was for his benefit.  Yuxzn still had a job to do, after all.  Mhyl would just need to keep learning that silly language.  They were both working with a map, probably of the area they would be going to.  By their tones, Lwyn was asking constant ongoing questions, looking for more and more information.  Yuxzn seemed very happy to provide the knowledge they would need to stay safe.


    Mhyl went towards the room she saw Rhyde, and noticed he was deep in conversation with Qheria.  The unusual part was.. it didn''t sound like an argument this time.  The two of them were actually planning out everything, working together.  Clearly, Thanrie was right, this was something they really needed to do.  Lwyn was actually on point with this too, wasn''t her own idea very similar?  Mhyl felt like she had been a bit too slow today, she should have done a lot more to help push things along.  Though, she had been very tired of late, and it seemed the others had taken plenty of time thinking about this over the last day.  She had been far too tired to think about anything.  Being an elf again, as far as she could figure out.  She again felt ashamed of the cursed stamina of elves.


    Since everyone was busy, and Lwyn had been on cooking duty for.. days now actually, Mhyl decided she would help pack the supplies they needed this time.  Chyurae offered to help her out, so the two of them worked together to get everything they needed to have the energy to get their task done.  Being the two with the least energy, they were in the best position to be encouraged to prepare well for the trip.  Mhyl found some of the stuff Lwyn had been using to make sandwiches, and prepared a variety of different sandwiches, in addition to ample water.  She also made sure they had all of their other gear ready to go.


    Unlike some of their more recent trips, their destination wasn''t actually nearby.  They could stay safely underground for most of the trip, and even leaving underground, they would still be reasonably safe from bandits, given the distance to any nearby camp.  However, the sun would be very warm in that area, they would have to worry about more natural threats at that time.  She made sure to pack some parasols for the trip, to offer portable shade for all six of them, and looked for other ways she could help everyone stay cool.  The heat, while a worry, at least wasn''t a danger itself.  This wasn''t a desert, and even the river was nearby.  The problem was mostly the potential for heat exhaustion, which itself was something Mhyl had a lot of worry about.  She thought about the uses of sunscreen and how that would usually help in this situation, but it was a shame this world hadn''t yet discovered it.


    Regarding discoveries though, they would be walking into a bundle of gimmicks that might be familiar to them.  Depending on what it was, different things had to be handled in different ways.  Most technology also hated heat, so looking after that would be important too.  Some needed special storage or to be handled with care.. they might need to carry spare bags or something.  Mhyl tried her hardest to ensure that they were properly prepared, as far as they could without finding themselves carrying too much.  Mhyl also took for herself some writing equipment, a few sheets which might have one day been used for a report, and the tools to write on them.  Having records of what they found might be useful if they had to leave stuff there and come back another time.  She put all of such with her Atlas.


    Even after all of this work, Mhyl and Chyurae were still ready faster than anyone else.  Mhyl felt good, finally catching up enough to be ahead for a bit.  She went over to Lwyn, to make sure the plan was ready.  When she arrived, Yuxzn noticed and stopped what was being said.  "It seems we''ve lost a bit of track of time, Mhyl is already ready to go."  At Yuxzn''s closing statement, Lwyn rushed to help Mhyl with their stuff as Yuxzn packed up all the stuff they had been working with.  Mhyl guessed they were basically done then, her timing was good.  While Yuxzn went to talk to Rhyde, Mhyl told Chyurae to show Lwyn what was packed, then went looking for Thanrie.


    When she arrived, she found Thanrie helping Zyuixqs to rebind his bandages on his left arm, so that they would be secure.  Thanrie didn''t even have bandages anymore, she didn''t need them.  Mhyl took that moment to decide to pack a bit more medical equipment when she got back.  "Thanrie, do you need a hand with tending to Zyuixqs'' bandages?"  "No, I should be okay.  I''m probably not as good at this as you, but this is simple enough.  I''m guessing everything else is already ready.  We will be down there in a minute or two."  Mhyl decided that now would be the best time to pack those extra bandages and such, considering Thanrie wouldn''t take long.


    Everyone finished getting everything together and promptly set off.  Yuxzn took to the lead in this underground portion of the trip, ensuring they took to the correct tunnels.  The walk itself took quite a while, endless tunnel after endless tunnel.  It was reminding Mhyl of the library she had left behind.. it might even be bigger.  Eventually, they had reached their destination, having had need of stopping for a break mid way already.  She herself was tired yet again, so they all stopped for yet another break.  Thankfully, Yuxzn and Chyurae also seemed to be near their limits too.


    Once recharged, the eight of them exited the underground and entered into the heat of the sun above.  Mhyl passed around Parasols, to ensure that everyone could endure as long as possible under the sun.  Rhyde took the lead at this point, instead of heading straight to their destination, they were heading straight to the river itself.  This provided an additional advantage as they faced against the heat, as they would have constant access to water.  Amber-leaf bushes grew everywhere, a mossy pattern across the fields around them, a sign the river was close.


    Soon after, they even reached the river, which was a cooling welcome to the blistering sun.  Even with water present, the air still felt dry.  Unlike the last time the four girls had found a river, none of them felt ready to relax quite yet.  They knew they still had to be careful, things had only just begun.


    Mhyl saw it fairly quick, off in the distance, a metallic structure that looked like a large warehouse.  She had noticed that Yuxzn and Chyurae had seen it too, but the others had no idea, not even Lwyn.  "So, not that much farther, then."  Mhyl noticed that caught Lwyn''s attention as she struggled to spot what Mhyl had found.  Eventually, she noticed what to her would look like a strange blotch in the distance, and nodded.  Those with simple human eyes wouldn''t have any way to see anything yet, so they just trusted their elven scouts.  However, with time, they too got to see the same sight, as it loomed closer.


    Having reached their destination, the eight of them stopped for another break, to have time to go over their plan one more time.  Safety was the most important goal, this time.

 23: Abandoned Laboratory

    The group of eight had been surveying the area around the facility, trying to ensure they had an awareness of at least everything outside before moving inside.  With the basics of the situation under control, it was time to enter the facility.


    "While breaking down the door could be fun, having it in one piece is safer.  We need one of the elves sending Chyurae to work on the door."  Thanrie was still being uncharacteristically reasonable at this point, even if her instincts were still obvious.  Having a lot of the current discussion continue in Izhaethyx still required a lot of coordination with some of their elves, but Lwyn took care of the request quietly while the others stood watch.  Chyurae was at the door for a while before the door opened.  Well, that went well enough.


    Qheria paused at the door to evaluate the situation.  She took note that the door they had just unlocked had a magnetic key-card lock.  The good news was, that meant the door would lock if it was shut again.  She just had no idea how Chyurae figured out how to unlock it.  "We''ll need a way to temporarily keep this door open, in case it locks.  It looks like it only locks from the outside at least, so we can''t be locked inside."  They used some nearby stones to keep the door open.


    Inside was absolutely dark, no way to see anything.  The elves had better vision in general, but that only helped them figure out faint details better, it did nothing with pure darkness.  There was the idea of using torches, but fire had already caused them some problems.  The start of the facility appeared to simply be a corridor..


    Mhyl was working in English, leaving Lwyn to try and translate.  "So, when it comes to the threat of fire, combustion depends on the materials involved.  We need to consider solids, liquids, and gasses.  If they have anything gas-powered, a torch could light everything up if any gas was spilled around.  If there are certain fumes involved, a flame could cause an explosion.  However, on the matter of solid construction, everything here looks inflammable, so that''s a good start."  Mhyl''s overview made sense to Qheria, who had her own idea.  "We could really be safe if we can ventilate the whole building?  There was the main door on the other side, but that most likely has it''s controls inside the building.  We should try and find a way to get that open."


    Lwyn had to reflect on the most sensible comment, during translations.  Right after mentioning everything else in Izhaethyx, she also brought up something no one else had yet considered.  ".. get it all open.  You would think that they would have secured their own lighting system while using the place or something."  After hearing this idea, Qheria carefully looked around again just inside the door, looking for anything that stood out.  She found a heavy leaver and shifted it.  A faint hum occurred within the building, and just to be certain they all moved away from it.  After a while, clear pipes were filling with red light filaments.


    Mhyl was marveling at the design.  "Oh, so they are using hydro electrics from the river probably.  Though, this isn''t exactly electric lighting, it''s like if steam power met some kind of neon-like gas.  It seems really inefficient, but at least there is some light.  Uh, actually, how is this light for humans?  I shouldn''t be so quick to judge things."  Thanrie was letting Mhyl go off on her English rant of everything, but caught the very sensible question.  "Don''t worry Mhyl, there is just enough light to make the place look properly haunted without just simply being blind."


    It was kinda silly, Thanrie''s Terran-self reveled in horror content on the occasions, playing some very creepy shooters in the past.  Her present self however wasn''t as good at the creepy stuff.  Japanese people in general tended to do well with low-level horror, not even believing in zombies because they always burned their dead.  Her present upbringing wasn''t as fortunate.  It was like her past habits were telling her she had nothing to fear, while more ingrained habits were telling her that this was scary.  She internally settled this logically, horror wasn''t scary on earth, this wasn''t earth.  Horror is scary on celese, this is celese.  Being scared made perfect sense.


    They carefully walked inside.  Mhyl was starting to get a headache, the faint sounds from the lights were bothering her.  At least, she thought it was the lights.  "I wish the lights at least didn''t make that annoying sound, it''s hurting my head."  "What sound?"  Lwyn it seems couldn''t hear it, let alone anyone else.  However, she noticed Yuxzn and Chyurae didn''t look comfortable, so turned to them both in Elaethyx.  "Are you two hearing a really strange sound too?"  "Yes, sometimes being gifted with exceptionally good senses on a whole had its own drawbacks."  Yuxzn''s comment had Mhyl and Lwyn exchange a glance.  Lwyn didn''t even know this much.  Mhyl turned to Lwyn discretely with English.  "Might be your ears?  They do look more... human.  Maybe you don''t have the full capability of elven hearing?"  Mhyl contemplated that this implied all five of her senses were enhanced, not just sight.  It also meant she had a strong advantage of something over Lwyn, a personal victory.  Taste, Touch, Smell, those were left, a thing to consider another time.


    However, getting back to the current sense, maybe it wasn''t as much of an advantage.  To every pure elf, this sound was annoying.  To anyone else, it wasn''t really a problem.  Mhyl tried to reason with it by deducing it''s cause.  The neon-like filaments must be making a spark sound or something.  She looked around and matched the sound to her sight, and then realized something alarming.  The brightest areas of the room were actually the quietest.  This wasn''t the lights.


    Mhyl stopped, alarmed, and explained in a mix of languages.  "The sound ''sound'' isn''t ''not'' from the ''light'' light."  A single statement in two languages like that only left Zyuixqs and Rhyde unaware.  Lwyn however needed a moment to think about it, having understood both languages.  Qheria took action right away in Izhaethyx.  "Mhyl has figured out that we might have a problem.  Turning on the lights did something else."  Thanrie was getting pretty terrified, but no one noticed.  Lwyn scaled the wall to get a better view.


    "Lwyn, be careful.  People aren''t supposed to be able to climb walls like... actually forget it."  Qheria was concerned that Lwyn was going to hurt herself up there, but forgot that Lwyn was secretly a cat or something.  If a half-elf was actually able to do feats like that, surely it wasn''t a bad thing?  Though, being a half-elf didn''t even explain it, it was just a Lwyn thing.  Lwyn looked around from her elevated position, and caught slight movement in one of the corners.  She single handedly ejected a blade from her crossbow, holding to the wall with just one hand, and tossed it at the moving shadow.  Her toss bounced off the ground three times, like a pebble skipping a pond, before sliding to where the shadow moved.  If there was even dangerous wires to not cut on the wall, she knew her throw was too weak to even reach that.  It did however reach the shadow, which shrilled a sound of fear.


    Hearing the creature scream, Thanrie lost all composure, and herself gave up a shriek.  This was earsplitting by the design of the room even for the humans.  Lwyn lost her grip as a result of having to cope with the ringing in her own ears.  However, they weren''t the only ones who didn''t like the really loud sound Thanrie made.  Light reflected off several eyes within the shadows, now looking straight at them.  "Oh by the divine, this place is full of yheirqae."  Rhyde mentioned a word that none of the four girls were familiar with, but it sounded bad.  Everyone made for the door, but they didn''t go alone.


    A whole pack of the same creatures followed them right out the door they had entered, into the light of the sun.  They must have been the creatures Rhyde had named, Yheirqae.  Thanrie thought they were ugly as sin.  "Holy F~~k, they look like someone was forcing a coyote and a ferret to cross-breed."  Their movement was disjointed, but they were fast.  Smaller than a coyote, bigger than a ferret, it wasn''t a bad comparison.  Mhyl personally thought they looked kinda cute in a strange way, but understood that everyone had their own tastes.  Either way, cute or ugly, they weren''t friendly.


    "Rhyde, we need a safe resolution for this."  Qheria was already moving to depend on expertise in order to deal with the situation.  "Don''t worry, the hills have a lot of these things living all over the place.  We hold plenty of hunting parties to collect them, as their pelt is fairly useful and their meat isn''t bad.  They shouldn''t be hard to deal with, and being outside just makes everything even easier."  Rhyde explained the simplicity of the situation, but it made Lwyn a bit queasy.  She had just figured out what meat she had used to make sandwiches.  Lwyn still passed on the Elaethyx version, which got a reply from Mhyl.  "Make sure then that everyone knows to at least not let anyone get bitten.  If those things have any kind of illness, that could be a problem."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    All four girls were familiar with the English word "Rabies".  They knew what needed to be done.  Everyone drew weapons, as long as they had any.  Qheria''s double shields were ready, but Rhyde had prepared his own twin morning stars, the massive spiked spheres at the end of each looking considerably heavy.  Zyuixqs drew his spear, taking a spot slightly behind, so that he could reach past but still meld with the defensive wall made by Rhyde and Qheria.  Thanrie stood back with the rest of the elves, noticing that Yuxzn had himself drew a longbow as she herself drew her crescent blade.  It reminded her of past bow usage in the group.  Lwyn however was still carrying her crossbow, standing with Mhyl and Chyurae who were themselves weaponless.  In a pinch, Mhyl could use her book, but she would have to get within biting range to use it.


    The yheirqae charged, fangs ready to sink into flesh.  Lwyn ejected a blade and threw it in an arc, spinning it so that it took out the front five who were standing side by side.  Yuxzn nocked seven arrows at once, which passed through a total of fourteen.  Lwyn took aim at this, going for a straight line effect, and shot through another five, and yet another five before Yuxzn could reload.  Thanrie was in position, she threw her blade out, the chain ripping out behind the pack and then flailing back with a ripping velocity, shredding through another eight that crashed into a few of their peers, knocking a bunch more down.  Some had finally reached their front lines, Qheria crashing into them with blunt force in a sweeping wave just as two morning stars crashed down upon others, sending them flying backwards and pushing several others away.  Zyuixqs caught some of them escaping this onslaught, and swept at them with his glaive, tearing through them.


    Even with their numbers, their foe was making no grounds, and was falling very quickly.  The yheirqae at least had enough sense to know that they were being hunted and had themselves at a disadvantage, so they eventually fled back into the building.  "Yheirqae are typically nocturnal, we probably woke them up.  They have excellent night vision, so they will have us at a disadvantage if we follow."  This was then still a problem.


    "We still have a simple solution for this obvious problem.  First, they will all flee if we can get the main doors open, because that cuts off the value of their current territory.  To get in there, we just have to attack their keen senses, and it just so happens the situation we''re in is perfect for that.  On hunts, we''ve had to use a variety of tricks to fence in packs of Yheirqae due for slaughter.  The most reliable trick for doing so is to depend on their disdain of amber-leaf smoke.  It also happens that we have plenty of the same plant all around here, and plenty of equipment for controlled fires.  However, we''re going to need the humans to carry the smoke, elves are especially sensitive to the smell.  Amber-leaf smoke is typically used as a sleep aid for people, being a bit too relaxing."  Yuxzn provided Lwyn with even more information about the leaves she had used earlier.  No wonder that tea was so soothing.  Mhyl had at least conceded that the chances of a flame explosion would be negligible, after her own observations inside, but she would keep on watch for any updates to this.


    The new plan was to have all the humans carry leaf-burning cages like makeshift lanterns, and make sure it stayed lit.  Most of the elves would be carrying the supplies of wood and leaves for burning, but would have to keep a distance.  Lwyn was to also keep a distance, along with the elves, not just for appearance sake, but also because there was no idea how good her sense of smell was.  Everyone would still also have their weapons ready in case it was needed.


    Qheria and Rhyde took the lead with the first two cages.  Thanrie and Zyuixqs would make sure none would sneak up behind them.  Lwyn and Yuxzn had the supplies for the front two, and also had weapons ready.  Mhyl and Chyurae were helping supply their back lines.  Ready to go, the eight of them returned to the interior.


    "Lwyn, you have eyes at front.  Remember that this is practically a warehouse.  There will be a control room for unlocking the main doors, like a supervisor office.  It will look central and important.  We need to get there."  Mhyl was using English, to make sure that the Terran terms were the most clear.  Qheria also took account for this, Lwyn might have better vision, but she would be guiding them forwards, so she needed to go towards something that fit the same description.  If she had planned the construction of this place, where would it be?


    "Second floor, overseeing the main loading area, looking down on it.  We need a set of stairs."  Thanrie suddenly pitched in with an idea.  Her conviction in her reply resounded with confidence.  It wasn''t a bad idea at least.  They pressed forwards, the creatures of the shadow hissing at them in disdain of the smells being offered to them.  The room was filled with interesting things, but they had bigger worries than investigating.  It would become their prize later.


    "Qheria, forward along the right wall, that looks like stairs."  Lwyn came through with her vision, though Qheria couldn''t see it at all still.  The smoke made seeing things in this horrible light even worse.  They kept pressing forwards, and eventually Qheria found what Lwyn was talking about.  The stairwell went up along the wall, providing only railing at their right side.  They climbed up, Thanrie and Zyuixqs working hard to discourage those trying to follow them.  They kept going, until the whole thing suddenly ended in a door.


    "Oh great, it''s locked."  Qheria passed back the information in English, which quickly got translated for her.  She then scolded her split decision making, realizing that it would have been more efficient to use Izhaethyx and have that just translated into Elaethyx.  She had gotten used to mostly using English for this kind of thing.  However, they had another problem to worry about.  Chyurae could probably unlock the door, but being an elf had to keep his distance from the smoke.  However, this also put him outside of the protection of the smoke.  Chyurae started at work at the door, but suffered a dizzy spell that almost had him fall over.  Qheria backed off further as Mhyl caught him.  Lwyn got her crossbow ready, prepared to shoot anything that might try to take advantage of this small opening in their line of defense.


    Eventually, Chyurae got the door unlocked, which opened slightly to snarls on the other side.  He slammed the door shut again, and Qheria motioned for the two elves to step behind their smoke screen.  Taking the lead again, Qheria herself opened the door, which fortunately was still unlocked.  The creatures behind sprawled away, smelling the smoke suddenly.  They were free to continue once again.  They pressed onward until Lwyn passed forwards some Izhaethyx information.  "There is a very suspicious room up ahead, left of the fork."


    Qheria arrived at the destination to find a door, this one wasn''t locked.  She opened the door, and found no snarling at the other side.  It was however much darker.  "We need a light in this room."  Qheria passed her request before shifting to English.  "Mhyl, Lwyn, keep an eye out for switches or more foes.  This is getting really hard to see in."  Mhyl was also starting to look tired, but gave her report.  "The room is clear of these things, I guess they didn''t like it much, or they couldn''t get in."


    Thanrie was checking the wall behind the door, when the others heard a click and a familiar hiss.  The neon-like gasses here were activated, the room lit up, actually brighter than the other places.  Zyuixqs moved to close the door, thinking to secure the room, but Lwyn stopped him.  "Don''t, that will trap all the smoke in here."  Zyuixqs opened the door again as per her request, but then also stepped outside.  Putting smoke in the room wasn''t helping, it was more useful outside.  Thanrie went to join him.


    Mhyl stared at the controls in the room, nothing making sense to her.  She turned her confusion to Lwyn, who shook her head.  The controls weren''t labelled in a language, making everything really hard to read.  Mhyl thought about it, then understood.  It wasn''t in a language because it needed to be simple.  The strokes and labels were designed to be visuals instead of words, like some kind of pictographic system.  She went over the layout and found the most central option on the list.  It depicted a shuttered gate.  She lifted that switch up.


    Life flowed within the room as a mechanism was activated.  This caused even more disturbance for the creatures hiding around, as it was very loud and unexpected.  Then, sunlight begun to creep into the area, gradually filling it.  The main doors were opening.  The room filled with people cheering and creatures hissing.  As the light flooded the area, the yheirqae decided to flee.  They flooded over the hills outside and disappeared.


    Rhyde was the first to congratulate everyone for a hard work well done.  "Well, that''s that.  We should still be careful, just in case, but yheirqae are pack animals and territorial.  They would have ALL left together, and would not have welcomed any other creatures in their home while here.  However, they might very well return after nightfall.  We should be sure to leave before the sun sets, just in case.  However, after all that hard work, we should stop for a break.  We can look into everything after a lunch, which should give enough time for all the smoke we through around to clear out as well.


    The eight of them went outside, leaving time for the smoke to clear.  They all feasted upon the lunch that Mhyl had prepared for them, as they rested and relaxed.

 24: Treasure Hunting

    After enjoying a quick lunch and a break, the eight of them prepared to return to the facility.  They still needed the opportunity to review the spoils of their efforts.


    Thanrie had been going over her own evaluation of how things had worked out.  Having Rhyde and Yuxzn handy had been very useful at managing the risk of this whole project.  Rather than just press recklessly against their foes, they had played it safe.  She took account that Mhyl having enhanced senses made her exceptionally dependable for providing first warning of any problems, a resource they would need to make better use of in the future.  All five senses were possibly useful, although ''taste'' might have some very situational uses.  Touch.. that''s probably how Chyurae did his thing, or part of it at least.


    Thanrie turned to Mhyl.  "So, how did lunch taste?"  It was a curious matter, how elves enhanced taste might change the way foods tasted.  Mhyl thought about it herself for a moment.  "Scientifically, tasting food is mostly the smell of the food, with taste-buds getting very specific signals in small areas.  So, the aroma of food is probably stronger for me, but everything still fits to scale there.  However, I guess strong tastes would have more of an impact, so like I probably can''t have very spicy foods."  Mhyl thought that was a shame, she had enjoyed some of the stronger spices in certain cultures back at Earth.


    Lwyn considered the conversation, deep in thought.  She still didn''t know where she stood in matters like smell and taste.  If her''s was too strong, was her food then actually much more bland then she thought it was for the humans she''s worked with?  If her''s was more human-like, had she been overpowering Mhyl with strong flavours without knowing it.  If she was really middle-of-the-road, she might have even been doing both, depending on exactly how different everything was.


    Qheria took the context back to their current situation.  "On matters of smell, we need to be careful.  We don''t know if the smoke has vented completely yet.  Mhyl, if you start feeling dizzy or tired, let us know right away, okay?"  Qheria then shifted to Izhaethyx.  "Rhyde, what''s our plan for making sure we can take care of everything here safely?"  "Well, I''ve been considering that only half of us have any chance of completely understanding what the stuff here could actually be good for.  The other half would only get in the way, so we''re going to be responsible for making sure you four can do your research safely.  We''ll be watching for any further threats in the area, as well as anything that could potentially cause a problem.  If you four notice any potential risks during your investigation that we should also watch for, please let us know."


    It means the guys would be focused on safety while the girls handled the research.  Rhyde''s statement also gave Qheria the impression she was to hold responsibility over their research at this point, but that safety would mostly be taken care of for her.  It was a load off her mind, considering their current progress.  Yuxzn coordinated a defensive plan for their guard-portion of activities, while the four girls discussed their own plans.


    "So, how are we going to do this?"  "Planning away from everything is going to be harder because we don''t know what we''re working with.  We need to cover most of the plans while present.  However, keep in mind each of our strengths, both Celesi-physical abilities, like Lwyn''s nimbleness and Mhyl''s keen senses, as well as our Terran-knowledge."  Lwyn sought after the answers Qheria provided.  Mhyl then got technical on them.  "We also need to make sure we don''t rush to expectations.  The lights here were a great example of how things can be still unexpected, I''m pretty sure this place is water powered, but it doesn''t seem to run on electricity.  Some kind of neon filament or something.  If something looks familiar, we still need to be careful and look for where that familiarity ends."  It was some really good advice.


    Qheria turned back to Rhyde, reporting that they were ready to go.  Once all eight of them were ready, they set off back to the facility.  The guys all went first, following whatever plan Yuxzn had set for them.  Then, the girls set into action.  The main entrance had a lot of stuff just waiting there, having made use of the large doors, but most of it appeared too big to be worth investigating.  They would have no way to bring it home.  Thanrie was momentarily hopeful that there might be like a car or something, but then realized how that might be too soon for Qheria.  Smaller things would be better.


    Further in the back, shelves were filled and sorted of some of the smaller trinkets lying around, mostly in boxes.  The labels on them were similar in design to the control room, so they didn''t make any direct sense.  It was like walls of randomly wrapped giftboxes, no word what could be inside.  The unknown also featured a degree of danger.  Things could hide in boxes, and contents in boxes could be fragile or otherwise dangerous.  Things not in boxes were usually too big or too heavy for boxes, which would itself present a problem.


    Lwyn however, getting in touch with her innkeeper side, was noticing patterns as she looked around.  For bandits, they were being pretty darn organized.  While the symbols were unfamiliar, areas were consistent with distinct patterns.  That means they could deduce something of an area simply by figuring out what was common to an area.  This brought her further inside, the objects not in boxes might not be themselves an option, but they were visible and still fit in with everything in that area.  Finding an area with visible objects that presented a theme they could get value from would mean that the boxes in that area would hold smaller things that were also of value.


    "Mhyl, this place is full of patterns, we just need to figure out the patterns.  The light around here is horrible, the sun is back-washing everything, and the lights in here don''t actually help much.  We''ll need to try and spot written patterns and other fine details while everyone else looks for clear patterns of interest.  Once we find a place we like, we can start figuring out the safest way to open boxes."  Lwyn was leading off with a fairly tactical plan that would help.  Lwyn''s own eyes were fairly sharp too, almost as much as Mhyl when compared to the humans of the group, so obviously Lwyn would be working with Mhyl here.  Thanrie and Qheria were assigned to work on the bigger picture.


    Qheria looked around at some of the visible objects sitting on the shelves.  The first area she found looked like parts, as it had what looked like an engine, some giant gears, and some similar mechanical tubing.  A parts section would be useful for repairs, if that was ever needed, but first they needed something to repair.  The second and third sections were full of boxes, nothing outside of them, so that didn''t help at all.  The third, fourth and fifth sections had metal objects that not even they could recognize in this lighting.  Tampering with unknowns would be better in a safer situation.  Sixth and eight were more boxes, seven and nine were more unknowns.  On the tenth was a heavy geared pulley, a set of wheels, a heavy chain with a hook, and a really heavy looking jack.  All stuff that moved things around.


    Thanrie had been having no luck when she noticed Qheria had finally gotten interested in something.  "Found anything promising?"  "Maybe, this section looks really utility.  We could all use a few helpful utilities to work with."  Thanrie went over the stuff Qheria said she found as Qheria went to report to the others.  She found Lwyn first, reading labels from the fifth shelf, way high up.  Maybe one of them would have less use of things designed to move people around, but Lwyn could still make use of things moving other stuff around.  "Lwyn, bring Mhyl.  We''ve found something that looks like it might hold some promise."


    Mhyl investigated the area Qheria had found.  She and Lwyn had been working on figuring out what they could with labels.  Lwyn had found most of the top shelf were labeled with a constant symbol, which either claimed it was delicate or could explode dangerously, they weren''t quite clear on that yet.  Either way, those weren''t any good.  The bottom shelf were all large boxes, possibly fairly heavy, so she was mostly focused around the middle.  She looked over the wall, and saw a box that looked alright according to it''s labels.  Nothing dangerous looking, but some of the symbols looked instead useful.  She motioned for silence, as she poked the box with her book, to see if anything was alive inside.  No motions, no breathing, nothing.  She nodded at the box, and Qheria helped her bring it down.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    They carefully opened the box and found the inside was filled with small generic trinkets.  Mostly hard to identify.  Lwyn set to examining the contents while Mhyl went to look for another box to test.  They continued along with this as Lwyn set aside a few interesting subjects she found along the way.  The two humans went through some of the things she had found.  Some strange shoes, a pair of gloves, a belt, and a headset.  The first two were fairly small, which would require someone fairly small to use.  Qheria picked up the belt and tried it on.  It fit well enough.


    Thanrie noted the direction things were going with Qheria.  "Qheria has a bit of an idea, but we should be careful.  Trying these things indoors isn''t safe."  Thanrie had a point, Qheria had to admit.  Qheria took leadership of the situation.  "Mhyl, Lwyn, this should be good enough for now.  There are things we need to test out, let''s bring everything outside and see if they are any good.  We should bring their boxes too, so we can check the labels and such."  Qheria took the belt off as she talked, just to be safe.


    Outside, they got a better look at everything.  The gloves were so small, only Lwyn could wear them.  The shoes were somewhere around Lwyn and Thanrie in size, Thanrie opted to take them as Lwyn had something already.  Qheria was still carrying the belt, so Mhyl looked at the headset.  All generic stuff they could just wear, it was clear what Lwyn was looking for.  They were all common to one shelf too.  They all had weird controls too.  Qheria''s belt had a lot of stuff going on with it.  Mhyl went to look at it.  "Eh, neat.  A thermal diffuser with an air compressor?  Why would it... oh wow!"  Everyone looked at Mhyl like she was talking French.  She noticed, and offered to take the first trial with it.


    Mhyl stepped away from them all, and put on the belt.  She then set the controls and shifted something there.  The whole thing in a quick moment compressed a lot of air, heated it to build pressure, and then burst it off in a jet stream.  Mhyl went high into the air as a result, but her descent was slowed down safely by the same process, so that she didn''t get hurt landing.  Qheria took the belt and tried for herself, jumping high into the air with little to no trouble.  It gave her a beast of a leap.


    Lwyn was looking over her gloves in the meanwhile.  The padded metal was suspicious.  She could feel there were controls inside the gloves, with a faint twist of the fingers.  Doing so gave her hands a static-like tingle.  It was slightly familiar.  She turned it off and got one of her blades from her crossbow.  She turned the gloves on and dropped the blade, but the blade did not fall.  "Cool, it''s like a magnet or something.  Very nice."  The metal of the gloves were not only flexible, but also durable as her own blades couldn''t pass through them.  She went over to the metallic wall of the building, and scaled it with no issue at all magnetically.  Near the roof, she even hung herself from the celling, nothing to hold at all, but her gloves kept her up.  She could even hold herself up with one hand, aiming her crossbow with the other.


    Thanrie had finally managed to get the shoes on, which at least fit.  The foot-operated controls though seemed weird.  She managed to get the boots activated, to find herself drifting faintly above the ground.  She fell over quickly, having no traction with the ground.  "Ah, so like ice skates."  Thanrie started on a quick dash, and turned them on again.  Her momentum carried forward very quickly, and careful motions could have her almost air-skate with the gusts being generated.  She ended up moving very quickly.


    Mhyl looked at her''s last, having noticed everyone else was already occupied.  She turned it on, and it started making a faint hum.  A faint circle could be seen in the corner of the headset from her perspective, showing a flow of colors growing from it.  As she turned around, the circle itself turned.  As she got closer to one of the others, the shape of the circle shifted.  Watching her wander around randomly, Lwyn went to check out what she was doing.  She held out her hand to check it out, as Mhyl was considering what was being shown.


    "Lwyn, this is weird.  It''s like it''s showing stuff around it."  "Oh!  Wow!  So it''s like a radar or something, the color intensity seems to show how much shapes there are around it.  But nothing in color.  But how is it actually getting all this?"  "Ah... that sound, is it using echo location?"  Mhyl had Lwyn help with figuring out the concept by showing her the display of the headset, finishing it herself.  It worked like a bat, and the faint lights it used would then even work in pure darkness.  It''s range was really nice too, and seemed to even pass through some solid objects.  The meaning it was trying to express would take some getting used to, but it looked really useful, especially with her keen sight as is.


    They figured out that their stuff did require some kind of power cell, like a battery of some kind.  All of them used the same style of power source.  Mhyl went back into the areas they were at and searched around the first section with spare parts, eventually finding one containing a lot of the same power cells.  She could almost see their shapes inside the box with her new headset.  Controls on the headset could rotate perspectives of what she could see, so she didn''t only have a flat radar perspective.  Using her new headgear, she went through some of the other boxes, discovering some neon filament lamps they could carry.  With it, the others could look through things with a bit more earnest.


    They were finding a lot, but started getting worried about how much they would be carrying.  The place wasn''t going anywhere, and they had a bunch of stuff to work with.  They grabbed a few more smaller trinkets and decided to leave things at that.  Lwyn grabbed a few incense burners, claiming that such things would be perfect for returning with Amber-leaves, if the place got it''s old visitors back.  They would just simply return another day, and look for anything more to bring back.  All four of them liked some of their basic discoveries as is, adding more another day would just be even better.


    Qheria went to Rhyde to report that they had completed their investigation, and should call it for today.  Mhyl was having fun watching this happen through her headset.  To think the bandits thought all of this was just... junk?  This stuff was all pretty awesome.  It did kinda make her worry just how advanced the Fortress actually was.  The fortress was pumping out things like this and calling this leftovers, how would they find enough stuff to stand higher than the Fortress if they only had access to such crumbs?  However, the rest of the Marauders didn''t even have this much, they were excluding themselves from everything.  It really was a very foolish idea, to keep their own development so far in the dark like that.


    Rhyde returned with Qheria, announcing that they would be having dinner at one point during their journey.  For now, they needed to reseal this facility, so that nothing went wrong with the equipment here.  It meant giving everything back to the beasts that had taken it previously, but those could be dealt with, and hadn''t damaged equipment so far.  Qheria did it personally, jetting up to the second floor from the ground, and then jumping back down before the doors had shut.  Having secured the place, all eight of them proceeded back towards home.  Once back underground, they all stopped for dinner, before setting off along the long underground trail leading to home.


    It was fairly late in the day when they returned, so everyone decided to call it a day and just settle in for the night.  Rhyde and Yuxzn gave their parting wishes as they too went back to the Marauders.  Everyone was pretty tired at this point, not physically.  It was just a pretty long and busy day, travelling that far away from home.  Everyone was very thankful to find themselves in a place they could rest peacefully, not having to worry about things.  They were also very happy just how safe they had made that outing, careful and slow progress had maximized their odds of success regardless of luck itself.  They had even been fairly careful with experimenting, depending on the labels and other observations to deduce what was safe to use.  Their new equipment could even appeal to future safety.


    Feeling very successful, all four of the girls went to bed pleased with their group achievement.  They had finally done something they felt they could truthfully be proud of.

 25: Corrupted Blasphemy

    Overnight, all four girls had found themselves blessed with a very good night of sleep.  Morning came with all four of them in a very good mood.


    They settled on a slow morning today, having had a busy day the day before.  They would be doing some practicing, going over a few reports, some of the basic easy stuff for a simple day.  Over breakfast, it was especially quiet, mostly because none of the guys had shown up.  Actually, it was rather unusual that they would be having no guests even at this time of the day.  While they were having breakfast, it was actually fairly late in the morning, lunch wasn''t that far away.


    Lwyn was practically making lunch as breakfast ended.  Thanrie and Qheria were doing weapon practice again.  Mhyl was going over some of her reports, especially since Lwyn couldn''t actually read it.  However, she noticed that there were no new reports, usually new reports showed up overnight.  This silence was starting to feel unnerving.  Mhyl went to go check on Lwyn, who was just finishing up with lunch.  "Oh, Mhyl, can you go find the others?  Lunch is ready.  Yes, I know, it''s a light lunch because we just had a breakfast, but I still made extra stuff so that we could maybe go up to the surface and practice with our new stuff."  Lwyn only got a silent nod from Mhyl, Mhyl was already wondering what had happened to the others.


    They gathered for lunch, providing a perfect opportunity to talk over some soup and sandwiches.  Lwyn was all excited about spending a lazy day, she was already packing the remaining soup in water containers.  "So, has no one seen Zyuixqs yet?  I know he might just be doing a lot of paperwork, but.. something feels wrong."  Thanrie was starting to get worried, it wasn''t just Mhyl.  Qheria appeared to almost speak of a plan, but she decided against it.  She remained conflicted between being reactive to a potential problem and between being rational about a quiet day being a quiet day.  Raising a fuss over nothing would just stress people out, silence was supposed to be golden.  No news being good news, and the like.


    They finished lunch and cleaned everything up.  Lwyn got a little sad that everyone had lost their momentum due to worry, even when everything was ready for them to just go and do whatever.  That then gave her an idea.  "Well, we could always just visit the Marauders?  Nothing special of a visit, just dropping in on a quiet day to relax.  If everything is quiet because they are off doing something, we could easily just go back.  Oh, maybe we can even go to that smith and show off some of the stuff we found?"  Lwyn''s ability to put a positive spin on things paid off once again, as this was a plan that would just work.


    While getting everything together, Zyuixqs and Chyurae showed up, completely out of breath and in a state of panic.  Chyurae was obviously more exhausted, being an elf, but there was the impression that most of the exhaustion was due to panic itself.  Zyuixqs started explaining first, though Chyurae eventually started telling Mhyl a more collected version of the same.  "We''ve got a big problem.  Pack up EVERYTHING you feel is important, we''re leaving.  Anything we leave behind will probably never be seen again.  We have to go as soon as possible, they will be.."  "Zyuixqs, stop, you aren''t making sense, stop panicking!"  During Zyuixqs'' confusing statement, Lwyn had been following both conversations, so pitched into the Izhaethyx one.  "We''re being kicked out.  Something big happened."  "Yes, exactly.  The Marauders have turned against you guys, after the whole incident from yesterday.  It was going around while we were out, that the familiarity with Fortress-style is because you guys are being said to be secretly working for the Fortress."  After Lwyn''s help, Zyuixqs finally got a clear statement completed.


    The Marauders, maybe even the entire rebellion, might actually be completely hopeless in this way, that they are so absolutely terrified of their enemy''s machines that even the knowledge terrifies them.  All four girls were considering around this same point, that with such an ingrained fear, the whole Rebellion would have no chance standing against the Fortress, when they refused to better themselves enough to actually be at their enemy''s own combat capacity.  While that had some dramatic and concerning long term problems to it, there was now another short term problem.  They were losing their home, and would have to find somewhere else.


    All of them rushed to start packing right away.  They made sure to pack anything they felt was personal, as well as a few useful survival resources for managing on their own.  They would need a plan on where to go, but first they needed to ensure they had everything they needed to not only get there, but to also survive there on their own.  Mhyl was extra depressed about this, her own Terran memories were denied having a place to call home, and now here herself she kept having to move.  It would be the same thing all over again, then?


    They got everything together and took the closest exit to the surface.  Lwyn was feeling thankful that she had prepared a lunch of the type she had, at this point.  It would be food for the road, and.. it might be the best meal they would have for a while now.  On that note, they needed more of a plan.  "So, where are we going to go for now?"  Lwyn had decided to open in Izhaethyx, and was about to switch to Elaethyx when Zyuixqs gave a simple answer.  "We need to wait around here, Rhyde should be here soon."  Rhyde?  Why would Rhyde be showing up?


    Rhyde showed up with Yuxzn, and even the smith and a handful of stray others.  All of them were being followed at sword-point by another group, an esteemed human woman of some apparent regards taking command.  "This is it then Rhyde, for having conspired and correlated with the enemy, you and those who have fallen with you are now exiled.  Do not show your face in our tunnels again, or you will be treated as a dangerous trespasser."  "I''m guessing you''re going to be promoted from second-in-command, then?  At least then the Marauders will have someone good to keep seeing them forwards.  Best of luck with any of your future missions, then."  The new leader of the Marauders sighed before she turned away.  Rhyde took everything as a matter of closure and turned to the others, while the Marauders all went back underground.  However, he had no idea what to say at this point.


    "Rhyde, sorry for getting you involved in this mess.  If we had just left you and Yuxzn behind, you wouldn''t have been exiled too."  Qheria found the words before Rhyde did.  "Ah, well, unrest had been rising for a while, it just went where it could.  Considering how much we''ve been supporting you guys for a while now, I''m pretty sure missing out on that outing wouldn''t have spared us anything.  That''s why we have a few additions to our crew."  Rhyde indicated some of the others, such as some Mhyl was familiar with while she was helping Thanrie recover.  Even slight associations with the four of them were causing irrational blame then.


    "Then we should be sorry for the whole idea of pursuing Fortress stuff in the first place."  Thanrie was the next to apologies, being the one who had personally driven hard on this idea as a smart move, which had now costed everyone here their home.  The way she had said it, it left the impression that she was personally sorry even to the other three girls.  "Ah, well, some of us had been long interested in the like way before you guys showed up.  It''s rational, can''t blame you for it."  The smith was next to counter, having had smith projects for Fortress-styled stuff way before the four showed up.


    "Okay, okay, so stuff went wrong, that''s bad, yes, yes.  Still, standing around all day probably isn''t the best way to deal with it.  So, okay, I''m thinking awesome idea, lets go find somewhere safer than standing beside bandit-infested hills.  Sound good?"  "Lwyn, I know you''re trying to help, but it''s not like we know of any other place to go, right?"  "We don''t?  I mean, they were just talking about it.  We could always go back to the storage place and make something of it there.  Tons of Fortress research to be had out there."  Lwyn was not only trying to lighten the mood, she actually had a few ideas it seems.  Qheria didn''t expect this idea Lwyn had came up with.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Thanrie however was a bit more critical.  "Except that place is already infested with things that want to kill us."  "Actually no, the Yheirqae would have just been scared and defensive.  They should probably be scared, a pack of people, elves and humans, are going to be taking over the place.  Even worse, all those Yheirqae.. amber-leaf.. food supplies.  We even have easy access to water.  Sure, it might not work as a long-term home, we might need to be ready to move again, but it has a surprising amount of promise after you consider everything."  Thanrie also stopped at Lwyn''s details.  Her argument was getting very convincing.


    "Ah, it might actually be fitting that we''re going to be supplied with everyone who wouldn''t shy away from Fortress stuff, and thrown into a place rich with Fortress stuff.  We can do quite a lot of work, with a crew like this."  Qheria was seeing an additional advantage in having been supplied the Smith.  Everyone had even been given time to pack before leaving, so they had a lot of stuff.  The smith didn''t have a workshop, but that''s kinda where they were going.


    "I know everyone is getting excited, but keep in mind that there is a lot of ground to cover to reach that place again, and this time we do not have the protection of the tunnels.  Additionally, there are a large number of non-combat in this crew, so we have a huge danger if we are attacked by bandits.  Yuxzn, what is tactically the best way to get back to that location?"  Rhyde jumped in to make sure people were aware of the dangers.  Yuxzn was having issues envisioning a decent solution, so silence hung even after Lwyn did translations.


    Mhyl pulled out her atlas, as a point of reference.  "There are a lot of hills between here and there, wouldn''t that be great cover?"  "Unfortunately, no, because there are bandit camps in those hills, we can''t make a direct route."  Mhyl''s Elaethyx was shot down by Yuxzn, as her atlas did not have bandit information, but Yuxzn did.  Mhyl however had been reading reports that morning.  "What about in the direction of the great mountain?  The wall of silence was shut down, most of the bandits there are scattered.  Can''t we loop that way and come back down?"  "But how would we safely make it there without the hills?"  Mhyl felt she was being quizzed by Yuxzn.  She even had an answer, she just didn''t like it.


    "Mhyl, how about if you and I are tied by a rope, would being in the water be okay then?  I''ll make sure nothing happens to you."  Lwyn caught on rather quickly to where Mhyl was going, and why she was getting nervous.  Yuxzn was caught off guard by the random remark, so Lwyn explained further.  "Drifting down the river would work fairly well, wouldn''t it?  Too bad there aren''t the trees to make a boat or anything.  Mhyl has this idea because she had been forced to use it before, just before we all met."  Lwyn''s direct answer provided the insight Yuxzn needed.


    Yuxzn then switched to Izhaethyx.  "So it seems some elven insight has given us a possibility.  A path along the river would allow us to use the river for shelter.  It''s our best bet for getting there safely, without going through bandit camps in the process."  Yuxzn presented the plan to the others, and then started upon the details.  Without knowing the words that occurred, Thanrie and Qheria were getting a pretty good idea how that idea came up.


    With the plan ready, they all set off in their indirect path towards the river, further upstream.  Along the way, the elves of the group were able to spot a bandit camp off in the distance, but it was actively burning.  Their path would avoid it by far, without a problem, but it was surprising to find bandit camps suffering like that.  Maybe they weren''t the only ones losing their homes.


    Without incident, they reached the projected location of the river.  It was quite a distance upstream, more than Mhyl had expected.  "So, we''re going to camp here.  We need to have an early meal and to get some rest.  With less cover of hills, we''re going to resort to cover of darkness as we go along the river.  It''s going to be a long night, so get your rest.  The plan is to reach our destination at almost exactly dawn, which would provide us the light needed to deal with the next phase of our problem."  Yuxzn even had a plan for making sure the Yheirqae were dealt with on arrival.


    They settled to relax and work on dinner.  Having access to the river also provided some small fresh-water fish in addition to amber-leaf plants.  It had been quite a long time since they had last had fish at all.  They were told to make sure to cook the fish only in the heat of the day, as the fire would stand out easier as the sun started setting.  It was being a little more rugged then they were while with the Marauders, but things looked like they might work out after all.


    Taking a late afternoon sleep into the early evening was difficult, the sun wasn''t the most agreeable for this plan.  They had sleeping shifts to worry about too, being this deep in the wild.  None of them actually slept very well, but they at least got a degree of needed rest in the process.  With everything still calm, it was finally time for them to take into the river.


    Mhyl checked the tightness of the rope around her, the other side tied to Lwyn.  Lwyn had been serious about her comment, even though Mhyl didn''t know how much it would help.  Lwyn was a lot smaller, and they were about as thin as each other, so in theory that would mean Lwyn was much lighter too.  They also really weren''t going in the water itself, just along the bank.  Getting drenched could affect their supplies, getting into the water was only a last resort.  Still, even without it providing any physical safety for her, she appreciated the confidence and calm having the rope provided for her.


    For more calm, she had her headgear.  She had turned it on during her own shift while the other slept, and it had helped her confidence.  She could watch anything that moved anywhere around her, even behind her.  She had gotten used to it for a while now, and it''s battery life seemed really good.  She had even gotten used to the barely audible hum it gave off while it was on.  She used it to watch the others as they traveled, to make sure everyone was alright.  She also looked for anything moving anywhere near them, and saw nothing important.  Some random bugs, nothing bigger.


    The trip was hardest on all of the elves, because they had a tight time constraint.  It was a several hours walk in harsh footing, and they had to get there by dawn.  Stopping for breaks would slow things down.  They were additionally not perfectly rested, so that made it even harder.  Every elf was suffering, Lwyn herself wasn''t even doing that well, and even the humans of the group were running out of steam.  Pushing hard, the group of them finally arrived in a safer area near their destination right around sunrise.  Yuxzn estimated they had pushed enough, being both the one who came up with this plan and one of the suffering elves.  They setup camp once again, to get a bit more rest.  The plan was slightly amended, they would be fine this far away from the bandits for a bit more rest, and this would give the sun time to rise more so that their next process would be even more efficient.


    Relaxing turned to sleep shifts, round two.  The sun was well up by the time everyone was ready for the next phase.  They made sure to recharge on some breakfast as well before considering how they would move forward from this.  Yuxzn''s plan was a repeat of the one that had worked last time, but Lwyn had some modifications.  "We are actually even more prepared than last time.  The incense burners we got are really good at distributing and directing smoke, especially the scent of smoke.  The small fans we got also help with directing everything.  We might be putting a bit more incense than normal, but we can really flood the place with it, while keeping it away from ourselves.  But that''s not all.."  Lwyn was getting really excited for her sales pitch.


    "Technically, the four of us are more key for this than anyone.  When we went through things originally, we had to go the long way around.  Qheria however can just jump up now.  Mhyl can see better than they can, with her thing.  Thanrie can scatter smoke quickly with her special boots covering ground faster than any of us.  Meanwhile, I can climb the wall and even move across the roof.  This should be really easy." Lwyn presented their new capabilities, which would then make this move way faster.  Since they needed some protection for most of the crew, it meant the four guys would this time be staying behind to guard.  This was extra important in case they were attacked by fleeing Yheirqae.


    Thanrie turned on the lights again while Mhyl took watch.  She could see plenty of  small movements through the walls, they had indeed returned.  Lwyn then turned on one of the lamps she had found, to cause even more light.  Smoke billowed in waves across the floor while they worked, Thanrie keeping the place dusted in the stuff.  This terrified the Yheirqae, they keep a firm distance from this horror.  With little trouble at all, Qheria reached the control room again and opened the main doors.  The Yheirqae again fled, with even more desperation and fear.  The smoke took even less time than before to clear, because much less of it was used.


    Their large group then started the process of settling in.  This would be their new home for now, so they would need to figure out how to make the most of it.

 26: Smelting Hammer

    The group had begun work on setting things up right away, with a plan to have a basic organization of their space by dinner. Lunch had only just ended, leaving them the whole afternoon.


    Since the facility was so large, and their group was so small, they were fortunate enough to have way more room then they knew what to do with. However, it was almost guaranteed that they would be ambushed overnight. Yuxzn and Rhyde were hard at work making overnight battle preparations as a result of this. Everyone had been left with a poor night of sleep, and would only suffer yet another night of the same at this rate. Some were wanting another after-dinner nap, much like the night before. Rhyde effectively had his hands full.


    Dinner was however it''s own problem. They didn''t have any easy access provisions, they would have to go hunting. Collecting Amber-leaves would help with both food and overnight defense. Hunting the yheirqae could therein also provide them with food, but not in the middle of the daylight sun, they would have to settle for more river fish when it came time for dinner. As such, the four girls, along with Zyuixqs and Chyurae, offered to get some food from the river.


    Mhyl was happy enough picking plants, which Thanrie was actually enjoying too. "Did you know that back at the palace, I had spent a lot of time taking care of the flowers? I know I was just being let to do such a thing, but I''ve been the type that wanted to have some meaning with something, and bringing that something to some flowers just felt good." Thanrie surprised Mhyl by casually talking about princess life. However, considering they were tending plants again, the correlation was obvious. It was almost symbolic how the same princess had shifted from some elegant refined flowers to wild rugged weed-like plants.


    "Well, the library didn''t have many plants inside, as that could affect the books, so I never got to see much about plants for my life here. I haven''t really been motivated by the plants like that." Mhyl looked back at the others fishing right at the side of the river as she talked. She clearly just didn''t want the alternative. "Still, I like how useful these plants are. They are capable of so many things. Not only are they thriving in such harsh conditions, but they provide so many useful things. Did you know your medicine and bandages both came thanks to these plants? They are also really healthy to eat, even if they don''t taste like the world''s best thing in the least."


    Thanrie put consideration how thankful she had to be for these little plants. They weren''t even pretty, especially in a field of the same color. But they were wonderful things, having given them a new home, after saving her life.. and they were food, medicine.. a very gifted plant. "I wonder how they taste for you, anyway. Elves are supposed to have stronger tastes, after all." "Maybe, but everyone had their own unique tastes. I''m pretty sure that the way these taste for you isn''t the exact same as it is for Qheria. It would just mean that, if I was human but otherwise myself, these would taste like they do, but seem milder in taste. Still wouldn''t match your own." Thanrie contemplated Mhyl''s explanation, and just shrugged.


    They continued for a bit longer when Mhyl suddenly stopped. "Thanrie, get the others now, we might have a problem." Mhyl rushed to pack up what they had, to have it set safely aside. Lwyn was actually doing the same while the others showed up, mostly because they had fished enough fish for today. "Mhyl, do we have a situation?" Qheria was concerned about what Mhyl might have noticed, and her worries were more validated by Mhyl gesturing to her headset. "There is a lot of tiny movement following the river downstream. We can''t actually see it from here, but I managed to notice the movement. The movement is following the river, but keeping a distance from it, taking cover in the hill. That''s also why we can''t see anything, I have no sight on what it is. However, there is a lot of individual movement." Mhyl finished packing as she made her statement.


    The whole proceeding was in English, so the guys had no idea what was going on. "Zyuixqs, go tell Rhyde that our elven scouts have spotted something unknown moving towards us, a lot of unknown. We might need to be ready. Lwyn, take Chyurae and bring back this supplies, then take to a scouting position on our new home. I know you can climb it. Chyurae probably can''t, but he will need a safer position, in case this is going to be a problem. Tell him to go find Yuxzn and get more instructions." Qheria was already taking charge of the situation, although her first priority was to still get their experienced leader on the scene.


    "Qheria, you should go up the roof with Lwyn. Your own jump gives you an advantage at that height, and getting access to her information on exactly what Mhyl has found will help us take further actions. Mhyl meanwhile might be our best scout, but she can''t fight at all, if things go bad. We need her somewhere that is easier to defend, so she should probably go with Chyurae. Lwyn could go straight to getting eyes on the situation that way too, but our unarmed elves will need to go through Yuxzn then. Yuxzn should be with Rhyde, so that won''t slow us down much." Thanrie was already coming up with new ideas, having considered their new gear.


    "Actually, Thanrie, you have a point, we need to make the best use of our resources. So while I will have Mhyl and Chyurae bring back the food.. Thanrie, you can move faster than any of us. Rush to Rhyde, give him a report of the situation, then rush back. Tell him that Mhyl and Zyuixqs will be there soon after you to support with the process further." Qheria noticed that Thanrie had forgotten about one of them in this process. It was the most efficient use of their resources. It did leave Zyuixqs with little to do, but he would still be rushing straight for Rhyde in the end.


    Lwyn and Qheria traveled back with the other elves and Zyuixqs, but detoured once they reached the wall of the facility. Lwyn started climbing straight up, still being bested to the top by Qheria who had only jumped up. "Yeah, I''m still not seeing anything, but we know Mhyl''s sight is really good. What about you?" Qheria waited for Lwyn to finish climbing, though she was still getting worried. "Where was it again? Oh, wait, let me guess. That way. Yeah.. Mhyl wasn''t wrong. From this height I can definitely see something moving." Lwyn was trying to spot details of the small motion edging from the hills.


    Thanrie was quickly back outside. "Any updates?" "Confirmation, but nothing more. Whatever it is, it''s intentionally trying to hide in the hills." Thanrie shrugged at Qheria''s report. Thanrie was getting a pretty bad feeling about the situation again, but had no idea how to properly handle it. "Lwyn, if you are seeing the tips of movement in the hills up there, what color are you seeing? Is it any shade of yellow, or is it more brown or gray?" "Uh, looks gray, like moving rocks." "So, the same color as bandit helms?" Yuxzn had shown up near the end of that, getting the tail of Lwyn''s details, and made decided Elaethyx inquiries to get to the root of the issue quickly.


    Mhyl showed up at that point, still hanging around the doorway. She knew if there was to be any trouble, she had to go inside. "Uh, yeah, every shape now looks... like people. Myself, I don''t get to see colors, but people are probably in any possibility a big problem." Mhyl confirmed Yuxzn''s train of thought for the other elf-kinds present. This however said nothing for any of the humans. "Thanrie, Qheria, we''re suspecting a bandit problem, it looks really likely. Going to need to defend our new home on the first day, I guess." Lwyn readied her crossbow as she spoke in English.


    Zyuixqs showed up right after that, with Rhyde close behind. "Welcome Rhyde, already assessing the situation and formulating a plan for you. Our elves present have discovered the enemy." Yuxzn made a formal report for Rhyde. "Ah, so that''s what this is about. Qheria, good work on promptly taking action in the event of a potential threat. We will need to have Mhyl get the inside to lock everything down, especially the main door. We have some additional combat personnel, but they should stay to defend the interior. We still have a potential threat of yheirqae attacking once inside gets darker." Rhyde honestly didn''t sound optimistic, which was troubling.


    "Oh no F~~~ing way!" Lwyn had reverted to english for her exclamation. While the others knew her to swear on occasion, they knew it was only for special situations. That means Lwyn had seen something. "Lwyn, what do you see?" "A familiar face guiding the pack. That bastard Hammer-face is a part of this. He''s even with sir-lance-alot, talking with even a third new shitface of some kind. Wait, doesn''t that make this THREE leaders, and then also three bandit groups? Holy hell!" Qheria did not like the answer Lwyn gave to her question. The fact that they could be seen now also implied they were leaving the cover of the hills.


    Mhyl was spotting this herself without her headset as Thanrie translated into Izhaethyx. Thanrie really wanted to include all of the original swears, and felt out of place omitting them. "Three leaders isn''t good news at all. We need to make the most of our resources, but we haven''t had time to prepare anything. Yuxzn, any plans possible with this little opportunity?" "Unfortunately, I don''t have enough to work with to make a decent plan at this point." Rhyde was really feeling the weight of the situation, hearing Yuxzn didn''t even have anything.


    "Hey, Yuxzn, have Thanrie bring you that chain we found. Qheria, jump the chain up here, we can tie it to the roof. This way, we can have some ranged fire safely from the roof." Lwyn was the one who came up with quick ideas instead, passing off a plan in Izhaethyx before switching back to English. "Mhyl, Qheria and Thanrie are going to get us a way you guys can climb up here. You can scout from here safer than on the ground, though we still need to watch for arrows. There is a bunch of cover on the roof though, so that might help." Lwyn was kinda proud of her idea for a reinforced position, having liked where she stood at that time.


    Everything was in position before their enemy arrived. Even the chain was pulled up to the roof, preventing anyone else from using it. Hammer-face called out to them. "Ah, so da hills were ''fested with vermin. Or I guess da river, ya left the hills, didn''t ya. Well, ya see, our camp is burning right now, so we''ll have ta take ya up on yer ''ospitality. Though, first we have ta make the place more comfortable, startin'' with bashing some ''eads in." "Oh wow, so that was YOUR camp! That''s hilarious." "Oh, I see, the Hyxzaelni is hiding ''ere too. Maybe we should stamp yer head in before ya surrender this time." At Hammer-face''s usage of his previous insult, Lwyn was infuriated once again.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Lwyn took aim and fired, though the shot was blocked by the maul. Even though the blade was enough to chip it, it was still a giant thick heavy block. The fact her shot was blocked was impressive. Hammer-face took the invitation and signaled the start of the attack. Arrows flew in Lwyn''s direction, who wasn''t near cover at the time. However, with a twirl, her magnetic gloves attracted every passing arrow into her own arsenal. She used the magnetic pull of her gloves to do a throw of each arrow, many of them striking true and taking a number of bandits down.


    Thanrie was next into the fray, before her enemies could blink. Dashing forward, she used her momentum to throw her weapon in a massive arc, calling it back to pass through a large number of bandits, all falling from the deathblow. Many turned to her to attack, but she was already gone, moving frankly far too fast for them to deal with. Most of them instead pressed towards the facility, and it''s other residents. Qheria slammed down among them in a giant leap, using her belt to accelerate her fall rather than decelerate, and landing on her shield. The force smashed several of them at once, as she then leapt away once again.


    Yuxzn was firing arrows in volleys to take down bandits as well, though his arrows didn''t have the sheer penetration power that Lwyn''s blades did. Her throwing blades were now even dramatically improved with an acceleration effect from her gloves when thrown. Rhyde tried to join Qheria, but just couldn''t keep up, so instead went bashing bandits with the dual morning stars. When he got overwhelmed, he always found bandits around him dying, often as Qheria landed nearby. Zyuixqs was trying to support Rhyde, being simply unable to keep up to Thanrie at all. His pole weapon just didn''t have the same melee reach as her chain blade.


    Suddenly, the lancer leader rushed at Rhyde, driving him back and off guard as one of his morning stars were pinned to the ground. Zyuixqs went to go help, but Hammer-face stepped in. Zyuixqs turned to, for the third time, stand up to Hammer-face in the defense of a friend. Thanrie came in fast, blade not in chain mode, as she went to deflect the maul as she had before. Meanwhile, Qheria came down hard on the lance, forcing the leader to stumble and release his hold on Rhyde. Both leaders turned to the other two girls.


    The lancer tried to charge at Qheria, but she leapt over the assault. The lancer however didn''t stop at that, and charged at where she landed as she was recovering her footing. Her second leap didn''t land properly at all, leaving her struggling to keep on the defense, no room to attack at all. Rhyde tried to help, only to get pinned again. Qheria rushed to defend, giving the lancer the opening he needed, and he smasher her with the side of the lance into the ground.


    Hammer-face, being the mauler, turned to attack Thanrie, only to need to deflect another blade. He then decided on a new course, and trampled right through where Thanrie was, forcing her to dodge out of the way. He continued past her, in the direction of the facility, and crashed into the wall. There, he started to climb it. It seems Lwyn wasn''t the only ridiculous climber. Lwyn had no angle to shoot from, so she went to fire at him while magnetically dangling from the roof. A maul went through the space the blade passed through, as the wielder went on a frighting rampage towards Lwyn.


    Thanrie went to try and help, only to find herself faced with the third leader. This one had giant wrist blades on both hands. Thanrie threw her blade at him, and he dove down on the chain, pinning the blade. When she pressed for the blade to come back, it was instead her going to the blade. The force of the impact freed the chain, but she was right beside her attacker. She swung to attack, and he deflected and countered. Her gear had weathered the blow, but it both hurt her and damaged her gear. Too many hits like that, and it would draw blood for sure, if not worse. Thanrie realized in that instant that her foe was a defensive fighter.


    Zyuixqs had gone to try and help Thanrie, but had no idea what he could do to help. Instead, he focused on the bandits around her, so that she could focus on the foe in front of her. Rhyde was starting to get the same idea, his own attacks on the leader was only making Qheria''s movements more predictable, so he started going after other bandits as well. Yuxzn was useless in close range, and their foe was closing in quickly. Lwyn had him occupied, but Mhyl was still vulnerable. "Lwyn, I''m making sure Mhyl is safe. I hope you have another good idea. I''ll be right back to support you." Yuxzn was taking priority on making sure Lwyn didn''t have to worry about Mhyl, using Elaethyx to be subtle.


    Mhyl found herself brought to the bottom of the facility, at the other side of it. Chyurae, good at hiding, was actually somehow there with the door unlocked. The two of them rushed inside and resealed the door. Yuxzn then went to go back up the chain, only for the chain to fall into his hands. Hammer-face had made it to the top and was going on a rampage. He had smashed down where they chain was anchored, unhinging the chain. Yuxzn no longer had a way back up. He looked for a good angle to support from, but found nothing. The other bandits were noticing he was on the ground, so he was forced to instead turn to defend himself.


    Qheria was slowing down due to the pace of things. At one point, she was caught off guard, and the lancer struck into her shield. She was going to be pinned. She braced herself in the impact, but she wasn''t strong enough to hold ground. In an act of desperation and creativity, she slanted her body forwards, so she was more horizontal than vertical, and activated the belt. The belt launched her forwards into her enemy with way more pressure than her foe could muster, throwing him backwards and crashing him into the ground. The lance was thrown aside, and Qheria opened her palms in her rush. The blades came out, and drove right into the leader''s arms. However, she herself was completely open now, and the blow did not finish her foe. Having fallen back upwards onto the ground, Qheria was wide open to being pinned by her foe.


    Thanrie thought back to some of the practicing she had been doing with Qheria. Not once had she ever won against a defensive style. This wasn''t for fun anymore either, losing this could cost her a lot, and she only had one chance. She took a deep breath to try and stay calm. She had never won, but she had learned a lot from Qheria. There was one thing she had been waiting to try, but had never had the chance. Thanrie rushed her attacker, blade still attached, and swung down on her foe. The claws came up, clearly to pin the blade and put her in a really bad position, but she was expecting a counter. Instead of connecting, this was a feint. Using her new boots, she skimmed aside from her enemy, her own blade only passing through air, while the claws met with nothing. In that instant though, she was behind him, had momentum with her weapon, and he had left himself open. She swung around with the same movement, striking his legs. This passed through armor and drew blood instantly. However, she didn''t want to strike his legs, she was aiming for the torso, the speed of her movement made her accuracy suffer too much. Having finished with her momentum left her blade in the ground and herself totally open. The claws came around, and pinned the blade into the ground.


    Lwyn was stuck in a close range fight wielding a long range weapon. She tried to aim a shot, but was forced to dodge the oncoming maul instead. She ejected one of the blades, considering she could at the very least use them like a dagger. The maul came again crashing down, leaving her only to dodge. Several dodges later left her with nothing, driving her close to the edge. With little room left to go, she jumped off. Hammer-face wasn''t expecting this, and got close to the edge. However, Lwyn had gone magnetic, and made her way slightly along the roof. Leaping back up, she had just enough opportunity to get behind him. She plunged the blade into his back, drawing blood but not capable of doing more in that case. He roared in rage, readying to turn to strike her. Out of reflex, she turned the gloves on again while holding the back of Hammer-faces metallic armor. She was behind him, and he couldn''t get her off. His rage roared on at this, as he spun to throw her off. The gloves however were far too good at holding on. In his spirals to get her off, he slipped from the roof, and they both fell. The leader made sure he landed on Lwyn, causing her immense pain, and had her slip from the magnetic hold. She was now down, and his maul was ready.


    Mhyl was following everything with her headset, watching with a cheer as each of them made their own personal successes, and then cringing in fear as the situation started going really bad. However, getting a clear view of the situation, she had another concern. More people had entered the situation, several taking down the bandits already present, leaving the bandits falling remarkably quickly. The newcomers were surging through the ranks, some of them approaching the fight of the three leaders.


    The claw wielder''s other weapon didn''t decent upon Thanrie, instead it had blocked a blow from another source. "Sister, you really have been getting yourself into the worst of situations lately, haven''t you?" Ihzyhur''s Claymore crashed into the claws from the wide angled, blunt side of the blade, preventing the claws from trapping the weapon. "Ihzy! What are you doing here!?" "Looking after you, obviously. Lets just finish this quick." Thanrie was surprised to see her brother, but more surprised to watch his blade start to freeze in the heat of the sun. The frigid vapors smoked from the blade, as it crashed against the claws of the leader, shattering them into dust. Another swing down upon the leader and the claw wielder''s life was put out similarly.


    Qheria braced for a blow that never came. "Honey, are you okay?" "MOM!?" Xyithy had pressed into the lancer with her shield, driving him away. She readied her sword in anticipation. Qheria got up, surprised to see her mother all of a sudden. "You''ve worked hard I see, but you''ve been hurt enough. I hope you don''t mind if I bring an end to this." Xyithy''s blade started to mist vapors into the air, making the weapon appear almost invisible. She stepped forwards, still out of reach of the lance itself, and swung down with her blade. An invisible slash passed along and through the lancer from that extended range, ending him for good.


    Aelyiq stood among the other Wardens, looking for Mhyl. He generally expected she was most likely inside the building, so their first order of business was to secure the field outside. The wardens had spread out to take out the bandits, the yellow grass turning green in their wake. Most of the bandits nearby were also turning a shade of green, having been poisoned to death instantly without taking any injuries. Watching the Wardens at work was frankly terrifying. In a way, he felt generally out of place in all of this action.


    Lwyn tried to get up, tried to escape the blow, but was too injured to move. Hammer-face''s maul came down, but never connected. A fierce fiery explosion blasted him into the wall behind him. "Lwyn, please be okay. The Arch-Magus won''t let me live this down if I have to tell him his Grand-daughter died." Ehryinae stood there, brandishing nothing more than a.. walking stick? Lwyn didn''t have the strength or words to answer, she was stunned in more than one way. Hammer-face was getting up to finish off the job, so Ehryinae raised her staff again, a ball of flame appearing over it. The sphere launched into Hammer-face, igniting him completely. When the flames died, nothing remained but embers and ash.


    Having wiped out the bandits completely, everyone begun to tend to the damage and wounds, and to get everything cleaned up. There was a lot to be discussed.

 27: Intersecting Junction

    Dinner had finally arrived, with everyone still safe.  However, their little crew had now grown suddenly to a much larger population, leaving a lot of work to handle the sudden shift.


    The smith tested out his new workshop, his hammer ringing off of the workbench resoundingly.  It appears he would be needing to take care of some repairs already, thanks to some of the activity earlier, so it was good to know that his smelting tools were also ready.  He had been hoping to start instead on researching some of the other marvels scattered across the shelves, but it seems that would have to wait for now.


    Mhyl wasn''t as interested in eating as many of the others were.  Her friends had all suffered a lot in that last fight.  Lwyn''s condition was probably the worse of all of them, but thankfully she wasn''t in a serious state.  Lwyn rested there, blinking faintly, in a state of drowsiness as if she had been taking in too much Amber-leaf smoke.  Qheria and Thanrie were also nearby, both exhausted but at least looking more alert.  They would both need to get some rest in order for their own recovery.


    Chyurae showed up carrying food.  He''d already seen how determined Mhyl could get tending to her friends, so he knew food would have to come to her instead.  He was also smart enough to know she wouldn''t just eat before her friends, so he brought four helpings of food, struggling to carry all of it.  "Oh!  Chyurae, careful.  You''re carrying too much!"  Mhyl helped Chyurae with his burden, setting things down.  Being relieved of the food, he took an opportunity to hand out the food to everyone.  Mhyl noticed the proceedings, suddenly aware that the dish she was holding was actually to be her own.


    The next person to enter the room was actually Aelyiq, who had been following Chyurae in an effort to locate Mhyl.  He had lost her in all the commotion that had occurred in aftermath of the conflict.  "Ah, finally!  Mhyl, you can be so difficult to find, in case you didn''t know."  Aelyiq'' comment was in reflection of both the short term and long term struggle to find her.  "Oh!  That traveler from the library!  What are you doing here?"  "Like I said, searching for you.  Your mother has been incredibly worried, you should know."  Mhyl knew her mother had sent a party to find her, but didn''t know the traveler she had met was part of the search team.


    "I''m really sorry.  I guess bringing tales of adventure just inspired you to set off on your own adventure.  From what I''ve heard, you''ve really found it."  Aelyiq was thankful he finally got the chance to apologize after all this time, while Mhyl pulled out the Atlas she had been carrying.  "Don''t be sorry, you won''t believe how thankful I''ve been to have been given this book.  It''s helped us a lot in our journeys."  Mhyl gave Aelyiq a hug, to demonstrate her thanks.


    Chyurae showed up at this point, almost pouting softly.  "Are you here to take Mhyl away?"  "Actually, that''s a good point, there is a lot more to worry about right now.  Trying to take care of your friends all on your own is a pretty big burden, we should start on that.  I''ll be right back."  Chyurae was still confused how that answered his question at all, as he watched Aelyiq leave.  However, he noticed that Mhyl had also gone back to tending to her friends, so he decided to back off for now.


    Ihzyhur and Xyithy showed up together, having grown impatient waiting after finishing dinner.  "Qheriyaehyzeiri, what have you gotten yourself into."  Xyithy sighed, then resumed again.  "Are you at least feeling okay, you aren''t terribly injured, right?"  She then came over to take care of her own daughter herself, not even waiting for Qheria to answer.  "Sis, you''re doing well, right?  Not going to let yourself be shown up by some Qiciri, I assume.  Well, keep it up, we will have a lot to go over, later."  Ihzyhur it seems still had some casual competitions going on with Xyithy, and while his words said otherwise, his eyes were actually gauging if she actually needed any help and to figure out what he could do to help.


    Zyuixqs showed up at one point.  "Sir, I would ask you not to be a bother of lady Thanrie while she is busy recovering.  Being put under pressure will not help her to recover faster, and as is, she had already suffered terrible wounds recently, so she will need all the help she could get."  Zyuixqs stood up to Ihzyhur, a stern expression gracing his face.  Xyithy smiled faintly, watching her rival getting what he deserved, as she continued to look after her daughter.  Ihzyhur turned to this newcomer, a dark expression settling onto his face.  "By what right do you feel you can ask anything of me.  She is my sister, I will do what I must to look after her."


    "Would you two just ''F~~~ing'' be quiet!!  By the divine, you two can be SO annoying at times.  ''F~~k'', I never imagined how bad it would be to put the two of you in the same room at the same ''F~~~ing'' time!!"  Thanrie''s sudden outburst was very Thanrie, still filling in the blanks of her vocabulary with the occasional English.  Zyuixqs shied away in fear once again, while Ihzyhur turned to her in complete surprise.  Ihzyhur had never seen this side of his sister before, even though the reports he got did mention it.  So the report wasn''t wrong after all.


    "So honey, are your legs okay.  After all that jumping around, you''re bound to have hurt something."  "No, I.."  "It''s okay, I''m here and I''ll..."  "Mother, stop!  I know that you are worried, but please understand that I have the fullest of confidence in Mhyl''s ability to make sure I will be fine.  If you just want to talk about stuff, please be kind enough to wait until I''m actually well enough to keep up.  If you are in that much of a hurry to be useful, please go see Rhyde and work on the overnight schedule.  We''re expecting some overnight guests here, and the four of us won''t be able to help out tonight.  Thank you."  Now it was Xyithy''s turn to be shocked.  This wasn''t like the Qheria she knew at all.


    Ehryinae walked into the room at this point, taking account of the situation.  "So it seems like we''ve already proven the accuracy of the reports.  That makes things easier.  Also, I''ve looked into your little pest problem.  According to the commander, this place is scheduled to get some nocturnal visitors tonight.  It also seems that just incinerating the lot of them won''t be the most suitable solution either, as the vermin are also a source of food."  Ehryinae went up to Lwyn, and decided against raising a commotion like the others had.  Lwyn really did look like she was in serious need of rest and recovery.


    Aelyiq returned at this point with six wardens, opening in Elaethyx.  "Mhyl, I know that you''ve probably got things taken care of, but we really can''t have you bear the entire brunt of this burden, especially when your patients have people so impatient for them to get better.  Rather than having you overwork yourself on their behalf, we''ll speed up the process."  Aelyiq then shifted to Izhaethyx.  "Okay everyone, medical team here.  If you are all going to work on making sure this place is secure, we''ll make sure that these girls are in top condition by morning.  Thank you very much for your cooperation."  Aelyiq'' statement got all the other humans out of the room, realizing that he had a point after all.


    "I thank you for your help, but really, I''ve got everything under control.  I''ve already administered some Amber-leaf, the stuff is remarkable.  If they take it easy tomorrow, everyone should be fine by the next day, even Lwyn if we''re lucky enough."  Mhyl couldn''t see any practical use for having so many idle hands around.  Eight people taking care of three girls that mostly only needed rest at this point.  "Unfortunately, their guests don''t appear interested in wanting to wait that long, and even having you busy for a whole extra day isn''t going to make the Wardens happy either."  Aelyiq shared his same argument with Mhyl, who was still lost as to why the Wardens had been included in the first place.


    Two wardens approached each of the recovering girls.  It was initially difficult for Aelyiq to convince them to step in for the others, but Aelyiq had mentioned how Mhyl''s fate was tied to her three companions.  To ensure she stayed safe, her friends needed to be at her side.  The wardens had not missed this part of the assembly, it was concidered acceptable in the end.  Each of them drew wooden scepters with one hand, and held their other hand forward.  Light sparked within the room, as the three girls began to faintly glow.  Mhyl watched in surprise as this continued for a while, until all of the Wardens started to get tired.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "There, that should dramatically speed up the process.  Technically, the three of them should be pretty healthy by nightfall, but they will still need rest.  We''ll go help the others to make sure that everyone stays safe tonight, you should get some rest with your friends.  Tomorrow will be another busy day."  Aelyiq and the wardens left Mhyl there with her friends.  She was still completely lost as what she had just witnessed.  Maybe getting a good night''s rest would be a smart idea after all.


    All four girls woke up completely refreshed by morning.  They hadn''t even noticed the defense work that had gone on overnight.  Even Lwyn was up and ready, though she had slept later than all of them.  Mhyl had been the first one awake as a rarity, but she had no interest in leaving until she was sure everyone was fine.  Qheria and Thanrie had also complied with her perspective, they knew they had to be ready before exposing themselves to their families again, after all.


    Mhyl''s predictions panned off perfectly.  Soon after being discovered all well, a meeting was suddenly to be held.  The four girls entered the meeting room to discover eight others.  Rhyde was presiding over the meeting, with Yuxzn at his side.  Chyurae and Zyuixqs were there mostly in respect for how the two of them had been working with the others all this time.  The last four were Ihzyhur, Xyithy, Aelyiq, and Ehryinae.  Mhyl scanned over the room, considering she was going to be part of a meeting, but that most likely the meeting would be held in Izhaethyx.  Ten of the twelve people present could speak that language, it only made sense.  This was the worst case of language exclusion she had felt yet.


    Lwyn saw Mhyl''s depression setting in, as Mhyl silenced whatever she was about to say.  "So, I''m guessing Mhyl is going to need a translator here if she''s going to be included at all.  It''s going to make it harder for us, but.."  Lwyn spoke up in Mhyl''s defense, but Yuxzn shook his head.  "No, from what I''ve gathered, you will need to do a lot of speaking for yourself.  I''ll handle translations for Mhyl, so that you can just carry your own side of the conversation."  Yuxzn was logical in his idea, helping Lwyn out with this only made sense.


    Yuxzn moved to sit near where Mhyl was, at the end of their group, in order to provide translations, with Lwyn seated at Mhyl''s other side, just in case.  Chuyrae wasn''t far away, so that he could maybe support Mhyl too somehow.  Zyuixqs was on the other side of their four person lineup, sitting down beside Thanrie, which garnered him glares from Ihzyhur.  Rhyde was otherwise seated beside Zyuixqs, which extended into the side of the table leading to their four guests.  Ehryinae herself took the seat next to Rhyde, while Aelyiq sat down on the elven side of the table, feeling it would be the most comfortable there.  This unfortunately left the two rivals sitting together, though Aelyiq really hoped that Xyithy sitting beside him wouldn''t be too much of a problem.


    "So rather than have this make a mess much farther, I''ve felt bringing everything into a meeting could do a lot to clear away some of our misconceptions.  Having met with both groups of four, it''s rather obvious that there would be some need to sit down and work out all of the unknowns."  Rhyde was doing remarkable at presiding over the meeting, and bringing the whole thing to order.  "So, the last time the four groups had arrived, one thing that came to light was that each of you were looking for these four young women.  They were not present at the time, but the report you gave to describe them did not completely match our own.  At the time, we didn''t have much more information.  However, since then, we had taken the opportunity to reach out to learn more."  Rhyde passed the conversation off to the same four esteemed young women.


    Qheria took leadership over the situation with a sigh, and resumed from there.  "We still don''t understand why, but at the night we all stayed in the Citadel Inn, that night of the storm, something caused us to awaken to additional memories, memories of a life in another world.  We still haven''t figured out if we''ve always had these memories dormant and they just woke up then, or if the storm somehow gave us these new memories, but with it came more than just vague thoughts.  All of our minds are working as if they hold two different people, and we''re just the result of the mixture.  We have however noticed that the Fortress out here has been using things that look.. familiar to out other memories.  We suspect their discoveries come from the same world as our memories."


    Ehryinae nodded in understanding.  The Arch-Magus was, as usual, totally correct.  "While this news is something none of our side has been aware of, it is honestly not surprising.  It''s exceptional, don''t misunderstand me, but.. it makes sense.  The Arch-Magus did estimate that there was a direct correlation with the Fortress and you four.  That storm you both were visited by, it was what is called a Celestial Storm.  The world was seeking you out to connect you to the actions tearing the veil asunder.  Oh, right, I should mention that too.  Khaexyn''s actions aren''t just threatening war, his own discoveries are tearing a hole in the world veil.  If he keeps it up, the veil will tear apart and the whole world would tear with it.  We''re facing the destruction of all Celese here."


    Rhyde folded his palms in consideration.  "I knew Khaexyn had to be stopped, but I didn''t know the situation was this bad.  About 20 years ago, he had discovered something, and everyone had ignored it.  Two years later, he got everything working, and we still ignored it.  Not even a year after that, he started making sure it wasn''t something we could just ignore.  It''s been a long 17 years since then."


    Xyithy read the room, and scanned over everyone present, feeling visibly the eldest in the room.  "You made it sound like you personally presided over the efforts, when I can''t see anyone else in this room would be many years over 20.  Maybe Ehryinae, though I still believe I''ve got a bit on you here."  Xyithy wasn''t sure about Aelyiq, but it was at least accurate for everyone else.  "No, but my whole life has been then invested in this.  It just means I''ve never known rest."  Rhyde admitted to being much younger than he''s always sounded.


    Lwyn interjected at this point.  "So, numbers are funny things.  Usually, numbers don''t just sit in neat rows and make absolutely total sense.  Doing that usually.. doesn''t make absolute total sense.  Anyway, I can''t help but notice how neatly your timeline adds up.  The four of us were already finding it remarkable that we are the exact same age, to the day.  It was also remarkable that the storm happened on the exact night half way between our 17th and 18th birthday.  It''s also an amazing fact that our memories seem to belong to someone exactly between their 17th and 18th birthday.  But now I hear that the guy who is getting all this other-world stuff got it on what is actually adding up to the same day we were born?  I mean.. how do numbers just fit this perfectly?"  Lwyn brought up a thought that had been bugging her for a while now.


    "If something fits perfectly like that, it was because the world had found need to make it fit so perfectly.  The world had long ago chosen you four as individuals who would be destined to stand in for it.  Your own memories were probably an added gift, giving you an exclusive understanding of our enemy while also binding you to this as fate.  Nothing here was just coincidence.  You may have noticed fate had been guiding your hand through this whole process, pushing you forwards like this."  As Ehryinae explained, Thanrie considered all the times they had been left with getting through regardless of the odds, simply because they were... lucky.  Even her own survival was a miracle of luck.  Maybe though, this was something made more than just... idle luck.


    "I''m not sure how being told this is helping with the idea of convincing us to go back home.  I was fully expecting to get a lot of arguments about why we should be giving up on everything here and accept the idea that we wouldn''t be able to stay here any longer.  The way you''re making it sound, our stay here is .. fated."  "Exactly.  The four nations back home has held an assembly, presided under by the Arch-Magus.  We had came to the decision that, rather than bringing you home, we would need to ensure you had support out here on the front lines.  It seems even the world ordained the moment of our arrival."  Qheria rose question about the single matter she had been most preparing for since she got up this morning, but Ehryinae shot down any related concerns.  They would be staying here with their family''s support.


    "So, there is another matter of discussion.  During that same conflict, we had noticed that your four groups had been more than just efficient at dealing with our enemy.  As you arrived, you also yet again wielded that same efficiency against our foes and came across victory without even a sweat.  None of the four girls have said they know anything about that cause, and so I believe that there is some explanations that would be due of them, if you truly intend to support them out here."  Rhyde shifted the perspective of the whole conversation with this topic, turning the need for explanations to the other four.


    Ehryinae sighed deeply, it seems there would be no more delaying this inevitability.  Her other three companions came to terms with the same, it was time to share some family secrets.

 28: Family Heritage

    Breakfast had graced the meeting as things proceeded in its due course.  Once the food was presented, the meeting resumed.


    Ihzyhur started things off, realizing someone had to.  "Well, it feels like I''m going to betray one of Zyxaesteyln''s greatest family secrets, even to a Qiciri to make everything worse, but not only can I assume there will be a fair trade, you really do deserve to know."  Ihzyhur made a bunch of points at Xyithy during his statement, as he continued for his sister.  "Our royal family has been very proud about how gifted our blood is, a rich blood with one of the strongest blessings in the known lands.  Every member of our family who has inherited our blood has also inherited it''s power.  Power, and responsibility.  You saw some of that power, ice that shatters metal.  As one with the same blood, you are also so gifted.  You could do the same sort of thing just as easily, with the right training."  Ihzyhur was clearly troubled, trying to start off everything.


    "Why was I never told of this stuff ever before, when in the world did you find time to learn?"  "Everyone watched the naive girl tend to her flowers and didn''t want to shatter her purity and freedom.  Everyone had kept you away from such responsibilities, to keep you safe.  Being so naive, there was a lot of concern in how you could have handled such naivety.  So instead, while you tended to the flowers..."  Thanrie was cluing in just how much of the world had moved behind her back, while she had been too ignorant to understand.  Ihzyhur''s statement kinda stung.


    However, Thanrie wasn''t out of steam yet.  The back of her mind still remembered some of her Celesi grief.  "Gah!  That''s why I was left feeling with nothing?  You guys felt that since I was so empty headed, that I should be left empty handed too?  That''s exactly why I ran away from home, by the way, because no one left me anything.  And now I hear that someone COULD have left me with something, but decided that I was too stupid.  By the divine, you are all utter idiots!"  Thanrie was infuriated, but she also started to cry.  Sure, by all logic, having had these psychological changes kinda fixed the problem, but was she really so worthless without it?  She herself knew, she hadn''t changed all that much in the truth of things, she had a bit of a new perspective, but the her that had always been there, still was.


    "Not that I''m feeling exactly excited to see if I can win in this competition, but.. Qheria.. you''ve also been kept safe from the truth.  Being so shy and timid, throwing you into the world of danger just felt.. wrong.  Do you remember the story of how I saved the royal family of the Qiciri?  It wasn''t just by rushing into a falling building and bringing the family out, it was by wielding power and tearing my way through the danger.  Since I was young, I had worked hard on research to discover a way to gain access to the gift, since it was discovered I had some potential.  After saving the royal family and being labeled as a hero, I had the royal family''s support in this effort, and as a result found my blood enriched with the potential of the gift.  Then, I gave birth to two daughters, which then shared the same blood.  The royal family wanted this potential to stand in defense of our nation, and I had your older sister take up that request as I was obligated, but I had hoped I could spare you from the same fate."  Xyithy fulfilled the trade by presenting the Qiciri secret weapon.


    Qheria was shocked, even her older sister knew?  She had always assumed that being the daughter of the hero was just.. a role.  Not that blood had even the slightest thing to do with anything.  Now she learned that, in fact, she was a national secret weapon, secret to even herself.  Because just that many people didn''t trust her, no one trusted her, not even her own family.  She was starting to fully agree with Thanrie''s assessment, full of empathy.  "Is that why you sent me away at all times?  Is that why I wasn''t allowed time for even my family?  Is that why I was left to nothing but myself and my own failures, to be everyone''s walking disappointment?  I was left with nothing, I had honestly left, believing I was leaving nothing behind, because there was nothing given to me."  Qheria gave a deep sigh, she didn''t know how she was supposed to react.


    Aelyiq addressed Mhyl directly, leaving Yuxzn to translate backwards.  "What Yuxzn has been saying about the others, I''m sure you can tell you''ve been in the same situation, left within the library.  Your mother had never told you that the voice of nature had labelled you as a Saviour, chosen by the world itself.  Being named a Saviour means you have been given the blessings of the world directly, without any blood obligation.  It is perhaps similar to how Xyithy got her own gift.  Your own blood is now enriched with the gifts of a Saviour, but it has been known ever since you were but an infant.  Your mother had decided to keep you safe and sheltered, so that you would endure until the faithful time of choosing.  I.. only learned about this myself when I was assigned to go search for you."  Aelyiq''s attempt to apologies on the High-Sage''s behalf felt hollow to Mhyl.  At the very least, couldn''t someone have TOLD her something?  Elves and Humans really were so much alike, even in their stupidity.  Mhyl felt she had nothing to say, this wasn''t Aelyiq'' fault.  If her mother was here, she would have volumes to speak of.


    Lwyn looked around, feeling very out of place.  "Well, I guess that makes me the odd one out here, huh?"  "Not exactly.  I should ask before I begin if I have your permission to speak of your own bloodline.  Lwyn, knowing what that means exposing, do you want to hear your own story?"  Lwyn froze at this question from Ehryinae.  She knew right away what was being asked here.  To get more information, she would have to admit to being a half-elf in front of all the others.  However, her curiosity was insane at this point.  This was an opportunity to learn more, even with the heavy cost.  She also got the feeling the answer would leave her in the same situation as the others.


    Lwyn carefully nodded.  "Alright then.  While I have very little information on your father, I have an abundant of information on your mother, specifically on your mother''s parents.  In all simplicity, your grandfather is the Arch-Magus himself, and your grandmother was one of the Circle Elves.  You then have the combined blood of the Arch-Magus and a Circle Elf.  I''ve even been told that the particular Circle Elf involved had a very strong bloodline.  You''ve inherited both."  Ehryinae didn''t exactly name her as a half-elf, but everyone at the table could follow along with this really easily.  Anyone who didn''t know, knew now.


    "Hold on, miss Ehryinae."  Aelyiq spoke up while Lwyn was busy registering all of this in her head.  "I think I might be aware of the particular Circle Elf you''re mentioning, considering the timeline.  Everyone had thought she had passed away without any descendants, her seat has stayed empty ever since.  She had presided over the circle as one of their most gifted.  I know the structure of human societies run differently, but this effectively is the same as labeling her an elven princess."  "Not just that, she''s also the heir of the Arch-Magus'' entire estate at this point, as his eldest descendant.  As a neutral territory, that wouldn''t even conflict with an open seat at the Circle, according to my research.  In fact, it would only make the Citadel become included in elven domain, with clear context that Lwyn''s own bloodline would have exclusive authority over it."  Aelyiq avoided mentioning how being a half-elf would cause a dramatic scene in and of itself, but that would probably be true in both societies.  Ehryinae''s statement being added just made Lwyn completely pale, the combination of being an elven princess AND the heir of the Arch-Magus.


    "Hold on, wait, I always thought that him being called an Arch-Magus was weird, like it just meant he was some wise-man who just was.. really smart.  But doesn''t the word include at least a bit of reference to..."  "Yes, the Arch-Magus is more than just some wise-man, he is one of the most gifted too.  His disciples train under his guidance, to try and learn from his gift as we pursuit our own potentials."  Lwyn was cut off before she could say the word, a word she didn''t exactly know of in either Celesi language.  Magic, the thing wishes and dreams were made of.  It was like the world, the ''real world'', was mocking her for having that thought.  Ehryinae clearly meant that the disciples in magic were trained to use spells.  The names of the Pillars, Ehryinae''s fire magic, it was all making too much sense now.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Well, I suspect this then answers my question.  This.. gift, as you call it.  It was what you brought to bear against the Destroyers to great efficiency, and then had commanded against the Bandits just the other day.  I can see having you around for our operations will be invaluable, and given our circumstances, we would be excited for any help we could get.  However, given the.. exceptional personal circumstances of all of this information, I think the best course of action at this point is to give everyone the chance to come to terms with all the information presented here.  As you have seen, this facility explores the capabilities of our enemy, so making good use of it would only increase our potential.  We will continue with our research then for the immediate future, while giving everyone the opportunity to.. get a chance to catch up to one another."  Rhyde was basically adjourning the meeting.


    Everyone got up, but Qheria looked at her three friends and realized they all were thinking the same thing.  "I''m sorry to cause delays, but the four of us will need time to collect our thoughts, before involving our families and such.  This has been a lot to take in, and having come to count on each other, it would be a lot simpler this way."  Qheria looked to the other three, who were each nodding.  They needed a break away from this, to collect their thoughts, before returning to reality.  Everyone else stopped, realizing that this too was inevitable.


    The four girls eventually made it back to their original room from that morning, reverting to full on English in mutual comfort.  "Holy F~~k.. I mean.. shit.  I know I''m not alone in this, but what the F~~k kind of shit was that to drop on us out of no where.  So I''m not only some princess, I''m a wizard princess, or some shit.  Oh, right, sorry.  I''m not even the ONLY wizard princess.  Lwyn just got the royal label slapped on her right out of left field.  When I think back to how you were treated at that Inn.. F~~k, and you''re next in line to basically own the place.  Why the F~~k did we get the crappy side of this deal?"  Thanrie was going full tilt.  She was developing a bit of a mutual kinship to Lwyn, realizing they were now both officially, effectively royals.


    "Please, really, don''t get me started.  I''m going to strangle my mother for this, I don''t care if she is the High-Seer.  You don''t EVER just dump ''saviour of the elves'' on someone and then leave them thinking they are just garbage stuck in a hall of books.  Urgh!!  How am I supposed to be saving anyone if people think it''s cool to keep me locked away from society, learning almost nothing practical.  It was stupid, seriously.  Qheria, what do you think?  I know your own mother did the EXACT same thing to you, next-to-be-hero of your own nation.  At least you GOT access to society.. though, I guess they did make you feel even more like trash than I did, didn''t they?"  Mhyl meanwhile was finally setting lose her contained feelings, as she realized that both her and Qheria were effectively given the position of heroes, and no idea how to do what was required of the position.  She was considering just how mutual their situation was.


    Everything had just blown out of proportion, leaving them with no feeling of control over their lives.  "That''s not even the whole of it, this lucky trend we''ve been having.. now we learn it''s actually the cause of some inescapable destiny leaving us trapped to its whim.  Considering how we still have an enemy, and how we''ve barely survived sometimes, I get the feeling that this ''luck'' is still not all powerful, so we can''t even depend on it for doing anything more than taking away our free will. .. I feel so helpless right now."  Qheria was even thinking back further, to the part discussed before breakfast.


    "So.. it looks like we were chosen for this mess not only because of all the other stuff we figured out, but because all of us had a really good bloodline.. the ''gift'' as everyone keeps calling it.  Magic.  Something absolutely zero people EVER talk about.  Zero, no one, not until now.  Not even considering everything else.  Princess, hero, world destruction fate.. none of it was enough to even hear a word about magic being more than just a fairy tail.  Really, what probably sucks the most is that with all of these obligations, after seeing just how much it''s capable of, Hammer-face being burned alive.. even the feeling of the... Wardens.. I think that''s what they were called.. that was healing magic last night, wasn''t it?  It almost feels like we''re watching a world work from behind a glass window, a world we have very little influence over."  Lwyn was still particularly upset about this.  She knew it had saved her life, but if she had been able to cast blazing fireballs herself, she could have gotten her own revenge against Hammer-face.  Now it will forever be denied to her.


    Something about Lwyn''s speech was clicking in Thanrie''s head.  The part that hit the most was actually the part of watching from behind a window.  It reminded her of her dream scene, over the night of her injury.  That dream had sat very memorable, for reasons she still could not figure out.  But near the end of the dream, as the waters came, she felt a warmth that had been soothing, that had made her feel refreshed.  It was a feeling somehow similar to the warmth she had also had last night, while fully awake.


    "Actually, I wonder how much of this is really denied to us.  That night I almost died, we were certain it was miracle-level luck, but that''s not how luck works, luck causes other more normal things to happen to great effect.  While I was near death, I could still kinda feel a strange comfort wash over me, like a mist that refreshed my very being.  Meanwhile, Lwyn, Qheria, how did last night''s healing feel to you?"  Thanrie started putting things together as Lwyn and Qheria blinked, looking to each other.  They actually couldn''t deny that description.  "If what we saw last night was any example of how it works, it''s a fairly close range healing magic, requiring the caster to pretty much be right next to the target, and for quite a while in that instance for that particular process."  Thanrie painted the picture for everyone, as Mhyl started to pale filling in the blanks.


    "I swear, I didn''t do anything like that.  I have no idea how to do.."  "Mhyl, I don''t think Thanrie is blaming you, I think she''s saying you reached for it subconsciously.  You slept almost the whole time yourself, you were really out of it.  So.. by luck, Mhyl had happened to reach into her gift in a nearly sleeping state, by absolutely fluke, and managed to heal Thanrie over that time.  That''s also how Thanrie recovered dramatically faster, just like last night.  I''m sorry Mhyl, but this idea actually makes more sense than anything else."  Mhyl was having trouble denying that this assumption was less correct than any other.  Lwyn was feeling jealous that, even if by sheer fluke, Mhyl might have actually used some magic that night.  None of them had any actual idea how magic actually worked, after all.


    Lwyn still managed to perk up a smile.  "Don''t worry Mhyl, it''s like you said.. I forget the law thing you said that one night, about magic and science."  "Oh, Clarke''s Third Law?  ''Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic''?"  "Exactly, that one.  We might not know how actual real magic works here, but we really did kick some ass that night with our gadgets.  Steampunk wizards is still a kind of thing.  We''re still the best ones at figuring out all the tech stuff around here, and if we get even better at it, we will be kicking ass.  Oh, even better, if we do actually learn a few spells too, we can just add that on top of everything.  But we shouldn''t feel like crap, our families just needs to see how much potential technology can bring.  Maybe that will make them extra sorry for treating us like caged animals."  For dramatic emphasis, Lwyn turned on the magnet of her gloves, and picked up a metal fragment she had found on the ground.  It wasn''t the most glorious display, but this place was bound to bring more opportunities.  Mhyl still laughed at Lwyn''s encouraging display, finding comfort in that Lwyn had remembered that one little quote from back then.


    The four of them kept idly chatting at this point, finally starting to relax thanks to Lwyn.  Even with the world as crazy as it was, they were very thankful to at least have each other.

 29: Forging Opportunities

    Lunchtime would come soon enough, and with it the four girls would have to step forward.  Fortunately, having been inspired to a cause, all four were eager to get started.


    Ihzyhur and Xyithy met up at the girl''s room, finding the door open and the room abandoned.  It seems even after lunch, the girls had not simply returned to their room, but had gone somewhere else.  Aelyiq wandered passed, letting them know he saw the four of them going to the storage area.  Ihzyhur and Xyithy went there, searching each aisle for their family member.  Instead they found Ehryinae who was perusing the shelves with wonder.  "Well, yeah, they were here.  They seemed pretty intent on searching for something, checked stuff, and ran off.  I hear they''ve became a sort of expert on this stuff, so maybe they are working on something?  Maybe ask Rhyde?"  Ehryinae went back to scanning the shelves, everything here was so foreign to her.


    "Oh, the four girls?  If they are working on something like that, they are probably in the workshop.  We''ve got a smith that has been in wonder of Fortress designs, probably a good opportunity for them."  Rhyde was eventually found, and gave them yet another destination.  They arrived to find the smith hard at work, but alone.  "Oh, the four girls, yeah they were here.  Had some really marvelous ideas, honestly.  But it seems there might be a lot more work involved, so they went back to plan on it.  If they are building a plan, they would have tracked down Yuxzn.  He''s a fine sort at coming up with a good plan."  The smith only set them on another course.


    Both of them were getting the same idea.  Blink not even for a moment, and the four girls were off on some new grand escapade.  It was not a level of ambition they were used to, but they would have to adjust soon enough.  Fortunately, this next destination would yield their objective.


    "So, we''ve got this grand idea here we''ve been building.  I started us off by thinking that, after that bandit raid, we need to improve our defenses, get some real armor on the place, maybe even setup some defenses."  Qheria was already explaining their idea to Yuxzn, who was still lost as to what was going on.  "I''m not talking just metal sheeting and bow platforms, I mean we should make this place out like more of a ''tank''.  Put some incredible armor on it, give it some marvel of weapons that would really tear up bandits if they came back."  "Oh, yeah, and while Qheria''s idea is great, we have to be prepared for more than just bandits.  What if ''tanks'' hit the place?  So yeah, armor is good, but we need ''cannons'', serious stuff with armor piercing rounds.  I''m talking ''railgun'' level designs, a ''mag cannon'' with a shell that could pierce a ''tank'' no problem.  Getting enough explosive force to cause major casualty wouldn''t be unforeseen either.  I''ve actually already been working on designs."  Qheria''s idea was complimented by Lwyn''s own design.


    "Meanwhile, I''ve been thinking ahead.  Having this place is great and all, but we all know we can''t stay here forever.  We need another option.  More than making this place like a ''tank'', why not make something more mobile.  Instead of having a ''bunker'', we could give it a massive ''engine'' and get it moving.  That way, we can always be exactly where we need to be.  ''Engine'' parts are already in storage, we would just need a much bigger design."  Thanrie was excited to get things moving, in more than one way.  She then motioned to Mhyl, in almost a signal that it was her turn.  Mhyl continued her part in Elaethyx.  "Thanrie''s idea was great, but I figured we need a safer destination.  The Marauder''s idea of hiding underground was a nice one to put them out of reach of the Bandits, but going down isn''t the only option.  We can also go up.  Rather than making a land-bound mobile base, we should fashion the whole thing into some kind of airborne ''carrier'', like an airship.  We would need it to hold a hundred people or so, but there is so much around here to give ideas on propulsion, I really don''t think it''s unfathomable."  Mhyl stopped there and stepped back, leaving Yuxzn to try and absorb the magnitude of the idea just thrown at him.


    "This really isn''t a small idea you''re bringing up here.  I would have to check this with Rhyde, to get his input on everything.  Considering the scale of everything, this will take a long time to produce.  It sounds like we might need to acquire some extra supplies too.  It might also be more than just our Smith can make.  This really is a huge thing."  "Exactly, huh?  That''s why we need to get started sooner rather than later.  We''re going to need it done as soon as possible, so there is no time like the present, right?  Making sure everyone stays safe is going to be really important."  Yuxzn couldn''t dispute Lwyn''s logic there, it''s just there were far too many unknowns for him, considering this entire idea went so far into Fortress-styled designs, more than they had ever even conceived.


    Ihzyhur and Xyithy looked at each other in thought at this scene.  They hadn''t considered just how far into the unknown their girls had wandered until this moment.  Ideas made of marvels that they couldn''t even fully understand, but the principle was obvious.  Armor and weapons with inspiration to be better than the Destroyers they faced, the weapons themselves sounding truly terrifying.  Then making the whole thing move, also like the Destroyers.  They were left to imagine a huge and terrifyingly advanced Destroyer, having not heard the part about flying.  That would have blown their minds.


    "So, it sounds like the problem here is some short-staffing, and the need for some advanced supplies.  Maybe you''ve forgotten that we''ve arrived to provide both.  Our four groups are filled with some especially skilled individuals.  They might not be as familiar with these designs as.. some others here.. but making an operation lead by your smith might provide the most efficient means to produce what is needed.  Meanwhile, we''ve already been undergoing raids of bandits in the past, stepping things up and hitting a place for enemy resources, to provide whatever we would need, that''s not unreasonable.  In fact, that''s pretty close to the intent that was asked of us from the four nations, to explore the depth of our enemy''s discoveries and to support the four girl''s in their endeavours."  Xyithy felt this was the wisest course of action, still feeling guilty for.. a lot of things by now, actually.  Being able to support her daughter in her sudden project felt like a good way to start.


    Ihzyhur nodded in agreement.  "I should go and locate Aelyiq and Ehryinae, get them in on this as well.  You might want to locate your commander, as this will involve coordinating a defense and offense split of our forces.  Maybe we should meet again in that same meeting room, and discuss the war plan."  "Of course.  With things moving so suddenly like this, that''s probably the only rational next move."  Ihzyhur was sort of interested in spending time with his sister, to get to better understand her, but it seems this would be the way of it.  Her changes seemed to have included a sudden sense of ambition, which is something her other brothers would probably be glad to hear of as well.  It was something that ran in the family, after all.  Yuxzn meanwhile was very motivated to bring order to this sudden chaos.  They all rushed to prepare an impromptu meeting.


    "It''s a very interesting idea, at the very least."  Rhyde had quickly been brought up to speed with the situation, as everyone had found themselves back into their seats from the previous meeting.  "If we can achieve this goal, our defensive position grows immensely.  However, getting to that point isn''t going to be an easy task.  We would need to ensure that we can find what we need to make this happen while also ensuring that this place remains protected.  The sort of things needed for this, it won''t just be from some normal bandit camp, but instead probably something close to the Fortress or the Lake itself.  That area is full of dangers, as some of Khaexyn''s best weapons are in that area."  Rhyde was reminding the four families of the Colossal they couldn''t deal with previously.  Getting Khaexyn''s direct attention without considerable forces from back home wouldn''t be smart at all.


    Yuxzn pitched in at this point.  "Specifically, by my measurements, you will need to hit upon a place that features not only the needed supplies but also documents on the design plans related to it.  I expect you won''t find anything exactly like it, otherwise Khaexyn already has everything exactly like that himself.  Instead, we will need enough documentation of similar projects to deduce what we would need to put all of the ideas together.  The best place for that is, regrettably, either within the Fortress itself, or in the lakeside district.  We can''t afford a best-case instance, so we would have to locate a suitable alternative, somewhere between the simple bandit camps and the lakeside itself."  Yuxzn was deep in thought, still uncertain where this would exactly be.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Regarding distribution of forces, considering what we''re working with, I have a suggestion."  Ehryinae spoke up at this point, to convey her own ideas.  "The commander and his strategist should definitely take command over the operations of this facility, having fielded mostly his own staff for its operations.  As agreed, each of our four groups should be able to afford delegates for construction efforts, possibly a couple from each.  The individuals would have to be gifted enough to bring a worthwhile contribution, and would then work under the authority of the current staff for this project.  Otherwise, half of our teams should stay back to defend, in the event of more bandits attacking this otherwise undefended location, and the other half would be set to attack the enemy.  With consideration of the unique talents proposed by each group, the Wardens and the Seekers make the best assignment for defense.  While the seekers have been ambitious in doing otherwise, they are still comprised of some elite gifted guards, so guarding is still their strongest talent.  The wardens are almost undeniably gifted on defense."  Ehryinae finished her perspective as Ihzyhur raised up an attempt to counter.


    Xyithy gave him no opportunity to counter.  "While I do respect the appreciation at being given placed among our offensive forces, I do think that as the most veteran this would also make me... "  "Actually, no.  All four of our forces will be themselves governed by the four of us, but it would be wisest to have someone more informed on the matters at hand to handle overall control of the situation.  The Seekers and the Wardens will report directly to their leader, but those leaders will report directly to the Commander.  Meanwhile, the Reavers and the Embers will have their direct leaders, but we will have our own direct report.  The four girls still remain the most invested leaders in knowledge of enemy advancements, they would have the clearest idea of what we need, while also having their own degrees of experience.  While we could still fit an advisory role, it would be their leader that takes full command of this operation."  Xyithy realized where Ehryinae was going with this.  It would then be Xyithy''s daughter who had the highest authority, even over her mother.


    "This actually makes sense.  The wardens are also versed in a few other areas, so ensuring everyone is well fed and remains healthy would not be difficult for us.  Working under another to achieve this isn''t that far unforeseen, though it is fortunate that at least the strategist is himself an elf.  That will make things easier for us elves."  "Maybe, and even considering that, the Seekers really have their own strong potential in this situation, and I know there is a strong value in making sure my sister has a safe place to return to, but after all the conversation from earlier.. I was left feeling obligated to ensure my sister was at least.. introduced to the ways of her gift that we''ve thus far kept from her.  Spilling the secret and then leaving it hanging has really left me feeling out of place."  Aelyiq honestly had some present feelings of wanting to be explicitly with the woman he was charged with supporting, but understood how providing her with a safe recluse would still help her.  Ihzyhur though did have a point, no one had even brought up any practicum for the gift so far.


    "That''s actually going into some of what I had envisioned for our offensive team.  The Reavers I mostly picked because their stealth offense would do us remarkably in trying to sneak into enemy lines, but the Embers, other than being the least effective at sustaining a food supply with the practical usage of our ability, I wasn''t just considering our offensive capacity.  As a disciple of the Arch-Magus, I''ve education in the training of the gift itself, and my crew are familiar with the process itself of supplying related training.  We''re the most generally versed in the gift as a whole, and thus could facilitate basic training in the fundamentals of the gift.  Once provided an education on the foundation of their own abilities, the four of them could then seek personal guidance on more advanced and specialized matters from those who have more distinct knowledge in the exact qualities of their specific gift."  Considering none of the four knew anything about this gift, what they themselves called magic, Ehryinae''s idea to start with the basics sounded way better than starting with more advanced studies.  The logic behind this was too hard to deny, that even Xyithy didn''t argue the point.  The basics were probably the most annoying thing to teach about, anyway.


    Having settled the matter of roles and distribution of forces so suddenly, Rhyde was left with being rushed back into the topic of location.  He had thought he could have given himself more time by discussing the matter, but Ehryinae had covered everything so flawlessly.  In need of more time, he had no choice but to admit to it.  "I think then we know where we will be starting.  The first task will be to settle this distribution in an organized way.  The people being tasked with development, please send them my way.  Aelyiq, I''ll make sure to allocate you a translator for your contribution, I expect you will need it.  Yuxzn, please work with Aelyiq and Ihzyhur to develop a defensive layout for going forwards.  Meanwhile, I''ll be doing some research to locate a decent target for us to start with.  Xyithy, as your forces specialize in stealth, I may need your help with scouting, to determine enough details to pick such a place.  We will be working together then until it is time for you to depart.  Ehryinae, as it has been raised as a point of concern, can you take the opportunity to setup some initial training for the four girls?  It may be wisest to start teaching new materials in a safer and less stressful environment.  If you plan to extend a practical part of your lessons onto the field, this might still be the smartest way to begin."  Rhyde wasn''t an expert in either teaching or the gift, not at all, but he was an expert at leading people.  He has seen plenty of times that even his best aren''t as capable of staying rational under pressure as they could be when calm.


    It was a much shorter meeting than their last, but it finally put people into places with their own responsibilities.  It also clarified where people would be working specifically.  Ehryinae''s understanding of the four teams had been efficient at making this happen, even Yuxzn was impressed.  He had later learned that she had learned such a thing from the Arch-Magus himself, working under him.  Yuxzn would then be left wondering how much of that was passed down to his granddaughter.


    Ihzyhur was left disgruntled later to discover that Zyuixqs and Chyurae would both be still traveling with the four girls, as they had been doing frequently.  Chyurae would be priceless at gaining quiet entry into enemy facilities, but Ihzyhur didn''t see why Zyuixqs would be there at all.  Not that he could express any particular reasons why Zyuixqs shouldn''t be there either, he just didn''t like it.


    By dinner, some of the finer details had been arranged.  A dozen new faces had shown up to the smith just after dinner, people he was supposed to have working under him.  Apparently, they were very promising individuals, but this wasn''t easy stuff.  He would have to see just how promising they really were.  Rhyde had gotten reports that some of their food-stocks was found frozen, which apparently was to allow it to preserve better.  Having frozen water was also novel for most of them.  The fact that amber-leaf plants had started growing much closer to the facility suddenly was also a very thankful update.


    The Reavers had departed soon after dinner, with Xyithy giving her daughter a parting hug before going off to her work.  They had a few places that needed more information, so that Rhyde could give them a good starting target.  She would be back sometime tomorrow, soon after lunch if conditions were favourable.  Meanwhile, she expressed that she expected her daughter to study hard and to do well with her new lessons.  Qheria was completely unadjusted to this side of her mother, but it''s not like she herself hadn''t changed.


    Ehryinae meanwhile had admitted that she would need the rest of the night to prepare a lesson plan, so they would be starting first thing in the morning.  Thanrie contemplated that this was a return to another day of classes, like the training they had been doing before.  Just this time, they had a brand new class.  She mumbled to herself in English, in considering the situation.  "So.. you''re a wizard, Thanrie."  Mhyl was the only one who had heard, and giggled at it.  School of magic, indeed.  However, that also brought up how delinquent they have been with their other ''classes''.  Mhyl and Lwyn decided to spend the rest of the day doing language lessons, while Qheria and Thanrie did some more combat training.  By the end of the day, Mhyl had successfully handled some really really basic Izhaethyx phrases in a really rough conversation.  Thanrie was even more proud of herself, helping Qheria off the ground in one of their bare-handed duels.  It was her first victory yet.  It seemed that idea she had used against the claw wielder really wasn''t that bad after all.


    All of them resolved to simply get better, and to be more successful.. and proud of that success.. in the future.  They just needed to keep working hard on it, every day.

 30: Wishful Dreaming

    Ehryinae''s magic classes begun bright and early the next morning.  The four girls hadn''t even found an opportunity to have breakfast yet, though they had been told there were still plans for a breakfast break.


    Mhyl hadn''t been fond of delaying breakfast.  Taking a breakfast break, when considered in English at least, seemed a bit ironic.  In either Celesi language, breakfast didn''t include the word ''break'', so the irony was lost.  However, there was something more to the current situation that she didn''t like.  Mhyl watched a fish skip around in the nearby river.  Something about demonstrating fire into water being safer than most alternatives. Mhyl was even imagining how a steam burst from fire hitting water could cause plenty of problems.  Falling in was still a concern for her.


    Looking at their arrangements, there was yet another concern for Mhyl.  Lwyn however had also noticed the problem.  "Ehryinae, just a question.  Do you know Elaethyx?  Because if we''re just going to start with only the five of us, that might make it pretty hard for Mhyl."  Lwyn knew Mhyl had been making good progress with Izhaethyx, but not enough for learning about magic at the same time.  Ehryinae paused, realizing in her planning that she had forgotten all about language barriers.  The citadel handled all of it''s tasks in Izhaethyx, absolutely everyone there knew it.  Considering how Lwyn might be taking over the place one day, the days of being single language might not last forever.


    Catching the impression of Ehryinae''s pause, Lwyn filled in the blanks.  "I guess this time I will have to be translator.  Please go slow enough so that I can translate while trying to learn for myself."  This time Lwyn would be the translator, Yuxzn or anyone else wouldn''t be available to step in for her.  As Lwyn informed Mhyl, Mhyl became further determined to learn Izhaethyx even faster.


    Ehryinae thus begun their first lesson.  "In a way, the gift itself can be though of like another feature of your body, like another hand or leg.  Much like how your mind expresses messages for your body to act upon, your mind also imprints expectations of your gift for it to enact.  However, while your hand might only have a small selection of distinct commands it can be given, the gift can support a large variety of distinct requests.  Thus, the hardest part about using the gift is the mental focus required.  Even slight alterations can impact the result.  A candlelight could become a fireball."  Ehryinae demonstrated with one hand lighting as a candlelight and the other resolving as a fireball.


    "The closest thing to compare this to is, for example, drawing.  A slightly different request for motion in your hand can shift exactly what kind of picture is drawn.  Similar to that same process, it''s important to envision what sort of result you are attempting to produce.  If it is a candlelight you seek, envision the candlelight, wish for it to appear exactly how you want it to be formed.  Much of this is important because the gift itself resides within your blood.  Imparting strong impressions will get your blood rushing, which will help develop the intended result.  If you aren''t focused enough, and are instead too relaxed, your blood won''t be able to circulate fast enough to produce a result."  Ehryinae''s demonstration of this resulted in both flames flickering out together, and disappearing.


    "To keep a clear focus of what you intend, you need a clear focus of an origin for your gift.  You can focus on a point in the distance, but that can be harder.  Having a tool handy with which to use to focus your gift makes creating a focus of origin much easier.  Such a tool doesn''t need to be complicated at all, it just need to be an object you have on hand.  The easier it is to focus on the finer details of the object you are holding, the easier it is to apply your gift to that focus of origin."  Ehryinae pulled out the staff she had used before, and conjured a flame to sit on top of it.  Even moving the staff around kept the flame where it was on the staff.


    "While your own hands can work as a focus, that can also be dangerous.  I assure you, not even I am eager to demonstrate the idea of lighting my hand on fire.  Having a separate focus reduces a lot of the strain on yourself.  Keep in mind that, since the gift is itself within your blood, using the gift will thin your own blood.  Much like other forms of exercise, using your gift can tire you out eventually.  The more of the gift you need, the faster you will be exhausted.  More so, your blood also shapes your gift as a whole, and defines what it can and can not do.  Everyone with the gift has their own unique capacity of the gift, it takes its own unique shape.  This is why you will need lessons from those of your bloodline, as what you can do with your own gift will not be the same as the other three girls around you.  It is entirely possible that the fireball I created might not be within the possibility of any of your gifts, but instead you will be able to do other things."  Ehryinae held out a hand as if to conjure something, but didn''t, as if the lack of anything was demonstration enough.


    "Once you create something with the gift, it is still an extension of yourself.  While you are keeping it going, it will drain you further.  But it does still exist.  For example, fire burns.  If it has nothing to burn from, you will need to keep creating it.  If it has its own fuel, you can sustain it much easier."  Ehryinae took out some simple wood and set it on fire.  The fire burned away at the wood, although it still held to it''s shape.  Ehryinae was obviously still controlling the fire, but they assumed this was still easier for her to accomplish.


    "While formed, it moves as you will, even if you have it leave it''s point of origin.  You control it right until the moment you lose focus of it, or it otherwise can''t keep going."  Ehryinae picked up the burning wood with her other hand, and created a new flame.  That flame danced around in the air, until she dropped it into the river.  A burst of steam erupted, exactly as Mhyl predicted, which also made her jump.  Ehryinae also used the river to put out the wood she was carrying, and then also took of her gloves and even threw those in the river.  The gloves also generated a lot of steam, clearly having been used to protect her own hands during the demonstration.


    "So, now for the fruits of our demonstration."  Ehryinae pulled out some fried fish from the river.  Clearly her actions weren''t done without complete sense of causality.  She setup a nice space to further roast the fish in a nice wrapping of amber-leaf.  All of them walked a distance away from the setup, as Ehryinae had them burn safely from a fair distance, a process that would have been very difficult to do by hand and not suffer from the smoke of the burning ember-leaf.  Once properly cooked, with careful precision of temperature, she handed off their freshly prepared breakfast to each of the girls.  Ehryinae then sat down with her own portion, getting a little tired from the effort of the entire demonstration.


    Mhyl was contemplating all of the theory Lwyn had passed off to her.  Not all of the actions had been perfectly in step with Lwyn''s translation, but she generally was able to figure out how it all worked together.  The words were honestly probably the most important part, there wasn''t much visual to worry about.  Apparently, because most of it went on in their heads.  Mhyl wiggled her fingers in front of her face, measuring the mental concentration required to reproduce that effort.  In principle, some of this made sense.  Even some scientific principles made sense, blood was a carrier for things like oxygen, if we could assume that blood on this world carried a few more things than it did on Earth, just as oxygen was transported to the brain, so would.. whatever chemically constituted as the ''gift''.  As it would pass through the brain, in theory receiving electrolytic responses, and thus would shape a command in those cells or whatever, similar to how muscle responses work.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Specific to her, she considered points such as blood expenditure and degrees of focus.  Being an elf, with less stamina then humans, that means she would have less overall.. energy?  She was still mentally constructing the term ''mana'' from Earth, but that didn''t work.  It wasn''t a separate resource, it was exactly the same stamina she has less of than a human.  She would tire from using magic faster than the others.  However, the principles of focus and detail of focus was exactly what elves had in strength.  She would need to make use of her greater focus potential, to make up for the loss of stamina.


    The greatest concern right now was, like an infant, this was a part of herself she didn''t actually understand how to control.  She didn''t even understand what she was even capable of, none of them did.  But much like practice and exercise builds fine tuned movement and grace for one''s hands, the same would be true with one''s gift.  Expecting a hand you have never used in your life to move, it might not be graceful at first, but it should at least twitch.


    Having herself finished her portion of breakfast, she picked up a spare Ember-leaf, and stared at it.  She followed the intricate lines of it, focused on the tip top of it, and even turned it upside down to stare at the broken stem instead.  Nothing.  She didn''t know what she would have expected to have happened, but having nothing happen was still disappointing.


    Lwyn noticed what Mhyl was doing and reached out to her in English.  "What''s so interesting about the leaf there?  Figuring out new medicines or something?"  Being caught off guard by Lwyn''s questions, Mhyl put the leaf down.  "Oh, uh.. I was trying to see if I could figure out anything from today''s lesson.  Was trying to use the leaf as a focus, but.. nothing happened."  Mhyl noticed Lwyn had picked up the same leaf, after Mhyl''s explanation, and attempt to reproduce the same exercise.  As nothing happened, Mhyl could only guess it had yielded the same results.  Thanrie and Qheria, having heard the conversation, went to make their own attempts, with the same results.


    "This is always hardest at first, trying to figure out how to reach out for your own gift.  The problem is typically making expectations of yourself that you just don''t know how to deliver.  Most first time activations occur.. almost by accident.  You just have to keep trying, while staying aware of what you are doing, experimenting with new approaches.  When you finally trigger your own gift, keep track of all the thoughts and feelings you invested into it, exactly what kind of focus you had, and then try to reproduce it.  When you can repeat that one action at will, you can start to reshape your intent in other areas, and achieve other forms of results.  The chances of getting anything like this working on the first try were basically nothing.  Just keep at it, you''ll figure out how it works eventually."  Ehryinae''s statement composed the harsh reality behind their circumstances.  Something like this certainly wouldn''t be something they could casually do at will so easily.  For now, they would have to depend on their other more established skills as they continued to practice on eventually reaching out for their gift.


    Mhyl turned to the others in English, which left Ehryinae still feeling not part of the conversation.  There was no helping it.  "The principles behind magic here are at least interesting.  It means everything is plasma fueled, it runs on our blood.  Plasma energy is at least an interesting source, much more than fabled mana.  It at least feels more, scientific."  "I don''t think the point is to be so scientific, this isn''t Earth.  The rules here are Celesi, not Terran, so the earth sciences of everything shouldn''t mean shit."  Mhyl was busy still considering the science behind everything, but Thanrie didn''t like the idea.


    "If it''s something in our blood, doesn''t that make it more like.. force?"  "Qheria, please don''t go there.  The idea of space wizards would just make this harder to understand.  Besides, wasn''t that supposed to still be a kind of fantasy thing?  Also, it looked way easier than this, this is actually hard.  Like Mhyl said, there is probably some kind of scientific element behind this in our blood, and a deep study would probably dissect exactly what we''re working with, but still wouldn''t help with using it.  Even elven vision doesn''t go down to the cellular levels, so that can wait until later."  Qheria was bringing earth fiction into the fray, complicating the situation, while Lwyn was trying really hard to not overwhelm her brain.  Too many questions to answer at once.


    Lwyn shifted back to Izhaethyx.  "Could you go more into detail what your own thoughts are when you create a candlelight?  While it won''t work for us exactly the same way, at least having a sample to work from might help us go in the right direction."  "When I put a candlelight on my staff, I clearly envision the candlelight on the staff.  I strongly will it to be there, not exactly expecting it should be there but instead thinking that it makes no sense that it isn''t there.  This is all while looking at where the candlelight would sit, clearly watching the place it would stand on, and using it to frame the surface for the flame.  In the end, the same vision I have of it in my mind is the same I end up seeing with my eyes, as if it was only inevitable.  The mental focus would yield a lot of intent and resolve, which is required too.


    Qheria could see a big problem in this process pretty quickly, she had no real amount of self-confidence.  It wasn''t like she just believed it would happen, in fact she doubted herself and was waiting for reality to prove her wrong.  Being stubborn in these regards really wouldn''t be helping either.  Knowing the others, there was a lot of concerns in resolve for them too.  Lwyn still honestly hated herself, especially her blood, so a natural belief of her own ability was rather distant.  Thanrie''s mental focus was probably a disaster, as the clash of two views within her mind was probably a constant ongoing distraction.  Mhyl herself was being far too scientific about it, which would itself make her doubt how it worked until it could prove how it works.  They were each mentally defeating themselves, even before the whole concept really started.


    "So, I might already know what we have to work on first, in order to many any progress in this at all."  "Huh?  Really?  What is it?"  "We would need to start with some mental exercises, stuff to train our minds in how to adopt to the idea of this gift, before we stand anything close to a chance of actually using it.  How we are thinking in general is being our biggest problem, more than anything else.  The whole issue itself has been affecting other stuff that we have done, even myself, so it''s a rational place to start."  Qheria shared her Izhaethyx views of the matter, sparking Lwyn''s curiosity.


    Ehryinae was impressed that Qheria had figured out what was usually the next lesson for students.  She really did have such a marvelous leadership potential, something else that should be nurtured.  "Qheria has the rights of it.  Mental training and mental exercises is usually the very next step of the process, something we will be getting into next.  The way the lessons are supposed to work is that I''m supposed to ask you why your gift has had no chance of working, which most students give wild answers like not understanding what they should be doing, but.."  ".. but the best answer is more unique to each of us.  I have no self-confidence, Thanrie has no mental focus, Lwyn has no self-respect, and Mhyl is being too critical.  None of us are being calm and accepting of this unknown part of ourselves, it hasn''t been in our nature."  Ehryinae was very impressed at how specific Qheria had been able to go, Qheria''s answer was the best Ehryinae had ever heard of in any previous lessons.


    Qheria''s answer also made sense to each of the others.  It''s not something they could deny at all, but it was also something they had no idea how to exactly fix.  "It''s usually best at this point of the lesson to give students a chance of self-discovery, to ponder everything in further detail, and to come back with some further insight into the matter.  Qheria herself seems to have a good grip on the situation, so the four of you should work together on some path of self-discovery.  We''ll have further classes after lunch, where we''ll talk about what you tried to do to realize your goals.  Though, in consideration, Xyithy is due back also after lunch, so there is a chance that everything might be more of a field lesson rather than a simple lecture.  Don''t worry, this part of the process is usually slow, and takes a while.  There is no exceptional hurry, all four of you have been talented in other areas in the meanwhile, and the Reavers and Embers already have access to the gift, no one is expecting you to get at it right away."  Ehryinae provided everyone with some homework to do for the rest of their morning.


    With that, their first lesson was concluded, and the five of them returned back to the facility.  They had a lot of things to consider at this point, and a lot of things to work on.

 31: Waking Nightmare

    Having been left to their own thoughts, the four girls found lunch had quickly fallen upon them.  Having finished lunch, the four of them were meeting again for the next step of their lesson.


    Rather than going outside, this next class was being held in what had so far functioned as the meeting room.  The first order of business was to go over what they had done since the last lesson.  Qheria had tried to take charge of the rest of the morning activities, as she was supposed to be the leader, but in retrospect, they had quickly just gone to do their own thing.  Qheria had the idea of having everyone just sit down and talk about how they felt, but Thanrie was the first to get bored.  Thanrie had gone off to practice with her weapon, taking the lesson to an angle of focusing on her own movement and actions, like a fine-tuned dance.  In a small room, she was practicing without unleashing the chain but with her boots active, so she was gliding around the room a lot.  Initially, she was more colliding with the walls, but she quickly stopped making those mistakes.  However, beyond physical training, it brought no benefit to her circumstances.


    Mhyl had taken Qheria''s idea, but felt it had no principle of direction, she never really had a plan for what she was going to say.  So instead, she got some report paper and started just writing down her own feelings for herself, with the intent on sharing that with the others.  However, the end product looked more like a report analyzing herself rather than any form of actual expression.  It was much less about feelings and much more about facts.  Lwyn was last to give up on Qheria''s idea, in fact Lwyn had kept too it longer than Qheria herself had.  Lwyn had even tried to convince Qheria that the plan was still good, but Qheria couldn''t be convinced.  From there, Qheria had gone off on her own to sort through the chaos of her own thoughts, while Lwyn was left to wonder what she should herself be doing.  Neither of them were successful with either.


    Ehryinae shrugged.  On account for the fact that all four of the girls had two sets of memories and personalities each, it''s understandable that sorting out the mental requirements of this process would be much harder than would be typical.  The most concerning part of this was then more how each of their internal conflicts were probably affecting their other responsibilities.  She had signed up for this process, so now she would have to be responsible for ensuring that the four girls found a way to adjust to this abnormality.


    Class was interrupted with the arrival of Xyithy, mid afternoon.  She had only just arrived, which was later than her original estimate.  Rhyde and Yuxzn came in with her.  "Sorry to interrupt, but we do have other matters of interest.  Rhyde, I''m pleased to let you know that the facility you pointed me at no only looks to be some kind of construction facility, but that we had found signs that it was resident to very few bandits.  Food supplies was lacking, most of their stock seems to be designed to support their production efforts instead of supporting their people.  My guess is that the goal was to involve as few bandits as possible with such creation efforts.  The whole facility mostly appears to run on itself."  Xyithy was very proud to offer some good news.  The location would be rich in resources, and few in bandits, it was a perfect place to hit.


    Still, entering a facility that was filled with advanced equipment would provide an unknown risk, even a few bandits could be a threat if they had access to complex enough stuff.  Instead, the best idea was to approach them when their enemy would be least prepared.  This means it was time for another overnight mission.  The plan was thus for the groups involved to get some rest to be prepared for the night, then to wake up for a very late dinner.  They would make their way to the facility by around the middle of the night, and would aim to be out of there well before dawn.  This would have them back home in time for a late breakfast, although having some food packed and ready for the road would probably be a smart move, just in case.  The need for water wasn''t even disputable.


    As planned, the four girls had gone to get some rest to prepare, but all four of them were still conflicted with their morning failures.  It made getting a decent amount sleep at such an irregular hour a very elusive task.  Xyithy showed up right on schedule to wake all four of them up.  "Okay, sleepy heads, time to get up.  We have a long road ahead of us."  Xyithy was mostly doing her due diligence in ensuring they were woken up, but the fact that she wasn''t going to be the leader was still something she had not yet adjusted to.  She was already making expectations of everyone.


    The four of them finished waking up and made their way to dinner.  Except for those departing, everyone had eaten dinner a long time ago.  The four girls sat down at a table with Zyuixqs and Chyurae.  Chyurae had spent dinner trying to cheer Mhyl up, but without much impact.  Zyuixqs was uncertain how he could help, especially in fear of consequences.  Both of them realized at this point that usually the one who pulled through in this situation was Lwyn, but she couldn''t offer anything at that point.  Dinner otherwise concluded uneventfully.


    Getting out at least made the four start to feel better.  The task at hand proved very distracting, letting them turn away from their worries and turn instead to more familiar patterns at this point.  Mhyl''s headset had already needed it''s first power cell replacement, and it was running the entire time as she scouted around.  Lwyn and Chyurae, being the only other elf-kinds, were assigned the more mundane watch variant from hilltops along the way.  Qheria had never felt the weight of responsibility of having to lead this many people, but now in addition to their usual half dozen, there were many more coming along with them.  She had to organize how to best move a group this size, in addition to having her friends take roles in a wider area.  Thanrie had been regrettably assigned the role of messenger in this whole network, due to the speed she could achieve with her boots.  Her own boots had gotten so much usage, she had found need of replacing its power cell more than once.


    Zyuixqs would have as usual been given the role of being useless, but instead it was his responsibility to work with their supplies.  This had a lot more responsibility on their return trip, when they came back with their spoils.  The location they were going to honestly sounded like some kind of factory, so their return load wasn''t estimated to be light at all.  Having access to things designed to make stuff, this was going to bring them so many nice things.  They just needed to make sure that everything worked out.


    Thanrie contemplated the situation as she ran messages around.  They had been very lucky with many things in the past, and by the sounds of it, even the world itself was providing that very luck for them.  Still, the effectiveness of that same luck wasn''t supreme, she had almost died after all.  There is no way they could count on some good luck to simply have them bring back success, it would at most only ensure they came back alive.  As consequences have risen from their mistakes, she wasn''t even certain that their luck could be counted upon to ensure their survival.  It seemed to be something with some limitations, if pressed too hard it would probably fail on them in the worst of cases.  Instead of depending on luck, they had to be careful, so that their luck had a much easier time getting its job done.


    Qheria was mostly concerned with the state of the factory.  It made sense to involve as few bandits as possible, but that would mean that something else was decreasing the workload for the entire factory.  It could only imply the factory was mostly automated.  Unlike how the gift appears to automate things, mechanical automation is self-sustained, and capable of operating without direct supervision.  She was certain this would be a problem, but had no ideas without being present to the situation.


    It took a while to reach their destination, especially considering they needed a break mid-way.  When they got close to the factory, everyone stopped for another break, eating a short midnight snack before continuing.  It gave them some time to consider a decent approach.


    For once, they had arrived at a compound with heavy closed gates.  Even Chyurae would have no means to get the gate opened.  However, they had two options for approaches.  Ehryinae felt that she could get the door open, though it would certainly raise an alarm.  Xyithy was more interested in climbing the walls and gaining access that way, even though Ehryinae disputed that the walls had no suitable means to climb.  Qheria observed the situation and gauged her mother''s idea was better, not just because raising an alarm early was dangerous, but because she had her own ideas in how to deal with the wall.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Lwyn and Qheria advanced on the tall steel wall.  Lwyn tested her gloves on the wall, and was rewarded with success.  Qheria got some chains ready and jumped to the top of the wall while holding the chain.  Lwyn met her at the top soon after, as the two of them worked to secure the chain at that area of the wall, Lwyn ensuring it was extra secure with a bit of magnetism.  Mhyl stood guard in the meanwhile, using her headset.  She could sense some simple rhythmic activity within the factory, but nothing alarming, and no signs of nearby patrols.


    Having passed the outside wall, they all looked at the next challenge ahead of them.  The factory included more than a few buildings.  However, exploring looking for the right one gave risk in getting discovered, so Qheria decided that the closest building might be the best.  It was also the largest building, so it by default had some of the highest odds.  They found the closest door, but as expected it was locked.  Rather than having Ehryinae detonate the door, this one looked like something Chyurae could handle.   Having Ehryinae conserve her stamina would probably be in their best interest.  In no time at all, the door was unlocked, and the group entered the factory proper.


    Thanrie looked around at the dim lighting melding around the halls, faint lights flickering with the same neon filaments she had to deal with before.  They had brought their own light sources, but there was concerns about being discovered by using extra light.  There was no choice, she would have to go at it without additional support.  Their goal was to find the supplies for the factory, with benefits to finding supplies at both the start and end of the production process.  They also needed to find a place blueprints were stored.  However, as they passed the main corridor entering the area, it was clear they had found themselves in the middle of the production process.  Faint lights and eerie sounds echoed around the room, as the machines guiding the process hissed steam to endure the eternity of their efforts.  A chill went down Thanrie''s spine.


    Qheria decided to use a similar approach to their own facility, finding the most supervisory location.  This spot would certainly hold a collection of blueprints, but would also not only provide a better view of the site layout, it might even have a map of the building.  With that, they could quickly find everything else they needed.  Carefully and quietly, the rather large group continued to make use of what silence they could still afford.  Even the walls hissed steam at them, faintly glowing its own dim light.  Eventually, they reached a rather important looking door, with a lot of security mechanisms.  Clearly, only important people were allowed past this door.


    Chyurae worked hard on the door, trying to bypass every lock on the door.  At one point, he managed to get the door unlocked.  The group pressed inside.  There they found the room littered with documents, exactly what they had hoped to find.  Plans for various projects, and even a map.  The room however offered very little visibility outside, so it wasn''t a perfect accomplishment.  It was too dark to read the documents where they were, so they just packed up everything.  Thanrie helped, picking up document after document.  With one of the documents she found, as she tried to move it, a metal hand slammed down on it.  A wall panel slid open, revealing a mechanical being designed to look like an artificial human.  Gears and panels could be seen all over it, and its eyes glowed with nothing close to natural.


    Thanrie snapped once again, her shriek wailed across the halls.  That moment was beyond terrifying for her, something born out of her darkest nightmares.  In how it looked so artificial, thinking of it like a metallic zombie wouldn''t be so far fetched.  The thing before her searched her over quietly, then appeared to identify her as an intruder as it''s expression darkened.  An siren began to wail across the entire facility, multiple panels across the hall sliding open.  The entire facility was arming to deal with this threat.


    Mhyl''s initial reaction in English was much calmer than Thanrie''s.  "Oh wow, it''s some kind of clockwork automaton.  So they had these standing in for the otherwise lack of staff in the area."  "Mhyl, I know you think they are neat, but don''t forget that they are trying to kill us.  The quiet phase of our trip is over, it''s time to break robot skulls."  As Mhyl marveled upon the android in front of her, Qheria smashed it with her shield, crushing it.  Everyone else drew weapons, having at least collected all the paperwork.


    Mhyl was scanning over the map as they exited the room, searching for their next destination.  Keeping active while in bad lighting was making it harder to review the map efficiently, however her headset was giving her even more sensory overload as there was suddenly a LOT of nearby activity.  She passed off the map to Chyurae, realizing she didn''t even have her atlas on her either.  She did have her blade book though, if she had need of it.


    Carnage was everywhere, though fortunately it was all one sided.  Their enemy might have robotic strength, but were still using conventional weapons.  Meanwhile, a vast majority of them were either molten metal, or had been sundered in an invisible wave of mist.  The combination of heat and water caused the room to fill with even more steam, making visibility even harder and progress even slower.


    "We need to split up a bit, mixing both gifts like this is only making things harder.  Ehryinae, this place is making stuff and having it glide along a pre-determined path.  Follow that process to its destination, and secure that area.  Lwyn, take Mhyl and Chyurae, and go with her.  The rest of us are going to follow this thing in the reverse direction, and locate it''s source."  Qheria came up with a quick decision to deal with the current problem.


    Lwyn explained the situation in Elaethyx as Qheria''s group went their own way.  Mhyl nodded in understanding while Chyurae still tried to read the map.  He was still following along at least.  They followed along the assembly line, taking out their robotic foes along the way.  As the steam cleared up, Lwyn was getting a lot more good shots off, having even more range than the Embers.  Having shots ricochet off of surfaces was shredding through the ranks of her foes, but she also had to be careful to not hit any of the Embers too.


    Even with her skilled shots, most of the enemy was falling apart by intense flame that either shattered them with an explosion, or melted down important structural parts.  Her own shots were proving difficult, because she had no prime target to hit.  Taking off their head didn''t seem to cause any fatal blow, nor did any kind of central blow in various spots on their torso.  The only thing that looked to work was shredding it into tiny pieces, which was much harder for Lwyn to accomplish.  Instead, she focused on the shoulders and hips, joints she could take out to make them harmless and easy to otherwise dispose of by fire.


    They continued along, with Chyurae eventually giving up on the map, having handed it off as yet another document.  The passage soon after opened into an immense room, a water cooling phase of the process.  Because most of the process was supplemented by steam, not only did it get pretty hot, but it needed a lot of water though the entire endeavour.  This room seemed to hold enough water to handle all of those concerns.  Mhyl shuttered in fear, as she noticed that the path forward involved going over the water reservoir.  They had to continue fighting as the continued forwards, with many of their molten enemies falling into the water below them.


    As they proceeded, the room started to fill with steam, as the water below them started to heat up.  Molten metal was singeing with steam as it make contact with the surface of the water.  Around the middle of the reservoir, right when one of the robots fell in, the heat buildup was so intense that the water bubbled with a burst of steam, right under where Mhyl was standing.  The force of the burst sent her flying, landing into the water.  The water brought her under, some by the weight of what she was carrying, some because it already had a natural current.  She didn''t know how to swim, and couldn''t escape.


    Chyurae noticed Mhyl was in trouble and dove right in after her.  He was both light and apparently also gifted with movements such as swimming, so he managed to go after her.  However, it was still a long distance to cover, and conditions were getting worse.  "Ehryinae, we need to stop letting heat get into the water.  You can do explosive stuff, hit them with enough force to send them away from the water.  We need to defend this entire water supply from heat."  Lwyn wanted to jump in to help also, but that would leave only their fire mages to deal with a problem caused by fire.  If she wanted to help, she needed to get the fighting away from the reservoir.  No longer aiming for arms, she was putting most of her effort trying to get a bladed slicing weapon, more designed to pass through enemies, to push them back.  Leg shots at least were far more useful for this process.


    By the time they had reached the far side, they had found Chyurae had brought Mhyl to the side, and was trying to help her further.  They both had serious water burns, so Chyurae was hardly capable of anything.  It was only at this point that Lwyn did recall that the one who was now at risk was actually their healer.  Fortunately, Ehryinae''s field of expertise left her with a lot of knowledge on dealing with burns, but this still left them with a serious problem.  The two elves were moved away from the source of heat, in order for them to cool off, while everyone tried to do what they could to help with the serious injuries.  This was only made worse by the still ongoing rush of seemingly endless enemies approaching them.


    They needed to get back to the Wardens, in order to deal with this danger.  Once again, someone''s life was at risk.

 32: Thermal Cooling

    With two heavily injured elves, it was all they could do to simply hold their ground.  They had made it away from the water reservoir, but they weren''t safe yet.


    Lwyn was starting to sweat, and it had little to do with the heat of the air.  The heat of the situation was more what was getting to her.  Trying to help two of her friends, when no one else could offer much support, simply made this really rough.  She could tell how much hardship Mhyl put herself through taking care of them, she took care of Thanrie in a situation much like this.  Maybe with fewer enemies, but there was about as much fire.  She was working with some of the ointment Ehryinae had, but the stuff clearly wasn''t designed for these kind of burns, or even this degree of burns.  There was also the water breathing problem.


    Lwyn panicking was a bit of a breathing problem for herself.  Actually, while she had been panicking about the visible burns, they did just drown.  The water!  Thankfully, while it felt like ages, it hadn''t even been minutes.  Getting the two elves here had actually taken seconds.  This was good, because it was only now that she realized neither of them were actually breathing.  Moments were eternities in situations like this, and she was scolding herself for her own neglect while she started to get the water out of their system.  The water would also be burning them from the inside, so that''s another reason to get it out.  She wasn''t exactly good at this, but she''s had experience with problems in the Inn that were, unfavourable.  People unable to breath, or having drunk too much of a liquid, both of those had happened in much less serious situations, and she''d been the one to deal with it.  Sometimes, the stupid things she learned growing up seemed to be useful.


    After some more seemingly eternity, she managed to get enough water pumped out to encourage a calm amount of breathing.  It was still very shallow, they were in a horrible situation, but breathing was at least a good start.  The water she pumped out of them had even scalded her hands, the internal burns would be a huge problem.  She was familiar enough with the concept to know that the damage would typically be a catastrophe, mundane solutions wouldn''t be enough.  When it came to the gift, the Ember''s specialization in fire was completely useless right now.  Their other group had gifts that mostly seemed to be involved with slicing air, stealth, or something to do with mist.  Mist was itself possibly cold, but it was also water, it would reduce their breathing quality, which would hasten the dangers.  The two gifts they left behind seemed to be specialized in... ice.. and healing.  Possibly the two MOST useful things they could have asked for right now.


    Lwyn thought of it some more.  Technically, not as much ice, cause while a small dosage could at least reduce their heat levels, ice itself could dramatically shift their temperature, which would have serious problems too.  It was mostly the healing.  Lwyn at least took off Mhyl''s headset, so her head could cool off.  The thing seemed actually waterproof, and then possibly also heat resistant, it looked to be working just fine.  Lwyn looked around for something useful, but all she found were some very large steel crates.  Actually, that could be useful.


    "Ehryinae, the passage leading back where we came, can you blast the crates into a barricade, to stop them.. or at least slow them down?"  "Ah, actually, not bad."  Lwyn had a pretty good idea, according to Ehryinae.  Getting everyone positioned safely, she blasted a giant sphere into the crates, which crashed towards the entryway and blocked it off.  The noise of the explosion and the crash that followed resounded very loudly, much louder than past spells.  With things blocked, everything started to quiet down.


    "Lets not just think things are clear.  They are certainly just trying to find another route.  They probably know of another way.  If we don''t want to get cut off, we need to keep moving."  Ehryinae looked at Lwyn''s distraught expression, already worried about much of anything to do with the two elves.  They refitted some of their still-empty bags to work to help fireman-carry the two elves safely.  Two of the Embers complied with helping for this process, while Lwyn stayed alert for enemies.  She tried using the headset, but not only was it too hard to understand, but her head was too small for it to fit nicely.  Sometimes, being so tiny wasn''t helpful.


    They kept moving and eventually made it to the supplies they had been seeking.  Soon after arriving, it was Thanrie that showed up.  She turned off her boots on arrival.  "Something here just didn''t feel right, so I got Qheria''s permission to come check things out.  You left a lot of signals of where this place was, too.  Wait, where is Mhyl?"  Thanrie was looking around through her entire statement, but noticed their tallest member wasn''t as visible as she usually was.  Lwyn explained what happened, and showed Thanrie where the two elves were and how they were doing.


    Thanrie''s face slammed upon feelings of dread.  First herself, now Mhyl.  Qheria was also not going to take this news very well at all, just like last time.  She reflected on her previous thoughts about luck, clearly this showed it wasn''t something they could fully count on.  However, it was also something they would have to hope could pull them through, they were in a really tight spot.  "I''ll go get Qheria.  Ehryinae, I think we''re going to need to leave the rest of this to you and Xyithy.  We''ll need to instead focus on saving our two friends."  Thanrie was fairly assertive in a pinch like this, it was a fairly good idea.  She was gone however before anyone could reply.


    "Lwyn, if you are all going to need a quick way out, then my work isn''t yet done.  We did everything the sneaky way getting in, and I''m sure the Shadow Reavers were in their element when it came to organizing a sneaky solution.  But now we need a dramatic, quick solution.  The main gate is still sealed, and it''s not going to unseal easily.  Our best for dealing with sealed gates is also down, which will make attempts even longer.  I need you to hold this spot with my Embers, you take charge while I''m gone.  I''m going to deal with that gate, my way."  Ehryinae was also gone quickly before Lwyn could reply.  Suddenly, Lwyn was in charge of things.


    She was already having another panic attack, and there was very little to panic about.  Absolutely no one needed instructions, but the feeling that people were looking up to her and counting on her for instructions and guidance was blowing her away.  She was just a half-elf, the dirt people walked over, she couldn''t take these feelings of responsibility.  It was too much for her, this whole situation was more than she could take.  Lwyn fainted.


    She found herself being woken up later by Thanrie, who had also gotten really worried that something very bad had happened to Lwyn too while she was gone.  Ehryinae had still not yet returned, but Qheria and Zyuixqs were both present.  Qheria had taken responsibility of carrying Mhyl, while Zyuixqs struggled to carry Chyurae.  "I''m... I''m okay.. thanks."  Lwyn got up, feeling very light-headed and dizzy.  She found she was also bleeding from her forehead, falling on a hard floor like this hadn''t done her any good.  Still, even this was nothing compared to Mhyl''s situation, she knew her own state didn''t matter right now.


    Thanrie made sure Lwyn got something to function as a bandage for her head, even if they didn''t have much to work with.  She also helped Lwyn stand, and gave her a shoulder to recover with.  Lwyn insisted against it, almost falling over again in the process.  At this point, Thanrie got a bit upset.  "Okay Lwyn, I know you''re trying really F~~~ing hard to look after Mhyl, but honestly.. if you have any F~~~ing hopes in taking care of anyone else, first you''re going to have to start F~~~ing taking care of yourself.  You matter too, you know."  Thanrie was scowling at her, something she had never done.. to Lwyn at least.  Zyuixqs recognized the look himself, so certainly wasn''t going to get in the way.


    Qheria hadn''t said a word, nor did she look into saying anything.  She looked like she was barely holding on herself.  Moving almost as rigidly as the automatons they had fought, she ensured Mhyl was stable, and went to check on how Zyuixqs was doing with Chyurae.  Qheria was someone who certainly knew that being such a failure wasn''t being helpful for anyone, she had to do better herself before she could effectively lead anyone.  Her own constant failures were endangering her friends, now once again.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Ehryinae finally returned, having completed her objective.  "Oh, great, everyone is here.  The door is open.  Good luck with those two."  It wasn''t until Ehryinae was done that she noticed the state everyone was in.  Qheria looked much more exhausted then she actually was.. again.  Lwyn suddenly being injured, with still signs of blood on her forehead, that was itself alarming.  "Thanks, though we should probably worry more about Mhyl and Chyurae.  They have a much more critical situation.  But I''ll make sure Qheria and Lwyn are looked after too, they both matter dearly and are very important."  Thanrie''s closing statement almost seemed like it wasn''t only directed at Ehryinae.


    The group made their way towards the main gates.  "Zyuixqs, if you start getting too tired, let me know.  We''ll switch for a while."  Thanrie could tell that Zyuixqs was barely holding on.  He was so useless sometimes, but not by lack of effort.  Thanrie herself was busy making sure Lwyn would be alright.  They reached the gates, and observed the devastation, the entire gate had crumbled into large chunks across the field behind it.  The ground itself had multiple craters and was still smoldering.  Lwyn took a moment to worry if Ehryinae would be alright, this kind of stamina usage would endanger herself too.  It was, however, too late to worry about that now.


    Mhyl remained in a deep sleep through the entire journey.  As she slept, so too did she dream.  She was in a white frilly dress, seated in a park, watching the cloudless sky fly by.  As she watched the sky, the blue started to itself fall like rain, and puddles started to form and grow rapidly.  She ran, trying to flee the water that started to form.  As a puddle enveloped a nearby tree, it sunk into the puddle and was gone.  The water was coming for her next.


    Running was difficult, she was wearing heels after all.  Discovering that her heels were slowing her down, she threw them off, and ran bare foot.  Through the grass, it was alright, but eventually the direction she ran went from fields to rocky path, the stones sharply stabbing her feet.  She kept running, digging up a dust cloud as she ran, causing her to cough and choke.  It was starting to get harder to breath, but she kept running, the water was still following her, the whole scenery behind her was falling away into a blue void much like the sky above her.


    At one point, she stumbled on the road, sliding among the rocks and dirt below her, much farther than such a tumble should have.  The rocks scratched and scraped across her entire body, her dress was tattered and torn, and was turning red from her own blood.  The pain was immeasurable, and yet she still got up.  She had to keep going, she had to escape.


    She kept going until the path itself was edged upon a cliff, a single path hanging over an abyss of blue.  The path behind her was sinking away, absorbed by the water falling behind her.  She made sure to stay away from the cliff, but there was a long wall on the other side of the road.  As she kept going, the path itself got smaller, the space between the wall to the one side and the cliff to the other was getting smaller and smaller.  At one point, she had to start clinging to the wall as she went, the path smaller than her feet were wide.  The wall itself was brambly and sharp, clawing at her as she pressed against it.  Still, she kept going, there was no other choice.


    As she kept going, the air itself started to get thin, and a wind threatened to blow her off of the path.  She looked down at the clouds below her.  It was getting exceptionally hard to breathe.  While her elevation looked to be getting higher, she herself felt like she was getting heavier, as her dress started to drip drops of blood.  Then she realized, it wasn''t blood, it was red water.  The water had reached her after all, and was trying to claim her, to pull her down.  She struggled on, despite the weight and the difficulty breathing.


    Then suddenly, even the path betrayed her.  It came to an end, right in front of a white cloud.  The cliff itself was an endless drop down on all sides.  The path behind her was still disappearing, and her dress itself was still pulling her from the cliff, the rock wall almost shoving her off with it''s spines and needle edges.  But she refused to go down, she had to keep going.  Go where?  Up?


    With everything else blue, Mhyl lept towards the only thing not blue, the cloud, left with nothing else to depend on or have hopes in.  Her feet landed on the soft pillow of the cloud.  The billows of the cloud came up as if to envelope her, causing her a moment of fear, but receded a moment later, leaving her dress as fluffy white as the clouds themselves, more than it was originally.  The blood was rung out from it, raining below it as if to discard it into the blue abyss from which it came.  The water could not pass, it too was absorbed by the cloud.  Only herself was allowed to pass.  She kept going, following the cloudy trail before her, until it reached a pedestal.  On the pedestal was a book.  She picked it up gently and opened it to the first page.


    Mhyl coughed herself awake, which still felt itself painful.  The healing magic which had being used on her had recovered her enough that she had regained consciousness.  Aelyiq was there personally beside the warden, surprised at her sudden recovery from consciousness.  Chyurae soon appeared in her vision as well, he had clearly not been far away at all, probably no further than the Wardens had put limits upon him.  Lwyn was next to arrive, though she was still too dizzy to understand what Lwyn was even saying.  It was familiar sounding enough to be either Elaethyx or English, but she was so out of it, she couldn''t even figure out that.  As her head cleared, she noticed even Tharie was nearby, worried.  Qheria took some searching, she was sitting off to the side, looking ashamed.  Oh, was she blaming herself again?  Zyuixqs was missing, or did she miss him instead?  She could hear footsteps going away, it might be him going to report her situation.  That would make sense, he did so many reports.


    "Mhyl, lay back down, you still haven''t fully recovered.  We still have a lot more work to do.  You were injured really badly, you''re very lucky your friends managed to bring you back safely."  Oh, Aelyiq was saying she needed more rest.  They were safe though, safe was good.  Everything else, she could worry about later.  More rest was good.


    Lwyn watched Mhyl go back to sleep.  She had been worrying about Mhyl the whole trip here, trying to tend to her injuries with ointments and whatever else they could, especially when breaks were needed.  Qheria carried Mhyl the entire trip, a trip they couldn''t do in one shot getting to the factory, and certainly didn''t achieve getting back.  Thanrie and Zyuixqs had both actually worn each other out carrying the other elf.  Being a tiny half-elf, of course Lwyn hadn''t been much help at all.  She actually couldn''t help very much, beyond being constantly concerned.


    Thanrie meanwhile went to Qheria, not impressed that she seemed the only one who failed to notice Mhyl had woken up there for a while.  However, she found even Qheria was asleep.  With things calmed down, she managed to set aside another bed for Qheria and get her resting.  Meanwhile, Aelyiq got Chyurae back into the other bed that was already prepared.  Chyurae had recovered a while ago, not having been injured as seriously, but still also himself needed rest.  Until he saw Mhyl was okay, rest had eluded him, but now he was getting pretty sleepy.


    Lwyn remained there well past when the wardens had finished healing, still unsure how she could help, but devoted to the cause.  Thanrie herself decided that it would then be up to her to get them some food.  They had managed to return around lunch that same morning, and had been all a lost cause through lunch the next day.  This was yet another lunch.  Qheria and Lwyn had been here the entire time, both looking dead to the world in their own way.  Almost inverse of each other in fact, Qheria looked like everything was her fault, that somehow she was to blame for everything.. while Lwyn looked like she didn''t deserve anything better, and so was sacrificing herself for Mhyl.


    Thanrie was livid, but not at herself or anyone else.  She mostly cursed their hapless misfortune.  Their luck had still been needed to save Mhyl, in all irony of her own cursing, but it was almost that self-same luck that had caused this.  She had learned what had happened in detail.  Predicting all of this would have been ridiculous.  The chances of having a water cooling station was there, sure enough, that could have been predicted.  Predicting that it couldn''t take the heat and would have gotten warm, maybe Yuxzn could have pulled that off.  But at this point, all we have is reasons to not get in the water.  The chances of the water bubbling so perfectly as to catch one of them in just the right way to throw Mhyl into the water, and not just that but actually pull her under...


    She was getting the impression that there might be more to this luck thing then they thought.  It almost seemed like there might be two forces of fortune involving them, one wanting them to be victorious, the other seeking their defeat.  The more she thought about it, the more sense that even made.  To denounce the source of their misfortune would require her to also denounce the source of their good fortune.  Meanwhile, she had found out, while Mhyl''s health was as bad as expected, the burns she should have suffered.. were not nearly as bad as they should have been.  The burns inside Chyurae''s lungs were actually considerably worse than Mhyl''s, and he had hardly inhaled water at all.  It was another strange life-saving situation, just like the one Thanrie had gone through, and it was all too suspicious.


    Thanrie brought everyone''s lunch to the room, only to find she was the only one still awake.  She set out everyone else''s lunch, and started eating her own as she waited.

 33: Collecting Thoughts

    By next morning, all of them had rested enough to get back on their feet.  The previous day had passed by slowly, mostly in rest and recovery.


    Mhyl was the first one awake, having done nothing the day before but eat and rest.  She was also the one least aware about what had been going on since she had gotten injured.  The other three were still fast asleep, and she suspected Zyuixqs and Chyurae were also still sleeping.  This did limit the number of people she could effectively communicate with, but she still had options.  Also, she had been studying hard to learn her Izhaethyx.


    The first person she found was Ihzyhur, someone she''s had very little experience working with.  Beyond what was implied by being Thanrie''s brother, such as him being a prince, she knew very little about him.  "Oh, good morning Mhyl."  Ihzyhur greeted her in the morning with words she could faintly recognize.  She tried to repeat them.  "Oh, good morning Ihzyhur."  Mhyl may not have known that the entire statement might not have been required.  "Ah, you''re Izhaethyx is getting much better, bravo!"  Ihzyhur then said some things she hardly understood.  Izhaethyx and something that sounded like good stuff.  Was it a compliment, or him saying he thought she could do better?


    As he noticed Mhyl was confused at his much more complicated statement, he made another effort.  "Good job!"  Ihzyhur was much clearer in this case, just something good and positive with effort, so clearly Mhyl was being complimented.  She returned him a light smile, still not exactly sure what words would be best to give him thanks.  As this was making him feel rather awkward, he took her to go see Aelyiq and the wardens.


    "Ah, Mhyl, glad to see you back on your feet.  You''re feeling much better now?"  Having Aelyiq speak to her in Elaethyx still made things much easier.  "Yes I am, thank you.  How is everything else doing?  From what I can gather, I was out for some time, and I don''t really know how everything went while I''ve been recovering."  "Ah, yes.  I guess your friends are still sleeping, and most of the people around here wouldn''t offer you much in the way of details you would find easy to understand."  Mhyl''s trouble getting information was easily apparent to Aelyiq, who had been rather busy doing translations for the Wardens.  There really were so few elves around here.


    "Xyithy and Ehryinae were left to finish the rest of the task without much informed support, but they at least had stocks of things considered valuable and documents describing what was considered important.  They had spent the days since ensuring that everything needed had made it back safely.  The one they have organizing everything for the plans you girls had made.. that guy has been keeping busy trying to sort though everything in the meanwhile."  Aelyiq was talking about the smith.  A lot had been underway it seemed like.


    "From what I heard, the two groups were actually still out there, though this time to store stuff we decided we didn''t want.  Seems without guidance, there was a lot of room for error.  Rhyde had decided that stuff we can''t use shouldn''t just stay here, because we wouldn''t have space.  We could try hiding it, but that could have less informed people fall upon the stuff and cause potential dangers, especially since Rhyde himself couldn''t figure out what the stuff did.  So instead, he had them take the stuff back to the one place we know it could keep doing it''s thing in.  That way too, if we find need for it, we know where to find it."  Aelyiq made it sound like everyone''s had it hard since the four of them couldn''t actually do their job.  Mhyl was starting to feel depressed about how much trouble it had caused, having herself being taken out like that.


    That reminded her of the terrifying incident.  Crossing over the bubbling water, only to be thrown into it.  It had only risen to make her fear of water even more pronounced.  She had been worrying she would honestly drown, and that time she almost did.  She didn''t remember anything that happened after that, but it seems she had been saved at least.


    Thanrie suddenly showed up.  "Oh, I had a feeling I would find you here."  Thanrie then switched from English to Izhaethyx.  "Sorry, I''ve came here looking for Mhyl.  Can I talk with her?"  Thanrie got a nod for her question from Aelyiq, while Mhyl stepped out of the room with Thanrie.  "Everything is okay I hope?"  "Actually, that''s my question of you.  You at least sound well enough, but you still seem to be in a daze.  At least you''re doing much better than the other two."  Mhyl blinked at Thanrie''s statement, her expression became one of concern.  She wasn''t aware that something was wrong with the others.


    "No, not like that.  I mean, you just had a life-threatening accident.  Remember the last time someone had a life-threatening accident?  Qheria is back at it again, still blaming herself.  Lwyn.. I''m not even sure what happened with her.  She''s not even wanting to talk about it.  After you were injured and I met up with your group, she looked stressed but otherwise normal.. for the situation.  But when I got back with Qheria, she had fainted.  The place you guys were in was even a lot cooler, she shouldn''t have fainted from the heat.  Nor.. did it seem related to anything like that.  Something in her .. it seemed like she had just broken something in her mind.  She''s not been herself since."  Thanrie herself had been worried the entire time, and had tried to lend a hand, but for how much she seemed good at standing out in even the worst of times.. nothing.


    The whole thing had been rough for Thanrie, feeling way out of her element.  Trying to lead, because their leader couldn''t.  Trying to tend for the health of their healer.  Trying to bring back the positive esteem of the source of their team morale.  Mhyl herself was starting to notice just how worn down Thanrie had become over the past days, she couldn''t keep this up.  "So, how are you doing anyway?  Hopefully feeling better..  How did it feel for you to be so near to death, too?"  Thanrie was visibly relating it to her own experiences.


    "Was it that bad for me?  I don''t know, drowning was terrifying, but breathing is something you either fix quickly or you don''t."  "Oh, so you weren''t aware.  Most of your injuries weren''t just because you breathed water.  Chyurae himself was really injured too, and it seems the guy is a really good swimmer.  He was burned, scalding water.  You inhaled scalding water."  Mhyl was starting to clue into what Thanrie was implying.  She couldn''t remember the water being hot, only terrifying.  She did lose consciousness very quickly though, probably because of the heat.  Scalding her lungs with high temperatures, that would have been.. really bad.  The water bubbling, it was boiling!  Wait, with high temperatures cooking her from the inside, she should have died long before anyone could have saved her.


    Thanrie watched the logic spin upon her expression, as she gauged her time to continue.  "Thankfully, your burns were much less serious than even Chyurae''s.  Something had kept you safe from some of the heat and burns, even though you were still heavily injured.  I guess you could say we were just lucky to be blessed by a miracle."  Thanrie''s inclusion of the term ''miracle'' had a quick impact from her.  The same term they had used for Thanrie''s own recovery.  So it had happened again, this time to herself.  But what could...


    "Lwyn.  She had been found fainted beside you when we arrived, much like how Lwyn always said you weren''t conscious when you tended me.  If we''re still thinking about gift-giving miracles, she''s the best candidate this time.  However, what has me worried is how unlucky we''ve been getting too.  Qheria is blaiming herself for this, but I honestly think it''s stupid.  During my accident, the odds of things happening were very low, but it was something that could have been at least avoided.  This time, the odds were not just very low, predicting it would have probably been asking too much of Yuxzn."  Thanrie went quiet at this point, still very worried about Qheria.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Mhyl understood Thanrie''s concerns, Qheria really kept taking these kinds of things way too hard.  Lwyn though, being in about the same state, that wasn''t expected at all.  Usually, Lwyn was blossoming with positivity.  She also thought back to when she was treating Thanrie, and was then suspect of using the gift unknowingly.  She had felt tired, drained, but still driven.  So that wasn''t the culprit either.  Something else had affected Lwyn, something they had to figure out so she could be helped.


    Mhyl lead the way back.  She was fairly certain that if the other two were awake, given this news, neither of them would make it known.  Sure enough, they arrived to find two walking zombies.  Qheria was stressing over paperwork, documentation of the stuff that was being returned at that moment.  Lwyn was only getting herself ready for the day, going through routines without any measure of excitement.  Since Mhyl was up, Lwyn had to keep going with other stuff now, regardless of how she felt.


    Mhyl hardly ever got upset.  However, when she was upset..


    Mhyl stormed into the room in a fury.  "Okay, both of you, stop that.  Qheria, you are blowing this whole thing way out of proportion, wholesale.  When something goes wrong in the world, it isn''t always your fault.  Unless you plan to start also taking credit for every little good thing that keeps happening, you''re being rather one-sided here.  I got hurt, yes.  I even hear I could have died.  I also know there was zero you could have done about it.  The fact you had shown up and made sure I made it safely, THAT was you doing the responsible leader thing.  There is no way you could have predicted what happened, and there wasn''t anything you could have done to avoid it.  The fact you are taking personal offense to what is effectively my own free will is seriously insulting."  Mhyl''s statement put Qheria into a bit of a shock.  Qheria didn''t expect to be scolded, to be blamed, for blaming and scolding herself.


    "And you.  Why are you not even sharing what is going on?  This had better not be another ''I''m just a half-elf'' thing, or any other kind of self-blame, because I''m not in the mood for it.  You''re our important friend, what happens to you is important to all of us, you matter deeply to us.  So if something is going bad, and if you are having problems, share with us.  Stop just only helping us, let us help you too.  Friendship isn''t a one-way transaction.  Please, please, do me the favour of letting me help you too, Lwyn.  Please!"  Mhyl''s statements were putting her into tears, but she wasn''t even done with this.  Lwyn herself had frozen, completely torn between fear of being a burden and a pressing need to help as requested.


    To Thanrie''s completely surprise, Mhyl turned on her too.  "Thanrie, even you.  You''re not even innocent here either.  That''s the second time I''ve heard you shriek in fear, and yet you''ve not once even cared to put your heart out and share your feelings on the matter.  The Thanrie we know is fearless, but maybe only because that''s all that you care to share with us.  We''ve seen there are still things that trouble you.  You and I had talked about my fear of the water off by the river, and yet you still feel that no one can help you with your own fears.  Stop that too, please."  Mhyl sat down on her bed at this point, fairly worn out by her outburst and shouting.


    "I know, there are things I should stop too.  I keep worrying that there is so little I can do, and worry about every little thing so much because I feel that I can''t do anything.  I worry about my inability to talk with most people, inability to fight like any of you can, how hard it feels like it is to just keep up with everyone.  I worry that I just slow everyone down, and wonder if things would just be better if I wasn''t even here in the way at all.  And yet, the first time I''m suddenly out of commission, everyone falls to pieces.  Qheria can''t even keep her head on straight, Lwyn can''t even keep up her usual smiles and cheer, and Thanrie breaks down completely.  All of us need to stop it."  Mhyl, having even been vocally critical of her own self-deprecation, was done.


    Thanrie, still surprised that Mhyl was so worried about such a thing, was the first to find her voice.  "Yeah, I guess I never did bring it up.  I came to terms with it, but still felt ashamed of it.  Scary things, the things that crawl in the shadows, that stuff is terrifying.  I.. probably scare easier than everyone here, considering how everyone else reacted.  But this wasn''t how things were back on earth, the me from there loved horror movies.. was never terrified of it.  Being so scared of it here.. it never made sense to me."  Thanrie opened up to her fears, finally talking about them.


    Mhyl gave Thanrie a hug.  "Keep in mind, none of us are the people we remember from that world, no matter how much we''ve let it flood all of our personalities.  Technically, we aren''t even completely the people from this world either, that impact on our personalities is still something that matters too.  Neglecting either side of ourselves is only going to make things harder."


    Lwyn started to mumble at this point, before finding her voice on the second try.  "I.. I''m sorry but I still find it hard to accept either side of myself.  Half of myself is a stranger, the other half is.. a freak.  Having no memories of my self from earth, it makes it really hard to feel like I matter at all, because all I can feel is that being a half-elf is garbage.  I know, that''s exactly what you didn''t want to hear, but you did say we were supposed to share this stuff.  When Thanrie showed up earlier, I was still trying to help Mhyl, but I felt useless, because I''m not good at the kinds of things Mhyl does.  I''m nothing as good as Mhyl, she''s amazing.  If it was me who had sunk into the water, and you who had to care for me, you would have done much better, because you are a much better person.  Those ideas flooded me at the time."  Lwyn went silent for a moment, recalling the scenario in detail.


    "When Thanrie left, Ehryinae had said she was going to tend to the gate.  But that left me with everyone suffering, and her embers fighting to keep going.  Ehryinae told me that I was in charge.  Me?  How in the world could I be in charge, I didn''t even know what I was doing.  I was struggling to keep up to everything, struggling to hold on, it was too much.  I remember the blood rushing to my head, and then... waking up.  Qheria, I have no idea how you do it.  Being a leader like you are is absolutely amazing.  I''m just rushing to keep fitting in peoples shadows while I try to hold on to their coattails.  I... I know I''m pretty hopeless really, and maybe it''s not only because I''m a half-elf.  I''m sorry."  Lwyn herself got a hug from Mhyl when she was finished.


    "I don''t get where all of you get so much confidence in my leadership.  I just keep screwing up.  Splitting the team was a horrible decision, as it made things very imbalanced.  Mhyl had to suffer the consequence of my poor decision, and from that everyone else started to suffer too.  Just because I started to do what was proper after things started to fall apart doesn''t justify my own mistakes."  "Qheria, maybe you missed the part about suffocating steam, but keeping the team together was not a better decision.  If all of us had been stuck in that steam-bath situation, things would have probably only gotten more out of control.  The steam in the air would have made it harder to keep everything steady, we probably would have lost even more people to the water.  I don''t know, I didn''t get to see it happen.  I''m still way certain that things would have been worse if you had made any other decision."  Qheria was still being stubbornly doubtful of Thanrie''s opinion, which was making Thanrie also upset.


    "Okay, look.  Lwyn, until you reached the water, were you having any real exceptional problem keeping them back?  According to Ehryinae, they had everything under control."  Thanrie didn''t even give Lwyn time to answer.  "Their little team did perfectly fine for most of that trip, just as our own did.  They just had one specific situation where things went bad.  In that one situation, the chances of predicting it.. were stupidly low.  Our ability to counter it at all, stupidly low.  Just because we keep getting blessed with good luck doesn''t mean we should start feeling uptight about finding the other side of luck step on us.  If we get stepped on out of the blue like that, it''s not our fault.  Unless someone here is actually knowingly carrying a cursed charm, no one is to blame for our bad luck.  The only thing that matters is how we work with it."  Thanrie was finally getting some steam going for her own input.  Mhyl was feeling proud of her.


    "If we then say what matters with bad luck is how we react to it, we had a great start.  Save Mhyl, bring her home.  Great!  That''s how to deal with bad luck.  Then having it drag people through the gutter as they dwell on things beyond their control, not so great.  So if we''re F~~~ing done stabbing ourselves in the feet repeatedly while blaming ourselves because it F~~~ing hurts to stab ourselves in the feet, maybe it''s time we actually F~~~ing moved on and did something F~~~ing useful finally, right?"  And that would be Thanrie back to normal.  Mhyl nodded satisfactorily, a job well done.


    Qheria finally accepted this, and herself got a hug from Mhyl.  Having recovered everyone from their mental anguish, Mhyl convinced everyone that their next goal was breakfast.

 34: Unexpected Ambience

    After breakfast, the four girls tried to begin their day anew.  They were able to keep moving forwards, but their feelings had not been so easily dismissed.


    Mhyl decided to start the day off with more language lessons with Lwyn, after the incident earlier in the morning with still ongoing language barriers.  Everything had started well enough, but she still had more to learn before she could actually hold conversations.  She was learning slower than she had expected, either due to how busy she was, or maybe her state of mind.  Actually, it might be simply because she wasn''t the same person as her memories, the girl on earth she knew as herself might have simply just been better at learning and adjusting to new things.  She herself would have to find her own pace.


    Thanrie meanwhile went to go do some more sparing with Qheria.  They both were in a room setup much like their original sparing room, their weapons set aside.  Thanrie came at her with a right hook, which Qheria went to block.  Thanrie pulled back at the last moment and used her momentum to unleash a kick instead.  Qheria rushed to block it, leaving her flat footed.  Thanrie switched even the kick''s momentum as a spin, getting behind Qheria instead, and threw forwards a left handed jab.  Qheria landed in the dirt.


    It was the fifth time in a row that Qheria had been left in the dust.  Her own motions were getting really slow, she hardly looked to be even trying at this point.  "I think we should take a break, you''re not in your game right now.  Maybe go ask Rhyde if he has any ideas about something you could do?"  Thanrie had no idea what Qheria needed, but when Qheria was like this, Rhyde''s guidance had helped before.  She had to trust in Rhyde to figure out something else.  They were two mutual leaders, after all.


    Mhyl walked in at that point.  "So I guess things here haven''t been much better.  Lwyn had called the lesson pretty early, and had wandered off to do her own thing.  I had followed her, out of worry she would just go rest, but it seems she''s helping with basic chores around here.  Maybe cooking and cleaning is how she takes her mind off her troubles."  Mhyl couldn''t help but consider that maybe Lwyn needed some time to herself, to consider everything.  At least Lwyn was doing something again, so this was still good.  She probably just needed time.


    "Uh, I know this might sound stupid, but do you want to spar?"  "Huh?  Me?"  "I keep sparing with Qheria, no weapons, just our bare hands.  You never use weapons anyway, though I guess I still have a bit of an advantage.  I''ll go easy on you, just want to have someone to build some routines with."  Thanrie knew it was a foolish question, Mhyl was the most passive of all of them.  Still, including Mhyl in things was better than excluding her, and maybe helping Mhyl learn a few things to defend herself.. that might help them in the long run.  Being further skilled with that book of her''s would only be a good thing.


    "Uh, sure I guess."  Mhyl was also aware that it was her own physique that could cause the others problems, fixing her own weaknesses would be important.  Languages was one, but this was another.  Mhyl set her book down at the side of the room, near where Thanrie''s scythe rested, and took to the middle of the room near Thanrie.  She then started on a formal Japanese bow, totally surprising Thanrie, and then started conversation in Japanese.  "Thank you for having me."


    Thanrie returned her own bow, slightly slow.  Local formalities was something she was fluent in, but Japanese formalities were something she had generally neglected.  It made the whole thing look like an Aikido competition.  She adopted a ready stance as Mhyl took to the same.  Thanrie, as usual, started her attack right away, but Mhyl wasn''t staying still either.  Thanrie was going through the same motions she had just used on Qheria, starting with a right hook.  Mhyl danced gracefully around it, not even bothering to block.  Thanrie tried to take opportunity of Mhyl''s motion with leading into a kick, Mhyl actually backfliped off of Thanrie''s leg.  This ruined her original spin idea, so she changed plans, setting that foot down and throwing forward her other foot towards the new position of her foe.


    Mhyl''s landing was an embodiment of grace, like this whole thing was an elegant dance.  Hardly touching the floor, she was on the move again, Thanrie''s foot passing through the space she was last occupying.  Mhyl''s elbow came up against Thanrie''s back, but had little impact.  It still forced her to stumble slightly, the strike was a very good location.  Realizing that her strike hadn''t been enough, Mhyl kept going, moving with a handspring and a forward spin.  Thanrie herself was getting dizzy, this was getting too much like Aikido.  She lashed out with another kick towards Mhyl, who instead took a low dive and a with a twirl completed a leg sweep against the back of Thanrie''s knee.  This was enough to unbalance Thanrie completely, she landed on her back.


    Mhyl landed with a fluidity that moved into a bow, no hesitation.  "Thank you for taking it easy on me.  Maybe next time I would be worthy of more."  Mhyl was still using Japanese.  Thanrie still couldn''t believe what had just happened.  Sure, she had started with doing things easy, but when her planned routine had fallen apart, she instead switched to taking it seriously.  Mhyl had been almost memorizing with her motions.  It was like seeing a whole new side of Mhyl.


    Thanrie then lost the next round, but finally won the third.  Mhyl however looked exhausted, which would have explain why that throw had worked at all.  Her movements had suddenly slowed down, so Thanrie had found an opening, and grabbed her leg in motion.  Mhyl''s defense had been almost perfect, she had been all but untouchable, except for her stamina.  Mhyl''s attacks weren''t very strong at all, but they all went for weak points with elegant precision and speed.


    "I think that''s enough for now, you need a break.  We should do this more often, Lwyn said she overcame some of her low stamina with practice, maybe we can boost what stamina you have with some good training and exercise."  Thanrie went back to normal conversation, though she was still speaking Japanese.  Mhyl herself had a nice smile on her face, even though she was so tired and had even lost.  The score was still two to one for her, so Thanrie knew Mhyl had plenty to be proud of.  Thanrie herself would need more practice, to discover a way to deal with Mhyl''s pure nimbleness.  It wasn''t speed, Thanrie was still barely faster, she just had much fewer wasted movements and was exactly where she had to be right when she had to be there.


    The two of them went searching for Qheria and Lwyn, finding both of them working with the smith.  Rhyde had said that their expertise could really help with that work, and they were kinda short-staffed for all of that work anyway.  Really, it was also their own idea too, so even Mhyl and Thanrie decided they should be helping out as well.  Lwyn was shaping some wood, while Qheria was sawing some logs.  Thanrie started to even out some sheet-metal with a hammer, while Mhyl begun setting nails to wood.


    The repetition and pace of the tasks they all had was starting to have an even tone to it.  There was no other sounds in the space, but Lwyn and Qheria''s sweeping motion over the wood they were working with, Thanrie''s ongoing clanking of metal, and Mhyl''s softer ring of her smaller hammer.  It was almost.. rhythmic.  "Never one to see the wonder, what begun was never more.  Further past eternal thunder, lightning bringing endless roar.  Soaring seas and tidal skies, bearing forth its facial frown.  Never would I see the wonder, till my world turned upside down."  Mhyl''s rhyming melody was surprising, the lyrics were questionable, but her singing.. Thanrie realized that Mhyl''s elegance with her movement was not unmatched to her singing grace.  If that girl wanted, she could put on a performance that would stun a crowd.  It might need better lyrics, but hey, it was still something.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Holy cow, Mhyl, that was amazing."  Even Lwyn looked like light shone through her previous despair.  Qheria herself had stopped in admiration.  Mhyl had a small crowd going on here.  Thanrie, building to the atmosphere, picked up a second hammer, and started going at her work like a percussion drum, with the intention of starting a melody.  It sounded more like cymbals, but the sheet metal at least rang deeper.  Intentionally missing the metal itself gave a fairly low note on occasion as well.  Lwyn, getting into things, picked up a spare log and just started running her scraper against it, in tune with the melody.  Qheria couldn''t help but cut the next log to the same beat, getting into things as well.


    Mhyl set her work in front of her like a xylophone, also taking up a second hammer.  Her setup couldn''t yield any form of musical deviation, not being designed for it, but she instead started singing, lost within her own melody.  "Oh, once, far from all and ever.. and once, whichever once was more, like.. once, when I couldn''t but ever.. tell that things couldn''t stay, like they were.. once before.  So once, when everything had turned, and moved.. as everything thing had never before.. but everything was nothing ever.. like they ever were, once before.  Then passing time, oh endless hills, lost begotten.. on endless shores.. of time that never, ever passed.. like it passed.. once before..."  Mhyl''s lyrics made up on the spot had a melody, but no sense of direction.  It really might actually be better for anyone who didn''t know the words she was actually using to sing with.  If you couldn''t tell how awkward the lyrics were, the melody was profound.  Her singing voice was itself amazing, a soft pitch that almost resounded all around.  It all but made up for the lyrics itself.


    They completed their task and moved to lunch, the atmosphere gaining a lot more positivity among the four of them.  Lwyn was laughing and telling jokes, Qheria was smiling and joining in.  "So, really, I''m glad you two are finally back."  Mhyl wiped a tear from her eye, honestly glad how things turned out.  Lwyn and Qheria paused for a moment at that.  "Yeah, you two had us pretty worried there, leaving us so distant like that.  I guess music could be kinda magical huh?"  Thanrie laughed, while Mhyl suddenly turned deep in thought.  "If you thought Mhyl was impressive then, you two missed her in action earlier.  Qheria, since I couldn''t spar with you, I had to spar with Mhyl.  You would have thought that to be one sided, but oh F~~k was she good.  She had dance moves like you wouldn''t F~~~ing believe, and she danced around everything.  Next thing I know, I''m staring at the F~~~ing ceiling again."  Thanrie opened with laughter, bringing Mhyl back to the current situation.


    "Oh, that?  Uh, I don''t know actually, was I that good?  I thought you were just being nice to me.  I tried my hardest to make use of some of the moves I learned from visiting Japan.  Actually, my trip there was why I developed an interest in rhythm and music games.  It was fun singing to the music, and I got pretty good at many of them.  ''..green, black, and blue make the colors in the sky...'' Oh!"  Mhyl suddenly started singing lyrics to an actual song, surprising herself.  She cut herself off, her mouth pursed closed.


    Thanrie clued in pretty quickly.  "I''m guessing that''s not exactly how your own singing used to be.  I''m guessing even if you sung the Japanese version, it still wouldn''t be the same."  Thanrie could tell right away, in that moment, that even Mhyl hadn''t known how gifted her singing voice was.  It probably wasn''t as good back on Earth, here instead she had a lot of still unappreciated talent.  At least, until now.  Playing music was also kinda fun, really.


    Qheria and Lwyn were starting to feel left in the dust.  Not only was her singing ability mind-blowing, but the part about her dancing was yet another thing.  Qheria had started with winning against Thanrie, only to start on a losing streak.  Now, she learned that even Mhyl was beating Thanrie, what did that leave for Qheria?  Lwyn on the other hand knew she was always one to stay behind everyone, but was she even needed anymore?  Mhyl had just so effectively cheered everyone up, that was usually her own job.


    Thanrie picked up on the direction things were taking.  "Though, what I found cool was how everyone could almost just melody their way though things back there.  Qheria, Lwyn, it honestly was like you two were playing instruments there.  F~~k we all make such a great team."  Thanrie still effectively turned everything around with this comment.  Lwyn and Qheria recalled how they had gotten involved in this whole incident, they had been a part of it.


    "Qheria, Lwyn, you two should do some weapons training, that way you don''t get rusty.  You can try together if you two want, but that would be up to you.  Whatever it takes to get your energy going.  Maybe Lwyn could do some climbing, or Qheria could.. I don''t know, race?  Up to you, I''m not in charge of you two.  But really, do something.  You''ll feel much better for it.  Meanwhile, I should.."  "Thanrie, could you help me out for a bit, I''ll need your help for a while."  "Oh, okay then."  Thanrie was surprised at getting the sudden request from Mhyl.  She had been pondering getting her own exercise in, figuring a way to deal with Mhyl''s style too, but that could probably wait.


    As Lwyn and Qheria wandered off to get some fitness down, Thanrie turned to Mhyl.  "So, what can I help you with?"  Thanrie''s English got a Japanese reply.  "I''m going to need a translator, I need to talk with Ehryinae."  Mhyl''s shift in language was obvious, she was plotting something and wanted to surprise Lwyn and Qheria.  Thanrie had no idea what the plan was, but it sounded inspiring.  Thanrie would usually be concerned with translations, it was rough enough translating Izhaethyx with English in her head.  The two were pretty different.  However, come to think of it, even though she''s been using a lot of English, it wasn''t her best Terran language, Mhyl might have a good idea here.


    They eventually found Ehryinae, and planned out things before approaching her.  "What do you want me to tell her?"  "Ask her for an opportunity to talk about magic.. I mean the gift.  I have a few new ideas."  Thanrie turned to Mhyl with Japanese, who caught on to the idea and kept going with it.  Thanrie opened the conversation, which got Ehryinae happy.  "Of course, if Mhyl has some questions, I would be glad to answer.  What kind of things are we wondering about?"  Ehryinae set aside what she was doing and got ready for a sudden impromptu lesson, leaving Thanrie to act as a translator for each of them.


    "So, Ehryinae had said that using the gift required a skill much similar to drawing.  Would then.. playing music be also similar."  "Oh yes, Mhyl is correct.  Creative expression as a whole, it might have a lot in common with the whole concept in general.  It''s the ability to focus on something intangible as an idea, and give it form.  A drawing is the most direct form of this, but even music shapes thoughts and emotion into sound, it''s not far off from the same idea.  You still need to.. envision what you are trying to do, and have it take shape.  Why are we asking about music anyway?"  Mhyl and Ehryinae shared questions as Thanrie translated.  Thanrie was starting to understand why Lwyn didn''t seem to enjoy doing this, the repetition was exhausting.  However, she herself could see where Mhyl was going with this.


    "Actually, Mhyl has a good point."  Thanrie wasn''t translating for this part to Ehryinae.  "We''ve done a lot of practical stuff together, but we keep getting disheartened about things, and all pf us honestly have our own way about things.  Meanwhile, we had just discovered the four of us have at least some.. musical synergy.  It could be really useful as a mental exercise, bending our minds to the beat.  If we can actually achieve something of melodic harmony, Qheria''s self-confidence would rise, Lwyn would be bound to feel her own importance, Mhyl .. well, you should have seen how free she seemed singing and dancing.  Myself, if what I lack is enough mental focus, training to the beat and rhythm of a routine might be the best thing I could think of for solving that one."  Thanrie then went to translate herself to Mhyl as Ehryinae considered the idea. As the translation proceeded, Mhyl was found to be nodding and watching Ehryinae expectantly.


    "Yeah, I think you four should go for it then.  It sounds like a great first step.  If you guys can make anything of it, be sure to invite me, I want to hear how it sounds.  Oh, and obviously let me know if you two figure out anymore more with the gift, there is a lot more to do after that."  Ehryinae''s last statement had Thanrie pause, Thanrie was sure they had now used the gift twice.  However, none of them had control over it yet, so it didn''t really count.  They needed more practice so that such control would come to them.


    Having completed that meeting, Mhyl and Thanrie had returned to the others, eager to pass on their information and to build a plan though the afternoon.  They still needed actual instruments, but this looked like a new ambition they could work towards easily enough.

 35: Instrumental Preparation

    The four of them had spent time going over some of the documentation that was recovered from the factory, searching for anything useful for their new ideas.  By mid-afternoon, they finally approached the smith to go over everything in detail.


    "You all do realize how crazy this whole thing sounds, right?  Making strange instruments never seen before out of Fortress-style stuff.  Instruments typically need to be very well tuned, or they would sound like garbage.  Practically nothing we have on the fortress is even useful for anything like this, they''ve cared about things more practical than music."  The smith came back at them right away with the bad news.


    The smith looked over all of them suddenly feeling defeated and sighed.  "You''re really lucky I specialized in wood working before coming out here.  It''s not like I''m ignorant to how a bunch of musical stuff is made, but if you''re going to be using your ''Terran'' ambitions in this, keep in mind that the best we can do is something from before my Fortress days.  It has to be that simple, or it''s not going to happen.  From there, maybe we can reinforce it a bit with Fortress metals, if we can make sure it has the right effect.  Qheria''s shield should show you at least that I''m familiar with how that metal can ring."  The smith still didn''t really like this idea.  It just didn''t seem practical enough, making musical toys when there was more important jobs at hand.  Well, the more important jobs were still the four girl''s ideas too.  Ideas came from somewhere, maybe this would help.


    Thanrie was first to speak up at this.  "That''s fair.  Yes, so.. considering the norm around here and the familiarity of instruments most of the others would have, I can see a standard drum set is probably a good place to start.  The main parts are similar enough to percussion instruments around here, for the main drum.  A hallow barrel, wooden felt mix probably, would be fairly similar to the normal.  We could try and setup the pedal, it shouldn''t take much for special design.  Snares would be fairly similar, depending on what we have on hand.  Could maybe even go with a slightly Japanese-styled drum, without much difficulty.  The cymbals.. I don''t think those exist yet, but I can certainly tell you that we easily have the material required for it already."  Thanrie was considering a standard three-piece drum set for herself, with maybe some added pieces for audio variations.  If they were lucky, she might even get a hi-hat.


    Qheria was trying to reflect on what she knew of the Celesi musical scene.  "I believe we have an assortment of string instruments.  Most of what we have though.. it''s more like harps and lutes, but rather than anything with a lighter sound, I was hoping for something a little more.. distinct.  On Earth, it was called a Bass.  Probably an acoustic bass, given what we have to work with.  I''m more of a fan of using my own hands anyway, almost as much as my other memories.  I wouldn''t be against a double bass, but that might be too complicated, it''s rather big."  Qheria doubted she would have the materials for a standing instrument, plus such a thing might be harder to play.  The lack of electrical parts made most of this difficult.


    Lwyn considered Qheria''s statement, generally at a loss for musical norms.  While instruments had passed through the Inn, she didn''t get much opportunity to marvel at them.  "Well, a string instrument could be cool.  I''ve always loved the violin, maybe we could do that?  It''s like Qheria''s idea, but a lot more simple.  Though, we would have to come up with a violin bow.. that should be okay, right?"  Lwyn''s idea to use a bow made Thanrie cringe out of history.  Still, it wasn''t exactly like the kind of bow she used to use, and she was even now using a crossbow.  The principles were based on the same concept used in both, so making such a tool shouldn''t be overly ambitious.  It would still be very new.


    Mhyl pondered for a second, and then made her own attempt in English, after having been updated by Lwyn on things so far.  "I''ve never actually seen any instruments in Celese.  But on earth, I''ve always loved the piano.  Can we do something like that?"  Mhyl''s idea almost had Thanrie slip from her chair.  There was NOTHING simple, small, or easy about a piano.  Also, nothing like it actually existed in all of Celese.  Making it small would require electrical innovation.  Making it otherwise would be a complex arrangement of hammers over some really complicated parts in what was effectively a larger box than the double bass Qheria had been hesitant about.


    "Mhyl, uh.. I don''t think we can do a piano.  It''s okay, your singing is awesome as is, lets just go with that, okay?"  Lwyn had noticed Thanrie''s reaction and was doing her best to lend comfort.  Qheria''s head was still spinning thinking about it.  Mhyl pouted, she really wanted a piano.  Still, there would be no helping it then, no one seemed to think it could happen.  She reluctantly gave up on that idea, and just accepted Lwyn''s suggestion.


    Thanrie took a moment to consider their composition.  Both humans had gone with low-note instruments, stuff familiar to their Terran counterparts.  However, both elf-kinds would have a much higher note.  The piano might have had a wider capacity, but Mhyl''s singing itself was very much so on the high-side.  A violin for Lwyn would also probably compliment that very well.  In consideration of this, Qheria opting for an acoustic bass over a double bass might work out, it might be easier to have less contrast that way.  Her drums would need to consider the same degree of compliment.  She would have to learn a few new tricks, but in truth she didn''t exactly have the same style of musical appreciation as her Terran-side.  The deep notes didn''t have as much thrill as they used to back there.  It might have something to do with her own life having a much higher-pitch note this time, being female and everything.  Qheria was actually considering the same thing, to a small degree.  She did still prefer the bass in concept, however.


    Lwyn caught on to the other two being lost in thought and sneaked up on them to give them a hug.  "Well, this is a thing that happened.  What kind of experience did you guys have with this stuff in the past?"  "Well, we know I had a bit of a punk-side to myself over there, right?  Rock, metal, it was sorta a thing.  Not the main thing, but.. like now actually, it was a thing that brought the gang together sometimes."  "Cadets, actually.  Down-time had me do a lot of music.  Remember how I never trusted my feet?  I started using my hands to make up for it, music was something that was actually respected in that situation.  Was originally more simply a guitar, but sorta shifted to bass when I got back home.  Felt less.. center-stage that way.  Still, it didn''t last much out of cadets, unfortunately."  Lwyn nodded at both Thanrie and Qheria''s musical story.  It all made sense, really.


    "So what about you Lwyn, why the violin.  Did you have lots of practice with it?"  "Nope!  Nothing I could remember.  I remember listening to a lot of violin music, a ton of online stuff about violins.  It was probably my favourite instrument, but I don''t remember anything about getting into music itself.  I mean, when I say ''a lot''.. it''s still probably way less than you two.  I just mean it was more than anything else I can think of.  A flute might have been cute, but beyond blowing into a rod, I really don''t know much about how it works.  Violin was just the best answer."  Thanrie was surprised at getting her question answered by Lwyn like this.  Then she remembered that being surprised was actually probably rude.  Lwyn remembered hardly anything about herself at all, this was probably the best she could do.  An impulsive choice was concerning, but there was little else to do about it.


    Mhyl meanwhile had been working with the smith a bit more directly about their ideas.  Just like with weapons, she wouldn''t be getting anything from him.  However, she was actually really familiar with the Terran versions of all three instruments.  She was lucky that there was an elven translator still present, who obviously didn''t want to be there at that point, translating words with layers of English suddenly buried within it.  Lwyn eventually noticed what was going on and switched in to help.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Lwyn stepped in, only to notice that Mhyl had taken the initiative to express her own ideas in a drawing, something which she could actually share much more directly.  Qheria and Thanrie suddenly caught wind of something going on in the silence and went to investigate.  There, they caught Mhyl drawing all three instrument ideas, from multiple perspectives, each image clearly depicting various aspects of design, like a wordless blueprint.  Thanrie realized that Mhyl was probably their most creative in the group.  Singing, dancing, drawing.. how much more fine arts did this girl have?  Then she realized that Mhyl also was their most critical and scientific.  More than being creative, she was just good with all levels of smart.


    Thanrie realized this might have been one thing she didn''t compensate for when sparring with Mhyl.  Mhyl was fast, agile, and smart.  She just knew things, and used that knowledge to her advantage.  It didn''t mean she was good at making choices though, planning and process, even instinct and reflex, was much more Lwyn''s thing.  Actually making choices based upon an informed process, and being driven to follow through, that was Qheria.  Thanrie however didn''t realize that the one with the most prudent intuition was herself.  None of them actually realized their own potential in these areas.


    Once Mhyl had finished drawing, the smith looked over everything with an eye for detail.  Nothing here was normal, but none of it was too far fetched.  Would still take several days to make, though.  Would be more, if he didn''t get any help.  The smith set the papers down.  "Okay, so you four are obviously going to be helping me with this.  Between this and your earlier project, there is quite a lot that needs to be done.  It''s became more too, since Rhyde found some of the documents had things he sorta really wanted.  You''ll be each one of my assistants in all of this.  I''ll be working you hard through this, but you''ll get what you want from it.  Sounds like a fair exchange?"  The smith''s offer sounded fair indeed.  Right now, all four of them just wanted to stay safely at home.  They had grown tired of endangering their lives as it was.


    While their idea had a few metal parts, most of it was a wooden foundation, so they found all four of them quickly assigned to wood-working.  Qheria was again sawing at wood, while Lwyn was back to shaping it''s design.  Thanrie however was deprived of her sheet metal, and instead found herself doing what was effectively sanding down pieces of wood.  It wasn''t exactly with sandpaper, but it was pretty close.  Some kind of really rugged felt, sturdy in design but coarse in feeling, much like sandpaper.  She had a feeling she knew what creature this felt came from, but didn''t want to ask about it.


    Mhyl was also no longer doing her old choir.  She was left to handle painting, well actually more like wood finishing and protection.  A coating that kept the wood sturdy.  She might have enjoyed putting an artistic sense into patterns of design with paint, but this was still too soon for that.  She was however once again singing.  Instead of just coming up with words to things she felt, she was practicing songs she could remember from Earth, overall from a variety of languages and cultures.  She was marvelling at how her singing voice was so much more effective at hitting notes than it was back on Earth.  Certainly none of the others had complaints to share either, her singing was actually amazing and provided them some atmosphere to work with.


    Mhyl stopped suddenly and unexpectedly.  The others saw Chyurae there, who had paused and was enjoying the song.  "That was a very pretty song, even if I don''t know any of the words.  You''re a very good singer."  Chyurae telling Mhyl this made her go scarlet, a reaction she didn''t even have when the other girls had told her about the same thing earlier.  They had known the words for her made up songs, but most of these were of languages none of them knew, even if some might have also been Japanese or German, or on the rare occasion English.  "Thank you."  Mhyl couldn''t get her singing voice back after this, but managed to at least reply.  Chyurae realized things were getting awkward and he still had work to do, so he went back to it.


    All of them resumed work in otherwise silence.  Thanrie considered that Mhyl''s reaction to Chyurae like that was actually kinda adorable.  Chyurae''s treatment of Mhyl was so genuine.  "Oh, hello ladies.  AHH!!"  Zyuixqs had finished another report and was just passing through, being an example for Thanrie''s ''less genuine''.  Thanrie had set her wood down and stood up, wielding the felt like a weapon.  "Oh, actually, wow, Thanrie is smoothing wood.  That''s new."  Zyuixqs could have imagined her breaking wood instead, but this was actually impressive.  Thanrie was caught off guard, suddenly getting appreciation for own her work.


    Zyuixqs picked up the wood and inspected it, realizing Thanrie had backed down.  "Woah, this is actually very nicely done.  To think you were working on something of this level of craftsmanship.  I hope there is something I can do to help."  Thanrie snatched it from him, going a bit reddish.  "No, it''s fine, we''ve got things under control.  You have a lot of things to worry about, stop wasting your time around here and go get your own work done."  Thanrie sent Zyuixqs back on his way, as she resumed her own work.  She couldn''t believe how much that guy could get in the way sometimes, the nerve of him.  She was perfectly good at taking care of herself, usually, normally.. kinda.  There was that time she had almost died and he had sacrificed so much for her, but.. that was different.


    Lwyn and Qheria just kept working, despite all of the distractions.  Qheria herself had run out of wood at that point and went off to get more.  Lwyn set aside the piece she had finished and picked up another.  Shadows and coattails, it''s where she belonged.  She didn''t deserve anything more than that.  She had a couple more pieces she wanted to finish before dinner, and after dinner there was that pump she was told to work on.  That thing was a curiosity, obviously having everything water-powered, there were pumps everywhere.  She even saw the watermill that kept things going, off at the river.


    Water was so central to how things worked around here, something Mhyl probably didn''t enjoy thinking about.  Thanrie herself seemed to less enjoy times the neon-filament lights were used instead of even a simple candlelight, she found it really really creepy.  The pump itself then was both, as it mixed both technologies to move either water or the filaments for lighting.  The pump could probably pump air too, but no one had ever used it for that purpose before.  They still had to work on something like that, in order for Mhyl''s floating innovation to even happen.  Too bad this world didn''t just have helium sitting around.


    Air pump technology however was built into most of their own tools.  Thanrie and Qheria both had an air pump device, ones that promoted movement.  However, buildings were far heavier than people, especially buildings full of people.  She had a few things to consider over the evening on the subject.


    Qheria herself was mostly calming herself down, very happy that everyone had accepted just staying behind.  However, she was still worried about the work they were causing by staying behind.  Over lunch, she had heard that their exploration teams had been reassigned.  Everyone works under Rhyde now, she had been left to pile everything upon him.  The Reavers were mostly full time scouts and patrols at this point, making sure their outer perimeter was safe.  The Embers had been absorbed into many local tasks, most involving the Smith.  Being skilled at melting down metals was only making everything easier, and Ehryinae had been enjoying scouring designs for ideas even the Arch-Magus had no way of understanding.


    Ehryinae mostly was thinking forwards.  If Lwyn took over, the Pillars would certainly be forced to change.  There might even become a Pillar dedicated to this Fortress stuff.. this Terran stuff.  It wasn''t something that fit in with the gift, but it took almost as much ability to understand.  She was also aware about potential language expectations in the future, but that was something that still remained farther than even she could deal with right now.  Elaethyx was one thing, but even trying to pronounce anything as complicated as Terran languages remained inconceivable.


    The smith simply continued with his seemingly endless pile of work.  He was admittedly more occupied than he had ever been before, and that might not in whole be a bad thing.  Some of his newest projects were honestly a wonder to behold.  The bigger projects might not see much for a while still, but the smaller ones might at least give people hope in the potential the bigger projects might bring.  He looked over the pictures Mhyl had made, still handy before him.  These small projects could very easily bring in the confidence and reputation needed for everything to keep going.  In fact, maybe he should see if Mhyl would be willing to draw more like this in the future, who knows what kind of new projects he would be able to work on with plans like these.


    Everyone continued working until dinner, to then resume where they had left of afterwards.  When night fell, everyone was satisfactorily tired after all they had accomplished that day.

 36: Sporting Generosity

    By the next day, they had been faced with the same workshop responsibilities as before.  Their morning was filled with the same work, and it was moving the same into the afternoon.


    Mhyl was thankful that while work was effectively all over the day, it was spaced out with frequent breaks.  She herself got more breaks than anyone else, though she was starting to feel like this wasn''t fair.  It''s not like she was slow at recovering stamina, she just had less of it, long breaks were mostly meaningless.  She had found herself back in the room she had sparred with Thanrie before.  Everyone else had their physical routine, she didn''t have anything like that either.  But getting to dance like she had, it was actually fun.  More acrobatic than otherwise, it was still a form of fitness.  For no other reason than that, she did some generic flips, handsprings, and the like through the room.


    Lwyn arrived right when Mhyl was taking a break, having totally missed everything.  Being a half-elf was getting her half as many extra breaks as Mhyl.  She found this extra insulting, she hadn''t worked her life to have almost as much stamina as a human, just to be treated like this.  Being treated like a half-elf, it was so insulting.. but it was still true.  There was nothing she could do about it, she was in truth a half-elf, and she would have to accept all the grief that brought.  It was her own curse, it was her own fault for simply being her.


    "Oh, are you alright?"  Lwyn was shocked to see Mhyl actually exhausted mid break, it was concerning how that might have happened.  Mhyl smiled back.  "Silly, I couldn''t be much better.  Getting some exercise really does help, I should have done this stuff so long ago."  Mhyl surprised Lwyn with this insight.  What in the world was Mhyl doing?  "What about you, how have you been doing?"  "Oh, I was working on the felt sheet for Qheria''s drum, while also tending to the pumps we were working on.  I wonder if we can use an air pump to kick the drum, we know how Qheria feels about kicking stuff."  Mhyl froze in inspiration.  Lwyn had given her such a great idea.  Mhyl dragged Lwyn out of the room, still ignorant as to what was going on.


    Mhyl searched through some of their felt ''parts'' for some of what she needed.  Usually something like this needed a bladder, but she also needed a uni-directional air valve.  Lwyn was starting to feel ill, watching Mhyl dig through various organs and biological parts.  She wandered off to go find the other two.  It might not be time for break, but it would be far better to wait there, than here.  They got back to Mhyl trying to figure out sewing.  Lwyn jumped in, worried Mhyl might hurt herself.  Mhyl showed Lwyn what she needed sewed and how.  "Make sure it''s as round as possible, that''s very important."  Mhyl then went back to the pump.


    Thanrie approached Mhyl, who was acting suspicious.  Expecting there to be a secret in play, Thanrie asked Mhyl a question in Japanese.  "What are you making?"  "A ball."  Thanrie got enough of an answer from Mhyl to start putting stuff together.  An air pump, rounded felt, a ball.  It would be yellow instead of checkered black and white, but it was unmistakable what Mhyl was going for.  "Oh, Qheria, we should let these two work, don''t want to get in their way.  Maybe we should go sparring?"  Thanrie rushed Qheria out of the room, not wanting to spoil the surprise.


    When they arrived at their destination, while starting to get ready for a bout, Rhyde interrupted.  "Oh, perfect timing.  I had been getting reports that you two were doing something like this.  Qheria had been rather out of it before, leaving me a lot to be concerned about.  Qheria, do you mind if I test your own resolve in such a competition.  Leader to leader, I want to see what you''re capable of."  Rhyde''s invitation didn''t exactly sound like perfect timing.  Reports, that Zyuixqs was certainly in on this, and Yuxzn probably had set up enough of a plan.  Everyone was setting up things for Qheria.


    Still, Thanrie could profit from this as well.  She relaxed against the wall and took careful note on the proceedings.  She hadn''t seen anyone else fight like this before, she was bound to learn a few things doing such.  Both of them got ready and started.. with neither of them moving.  Defensive vs defensive, neither were inclined to act first.  Thanrie sighed, her hopes gone up in smoke right away.  However, right in that moment Thanrie herself let her guard down, Rhyde struck.  Qheria managed to parry it at the last moment, and went in for a counter.  Rhyde himself countered the counter with a counter.. which got countered.  After a moment of appreciation, Thanrie went back to giving up.  This was going to be a long fight.


    After a long while of counters, suddenly Rhyde let something slip through.  Qheria was surprise when her counter connected, but Rhyde had also weathered the blow, and in that moment rushed her with a shoulder check.  It was more than Qheria could deal with, especially as tired as she was, so she went down.  Thanrie was actually surprised how that ended, almost as if Rhyde had planned the whole thing.  No, wait, probably Yuxzn..


    Rhyde held out his hand to help her stand again.  "As I worried, your resolve still has a way to go.  You aren''t confident in your own success, and its making you hesitate.  Your hesitation could easily get your friends hurt.  You need to work on that, be certain to take decisive action when it is needed.  If you spend too much time worrying that your friends might get hurt, then your friends will get hurt.  Have confidence in your own ability, have confidence in your own team, and you will find that everything will work out.  You''re tough, you can do it."  Rhyde patted her on the back.  Qheria didn''t know what shamed her more, the lesson or the losing.  Next time, she would show him, he had better count on it.


    With that, Rhyde left, his job done.  Qheria went to sit down, buried deep into her own thoughts.  Thanrie sighed, feeling deprived of her own opportunity.  Relaxation day it was.


    While the two girls stayed there relaxing, Mhyl showed up, proud and excited.  "Okay you two lazy layabouts, get up.  We''ve got stuff to do."  "What, but nothing was supposed to start for a while more, there shouldn''t be any work to do now."  "Of course not work, we''ve got a match to worry about."  Mhyl held up her completed ball, spinning in her hand.  Qheria looked up at it, realization dawning on her face.  Had Mhyl really gone and made a...


    "Football, lets go."  "Wait, football?  But we don''t have the padding and.."  "Lwyn, soccer..."  "Oh right.. that again."  Mhyl had to correct Lwyn once more, who was mixing up the two sports again.  Qheria''s eyes glimmered with hope, bringing an even greater smile to Mhyl''s face.  She was already really proud of this idea, fitness they could all enjoy.  She was already in the process of clearing the room so that it could act as an indoor court.


    "But wait, how are we going to split teams?  We need to worry about elves here and.."  Qheria''s concern made Mhyl sigh in exasperation.  Stupid elven stuff, she didn''t want to be dragged down by her elven nature, she refused to let it happen.  Lwyn hadn''t, and Mhyl wouldn''t either.  "Elves vs Humans.  Lwyn, you''re in net.  I''m up."  Mhyl left everyone stunned.  Qheria moved to take the net, knowing Thanrie would be a much better offense.  That put Thanrie up directly against Mhyl.  Mhyl was grinning like a demon, and Thanrie went pale.  Thanrie remembered the last time she had to face Mhyl, something no one else had yet seen.


    The match begun, with Mhyl whipping out at the ball with a leg, drawing it back, and twirling it around.  Thanrie went out for it, only to have Mhyl recede backwards, twirl to the side, and through the same motion dash past.  The ball smacked against the wall just behind Qheria before she could blink, bouncing off her own back.  She hadn''t expected anything of Mhyl, and was feeling bad for what Mhyl was putting herself through.. until this happened.  Rhyde might have a point, Qheria wasn''t having enough confidence in her friends.


    Thanrie was given first access to the ball this time.  She went straight for a fast, high power offense, a high kick that passed over Mhyl and landed against the wall above short Lwyn''s head.  "Hey!  That''s not fair!"  "I''m not much taller than you, deal with it."  Lwyn''s complaints fell on unswayed ears, Thanrie was still almost as short.  Mhyl shot a glare at that power kick designed to just avoid her, even her being the tallest one there.  It was a really good kick.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Mhyl had the ball again.  Thanrie tried a feint on her, looking to advance but waiting to cut her off.  Mhyl danced off to the side as predicted, so Thanrie lunged for the ball.  Mhyl skipped the ball over Thanrie''s lunge and dodged passed.  Mhyl shot for the net again, slamming against Qheria''s outreached arm, bouncing back instead.  Thanrie intercepted the ball, with Mhyl already out of the way, and made another high kick.  Lwyn lept off the wall, and did an overhead dropkick on the ball from above.  The ball rebounded loosely, giving Mhyl the chance to recover it.  She quickly spun the ball back to her target net with a low shot, which Qheria blocked successfully with her feet.  She tried to pass it back, but Mhyl was already on intercept for that, took the ball instead, and rapid returned it faster than Qheria could react.  It was another intense goal.


    "Lwyn, that''s not fair, you can''t just go scaling up the wall?"  "Why not, you told me to ''just deal with it'', didn''t you?"  Thanrie this time was complaining about how that worked out, but Lwyn was pretty satisfied.  Qheria was initially proud too, she got scored on again, but she had kicked the ball better than she ever could have in her memories.  It just... didn''t work out in her favour.  Those thoughts started to take her down for a moment, considering it was her own kick that had lost them that round.  Does she actually still suck in this world too?


    "I think I''m done for now, everyone.  Uh, thanks for the match and everything."  Qheria packed up, having become lost in her own doubts again.  She threw the ball towards Mhyl, who caught it with the foot movements expected of the sport, instead of with her hands.  Lwyn and Thanrie stopped their dispute at this, realizing they had lost one.  The three of them peeked their eyes out of the room and saw Qheria sitting not far away, deep in thought.


    "Should Mhyl go start singing again?  Actually, wait, how many tricks does Mhyl actually have now, that was some REALLY fancy footwork."  "I did tell you, she had dance moves like you would not believe.  You really didn''t believe me, did you."  "Well, cause you think running up a wall is fancy, it doesn''t say much.  This was totally something else."  "Good point, elves are insane, clearly."  Lwyn glared at Thanrie for that remark, who clearly didn''t realize how the two humans in their little group of four looked like fanatical demons when using their weapons in combat.


    Mhyl left the two of them to dispute the details, and moved forward to comfort Qheria.  "Everything okay out here?"  "Oh, yeah, sorry.  I''m really thankful that you worked so hard to come up with a ball like that, something quick and simple that no one has seen before.  How did you make it anyway?"  "Lwyn and I were talking about the pumps around here.  They seem pretty good at pumping air too, as long as there is a half decent seal for the air.  It''s probably not anything amazing, but we could always re-inflate it after it wears down, or remake it if we have to.  It''s rather primitive, sorry to admit."  Mhyl was a little ashamed that her idea was actually not the most novel in construction, so the ball probably wouldn''t last very long.


    "So... why did you make it?"  "Because a few things.  If we''re all making instruments to compliment my singing, of course we should figure out more things for everyone else.  I already tried sparring with Thanrie, that might be something I''ll need to do more often too.  Lwyn, I haven''t figured out yet, she''s probably next.  But, I mean, I can''t be part of your weapon training stuff, because I''m not exactly a fighter in nature.  It was something that still worked, cause I really should be doing fitness stuff too."  Qheria was kinda surprised to hear Mhyl''s answer, not realizing how much she had been excluded so far.  She didn''t miss that also, instead of dwelling in her own exclusion, Mhyl had been fully pro-active in resolving it.  Overall much better than Qheria had been doing so far.


    "Well, I don''t think I''m against it, but I think I should practice a bit more before we have another match.  I don''t really feel like I''m in my game so far, and I would hate to bring everything down on everyone again like this.  Keep that ball handy, I''ll need it for practice.  I hope you will accept my rematch, when the time comes."  "Oh, obviously.  I''ll be ready, you do what you need to take care of you."  Qheria nodded, still otherwise in her thoughts, as Mhyl backed off and returned to the others.


    "Mhyl, did you give up?  Qheria still looks sad."  "She just needs time, she''ll be fine.  So, Lwyn, is climbing your only physical pursuit?  I''m hoping you have something else that you do for your own fitness, something that the rest of us can experience too."  Lwyn was caught doubly off guard by the tandem of retorts Mhyl returned.  Qheria was still bothering her, but she also had no idea what Mhyl was talking about.  She just went full flustered, as she tried to look for a reply.


    "Ah, don''t worry about it, take your time, let me know when you''ve figured something out.  Thanrie, do you want to spar some more?"  This side of Mhyl was almost scary in it''s warmth and understanding.  It was like she was fully in control of everything, totally in the zone, and was capable of doing anything.  Lwyn watched in admiration as Mhyl dropped Thanrie to the floor, once again.  Where had this side of Mhyl been hiding, all of this time?  What had caused it to come out, like it had?


    Come to think of it, even Thanrie had been doing really well of late.  Instead of her usual uncontrolled rage or cold, the dark and light sides, she had been a lot more.. controlled.  And even facing off against Mhyl, it was clear that was only getting better and better.  The Thanrie she knew would be a relentless burst of force, but here she saw Thanrie instead carefully considering actions, cautiously making moves, being fully aware of her circumstances.  Mhyl was hard to keep up with, not fast but like, a flurry of complex movements.  Thanrie was clearly however keeping up, even with human eyes.  Lwyn was having problems wrapping her head around everything, herself.


    Qheria at least was still the same as she had so far always been.  Right now that seemed to hurt her, but it was a pain Lwyn herself could empathize with.  She also worried about how much she would still be able to offer, especially for these two who were suddenly blowing past her.  She really would need to consider what she should do one day, when it would be better if they moved on without her.  The way things were going, something like this was bound to happen, sooner or later.


    Mhyl finally found herself the one in the dust this time.  Thanrie didn''t accept it though, again she had won simply because Mhyl had worn herself out, and this time she had lasted longer than previous, despite the game they had just played.  Winning by exhausting Mhyl didn''t feel like a victory at all.  They both took a break to actually feel refreshed, as work would be resuming soon.


    Beyond the instrument work they were doing, they also had a few tasks to worry about for some of their larger projects, including their four part really big mobile defense base project.  The weapons were going okay, Ehryinae had personally taken a lot of excitement and entertainment watching that project move forwards.  The mobile portion was becoming more of a concern.  There was originally the idea of using a hot air balloon, but Qheria had insisted that it really wasn''t a smart idea, according to her own memories.  There was the idea however of a thrust motion system, similar to Qheria''s belt, that pushed a powerful burst to keep them floating.  A series of downward air bursts in circulation, with a heating conduit that Ehryinae could provide her gift through to keep the air exceptionally warm as it was forced downwards in a jet stream.  It was the best idea they have had yet, even if it was working better as a weapon than an engine.


    While working on the pressure pumps for the jets, they also needed to figure out how to setup an engine that actually received generic heat like that.  Ehryinae''s fire had the potential intensity to cause most metals to simply meltdown.  She could hold back, but holding back too much decreased their potential output.  They were designing something that instead more worked like a heat-sink, to fully transfer as much heat as possible from the one end, and keep that heat for where the air is released.  Any excess heat would then help keep the steam pipes going too, and supply even more power to the whole thing.


    They had to worry about other things to pump as well beyond just the hot air jets, such as water for the steam pipes.  This would keep power going for everything.  There was a lot of work also being done on the neon filament lights as well, which had its own pumps.  They had discovered that the faster the filaments moved, the more light was provided, so they had a small project for trying to see if they could accelerate the neon filaments and produce more light.  They probably didn''t even have enough time to complete this today, much of this process would continue into tomorrow.


    The four girls had rested enough to resume work, and continued as planned.  For all that they had fought against doing simple tasks like this in the past, this feeling of security was now making them feel much better in their daily activities.

 37: Overloaded Exchange

    The four girls woke up to yet another morning, with even more work still left to be completed.  All four of them had been keeping busy, between yesterday''s intense fitness and the evening''s tasks for the workshop.


    Thanrie woke up especially tired.  She had been practicing late into the night, after working extra late to get work done.  After all of her activities yesterday, she had been left heavily distracted and had fallen behind in the work she had been left with.  The jet-stream project ended up taking late into the night, even Ehryinae had left long before and she was the one especially interested in the thermal conduction.  Eventually, she had been dismissed way later than anyone else, after most people had gone to sleep in fact.  So instead, she did some late-night training, to clear her mind.


    However, this had just left her with even more worries and even more exhaustion by morning.  Everyone else had already gotten up, had breakfast, and was starting on morning tasks.  Thanrie blitzed out of bed, a flurry of desperate motion, still a disheveled mess.  Mhyl caught her half way out the door, and dragged her right back inside, seating her into a chair.


    "I had a feeling you were pushing yourself too hard.  This is why no one can believe you''re actually a princess, even your hair is a mess."  Mhyl pulled out a brush and started going over Thanrie''s hair, despite her protests.  "If you''re worried about where you left off last night, Ehryinae is already on it, from what I heard.  Even last night, pushing yourself in the dark, you were making a bunch of mistakes.  Clearly, you have something on your mind, what is it?"  Mhyl was honestly using this great opportunity to get some information from Thanrie, at the expense of tending to her hair.


    Thanrie gave in, considering hiding things from each other has caused too many issues in the past.  "Uh, well, actually, most of it involves you.  You wake up from your near death experience, recovering well enough, and suddenly you''ve got.. everything.  I don''t even know what happened to you, but you''re suddenly like an unstopped whirlpool of talent.  The little Mhyl, who we always thought was so meek, was suddenly too good at sparring, too good at sports, too good at dancing, and too good at music.. it''s kinda intimidating.  I didn''t want to be left in the dust, I know I should be capable of more than I have been.  I''ve just been going easy on myself, and I wanted to make up for it."  Thanrie sighed, having gotten this news off her chest.


    Mhyl was shocked at this insight.  She wasn''t aware of much of this, she had just felt inspired to make a difference.  In that light, it really wasn''t that different from what Thanrie herself was doing.  Mhyl was impressed at how driven, determined, and almost brave Thanrie was for not only committing to this, but also admitting to it so freely.  She finished up on Thanrie''s hair, and made sure Thanrie otherwise looked presentable enough, just to complete the original task she had given to herself.


    "Okay, then lets get back too it.  Just be careful, you might be a human, but your stamina isn''t infinite.  Don''t push yourself too hard."  "Sheesh, I know, ''mom''.  Can I just go now?"  Mhyl and Thanrie giggled at that, maybe Mhyl was really trying too hard as well.  Thanrie was still expected to have some breakfast before working, to get her energy back, but otherwise Mhyl had gone back to her own tasks.  Thanrie kept her breakfast simple, but still had complied.


    "This is fun, can I try that again?"  "Uh, the room is hot enough as is, can''t you wait at all?"  "But, but.. fine."  Ehryinae sighed in defeat, she knew Lwyn was right.  She could almost hear the Arch-Magus in Lwyn''s own voice, scolding her for getting too lost in the heat of the moment.  It was like when she herself was much younger, learning some of the intricate ways her flame gift could be used.  This time, it was complex ways her own flame could be applied, in ways she couldn''t even form by herself.  Tools that augment and shape her gift to complete things she couldn''t shape it to do herself.  It was something of pure genius.


    Thanrie walked into the furnace they were using to work on the jetstream engine, still concerned that they were having issues getting pipes designed to bring their steam power outdoors.  Testing all of this indoors was leaving less room for the heat to escape.  The heat of the day wasn''t going to help much either, this was one reason she was hoping for a late night success.  She decided it might be best to start with finding her brother, who could maybe cool the situation down.


    Ihzyhur wasn''t that far away, tending to his own matters.  "Oh, hello sis.  I heard you were up late last night, everything alright?"  Ihzyhur made it clear Thanrie''s actions had caused more concern than she had expected.  "I''m fine, I''m fine, sorry to cause such concern.  But Ihzy, the others could probably use your.. gift.  We''ve got a room that isn''t cooling itself."  Thanrie had been pondering how they could use the same air-current technique to get her brother''s gift to result in a form of air conditioning, but there were already enough unfinished projects in progress.  She also worried that, with consideration to the large amount of heat Ehryinae caused, her brother might instead freeze the place solid.


    Not long later, she found the foundation of her concerns.  Having been given open use for the room, with everyone evacuated, Ihzyhur set to work cooling the place down.  When he was done, the others returned to find the whole room a sheet of ice.  Thanrie had to turn on her boots to increase her traction, the others were sliding everywhere.  "Oh, if the ice is a problem, I''m sure I could melt.."  Ehryinae was instantly cut off with a series of glares.  Clearly, this project would have to wait for it to thaw naturally.


    The four of them gathered again in the training room.  "So, interesting enough, one of the problems with the gift seems to be.. it''s really hard to control.  I mean, maybe that makes sense, Terran technology has a million complex controls to make sure things stay safe, and when it got really hard, used some fancy computers to make everything exact.  The gift isn''t a precision technique, it''s very very analog.  With consideration of how complicated it is, it sorta makes sense."  Mhyl was again considering the science behind the gift, though she did seem to have a good point.  Nothing about the gift they had seen in the experts around them seemed like it was predictable or exact in nature, it was rather chaotic instead.


    Qheria still wasn''t up to having another football game, so they just did some individual training together.  Thanrie went to get her weapon, to go over some of her routines, while Lwyn got her crossbow and Qheria put her shields on.  Thanrie came back to Mhyl, tumbling a routine off in the middle of the floor, a flurry of grace in motion.  Thanrie remembered the discussion she had earlier with Mhyl, and saw Mhyl was refusing to herself be left in the dust.  A determined empathy passed over Thanrie''s face, weapon training could wait.  She went back to put her weapon away, and returned without it, Lwyn and Qheria still watching lost in wonder.


    Thanrie took to a spot near the side of the room, and took a deep breath.  She didn''t have the grace Mhyl had, but she had her own fluid of motion.  She knew in her own case, she was really fast.  However, she had trusted in her boots to provide her with speed ever since she had acquired them.  If she had any hope in beating Mhyl, she had to make the most of her own ability.  She could be faster than Mhyl, if only she tried.  Thanrie set off on a forward dash, heading towards the wall.  Just before connecting, she made a pivot stop and turn, dashing from that spot once again with the same integral speed.  Still it wasn''t enough, her stop was too slow, her turn was too slow, her dash was too slow.  More, she needed to achieve more.


    Lwyn dropped her crossbow, completely lost as to what she was witnessing.  What had happened to those two, what were they doing?  Eventually, Lwyn came out of her trance and picked up her weapon.  Both Lwyn and Qheria felt out of place in the room in that moment, and stepped aside, watching their peers from the outskirts.  As Mhyl and Thanrie stopped for a break, totally exhausted, both Lwyn and Qheria wandered off.  Qheria started reading some reports, while Lwyn just went to look into helping with lunch.


    When lunch came, Thanrie was almost face first into her food.  Her own exhaustion was overwhelming, but she was otherwise feeling much better.  During the afternoon, the plan was to look into their ambient light technique.  This took them the farthest from the heat of the day, as they were working in the basement of the entire facility.  They had a separate circuit to work with, connecting neon filament lights in a useless circle in middle of a large room.  The neon filaments passed through a pump, to keep it''s speed steady.  Each pump was itself powered by steam pumps coming through the rest of the facility.  Because the pumps then mutually supported both the steam flow and the gaseous neon filaments, the rate and flow through the circuit was constant, keeping everything at a steady rate.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The neon filaments weren''t exactly neon, they just glowed in a way that was very similar.  The filament dust emitted more light the faster they were forced to move.  Turning off the circuit when in motion had the filaments slow down gradually, causing them to become more and more dim, until they went dark.  However, using a gear system network and some custom pieces, they had the goal of having each of these pumps move the filaments at twice the regular speed, to then see what that would do.


    To ensure everything was safe, the system was fully disconnected, the pumps themselves forced empty.  This left the pipes filled with all of the filaments stagnant, and the regular pipes around the facility providing all of the light.  It made everything rather dark.  Thanrie was midly creeped out by it, getting a bad feeling down here, but more so, the darkness was making her extra sleepy.  She however got her part installed in the pump she was working on, and put the whole thing back together.  With nothing left to do but wait on the others, she relaxed, resting against the pump.


    Lwyn got the last pump setup with it''s part, the pump just next in line after Thanrie, as Qheria checked over her paperwork and Mhyl inspected the pipes.  Being an elf, her keen eye for detail made her the best at finding anything wrong.  She made her lap around, stepping over Thanrie after checking the pump there carefully.  Thanrie had made no mistakes with it, and Mhyl wasn''t about to deny her some rest.  After checking Lwyn''s too, she nodded in satisfaction.


    Qheria was still comparing her notes to the system.  "Mhyl, can you get it turned on then?"  Qheria got a nod for her inquiry, as Mhyl went up the stairs.  Thanrie heard this in her half-asleep state.  She really hoped this worked, the dim lights were so creepy.  She laid there imagining the system coming to life, and them moving with intensity, bringing a bright crimson hue to the room that felt almost like white light in it''s intensity, a brilliance that would shed away the darkness.


    The pumps all turned on, and the lights began to move, more and more rapidly.  Qheria looked over the whole system, as Lwyn relaxed next to her own pump, watching the lights move around her.  The lights grew to normal, and then exceeded.  Things grew brighter, but then kept going.  The light behind Lwyn was actually getting much brighter than it was anywhere else in the circuit, but Lwyn wasn''t watching.  Qheria took note of this, with sudden alarm and concern.


    The whole system was designed to move uniformly, which is good because it kept the pressure of the system constant.  The pipe behind Lwyn however was starting to bulge from a massive pressure build, it was taking in way more than it was able to send out.  The pump behind Lwyn was starting to crack itself under the pressure as well, none of this known to Lwyn.  Qheria made a split-second decision and dashed to shove Lwyn out of the way.


    Qheria however was too slow to provide enough time for her own escape.  Once Lwyn stumbled safely out of the way of the pump, the system itself ruptured from the pressure and exploded with force and shards.  Sharp metal fragments sliced across Qheria, forming gaps for the chemical vapours that exploded next in line against her, causing acid burns.  The force of the onrushing air blew her backwards too, thrown into the distant wall at the other side of the basement, as the room started to fill with chemical vapours.


    Help was downstairs in moments, the air all but freezing solid as the Seekers rushed in.  Rhyde and Yuxzn came too, alarmed to what had just happened.  The Wardens were on standby, preparing for any kind of medical requirements.  Ihzyhur froze the entire circuit in solid ice, to ensure it stayed stable for now.  Rhyde himself was soon after, carrying Qheria up the stairs, seriously injured, burned, and as far as he could tell, also poisoned.  Yuxzn was guiding the shaking Lwyn up the stairs, while Ihzyhur had taken to looking after his stunned sister.


    Thanrie herself hadn''t woken until the actual explosion, which did not make for the best way to wake up.  Both her and Lwyn were mostly okay, having only choked on the fumes.  Mhyl had completely missed the entire incident, but had quickly caught on to what had happened in general.  Mhyl offered to take and support Thanrie while Ihzyhur set about trying to get the fumes safely out of the building, to avoid any greater catastrophe.


    Mhyl contemplated that, in a way, it was like a carbon monoxide accident, just maybe without being a flammable gas.  Actually, she didn''t know if the stuff was flammable, which was another reason why Ihzyhur''s efforts to evacuate the vapours from the building might be even more important.  It did mean they needed to move, but that all three of them needed medical care.  They weren''t exactly poisoned, but it was similar, they had breathed in too much of something vastly unlike oxygen.  Qheria however looked in an utterly horrible state, clearly getting the stuff in her wounds had caused many more problems.  The direct contact was probably toxic, and her body was covered in acid burns, though much of that might be from the fragments themselves rather than the vapour that carried it.


    While the Wardens mostly focused on Qheria, Mhyl made sure the other two would be alright.  She knew, with their command of the gift, they were far more capable then she was.  Neither of these two were injured, so with a quick check from a Warden each, the Wardens were quickly gone from them.  Qheria herself was being kept in another room, one with a lot of ventilation and air.  Mhyl was very concerned about what had happened, and after Thanrie and Lwyn recovered enough, she turned to them with her questions.


    "So.. what happened?  What did we do wrong?"  Mhyl had pressed her mind, searching for anything she had missed, but nothing was off, everything had checked out.  "The pump beside me exploded, it was over pressure.  Qheria.. she jumped in, probably seeing what I wasn''t.  She... she saved me, and for that... she''s..."  Lwyn started bawling.  "She shouldn''t have done that, this should never have happened to her.  It would have been better if it was me.."  Lwyn trailed off, unable to keep her voice going.


    Thanrie was lost into the moment.  Once again, one of their own has suffered life-threatening injury.  Sure, once again, they would probably recover.  The Seekers and Warden had even reacted remarkably quickly, with proper care Qheria would be back on her feet quick enough.  But this was yet another disaster, yet another bout of misfortune.  They hadn''t even gone out seeking danger, it had came to their own home, seeking them instead.


    Mhyl was meanwhile concerned on how this whole thing could happen.  "This still shouldn''t even been possible.  How could pressure have built up in the system, when everything in the system is constant.  This itself is completely impossible, nothing else was affecting it.. for it to have built up so much pressure, the pump before it would have had to been running way faster than the rest."  Mhyl pondered that thought and recalled, the pump she was considering was the same one Thanrie had been resting against, inconspicuously.


    Thanrie herself froze as she came to the same realization, looking down at her hands.  Each time one of them had used the gift, they had been mostly unconscious, left there for a while to tend to that spot for a period of time.  She herself had overall been tending that pump ever since mid-afternoon, and it was almost dinner now.  And then.. she had lost consciousness.  This.. this was all her fault.  The others, they had been lucky enough to have their own gifts used to save the one wounded, but in her case, she had personally caused this.  Her own lack of control over her gift had almost killed Qheria.


    "I.. can''t believe it...  This is my fault, this happened because of me."  Thanrie was shaking in fear of herself and her own ability.  There was no way they could be safe, if this kind of thing could just happen to them anywhere.  They were a threat to themselves, no matter what they did.


    Mhyl composed herself for the coming storm.  They had been through life-threatening dangers before, she was growing aware of what these situations took.  She reflected upon her own advice to Qheria before, in fact the lessons they had shared about it.  What mattered most was not what had gone wrong, but how they had kept going.  She repeated that lesson into her head.  This situation though was much more complicated than usual.  Lwyn had recently fainted by being put too center stage, and her being saved at the cost of another seemed way more than she could handle.  Mhyl made sure Lwyn laid down, before she could just black out again.  Lwyn lost consciousness soon after.


    Mhyl turned to Thanrie, who meanwhile was left conflicted by the gift.  Mhyl reflected on when Thanrie had gotten heavily injured, which Qheria herself had blamed herself for.  In truth, it was caused indirectly by Qheria''s mistake back then, which was very similar to how this had gone for Thanrie.  To Mhyl, having the gift go off unintended was nothing but an accident, in much the same light.  Still, Mhyl could tell that wasn''t how Thanrie was seeing it.  To Thanrie, she had lost control of herself and her own ability, something she had been stressing on for a while now, in essence the same reason she was this tired.  Instead of the world failing her, she had failed herself, and Qheria was the one to suffer for it.


    Mhyl made sure Thanrie was getting some sleep too before she wandered off to check on Qheria.  Through all the commotion, she was left with a positive impression.  Qheria was indeed going to be fine.  In truth, Lwyn and Thanrie were bigger concerns, because no one else could help them but Mhyl herself.  The last time, everyone had suffered taking care of her, this time she would work hard to make sure everything stayed under control.  She would need to keep up with Qheria''s condition, make sure she remained aware of how well things were going.  Meanwhile, she would need to tear down the walls Lwyn and Thanrie were building up to cage themselves.  The first step would be worrying about dinner, she could figure out the rest after that.


    Even thinking of this made her envy the Wardens, their job almost seemed so much easier.  Saving Lwyn and Thanrie from their own self-spite and hatred was going to take a lot more work and planning.

 38: Unyielding Pavilion

    The evening had ended early for all of them, with the next day beginning in earnest. The coming of night had changed little for them, but a new day brought new opportunities.


    For some, morning had came before the dawn.  Mhyl, having slept much earlier than normal, was also awake much earlier than normal.  Thanrie and Lwyn were both still asleep, having had need of the extra hours.  Mhyl then got up to check on Qheria.  She arrived at the room to find Rhyde and Yuxzn already there.


    "Ah, perfect, or wait.  Yuxzn, need a hand here."  Rhyde had been expecting many things from Yuxzn in the past, but a casual translator still felt like a weak use of Yuxzn''s own abilities.  He still settled into the role regardless, considering both the circumstances and the people involved.  The four girls weren''t exactly low-key individuals anymore.


    "You''ve been fairly close to Qheria though all of this, so I wanted to hear from you as well.  Zyuixqs'' reports have been highly insufficient from a .. psychological profile perspective.  It''s one reason I had approached her myself to get a gauge on how she was actually doing.  However, I know that she takes my statements as a .. personal challenge.  I had warned her about how her hesitation could get her friends hurt, but.. I didn''t expect her to pull something like this."  Rhyde''s concern flooded his face, worried what his own words might have caused.  Mhyl let him continue silently.


    "I harp on her so much so that she might gain own experience, but.. this is something I have no experience in myself.  I''ve put myself on the line to make sure everything succeeds, but I''ve never faced death in the teeth and gone down for someone else.  Always, I have Yuxzn pull us out before any such sacrifice is even warranted.  I worry I might have been pushing her too hard, pushing her too far, and so now pushing more risk onto her than even I''m willing to take myself."  Rhyde wasn''t even watching her or much of anything while talking, the dark roof proving interesting enough in his own self-reflection.


    Mhyl shook her head.  "I think this is just more how close we are, it''s a lesson we''ve put on each other.  You weren''t the only one putting expectations on Qheria, you should have seen some of the stuff we told her as well.  We even beat her in her favourite game, which I guess wouldn''t have done wonders for her self-esteem.  She was doing very well, and it was very close, but she kinda broke down afterwards.  Still, it''s so obvious she looks up to you like a perfect role model, the sort of leader she herself aspires to be.  When she falls, you''re always willing to lend her helpful encouragement, lessons only a skilled leader could offer.  Personally, I thank you so much for looking after Qheria as much as you have been.  Please keep being her beacon of hope, so that she can continue to grow and improve as she has been."  Mhyl bowed formally her appreciation, catching both of them off guard.


    Rhyde went a bit bashful at this remark, honestly intimidated at this degree of responsibility.  Mhyl giggled, reflecting that Qheria was just one of many of his responsibilities, but Qheria herself seemed to have an additional impact to Rhyde.  Rhyde usually behaved so much more mature than typical for his age, but sometimes he couldn''t help but let his true age shine through.  Rhyde was thus even more at a loss for words.


    Yuxzn then continued the conversation without him, interested in further details.  "How are the other two doing?  I had heard they were fine medically.. physically, but.. that they were taking things fairly hard."  "Oh, yeah, Lwyn is actually taking things pretty badly.  Thanrie might believe that she had actually caused this whole problem, but Lwyn seems to be crumpling under the weight that she was herself saved from suffering at the cost of Qheria.  I really don''t know a good way to help her, she''s always thought so lowly of herself because of her.. bloodline.  Hearing that her mother was actually the daughter of two really important people hasn''t even been enough to impact that, as far as I can tell.  The farther along we go, the worse her plastic smile seems to get..."  Yuxzn nodded in understanding, not even realizing that Mhyl had known where the focus of his concern had resided.


    Qheria started coughing softly, so Mhyl ran to check up on her.  She quickly discovered that Qheria was still deeply unconscious, Qheria''s own body just naturally trying to deal with its own struggles.  Rhyde checked to make sure that the room was still getting proper ventilation.  Yuxzn made sure that Wardens returned to complete a more in-depth diagnosis.  At some point of these proceedings, Lwyn herself had shown up.


    "Hey Mhyl, Thanrie is still sleeping, but I guess you couldn''t help but be up early."  Lwyn passed Mhyl that plastic smile that had grown more and more artificial overtime.  She then turned to Qheria, looking worried.  "Is Qheria doing okay?"  "We both know she''ll be fine, especially with all of this care.  Qheria is a tough woman, no way she would let this keep her down for long, right?"  "Oh, yeah, of course!"  Lwyn''s ability to stay positive was starting to pale beside Mhyl''s meager attempts at emulating Lwyn''s strengths.  They both started watching the wardens work for a while, silently in contemplation.


    Xyithy showed up eventually, having been scheduled to return from a patrol this morning.  She would thus have only just learned what had happened to her daughter.  She was dragging Rhyde around, getting all of the details from him, as Yuxzn followed along as always.  "So you mean to tell me that my daughter had almost died, simply because of the recklessness of a Wyxiri, all to save the life of some skimp of a half-elf?  This is absurd, my daughter''s life is worth far more than that of someone who is just some half-elf."  Xyithy was fuming with irrational irritation.  Lwyn had gone stark pale.


    "Your daughter is still only someone who is ''just some human'', I fail to see how there is any kind of difference here.  You let your rivalry with the Wyxiri cloud your judgement of others far too frequently."  Yuxzn''s dagger-filled words caught Xyithy off guard, she stumbled to construct some kind of reply.  "The nerve, I''d have you know my daughter is a very established and important individual."  "So is that ''just some half-elf'' you were talking about.  A circle elf plus the heir to the arch-magus.  I hear either of those titles by itself bear a lot of weight on the other side of the great mountain, let alone both together.  I hear your own reputation was gained because you had saved a royal family in an act of heroism, how is your own daughter''s actions any different, then?  Lwyn is herself a kind of royalty."  Xyithy was caught completely without words, realizing that any retort she gave Yuxzn now would look poorly on her daughter.  Xyithy stormed off to find Aelyiq and get a more medical report, trying to compose herself along the way.


    Lwyn''s pale tone was flush with a touch of red, having watched Yuxzn pour so much importance into her, in her own defense.  She started to get dizzy, so Mhyl guided her to a nearby bed.  Tears fell from Lwyn''s face, silently in frustration.  Mhyl found a seat nearby to wait in.  Eventually, Thanrie showed up, her hair an absolute mess.  Mhyl sighed, compelled Thanrie to make use of the spot she had found for herself, and went off to find that brush again.


    "So, how is Qheria doing?"  "Oh, uh.. ah!  Obviously she''s going to be awesome, right?"  Thanrie shrugged at Lwyn''s attempt to cloud over the doubt she herself couldn''t shed.  Thanrie herself looked down at her hands once again, a chill of fear passing through her spine.  Both of them sat silently in self-reflection, and were still doing so when Mhyl returned.  Mhyl didn''t even break the silence, unsure on the right things to say.  Instead, she just started tending to Thanrie''s hair.  This did however have Thanrie start to feel even more helpless and dependant.


    Mhyl finished tending to Thanrie''s hair and pocketed the brush in a pouch, for her to return later.  "Feeling better?"  "No, not really, only more helpless."  "Oh, then do you want to tend to my hair then?"  Thanrie looked down at the small brush Mhyl offered her.  Clearly, Mhyl came surprisingly prepared.  Thanrie reached out to pick up the brush, and then with shaking hands dropped it on the table in front of her.  "I... I can''t.."  Thanrie kept shaking, as she considered what her own hands might do to Mhyl.  Mhyl frowned, her plans foiled.


    "Just because we keep getting blessed with good luck doesn''t mean we should start feeling uptight about finding the other side of luck step on us.  The only thing that matters is how we work with it."  Mhyl''s quote had Thanrie freeze.  Thanrie remembered giving this exact same advice to Qheria, not that long ago.  They had said that using the gift to help was an act of good fortune, she had agreed, and this may or may not have been an act of simple ill fortune, but that almost didn''t matter.  Things might have gone wrong, she might even be to blame for it, but she herself was dwelling in what had gone wrong more than working to fix it.  She couldn''t pick up that brush because, in the time since that accident, nothing had changed.  She had fixed nothing, she had not improved at all.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Thanrie got up, the wheels in her head spinning.  If she was still a danger, doing nothing was only making the problem worse.  She had to hurry and... She quickly realized that it wasn''t just the wheels spinning in her head, so was her entire head.  She sat back down, a dizzy spell passing over her.  She looked back at the brush in front of her, and recalled the last time Mhyl had brushed her hair.  She had also been pushing herself way too hard, Mhyl telling her it would have her make more mistakes.  She wasn''t wrong either, that''s exactly how things had turned out.


    She then thought back further, to Qheria''s analysis on why Thanrie''s gift was so far away.  Qheria had said that Thanrie''s mind was unfocused, almost unstable.   Yesterday, they had seen that even Ehryinae''s gift did not have the greatest degree of self-control, controlling the gift was very difficult even for people with the best of training.  Being scatter-brained and unfocused was only making things worse.  Thanrie took a deep breath, trying to relax.


    Mhyl watched the proceedings, really uncertain what was going on inside Thanrie.  She couldn''t tell if Thanrie was going to be okay or no.  Lwyn herself watched silently, unwilling to do more.  Suddenly, Thanrie got up, gradually instead of quickly, and took another deep breath.  "Okay, first things first, we have no idea how much longer Qheria is going to be, but not taking care of ourselves is just going to make things harder for our leader after she wakes up.  No one has even had breakfast, right?  I thought so.  We should start with that.  Mhyl, I''m sorry, but we''ve been pushing the fitness thing a bit hard, today is a break day.  We can maybe resume tomorrow, if everyone is up to it.  With some luck, Qheria might even be joining us, right?  We still have to worry about that jet-stream project that was put on ice, but otherwise we should actually take breaks for a break.  Sit down, maybe read over some reports, simple and easy, right?"  Thanrie went to encourage Lwyn and Mhyl to stand up as well, driving them to keep going.


    Thanrie passed Mhyl''s brush back to her.  "When our first break comes, remind me about this.  Maybe I''ll be more composed by then and we can see if I can be of any help.  Your own hair looks really well done, so I doubt there is much more I can do for it, but that''s probably not the point, right?"  Thanrie''s faint smile made Mhyl grin.  She had no idea how things had just worked out so well, but they had.


    Mhyl turned to Lwyn to help her as well, though Lwyn looked even more withdrawn.  Mhyl''s grin was then replaced with concern once again.  Thanrie was doing better, but clearly Lwyn was going to need something else.


    Qheria was still lost within her own slumber, and there she was also lost within her own dreams.  She was walking along a trail, feeling relaxed.  She turned to look behind her, seeing an expanse of houses and homes for people, people she felt the need to look out for.  For that reason, she had to keep going.  She turned back to the trail and it''s expanse before her.  She trudged on, keeping to the trail, determined to reach whatever destination was on the way.


    As she kept going, the trail itself reformed, as the scene before her starting going upwards instead of just a flat forwards.  She continued forwards, struggling against the slope of the path, one step at a time.  Her pace slowed down dramatically, the height of her path was dramatic indeed.  As she kept going forwards, the green pastures became replaced by snow-filled valleys, as snow begun to fall.  A wind picked up, chilling her considerably, not being properly dressed for weather this cold.  Frost took to everything, making the trail even more difficult to get proper footing.  Soon though, even the frost was covered in snow.


    She looked back behind her, to the valley of green grass and brown houses.  They were still fine, they were beyond all of this, and so she needed to keep going.  She took one gruesome step after the other, shivering every step of the way.  She felt mostly frozen herself, but she still kept going.  Arms and legs growing numb from the cold, she still pressed on-wards, as the sky itself became nothing more than a sheet of white.


    Looking upwards, she saw a small tiny ball of snow bouncing down the hill towards her.  Out of instinct, she lunged for the ball but missed.  The ball bounced past her, not growing any smaller as it bounded down into the distance.  It made it to the base of the hill and rolled into one of the homes, smashing in it as a giant boulder.  Snow covered the area struck, and ice rapidly formed over the area affected, until it was frozen solid.


    Another ball was forming before her, bouncing towards her without a thought or care in the world.  She reached this one and lashed out with her feet, striking it away with as much force as she could muster.  Instead, the ball passed through her feet, like they weren''t even there.  The snowball rolled past her, tore through the frozen homes, tearing it to pieces, before crashing into a new unfrozen home, and spreading more ice and destruction.


    Two more balls appeared, both at once, and neither of them even recognized her existence.  The things behind her were being destroyed with utter neglect, regardless of what she tried to do.  She kept pressing onward, desperate to find a way to end the senseless destruction.  The wind started to pick up, pressing her backwards with an intent and vigor.  The path sloped even further upwards, becoming increasingly slippery.  At one point, she had to grasp with her hands in order to climb any further.  The snow had painted herself in a canvas of white and blue, clinging to her like an overcoat made of pure cold.


    Time itself seemed to slow down, in an effort to keep her farther from her goal, with the hands of time itself starting to freeze over.  And yet, she would not stop.  She climbed up onto a rocky rampart, and found a plateau of pure, flat stone.  Snow covered everything all around, but had no ability to touch this part.  A snowball formed from the sky itself, came down, and bounced across the plateau, reaching for the decent behind her.  She reached out for the ball, and again missed, leaving the ball to bounce towards its undesirable destination.


    Qheria crossed the plateau and reached the other side, her vision completely obscured by snowfall.  At the other end was a tree, mostly battered and broken.  Filled with holes, shards of wood scattered everywhere, it had been trying to hold out for as long as it could, but it was almost broken.  However, in this flurry of snow, not a branch was white, it''s black leaves a pure defiance of the fate given onto it.  As she approached it, another snowball came crashing through it, shattering branches and throwing splinters everywhere as it bounded gleefully towards its target.


    Qheria reached out for the tree, as the tree collapsed, unable to take any more.  A single branch, without any tatters or tears itself, fell before her and landed at her feet.  She picked it up, looking at it.  It wrapped around her hands, feeling warm, until the branch looked more like a spiral of leaves and thorns.  She carried the branch back to the middle of the plateau, looking at it in wonder.  Once there, another snowball appeared, challenging her once again.  It rushed towards her, and she held out the branch in defense.  The ball smashed into the branch, but it was her own arms that drew blood.  Striking the branch, the snowball vanished in a sprinkle of white powder.


    Qheria took her position, knowing what she had to do.  More snowballs appeared, and she blocked each in turn.  As each snowball struck, the branch held strong, but it was herself that was torn.  The gray of the plateau was being painted red with her blood, which itself froze into a betraying blue.  With even less footing, Qheria continued to block the oncoming destruction.


    Almost as if realizing their obstacle, the snowballs came in growing numbers and frequency, until it became an onrush of white flurry rapidly slamming against her.  And yet still, she continued to give herself, in order that no one else may suffer.  She fell to one knee, barely able to keep going, herself almost ready to break.


    The rocks below her started to move and reshape, as if motivated by her own will.  Multiple snowballs came crashing down on the rocky face, splintering stone fragments as the ground itself suffered in defense.  And yet, even still, Qheria held her ground, starting in turn to defend the rocky forms that were trying to simply defend her.  The entire mountain started to bristle in her defense, spires of stone shooting up into the very skies.  The spires parted the very clouds themselves, tearing through the harsh snow falling onto them, and the sky was forced clear.  The ground cusped around her, carrying her to safety.


    Eventually, battered and bleeding, she reached the grassy ground below, the snow clearing up already.  She placed the branch into the ground, which instantly grew into a blossoming tree beside her, her own wounds disappearing as well.  She stepped forwards, through an archway of stone before her, heading onward to wherever her next destination was.


    Qheria blinked awake for a moment, still unsure what was real and what was not.  Her dream had felt so vivid, so.. real.  However, she recognized where she was, the bed she was in.  No one nearby seemed aware she had woken up yet, though she was still hardly considered awake.  She still fell sore and worn, and decided that she could relax a little while longer.  She could face the real world once again, once the real world came back to her.


    Mhyl would show up with her lunch not long after, shocked and happy to see Qheria awake.  With Qheria safely back in her friend''s hands, Rhyde finally left silently to tend to his own lunch.

 39: Interconnected Performance

    Qheria would still be expected to rest for the remainder of the day, so everything otherwise continued with regular routines of work and rest.  The plan that day was to take everything easy, and that''s exactly how it all panned out.


    By next day, the four of them had reason to be excited.  The smith was finally putting finishing touches on the three instruments.  Mhyl had shown up early, to put some artistic finesse on the results.  It mostly involved decorative paints, putting some of the same color patterns for each instrument as she had for each outfit originally.  Qheria wasn''t sure about this idea, at this point she had full wardrobe of clothes in a color that was basically picked for her.  It was a great choice of color, but the lack of variation was getting tiring.  If not for it being clean and maintained every day, Qheria could have swore she''d been wearing the same outfit each day since the day they had left.


    Qheria had been slow to get up this morning, having returned to her wardrobe to replace a top that had gotten wood varnish on it.  She had replaced it with.. one that looked exactly like it.  Lwyn meanwhile had arrived with cleaned laundry for all of them, and had replaced the top she had taken for herself with another exactly like it, then had taken the dirty top Qheria had dismissed and gone to clean it as well.  The whole situation left Qheria feeling a little awkward.


    By lunch, the instruments were mostly ready, just needing time to dry.  Over lunch, Rhyde had approached Qheria while she was still enjoying her salad.  "Feeling better hopefully.  Oh, is that all you''ll be having today?"  "Of course I''ll have more, Mhyl wouldn''t let me hear the end of it if I didn''t do enough to recover my energy.  But I''ve been enjoying my soup cold, so I''ll just have some later."  Rhyde looked at his own soup, the soft thick brown broth still bubbling.  Qheria just picked up another yellow piece of lettuce and nibbled on it.  The colors of their food was starting to get boring too.


    "But yes, I am feeling much better now.  I heard you had gotten personally involved in everything, even though everything was practically the specialty of the Seekers and the Wardens."  Qheria wasn''t sure that anyone was particularly skilled with gas explosions around here, but that wasn''t the point.  "Hey, I would have you know that my leadership had been vital to ensure that everyone coordinated in a vital and precise manner."  Rhyde was already arguing, they had only sat down.  Qheria however instead just giggled.


    "Yeah, leadership really is a very difficult and underappreciated task, isn''t it.  Somehow, I''ve got three very capable woman looking up to me, and I''m not even sure when I had signed up for this.  We''re a team, we all seem to suffer at the loss of any of us.  I just hadn''t accounted myself as one of those who could cause such same suffering.  Though, in such a hard moment, I really don''t regret my decision in the end.  Saving Lwyn was still the right move.  I hear we even had safety really well accounted for, there weren''t really any mistakes.  There was that whole gift business that happened, but.. it''s hard to blame anyone for it."  Qheria went to her bowl for more salad, having found she had at that point finished it.


    Rhyde had came to help console Qheria through any of her hardships, but.. had instead found Qheria really was doing very well.  It was highly unexpected, and left him at a total loss for words.  He was still feeling a bit out of place for her having dashed so fervently into danger as she had, learning and improving in ways he himself hasn''t yet.  He ate some of the soup, which instantly scalded his tongue.  Maybe Qheria had the right of it after all.


    "Oh, but one of the biggest parts of things like this, always moving forward.  Thanrie keeps bringing that up now, it''s almost a mantra for her.  We''re going to try and play some music sometime this afternoon, once our instruments are ready.  We still need to find some other way to spend the afternoon before then, though."  "Ah, so more of that sparring you and Thanrie keep doing?  I could still offer you another rematch, if you feel you are up to it."  Qheria paused in thought, Rhyde''s words provoking a memory for Qheria.


    "That''s brilliant!  A perfect way to get back together after that last disaster.  Another bout of football!"  "Qwuht-?  What was that again?"  Qheria''s English had left Rhyde''s tongue reeling, unable to pronounce the word at all and stopping half way in.  Qheria was almost instinctive on following the discussion between Mhyl and Lwyn, naming it soccer instead, but that might not be much easier.  So instead she tried to literally translate it, the word for ''foot'', plus the word for ''ball''.  It was more ''sphere'' than ''ball'', but calling it ''Footsphere'' wasn''t that inaccurate after all.


    Rhyde then listened as Qheria described the premise for the sport, and he even brought Yuxzn in to hear all about it.  It sounded brilliant, a safe tactical environment to practice strategies following a given set of rules.  At one point, the discussion started to draw upon a crowd.  Lwyn was translating for Mhyl, who was providing technical clarifications of the rules.  Yuxzn had started writing down all of the rules.  Xyithy and Ihzyhur started disputing which of them would be better in this competition neither of them had ever experienced before.  Aelyiq and Ehryinae had left the lunch room quickly, not liking where things were going, with Zyuixqs and Chyurea having stepped into the discussion instead.


    At one point during the whole meeting, Thanrie had shown up, carrying the ball Mhyl had made before.  It had needed some repairs, but only minor ones, stuff Thanrie had just personally looked into.  "Reports and meetings are fun and all, but if anyone actually wants to experience this thing for themselves, I''ll be outside with the ball."  Thanrie quickly captured everyone''s attention.  Lwyn was mildly concerned that they wouldn''t be indoors, especially without handy nearby walls, but she couldn''t get a word in.


    It wasn''t until they were outside that Qheria realized she had missed her chance to have any soup.  There would still be more for dinner, she could have more then.  She was still full of energy, so it was going to be alright.  Everything started at first with a demonstration of the rules, with the four girls demonstrating the principles of the sport.  Then, there was a quick opportunity for everyone except the four girls to get some mock actions in, to get a feeling for how it is to play.  Once practice had concluded, they had divided up into two teams for a real match.


    Qheria and Mhyl this time were on the same team, with Thanrie and Lwyn on the other team.  Thanrie realized this still implied she would be against Mhyl, and cursed her luck.  Rhyde offered however to be the counter-goalie against Qheria, putting Lwyn out in the field.  Yuxzn took to the field with Lwyn and Rhyde, putting Chyurae on Mhyl''s team with Zyuixqs.  Ihzyhur and Xyithy took the teams of their respective family member.  An assortment of staff or followers of the four groups were dedicated audience, not willing to get into the match with some of these important people.  Ehryinae had folded into this audience, feeling that keeping watch was a better idea, not just of the event, but in case anything else unexpected occurred.  She was also nominated as a kind of starter, to declare when a match had begun.  Aelyiq fell in with the rest of her idea, but was more compelled to be on hand in case anything went violent and otherwise had no direct interest in the event.


    On Qheria''s side, she looked ahead at her team.  Mhyl was way up to offense, ready to deal with the ball as required.  Considering she usually took a more defensive role, it was quiet unexpected of her.  Their defense included both Chyurae and Zyuixqs, her mother driven to a more aggressive position against her opponent, as was her usual in times of conflict.  On the other side, Rhyde had Yuxzn and Lwyn for the back lines, leaving Thanrie and her brother to take to the front.


    The match begun with the ball having no owner, someone would have to dash in and steal the ball.  At Ehryinae''s signal, both Ihzyhur and Xyithy dashed blind for the ball.  Ihzyhur connected first, pushing the ball forwards towards the waiting Mhyl.  Thanrie''s face melted into a moment of dread, except for the four girls, no one else knew what this combo would result in.  Thanrie tried to intercept Mhyl, but she drifted past instead.  Lwyn stumbled, trying to keep up with Mhyl''s longer legs.  Ihzyhur and Yuxzn didn''t even have enough time to react.  Rhyde blinked as the ball wailed passed him.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Uh, sorry, did I miss something.  I could have swore it was Mhyl who had the ball for a moment, and then.."  "Oh, yeah, that''s Mhyl''s fancy footwork.  I think the only one whose stopped her so far has been Qheria, and that was only that one time."  Rhyde realized he had underestimated the prowess of his enemy, a horrible move for a leader.  He would have to be more diligent, if he had any hopes in competing with Qheria.  Of course, he had other goals too, somewhere.


    Rhyde had always said that experience gave an exceptional advantage in combat, and clearly that was still true now.  The four most influential fighters in this battle were the four who had known of the sport before today.  Everyone else was simply.. backup, himself included.  It was not unlike the struggle he had seen Qheria''s crew undergo, having walked into an unfamiliar competition in itself.  He would have to achieve more then, just as she had.


    Thanrie was given the ball for the start of the next round.  Desperate to get passed Mhyl, he shot a kick over her head, just as he had before.  At the goal, Qheria intercepted this shot with no difficulty, being much taller than Lwyn.  Thanrie cursed her misfortune, of course that trick wouldn''t work this time.  Lwyn was on her side now, who was also looking displeased at how that had panned out.  Qheria passed the ball up to Zyuixqs, who brought the ball forwards carefully to met up with Ihzyhur.  Ihzyhur was blessing his fortune in being set against two of the people he most wanted to compete with, and rushed the ball.  He missed, but Zyuixqs also lost control over the ball.  Xyithy took up the ball from there, but lost it to Lwyn''s mobility, who then passed it up to Thanrie again.


    Thanrie was determined to not mess up twice, and fortunately Mhyl was caught off position.  Thanrie dashed forwards with the ball, approaching Chyurae.  She stepped back and away, kicking the ball for a shot before Chyurae could arrive.  She then noticed her foot connected with nothing.  Somewhere along the way, she had lost track of where Chyurae was, or something, and now he had the ball.  She hadn''t even blinked.  He passed the ball directly to Mhyl again.  Mhyl confronted both Lwyn and Yuxzn in a double team moment, slipped past both of them, and went for a shot.  Rhyde barely blocked it.  Rhyde then passed it up to Lwyn, but the ball got stolen by Mhyl on the way, who then made a sudden second shot and goal.


    Thanrie found herself with the ball, yet again.  She was thinking that Mhyl and Qheria would never again be allowed on the same team, it was more fair putting the elves on the same team, even if this sport heavily depended on stamina.  However, in that light, Mhyl taking main stage through all this was starting to cost her, Thanrie could see she was getting a bit tired.  Playing outside made the field much larger and longer.  Thanrie pressed forwards and actually managed to slip passed Mhyl, almost by luck.  Next, she was facing Chyurae again, who she also managed to avoid.  Thanrie took her shot on net, a very low shot.


    Qheria saw the ball approaching, in a passing moment of dread.  She had been using her hands so far, but this time she couldn''t.  The last time she had kicked the ball, she had failed.  Instead of letting those thoughts bring her dread, she resolved to stand her grounds, not letting the past haunt her.  Qheria''s foot slammed hard and solid into the ball, sending it forwards to her mother.  Xyithy stepped forwards with it, seeing Ihzyhur blocking her path, and instead passed to Mhyl.  Mhyl slipped past easily, reached the net, and got blocked by Rhyde.


    For the rest of the match, neither side was able to score a goal.  Eventually, it was just called, so that they could take a mid-afternoon break.  Qheria went to sit down and relax for her break, only to find a bowl of soup in front of her.  "I hear missing this could have gotten you in trouble with your crew.  Couldn''t let that happen, you know."  Rhyde sat down in another nearby seat, his own hands now empty.  "Thank you."  Qheria ate the soup appreciatively, finding it fairly cool at this point.


    Thanrie was going over the results of that match in her head.  Her side had really suffered through that, unable to stand up to the might of their opponent.  While it had ended in deadlock, it had begun very one-sided.  To her, once again, things had only improved because of the stamina of elves being less than her own.  Much like sparring with Mhyl, this didn''t sit well with her.  However, unlike sparring, Thanrie hadn''t even achieved a late goal, because Qheria had held on.  It would have stung for her quite a lot, but instead she was just driven to improve.  She would practice and find her own success.


    While pondering this, Thanrie found a very happy Mhyl had just shown up.  "Thanrie, it''s time!  The instruments are done!"  For not having an instrument of her own, Mhyl was really quite excited.  Thanrie suspected that most of the excitement was because now Mhyl herself could try to be musical with her friends.  Thanrie went to get the others, so that they would be included too.  When everything was ready, the four found they had still an audience, ready to see what would happen next.


    The smith himself stopped all projects to attend this, realizing that his own goals were going to reach a huge success if things went well enough.  People were already getting interested in these more minor creations, it would yield a huge investment in future interest, leading to even more opportunities and support.  Rhyde was also giving a lot of room and opportunity for this whole thing to happen, and most of their overall populace was allocated to the audience.


    Knowing that the four were not as experienced with this as they were with ''Footsphere'', the four girls were given enough room for general practice.  To start things off, the three instrumentalists started doing setup while Mhyl did some vocal practice, singing to her audience.  She started with another made-up song of broken lyrics, at least singing in a Terran language they suspected might be either French or.. Latin?  Then she shifted into a song of a language none of them could figure out, Thanrie suspecting it might be a south-east Asian language, one of them.  None of them even knew this second song of Mhyl''s wasn''t even made up, they just didn''t know it.  The audience absolutely loved her singing throughout the whole process.


    Qheria was up second, her bass ready to go.  Mhyl stepped aside, to look over the others, subtly marvelling at how it almost seemed like Qheria and Thanrie had switched roles with each other.  At least, that''s how she felt.  Qheria settled in with her instrument, keeping to a soft ambience that resounded around them.  With a slow tempo keeping mostly to a low pitch, Qheria set out a melody that had everyone entranced.  They didn''t exactly know what to think of it, but it was definitely a thing.  Qheria wrapped up her own little melody, to be followed by Thanrie up next.  Thanrie surprised them all with a sudden explosion of music and tempo, her own playing supplying tremendous energy and beat.  She neglected the cymbals completely through most of her performance.  She had everyone''s attention, but like Qheria, no one knew what to make of the whole thing.


    Mhyl had figured out why those two had settled upon their choices by the time Lwyn was up to go.  None of them knew what to think.  Thanrie watched Lwyn pick up the bow for her violin, having a moment of regret in giving her yet another bow.  Lwyn placed the instrument carefully, and set her bow upon it.  Then she set to playing.  She herself had a steady tempo and some resounding notes, her song almost echoing upon itself.  The song itself felt ambitious and sad itself somehow, as it built and climbed upon it''s own melody, making a full range of notes in a rising tempo.  Lwyn was really good, it was something incredible to look upon and listen to.  Everyone present was stunned at just what degree of quality they were witnessing.  It was like the music was speaking to them, telling them a story of grief and desperation.  Mhyl noticed somehow she had started crying, for no reason whatsoever.


    When Lwyn was done, the applause was resounding, far more than any of them had gotten before, except maybe Mhyl.  Their two humans felt dramatically under-qualified.  However, neither of them was going to let that just stop them.  Earlier they had disputed and found a song that fit well into the situation, something they had all known, mostly because Mhyl had been singing it before.  It was actually a Celesi song, sung in both languages.  Still none of them had actually practiced with these instruments together before, so this was their big opportunity to get a feeling for the theory behind it.


    Mhyl started off with the vocals, sticking to the Elaethyx version she had much more confidence in.  It sounded familiar to everyone at first, until Thanrie stepped in with a sudden chord of drums.  Qheria also stepped in at this point, keeping to the melody while Mhyl sung.  As everything rose in tone, Lwyn finally stepped in to carry things off.  Qheria and Thanrie was worried that Lwyn''s quality would carry over them, but were shocked to find that Lwyn was actually struggling to stay on key in a group performance.  Lwyn was behind the tempo, and was having conflicting choices of notes.  This, in addition to her otherwise strong performance style, brought their quality way down.  Lwyn trying to compensate only made it worse, by using a lighter, more background of a style or going for deeper or softer notes.  She just sounded.. random.


    The song ended, and no one knew what to do.  Lwyn however was the first to act, she set her instrument down and left, leaving everyone in an awkward silence.

 40: Coattail Shadows

    The whole performance had packed up quickly since the performance, an awkward feeling presiding over those present.  Mhyl had left the room quickly after, yet discovered Lwyn was no where to be found.


    Lwyn was actually on the roof at the time, pondering her thoughts on her own.  She had known there would be a time when she would just simply find herself no longer fitting in.  She thought back to the many days it had been so far.  While a mutual circumstance had brought them together, all of them had grown on their own from it, in their own ways.  It built upon them who they themselves really were.  It had felt like they had been together in fact for an eternity as a result, with how close everything had grown, but that too was naught but an illusion.


    From there, they had gone a long distance, with her trailing in their shadows, clinging to their coattails.  She had been able to revel their victories and struggled through their failures.  Theirs, not really her own.  Her''s was only a life of struggle, that''s all it had ever been.  Pretending she was going to be okay had done her well so far, there was a few things she could contribute at first.  Spending herself to keep the team happy endlessly had driven them forwards through things near the start, though eventually she had found herself replaced in many of those tasks.  She had mostly just... been there.


    She was there when Thanrie had gotten hurt, unable to do a thing but go along for the whole agony.  There, she had been the most useful, her false energy almost seemed to have spent itself in that incident.  But, as things improved, she got better at pretending she herself had also recovered, that she herself was doing better.  They had managed a few things after that with her around, after opening the facility she sat upon.  It was even on this very roof where she had to fight Hammer-face, and instead of claiming victory, she had failed.  She herself was left crushed, physically and emotionally, as others had to clean up after her own failure.  That was when her despair had begun to really set in, as she laid there attempting to heal.


    Then she was told some of her supposed family heritage.  It sounded like a fairy tale to her, to be honest.  She still didn''t fully believe it, but had gone along with the ride.  A myth that a half-elf like her could be important sounded more fabricated than anything.  Instead, it felt like people were putting her in a seat of importance, something she could only let them down on in the future.  She was and will always be the most expendable, no matter what stories others came up with out of convenience.


    When Mhyl got hurt, she got to see just how much being considered important was a destiny designed to fail.  Nothing imparted in that moment showed anything of value in putting her on such a pedestal.  She could scarcely believe how useless she was getting by that point, and it had started to tear her apart.  Still, Mhyl had gotten better regardless, and had scolded them for not sharing how they had all felt.  Lwyn felt kinda bad, for not having shared all of her growing concerns so far, but it would only burden them further if they had to deal with that too.


    It was in fact at that point where Mhyl had started to shine, and when Lwyn had started to really feel like her spot was lost completely.  She was good at so many things, it was astonishing.. and actually intimidating.  Mhyl had started to appear as a symbol of greatness within the team, almost a hero in her own right, and Lwyn had started to feel her own illusion of value begin to fade quickly.  Her singing, her dancing, her athletics.. Lwyn was fairly certain Mhyl could probably fight well enough if she actually tried.  Mhyl probably just wasn''t familiar with a style she felt suited to.


    It wasn''t like she was alone in this.  Thanrie had been doing so well actually for a while before.  Mhyl had seemed to only make Thanrie improve even more so after her own recovery.  The two together were a marvel to witness, something fading beyond Lwyn''s own reach.  And for a time, it felt as if the only coattail she could still hold on to was Qheria''s.  However, then Qheria had suddenly decided to save the one person who was most expendable, taking herself down instead.  Lwyn still had no idea why that had even happened.  Thanrie had seemed at a loss as well, but Mhyl had quickly managed to provide enough support to restore Thanrie to her potential and greatness.


    When Qheria had woken up, she herself seemed to have learned the ways of great people at some point, and had started to move beyond Lwyn''s reach.  Just the day after, she was suddenly doing amazingly well.  Thanrie might have worried about the value of her own participation in their sports competition, but Lwyn had noticed just how much she had let her team down.  Unable to bring much value to anything going on, even though she was one of the ones with a degree of experience.  She had let everyone down, left Thanrie to suffer in the loss, and thus they had been defeated.  Then, right after, she had tried to fit her own ability in with everyone in a musical performance, and had found herself unable to keep up at all.


    Everyone was well beyond her reach now, she was unable to help them at all.  In fact, her presence would most likely cause them more failures like the sports event, just with more seriousness.  They wanted her on a pedestal, but she could never pull that off, no matter how much she pretended to have any actually real talent.  No one needed her around anymore, and everyone would be better off if she wasn''t.  Mhyl could always learn Izhaethyx from .. honestly almost anyone else, she had even had many others already translate for her.  There was no longer any point in keeping up this facade, and plenty of reasons to move on.


    She decided that tonight would be the best opportunity.  As she was accustomed to, she herself was already ready to leave at any time.  She had a kit she had made herself with her own stuff in it, some foodstuff, enough to manage on her own for a while.  She knew she also couldn''t take some of this stuff that wasn''t truthfully her own, her outfit, weapons, even the gloves.  She would leave them all behind, and find her own way.  Though, that might be a good place to start.  Maybe she should slip into the factory, find something she could use for herself, that she found for herself.  The place was pretty much devoid of it''s usual residents, having been wiped out.  She could slip in, find a few basic things she would need, and then move on.


    She would probably follow the river back to the mountains after that, though it really didn''t matter.  There was no place that she really belonged to, after all.  In all honestly, if this trip was to be her last, that didn''t bother her either.  It wasn''t as if she was worth worrying about.  Her kind had no destiny but to die a life of failure, so.. maybe the sooner the better.


    Having gained her resolve, she made some last minute preparations over dinner.  She had caught Mhyl looking for her, but not once did Mhyl bother looking up.  Her headset didn''t help with it either, she had left it off because the place already had a lot of activity, using it to find one person in this mess wouldn''t have helped for anything.  Lwyn succeeded in getting changed and ready, giving some silent parting wishes to first the possessions she was leaving behind right there, and then as she headed out.. to also the people she was running from.  With that completed, she headed for the door.


    Mhyl saw for a quick moment the shadows of some coattails fluttering in the wind, as the door closed upon them.  She made her way to the door, just as Thanrie rushed up to her.  "What happened to Lwyn, I have a really really bad feeling, where is she?"  Thanrie proved her bad feelings by pulling out Lwyn''s gloves and crossbow, which she had found discarded when she had slipped into the room to relax.  She certainly wasn''t relaxing right now.  Mhyl ran for the door, and turned on her headset.  Off in the distance, one lone person, fairly short, travelling away from them.  "That was her, she... she''s ran away."  Mhyl started for the door in a panic.


    Qheria stepped in at this point.  "Lets not lose our heads.  A rescue team that isn''t prepared is certain to fail.  Thanrie, go get all of our weapons and gear, stuff we might need from our rooms.  Mhyl, go check with Aelyiq and grab some medical supplies and anything else quick that could help us, just make sure to keep it quick and easy to travel with.  I''ll go secure us some food stocks, having food supplies already prepared will let us travel faster, and I bet you Lwyn already thought ahead there.  Meet back here lightning quick, we don''t have any time to waste."  Qheria ran off after providing directions and instructions, heading to the food stocks to acquire what she could.


    Thanrie returned to the room she had found Lwyn''s stuff abandoned in.  She got everyone''s weapons and some of the regular stuff they had travelled around with.  She then out of instinct checked Lwyn''s closet and found it full of every outfit, plus one discarded dirty.  Lwyn had done laundry today, none of her clothes should be dirty..  It dawned on her that maybe Lwyn had even left THAT behind, and packed her some of her actual clothes.  If she was running away and leaving everything behind, that stuff will be important for bringing her home.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Everyone met up again really quickly afterwards, all packed and ready to go.  Zyuixqs had then shown up as well.  "Zyuixqs, sorry, you will have to stay behind for this one.  Please tell Rhyde that Lwyn has ran away, and we''re off to bring her back.  I have a really bad feeling about this, something has gone very wrong.  Rhyde will know what to do, but we have to go, now.  Take care!"  Thanrie waved as she closed her statement to Zyuixqs, and headed out the door.


    Mhyl''s headset was back in action, and she could still see Lwyn off in the distance.  Perfect, but they had to make sure she didn''t go out of range.  They kept in pursuit, though Lwyn kept a distance ahead.  "Should I just go dash up and find her?"  "You could dash ahead, but Lwyn will know you are coming.  You won''t have a way to find her if she turns from her course, so that will just make it harder."  Thanrie''s idea for going faster seemed good at first, but they really needed Mhyl''s sensory talent in order to find her at this distance.


    Eventually however, Mhyl started to tire.  "Fine, I''ll carry you on my back if we have to.  I did it before.  You can rest that way while we still keep going."  Qheria''s stubbornness was starting to kick in as well, she was determined to catch up to Lwyn.  Thanrie recalled the time back then where Mhyl had been carried by Qheria, wounded.  Qheria had even managed to carry her for ages across this entire expanse, it was impressive.


    Thanrie paused for a moment, a sudden revelation hit her.  Earlier, she had estimated that Lwyn had used her gift to tend to Mhyl at the Factory, when Mhyl had gotten scalded.  That was because Lwyn had fallen beside Mhyl.  But herself, when she had used magic, it wasn''t even a quick thing, she had stayed there for hours in a daze as they had worked.  Lwyn had actually fainted for a matter of mere minutes.  However, then Qheria had started to carry her along, for a matter of hours.  Celese didn''t actually use fine measurements of time like hours or minutes, but it was still around that level of difference.


    She had a feeling that this distinction mattered right now, but couldn''t yet figure out why.  "So instead of Lwyn, then the people who had used their gift would be.. Mhyl, Qheria, and I."  Thanrie had started to do the calculations out loud in English.  "Thanrie, what are you mumbling about?"  "Oh sorry, I''m going over how it was when Qheria had to carry you before.  I''m wondering if it was really Qheria that had kept you safe, instead of Lwyn."  Mhyl was surprised in this moment, she had stopped considering the insight Thanrie had provided back then.  "Wait, there was a gift incident back then?"  Qheria had actually been kept out of the loop of the whole thing.


    Mhyl and Thanrie looked at each other in embarrassment.  They had forgotten to bring this up before.  Thanrie covered the details of her previous belief that Lwyn had helped stabilize Mhyl, but had recently decided that it might have instead been Qheria who had done so, as they had travelled.  Qheria admitted to having found herself exceptionally tired from that trip, but she just expected it was due to her own depression.  Thanrie recalled that, on the other hand Lwyn had mostly suffered from her injury fainting back then, not the usual tired they had each gone through with the gift.


    All four of them had even gone through some serious injuries too.. although now that she thought of it, Lwyn''s injuries were pretty bad, her fight with Hammer-face had left her worse off than any of them, but her injuries weren''t exactly life threatening.  She had even been waking up frequently due to the pain, and not the deep sleep they had each gone through from injuries.  Thanrie could still remember how deeply she had slept.


    "I still can''t believe I had such a strange dream back then too."  Thanrie was again speaking thoughts out loud, her head filling to capacity with present-day concerns that she was determined to find a resolution for.  Her head was spinning trying to find ways to help Lwyn, a change from her typical defeated mentality.  Mhyl was right, looking forwards was the best way to keep going, even after things went wrong.


    Mhyl and Qheria blinked at Thanrie''s remark, left in their own wonder.  "What dream are you talking about?"  "Oh, I remember while I was recovering way back then, I had the strangest of dreams."  Mhyl blinked yet again at Thanrie''s reply, herself starting to wonder.  "You know, when it was my turn to almost die, I also had the strangest of dreams."  "Is it normal to just have strange dreams when you almost die?  I mean, I''ve heard about life flashing before your eyes, but.. even my own dream then.. that''s not at all how it felt."  Mhyl was further surprised to hear Qheria admit to a third case, right after her own.


    The three of them started to share the tale of their dream as they travelled, since it had came up.  Mhyl was very curious, because dreams would indicate a mental state for all of them, a matter they had a huge concern over.  She also thought back to their mental states around each of their injuries.  Each of them had dramatic improvements to their mental state after nearly dying, which itself might not make sense.  Dreams however are an act of symbolism within the mind, to come to terms with ideas and facts.


    In all three cases, things were left with overwhelming despair at first, with even some common themes.  All three of them were heavily injured even in their own dreams, but then left to face and confront hopelessness.  All three of them kept going, sticking to the trail set before them.  Then a confrontation and a closure of respite.  The ending in each case almost felt like.. an acceptance.  Mhyl pondered these observations and shared them with the others.


    However, Mhyl realized that Lwyn had been exempt from all of this.  If she wasn''t the one to use a gift, she was the only one who never had a gift, the only one who never faced a resolution within her own mind, and the only one who.. actually, that might be the whole of it.  She also recalled the musical they had ended with, and her own inner conflict expressed in song.  Having been left at a different pace in everything else, she was left aside in their music as well, and couldn''t keep up.


    That might not have had much impact, but it''s not like she had been left without doubts for.. a long time now.  Mhyl recalled that she had never found the opportunity to help Lwyn through Qheria''s entire recovery, and that maybe she had even been troubled since Mhyl''s own.  Actually, that plastic smile, just how long had it been going on for.  Mhyl started to feel alarmed at just how much she might have been ignoring how her friend had been feeling this entire time.  One of her close friends actually, possibly her absolute best friend considering she actually felt more akin to Lwyn than either Qheria or Thanrie.  This thought actually started to distress her.


    "Qheria, you''re going to need a break soon.  You didn''t trade off with anyone last time, leaving Zyuixqs and I to do the only trading, but you''re certainly not getting away with that now.  Pass Mhyl over."  Thanrie had started noticing that Qheria was starting to struggle with her own endurance.  Mhyl was certain she was fairly light, though in all accounts even a light person is still a burden after all of this travelling.  It''s not like she was as light as a book or anything.


    Soon though, even Thanrie started to tire.  Mhyl had noticed that Lwyn had stopped for a break, and had hoped that they could catch up to her while she relaxed, but it seems they would not be so lucky.  At least, while Lwyn also relaxed, she could not escape the range of the headset either.  They would have to just hope that an opportunity presented itself.


    Lwyn eventually finished with her break, and got up again.  She knew she couldn''t manage the trip in a single try, but that didn''t matter.  She would get there when she got there.  She still had no idea where she would go after, maybe the factory would give her answers to that as well as the tools she needed.  She put her stuff away, having eaten her portion of packed dinner, and continued on her way.


    She arrived at the factory some time in the night.  She walked in through the still-open gates, as they were too broken to close at this point.  She looked around, recalling the scenery.  As she was getting her bearings, she felt a blow to her head from behind, and lost consciousness.


    "Khaexyn was right.  Someone did show up here eventually, and only one of em even.  Easy haul.  Get her tied secure and stash her in the Destroyer.  He said to bring any captives from this site straight to him, remember?  If we want to get paid, we have to make sure she doesn''t escape."  The bandit was in glee, excited for the quality of pay she would receive for this delivery.  Her two accomplices were also in agreement, and carried Lwyn away.


    Mhyl followed the whole thing from her headset in dread, having reported things in real time as they ran.  Lwyn was in serious trouble, and was about to be taken captive.  They rushed in to see a Destroyer drive away.  Mhyl also noticed another Destroyer nearby was loading up with three other people, and brought Qheria and Thanrie with her.  They intercepted this Destroyer and got in.


    "Qheria, you''ve got the wheel again.  I know you''ve got this, this time."  Thanrie lent her support as Mhyl kept focus on the other Destroyer.  "Qheria, they went that way.  Follow them."  "Okay, but if Lwyn''s inside, we can''t actually shoot them."  Mhyl pondered the dilemma Qheria had presented to her, and how would they fix this.  "We don''t have to shoot them, keep us looking like bandits, we''ll be allowed to follow them the entire trip.  When they start to unload Lwyn, we can figure something out."  Thanrie wasn''t even sure of her own idea.  This would put them in a situation of danger, in the middle of an enemy bandit camp.  They would at least have the element of surprise, but nothing more.  However, they had seen how fragile these Destroyers can be if anything goes wrong.  When a Destroyer explodes, the occupants tend to die right away.


    Even as they drove towards the lake, it took them a while to realize that they weren''t actually heading towards a bandit camp.  Eventually, the full blown magnitude of the Fortress itself rolled into their view.

 41: Effectively Impossible

    Without any alternative, the convoy reached it''s destination still in the depth of the night.  Having expected both vehicles as they were, there were no questions raised, and things had proceeded smoothly thus far.


    "Okay, this isn''t good.  There are far too many people here, and they just closed the gate behind us.  Our chances of pulling this off with force alone is basically nothing.  Qheria, your mother does the sneaky thing.. sometimes at least.  What''s the best way we can follow that idea?"  "The biggest trick to that would probably be patience.  We got in, which in most cases wouldn''t have been easy.  Getting out won''t be easy either.  We hardly know what we''re working with, or where everything is.  So a lot like our first trip to the Factory.  We need to sneak around, gather information from the shadows, and figure out a plan."  Mhyl pondered Qheria''s answer to her question.  This was the fortress, the origins of all the advanced technology they had been facing.  This was possibly their most crazy operation so far.  It was also really the reverse of what had happened when they had escaped from the bandit camp before as well, they were actually trying to sneak in instead of out.


    Thanrie meanwhile had been looking through the scope, making sure not to push any of the buttons.  "If we parked near that gate, we could slip though to the other side.  It''s not even fully closed, so it won''t be locked.  Mhyl, is there anyone around there?"  "Actually, no, it''s pretty quiet near that area.  This will mean they will be able to carry Lwyn away, but we''ll just have to track her destination down."  Thanrie understood Mhyl''s concerns, but as long as they themselves stayed safe, they could save Lwyn.


    Qheria managed to park discreetly in the shadows, and they all slipped through the gate, into a faintly lit corridor.  Neon filaments glowed along all of the halls.  "Thanrie, do you need someone to hold your hand?  Cause no matter what, we can''t have you shrieking again here."  Mhyl was aware that the layout was the same eerie lighting that had thus far kept Thanrie in fear twice before, and this honestly could be seen as a third time coming.  The halls were much brighter at least, without quite the same horror-filled impression, but it still reminded her too much of the past incidents.  Thanrie had no answer.


    As they kept going though endless corridors, Mhyl eventually saw a patrol approaching them.  They all ducked into a nearby storage closet to avoid being spotted.  The door had a window, but was cluttered full of junk and was completely dark.  Eventually the patrol walked to the door, a neon filament glowing from their forehead.  As the light turned and glowed through the window, Qheria cupped Thanrie''s mouth, stopping the onset of any scream successfully.  Once the patrol walked away, they finally decided to whisper about it.


    "That... that was another one of those clockwork automatons again.  I couldn''t see it very clearly, especially having to stop Thanrie''s nerves, but the similarity was at least that obvious."  Qheria was even more nervous, having been aware how dangerous those things could be.  A single one was considerably more skilled than a bandit, and could easily raise an alarm.  Last time, they had taken them out only thanks to a matter of numbers and the gift.  This time, they had nothing like that, only their own tools and weapons.


    Qheria thus had the largest misfortune right now as well.  With a short range and the loudest of utilities, she had to depend on the abilities of her friends.  It was a shame Lwyn wasn''t here, she could have been really helpful with her long range accuracy.  The three of them kept going regardless, and eventually passed up beside a window.  They looked down below them and saw many of the clockwork automatons working on.. something.  They couldn''t figure out what it was.  What was remarkable was that, with the improved lighting, they got a better perspective of them.


    Contrary to how artificial the ones in the Factory had appeared, the ones here looked frighteningly normal.  Like a real person with armor and accessories that wouldn''t ever be coming off.  They were even actually wearing various robes and clothing, like a real person.  Something about them thus looked even more terrifying, as they were not only too... realistic, they also were considerably more advanced.  Thus, they had no idea just how much more deadly these models could be over the ones found in the Factory.


    Mhyl, glancing at her headset, got a sudden feeling of fear.  "Maybe we should keep moving like everything is normal.  Come on you two..."  "Uh, why are we suddenly nervous?  Is someone coming?"  "No, but I came to wonder that, if I have a headset like this, what is the chance someone else does too?  Mine can''t tell exactly what someone is, so if they are acting like guards, they are probably guards.  But if they are acting like spies, they are probably spies."  Mhyl''s insight made Thanrie regret asking.  Of course, using Fortress tech in the Fortress could mean their enemy was using the same against them.  A robot that could move like Thanrie, or climb like Lwyn, or jump like Qheria... those could all be scary, but if they weren''t caught then none of those would be a problem.  However, being able to search like Mhyl, that was a danger to them.  They needed to act like they belonged here at all times, less they get discovered.


    Qheria at least felt thankful that the guard before then hadn''t found them.  Mhyl certainly could have.  But just because one guard wasn''t good enough, wouldn''t mean that others would be as unprepared.  They needed a better way to avoid the guards.  "We need a better way to blend in, somehow.  A disguise could have been an idea, if all of the guards weren''t just robots.  We need to find a way to fit in how people here would fit in.  Barring and until then, we need to find a way people won''t find us."  Qheria looked around as she walked, wondering where a place to hide could be found.


    Mhyl was reminded to when she had been looking for Lwyn, and had instead missed her in searches right up to when she took to the door out.  How did Lwyn do it?  Getting Lwyn''s insight right now would have been priceless.  "If only we had Lwyn here, she seemed good with this sort of thing."  "Well, with gloves like her''s I get the feeling she would probably go up, wouldn''t she?  I mean, she really does love climbing."  Mhyl was suddenly shocked by Thanrie''s idea.  She hadn''t ever thought to look up.


    Qheria considered the idea, and shook her head.  "Going up might be good for Lwyn, but she''s that good of a climber, she''s the only one who could do such a thing.  Up like that really doesn''t seem like much of an option."  Qheria pondered the concept though.  Much like spies, the idea of taking to the ventilation system was all too much a classic.  Baring that was ideas like a maintenance section under the floor, or other hidden passages like it.  While going under the floor could be an idea, they did remember that they were just on a higher floor, looking down at others.  None of them even remembered taking stairs, so it was probably a basement level.  Sneaking between levels would just look weird to people in the larger rooms beside them, if they could see through walls like Mhyl.


    As they continued along, suddenly one of the robots formed from the walls.  Mhyl had forgotten that, while in those cases, it was too hard to determine their shapes.  She couldn''t ever tell one was inside.  All of them jumped in surprise as the robot reacted.  "Halt, human patrols are not permitted at this hour.  Curfew has passed already, please return to the patrol ward for routine rest."  The robot for some reason thought they were allowed to be there.  Possibly because they were trying to look like they belonged there.


    "Ah, yes, I''m sorry we missed that curfew.  Us three have been working hard to meet the expectations of our leader, and.."  "Ah, that human event of compulsion from superiority in an effort to appease such superiority.  Human antics can be very difficult to deal with.  But if your superior has deigned you to work passed curfew, action must be taken.  Please take a copy of my identification shard.  If your superior deigns to complain, I will vouch as your witness to this event.  To allow you overnight respite to address this incident in the morning, I will take you to one of the unused dormitory sectors, so that curfew can be enforced."  Qheria''s lie seemed to have been believed completely by the robot.  It had even decided to bring them to a place to rest for the night safely.  Qheria pocketed the shard, realizing the thing might still be useful.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The robot guided them through another maze of halls before reaching a door.  It motioned for them to enter.  Inside was reasonable if not rough accommodations, at least no worse than their usual back at their own facility.  Qheria even noticed that the door itself only locked from the interior, and could easily be broken, this wasn''t a trap.  They accepted the hospitality as their guide moved back to it''s own responsibilities.


    "I''m not sure what to think about that.  Was that a sign of unusual intelligence, or unusual stupidity?  Either way, we finally can get some rest.  Who is on first watch?"  Thanrie wasn''t about to just relax this easily.  She knew someone would have to keep watch, even if they had to pretend to sleep in cycles.  "I''m.. I''m not even sure what happened there?"  Mhyl was confused, having not understood the Izhaethyx.  As far as she knew, the robot had suddenly not been aggressive, talked a lot, and then they were here.  The only reason she wasn''t panicking was because the others weren''t.


    Thanrie and Qheria went over the conversation with Mhyl.  "If it thought we were a human patrol, then that''s what we should become.  Does this room have actual uniforms?  We will need to make certain we look the part."  "I''m still worried something here is a trap.  We should sleep in shifts, Mhyl should take last shift.  As soon as it looks like a normal morning on the headset, we need to go.  Grabbing a uniform at random here could instead give the wrong ideas.  I don''t know, something here just doesn''t feel right."  Mhyl thought she had a good idea until Thanrie started to complain.


    The plan left them with little time to sleep, but they took what they could get.  Then they left, long before anyone would arrive.  The three of them were getting very tired at this point, but that couldn''t be helped.  "What we really need to do is actually find real human patrols, or mostly their rooms.  Dressing up like them might be the best way ahead, but leaving naked bodies will just raise alarms.  Mhyl, do we have anything like that anywhere?"  "Nothing nearby at least.  There is so many weird things around that finding specific details on things is kinda hard."  Qheria lead the way forwards then, to give Mhyl a better opportunity.  Mhyl had just been struggling because of how many different things were around, the walls around here weren''t the best for seeing through.


    They kept going until another patrol started to approach.  They looked for a place to hide, and Thanrie found another unlocked door.  They jumped inside, though it was a larger room with a few sub rooms.  Once inside, they heard the door also being used by the patrols.  The three of them dove into one of the small nearby rooms, and took to their own hiding spot within the room.  Mhyl found a small storage closet in the room, and hid in the back behind the stuff inside it.  Qheria found she could climb some of the boxes and hide in a pocket of the ceiling.  Thanrie dove between some small furniture in the room, being the only one there small enough, with also small enough gear, to pull that off.  Her weapon though had to sit under the furniture.


    "Oh I really didn''t sleep well last night.  Patrol work is hard enough, but when we get these stupid side jobs."  "Oh, I totally get what you mean.  Last night I had to whitewash our dinning hall, alone, with a hair ribbon."  "OH!  Is that where my hair ribbon went?  Oh by the divine, then I don''t want it back anymore."  Two of them were talking together as they entered, clearly with a lot on their mind.  The third of them sounded more impatient.  "Okay girls, we don''t have time for this.  If we don''t make it in time for patrols, we know there will be worse at stake then hair ribbons.  Just get changed and get your uniforms on already."  The third girl opened the place Mhyl was hiding and pulled out three outfits, before closing the door again.  Mhyl was still safe.


    "Ugh, I feel sorry for whoever it is that has to do this laundry.  Oh yeah, thankfully that hasn''t been me for a while.  I hear the competition to get out of the thing has only gotten worse."  "It''s always the new girls that get stuck doing it, and it''s always the worst of dirty tricks to drag someone into it.  I wonder how bad it''s gotten."  "I hear some of the new girls had gotten injured pretty badly because of it.  I don''t know if the injury was because of the competition or because of actually doing laundry, but it can get really bad."  The first two girls continued to chatter.  Qheria was left wondering how doing laundry could leave someone so injured..


    Suddenly, Thanrie sneezed.  "Ah!  Whose there!"  The third girl was on alert already.  Thanrie thought quickly and came up with a plan.  While getting up, she managed to get most of her gear off, leaving her only in undergarments.  "Uh.. I don''t want to, I really don''t want to, they can''t make me."  Thanrie started crying suddenly, making the three girls concerned.  "What''s wrong, is something the matter?"  "The other girls.. I even won their little competition, but the girl who lost, she said that if I didn''t do the laundry for her, she would make sure my bed was filled with dirt, so that I wouldn''t get any sleep.  They dragged me in here so early and took away my clothes, I don''t even know what I did to deserve this.  I was supposed to do patrols this morning, I''m going to get in so much trouble..."  At the concern from the third girl, Thanrie broke into an even greater sob story, completely made up on the spot with the details she had just heard.


    The first two girls both froze, hearing this story.  "Uh, that really does sound like it sucks."  "Maybe if you''re quick, no one will notice?"  Neither of the two wanted to get in the way of a girl assigned to laundry duty.  The third of them, who was clearly more senior, was more rational.  "If that''s the case, you should make sure to have a patrol uniform on hand, so that you can leave quickly.  Also, that means you should get started right away.  The machine is in the next room, if you didn''t know.  As long as you can keep it going without falling in, you shouldn''t be injured to heavily.  But at the very least, girl, put something on first, in case one of the guys comes around to patrol.  The change room is safe, but not the laundry room."  The girl handed her two things, an outfit that looked exactly like their own, and another one that looked like it has gone through a lot more wear and tear.  The second outfit still had dried blood stains on the sleeves.


    Thanrie had issues disguising her disdain, though it was still fitting for her story.  "I... uh... I will, thank you.  I guess... I had better get going."  Thanrie set down her two outfits to start getting changed, while the other three girls set to flee.  Even the more veteran of the group didn''t want to stick around in a scene like that.  Thanrie put down the bloodied robes after they had left, instead going for the patrol uniform given to her.  She really really... really did not want to wear the other robe.  Mhyl and Qheria came out of hiding at this point, with Qheria instantly going for translations on the events for Mhyl while searching for more of the same uniform in their larger sizes.


    "Well, good work on that then, Thanrie.  Your sob story once again saved the day, by breaking hearts and tainting souls."  Mhyl realized this was the second time she was getting a new outfit to wear due to one of Thanrie''s tearful performances.  Thanrie could really play the part almost too well.  For all that her normal behaviour lead against it, her appearance actually looked far too well put for the innocent maiden act, especially with her small frame.  Some of it might have something to do with the fact she was a true blooded princess, after all, but that was something that was almost all too easy to forget in their daily lives.


    They finished getting changed and took to the halls once again, their other stuff packed away successfully.  It did mean they had to switch out their usual weapons for some simple sabers, and even Mhyl was carrying one, but some things couldn''t be helped.  On their way out, a girl walked in crying, looking like the most miserable person in the world.  She found the robe Thanrie had set aside, and started putting it on.  The other three girls knew what that might imply, and decided now was a good time to leave.


    Mhyl had also made sure that her ears were covered, so that she once again could blend in as one of the humans.  She had yet to see an elven bandit, so she wasn''t going to put to chance that being caught as an elf would raise too many unanswerable questions.  She had found a decent enough hair ribbon for the task, after first making sure it was an obviously clean one.  However, she was now without her headset, so she would have to depend on her own natural senses.  Still, being a elf did itself help with that situation.


    The three of them continued along the halls, fulfilling the image of being on patrol.  While the situation was still very grim, they at least looked a lot more natural then they had before in their new undercover disguises.

 42: Ultimate Life

    Elsewhere, morning had arrived in its proper for others as well.  While the enclosed walls made it very difficult to identify, the halls coming to life made it obvious that sleeping hours had ended.


    Lwyn had an initial moment where she wished that morning would go stuff itself, before turning around in her bed.  Then she found herself realizing that the bed she was in was in no way even familiar to her.  As she opened her eyes to look around at an even more unfamiliar room, the events from last night returned to her.  She had been knocked unconscious, hearing unfamiliar voices who she could only have assumed were bandits before she lost consciousness.  Khaexyn, Destroyer, captive, escape.. even the way they spoke made her think bandit.  Clearly then she had missed something, because waking up in comforts like this didn''t make sense at all.


    She took a moment to review the comforts provided for her.  The bed she was sleeping in was the softest she had ever seen in her life, better than even the premium suites in the Citadel Inn.  The soft white down made her feel so comfortable that it seemed to compel her to return to dreamland.  The room she was in looked equally impressive, equally white, equally refined, and... equally plain.  The room was mostly devoid of most things, giving her a feeling of how she would have been expected to setup such a room if it was found in the Citadel Inn, back when she worked there.  There was no real established effects anywhere, it was a fairly large and empty room, but what was around looked inviting.  A table across the room, with a giant standing mirror.  Closets all along the back wall.  Many dressers set beside empty bookcases.  All of those being also painted white.  Everything was pure white, even the flooring and carpets.  Was she dead then?


    Lwyn got up out of bed, her curiosity prevailing over whatever compulsions her bed offered her.  Leaving the bed, she discovered she was also wearing a long nightgown, also pure white.  She pinched herself, just to make sure it hurt.  It did, so she probably wasn''t dreaming, and might not actually be dead... unless you can pinch yourself when your dead.  Lwyn decided that there was still nothing conclusive, as still nothing made sense.


    Lwyn went to the mirror, as her own reflection offered the only non-white in the room.  Other than the nightgown she wore, she looked ordinary enough.  Her hair was a mess, probably after everything she had gone through, that bed included.  She touched her ears, visible under her hair without anything else covering it for once.  This made her irritated, having to witness her own ugly ears.


    Lwyn checked the drawers of the table, searching for anything to cover her ears with.  At the sudden sound and commotion, two strangers entered.  Both of them were also female, but one was a human and the other was an elf.  It didn''t even take half an imagination to call them both maids, they looked the part in ways that also reminded her of the Citadel Inn.


    "Mi''lady, good morning.  We didn''t know you were awake, please forgive us."  The elven maid was speaking Izhaethyx.  "Is there something you are searching for, we would be glad to ensure it is provided for."  The human maid noticed she was looking for something, and offered to help.  "Well, actually, yeah, probably.  Lets see, where to start.  Here, I know.  Where in the divine am I?!"  Lwyn''s last statement took down the playful act and resorted to yelling.  Covering her ears was still a concern, but the entire situation was itself alarming.  Ear covers could possibly wait.


    The two girls looked absolutely terrified of her getting angry.  "I''m really sorry mi''lady.  Terribly sorry.  We were only assigned to tend to you just this morning, neither of us have done this thing before."  The elf was stuttering with apologies while the human composed herself.  "You''re in the Central Spires of the Fortress, the Seventh Spire.  Lord Khaexyn has assigned us to make sure your needs are seen to and that you are cared for."  Hearing such from the human maid, Lwyn found a lot of her questions actually answered.  She was actually still alive, and she even knew exactly where she was.  It did still leave her with plenty of new questions, however.


    "Okay, so... why am I here?"  "We don''t know the Fortress Lord''s reasoning.  We just know our own responsibility."  Lwyn realized that some of her questions just couldn''t be answered by these maids.  However, while she was considering the details of her circumstances, the elven maid had started helping her get her nightgown off.  "Ah!  Hey!  What are you doing?"  "Sorry mi''lady, we''re helping you get ready for the day."  Lwyn blinked at the elf''s reply.  She was being pampered so much, it was as if she couldn''t be believed to take care of herself.  Technically, as a half-elf, there was at least some degree of truth to it.  She suspected that another factor was that she was a captive, even in such a shiny silver cage.  There were too many other things to worry about, and she wasn''t in much of a position to fight about it, so she let them do their thing.


    The human maid had gone through the closets in search of a new outfit.  "I know that not everything here might perfectly match your tastes, but we had no idea what tastes you might of had.  Most of this was just how this room has been.  What kind of outfit would you care for?"  The human maid presented her with options, but all of the choices exceeded her personal tastes.  Formal dresses in every case and cause, full body and of complex design, it was unlike anything she had ever worn before, in this world or the other.  She eventually found one that had soft simple golden patterns on a plum colored silk body.  It was also a lot more composed than the other choices, while also not looking as heavy.  Basically, she could also move easily in it, at least easier than her alternatives.


    When she was dressed, the elf maid returned.  It seemed she had stepped out for a while at one point, she hadn''t even noticed.  "Mi''lord wishes to speak with you now.  We''re going to quickly get your hair done so that you will be properly composed to speak with him."  The elf wasn''t even waiting to finish explaining before starting on her hair.  In hardly any time at all, she found her hair up in a bun and herself almost impossible to recognize, looking into the mirror in the room.  She was also far more the color of this room than she was before, especially since the maids wore only black and white outfits.


    With herself prepared, the human maid opened the door, inviting in someone who had been waiting outside.  The man looked to be twice her own age, his scholarly attire making him look more of a researcher than a .. lord.  "Yhseliahysse Duxaeyhlit, welcome to my Fortress.  I trust your attendants have proven supportive to your needs so far."  Khaexyn looked towards the two maids to this comment, clearly as if he was threatening them.  Both maids had gone stiff.  They weren''t the only ones.. that name, why did it sound so familiar?  Lwyn felt drawn and entranced by her own memories, lending her a moment of distraction.


    Realizing she was being waited upon, Lwyn took a moment to answer.  "Oh, uh, yes, of course.  They have.. uh.. been working hard to make sure I was comfortable."  Lwyn tugged at her own attire, not exactly convinced she was comfortable.  However, she wasn''t going to blame the girls for this one, and was very familiar with their responsibilities.  She had no interest in getting them in trouble for this.


    Khaexyn noticed her inadvertent indication of her attire, and then scanned the room behind her.  He then turned to the human maid.  "Have this room painted appropriately before day''s end.  You aren''t expected to do this alone, get some of the other staff to help.  If needed, some Aethyrnz can be provided.  Just get it done."  He then turned to the elven maid.  "In the meanwhile, Lady Yhse is probably hungry.  Ensure she is provided with breakfast, inform me if the food isn''t already prepared for her."  Both maids ran off, intent on getting their work completed.


    "Now, I suspect that after everything that has happened, you''ve probably found yourself left confused and wondering.  Am I right?"  "Of course!  Seriously, what is going on here?  You would know that I''ve been with.."  "The rebellion?  Of course I''m aware of what company you''ve kept.  I''ve also noticed which company you''ve left behind.  The world is due for change, so certainly if you are already eager to face change, I can be very accommodating."  Khaexyn took a seat in one of the chairs nearby, offering her another for herself.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Change?  Weren''t you going to just go around blowing everything up, crushing people, conquering the everything, and I hear even going to end the world?"  Lwyn was getting expressive, but she still sat down as she was directed.  "Hmm, might that be how everyone sees fit to view it.  Given how much those others have taken glee in conflict and hatred, that might be a natural way for them to see change.  I might have need of force to make my plans work, but I have no interest in ruling it.  Nor do I have an interest in taking without giving anything in return."  Khaexyn sat back in his chair, keeping an obvious calm in his narrative.


    "This world, have you not seen how much it itself wishes for conflict and hatred?  Nations tear each other apart, and even the blood of humans and elves are left with no room for mutual belonging.  The rules of this world is to divide everyone, to gift only the best with the biased blessing and to leave everyone else sputtering dust.  Given your own blood, I know you personally understand exactly how much this world hates putting people together."  Khaexyn took a moment to indicate her own ears in this instance, which she hid promptly afterwards in her hands.


    "All this has been going on, but as this is our world, changing it hasn''t been an option.  However, my own research has provided a solution.  I have found the... essence of another world, one which is without wars any longer.  If we tear down the foundations of this world, we can simply replace it then with the foundations of a proper world, a world where everyone has equal potential.  This would be a world without the gift, but instead would be one with a gift that everyone could share equally.  For people who fear change, I could see why they would call this.. destruction.  As someone who seems to fear more the facts as they currently stand, I feel you understand the value change can bring."  Khaexyn laid back in his chair at this point, giving her room to consider.


    She did indeed take the opportunity to consider the meaning behind this.  Her life itself had been nothing but struggles and hardships, left in the dust of a society that had plenty reasons to hate her.  She was, after all, only a half elf.  But if the very definition of the world could be remade, if such a thing was even possible, then maybe her own blood could be... purified.  She could find herself reborn in a world that she could truthfully belong to, a world devoid of such strife and struggle.


    She thought over the state of the world as a whole.  Until the Fortress came into the scene, everyone basically hated each other.  The only reason everyone was even working together was because of fear of change and a hatred of the Fortress, and they would very obviously return back to that after the Fortress was gone.  A world of conflict and fear and hatred, or a world remade without.  It sounded almost too good to be true, but... maybe it wasn''t.  Khaexyn did have access to exactly what he claimed, she knew that personally.  A key beyond the world itself.  If he would then use this ability to redefine life itself, it could dramatically improve.. everything!


    The world as it was had all but discarded her, and her own life had no meaning to her anymore, as far as she was concerned.  She was convinced that change was for the best.  She recalled the Marauders, tossing her aside out of pure fear of change.  It was obvious why Khaexyn had plenty of difficulty with this plan, the whole world was rejecting change.  She wasn''t going to, though.  There was just one worry still on her mind.


    "But, why me?  There isn''t much I can do to help with anything, I''m.."  "Yes, I understand.  Being a half-elf in a world like this is hard, but I have no real expectations of you.  That isn''t the point.  Instead, you are someone who closely understands the truth of this vision, and is a perfect example of why this vision needs to be passed.  So then, all I need is for you to be you.  With no actions or responsibilities on your part, with every single need you have taken care of by people with the capacity to fulfill them, you will be nothing more than an icon for others, to compel them to keep going.  But an icon is something foreign to them all.  Even my own potential is far outreaching, it lends no form to help people understand."  She realized that it was exactly her being so useless which was what he was asking for.  If that was all, certainly that wouldn''t be hard to provide, it would be second nature in fact.


    She then asked of him one thing which was still bothering her.  "Why... why did you call me Yhse, and ... why does that seem so familiar?"  "Ah, I suspect you had gotten used to a name that was not your birth name over the years, and was forced to accept another name that didn''t properly identify you.  Know that, unlike those hate filled lands you came from, your true born self has not been forgotten."  "That doesn''t make any sense, why would remembering me matter?"  "Because you are a half-elf, and the struggles of the deprived, such as a half-elf, is iconic to our struggle at all.  Those across the mountain might have felt compelled to hide your name and your identity as something else, but your true birth name shouldn''t be simply discarded so readily.  You yourself understand in your heart, that is why you can faintly recall it, right?"  She even found this easy to accept, he was right, this.. familiarity.. she did feel it.


    Lwyn.. no, Yhse.. Yhse got up from her seat and dusted off any wrinkles in her dress.  "Alright then.  I''m still not exactly clear what is expected of me, but it sounds like I just need to follow some simple instructions and everything will just happen.  Sounds like a plan."  "I''m glad to hear it.  Your breakfast is expected, you can have it here if you wish or we can find you other accommodations.  Oh, and if you find the staff is failing in any expectations, please let me know.  I will ensure it is taken care of."  Yhse and Khaexyn both stood at this point, their discussion concluded.  Yhse decided to take things one step at a time, she would just wait in her room.  She still had many other things to learn about as well, this way would be the easiest.  Khaexyn himself departed to deal with whatever it was he would be dealing with.


    Quickly after, both maids returned.  The elf arrived first with her food, which she started to partake on her table.  The human maid arrived a bit later, with a group of others.  When she noticed that Yhse was eating breakfast, she stopped in concern and worry.  Yhse then recalled that her room was being due for redecoration, the same room she was currently in.  She really was stupid forgetting details like that.  Moving would however now be a problem for her other maid, so she had no choice but to continue.  When she finished, the elf maid took her dishes away, and she turned to the human maid.


    "I still really don''t know what I would want in this room, but the two things that stand out is how it''s white and seems too empty.  At least put something on the bookshelves.  For colors, please don''t just paint everyone one or two colors.  Like maybe bookshelves should be brown, but stylish with accent colors.  No tacky, please.  Everything should compliment everything else without looking so identical.  I have no idea how to do that, but .." Yhse shrugged, she wasn''t being expected to figure things out, so it was okay.  It was probably also good she was fairly understanding, she doubted she would be complaining even if there were smaller problems.  It was just... all this white made it feel dead here.


    The maid nodded in understanding, or at least a feint of understanding.  She went outside to wait for either of her maids to be available again, just tending to herself while waiting.  She noticed that some of the people who went in looked.. fake.  Like the clockwork automatons.  She was in fact seing the same model as the other girls had found overnight.  Oh, so they were probably the Aethyrnz that were mentioned earlier, that would make sense.  The phrase practically meant ''wordless''.. maybe even ''nameless'', a very suspicious choice of phrasing.  Considering how broken her own name''s meaning had become, she could only have empathy for them.


    The elf maid was the first to return, who then offered to guide her to a library, possibly because of her mention of books before.  Most likely, she was to be asked which types books she would want on her bookshelves.  She honestly didn''t really care much at this point, but reading might end up being something to pass the time with, so it might be best to find something she could sink into whenever it was required.  She still wasn''t used to being pampered and protected like this, treated like some fair maiden, but at least it was for a noble cause.


    Yhse followed along behind her maid as they headed to the library, which kept her busy up until lunch.  She would eat lunch in the library itself.  Her room''s decoration would be finished soon after lunch, the bookshelves filled with books already, and the paint already dry.  Everything was kinda rustic in color, but that suited her much better.  It wasn''t all brown, but the faint trims of golds, reds, and purples scattered in the room to give it an added touch.  This was something she could live with, much better than before.


    Yhse wasn''t inclined to do anymore reading, but spent the rest of the day in general relaxation, not having any specific responsibilities.  This was going to be her lifestyle going forward, it was time to get used to the change.

 43: Artificial Hybrid

    The three girls wrapped up their lunch, having been forced to wait until mid-afternoon in order to find a safe opportunity to settle down to enjoy it.  All three girls were still very tired, and the long and busy day had only so far made this worse.


    Qheria was still driven to keep things going.  As their leader, she wasn''t about to let herself start falling behind.  Even with little sleep, they had still managed so far to stay under cover.  Actually, from what she could tell from others she met, looking so tired might have helped with the act.  Regular patrols generally seemed to torment the others in their team, like the idea was to crush your own competition in order to rise in the ranks.  Generally, it reminded her of cadets, honestly.  Thanrie seemed well enough versed in the subject as well, possibly due to her Terran business life.  Only Mhyl looked to be having trouble, mostly because she never knew what people were even saying.


    Qheria and Thanrie had been taking turns bringing Mhyl up to speed, but you could tell Mhyl was getting very frustrated in being so oblivious.  She started getting less talkative and more withdrawn, which really wasn''t like her.  Thanrie at least was starting to do better, the lighting was starting to feel more natural and she was getting used to seeing robots everywhere.  She did however like to mock them behind their backs, possibly due to her fears.  Qheria had been keeping track of these things so that she could manage her team better, make sure they were as okay as she could arrange.  After Lwyn had left in her own dissatisfaction, it was something Qheria had become especially afraid of.


    "So, where should we try now?  We need to find a way to get some information, right?"  "At this rate, I would love a map of the place.  Do we even have any clue where we are in the fortress?  I mean, if we don''t know where we are, how in the world are we going to find something, people, exits, anything?"  Qheria contimplated Mhyl''s concern, which did make her own question more specific.  Clearly, Mhyl had gotten to love maps like her Atlas, and being lost wasn''t a feeling she was comfortable with.  It might also be important, because if they ended up hearing Lwyn was somewhere at any point, they wouldn''t even know how to get there.


    "Thanrie, you were fitting in very well with the whole newbie tearful routine.  Do you think you could put on an act for more patrols, saying that you''ve been pretty bad with directions in your patrols, are afraid of making mistakes, and ask for a resource?  Don''t give it a name, we don''t know if the Fortress uses plain maps or something a bit more fancy.  We also don''t know if we would be expected to know this either."  "So, smile, nod, act like an airhead.  Got it.  I''ll see what I can do."  Qheria felt a bit ashamed at having to make use of Thanrie''s experience being naive, but Thanrie didn''t seem to mind.  Mhyl however sighed at the idea of breaking more hearts and tainting more souls.


    They continued along until they found another patrol.  Thanrie started putting on an act right away, slouching and looking depressed.  When they got closer, Thanrie finally started talking, getting into the act.  "Look, I said I''m sorry.  I didn''t mean to get lost again, the halls keep looking so similar to each other.  I was so certain that was the right place.  I... I was even there early, I did everything I could."  Thanrie started to break into tears at this point.


    The two guys approaching rushed to see what was going on.  "Uh, what''s going on here?"  "I got in trouble again for getting lost.  I mean it, I''m really sorry.  I''m not the best at directions, I''ve been trying to get used to things now for a while.  I''m sorry I keep messing things up."  The first of the two guys looked nervous around Thanrie''s act.  Qheria decided to try to blend in with the whole thing.  "This is, what, five days in a row?  Being late is only going to make everything harder for the rest of us.  If you find directions so hard, then get better at it.  Don''t expect us to pick up after your own mistakes all the time like this."  Qheria almost seemed to be channeling Rhyde at this point, just being much less forgiving.


    Suddenly, three girls started to approach.  "Leave her alone, Atnizhyq.  Don''t pick on her like that."  "Yeah, just because she''s little doesn''t mean she deserves to be treated that way."  It was the same three girls from the laundry room.  Clearly, they were getting even more ideas about what was going on, but that would only help to build their case.  Thanrie took a moment to marvel at the incredible curse word, though past experience warned her about using words she didn''t fully understand.  She went over to the three of them, leaving Qheria to the two guys.


    "Oh, hi again!  It seems I''m being a bother for you three all over again.  I''m really sorry about that.  I was getting in trouble because in all my hurry to get everything done, I forgot where I was going, again.  This always happens too, it''s why everyone always makes fun of me.  Do you three know a good way to learn directions in this maze?"  "Oh, uh, there are some maps in the library, if you want to check that out.  I think Lady Yhse had finished with the Library, so we should be allowed to use it again freely.  Just don''t get caught sitting around there, you want to go in, get what you need, and leave.  When you get back to your room, you can study it better.  Oh, and make sure to bring it back, getting caught with something from the library that has been gone for a while will get you in big trouble."  Thanrie nodded excitedly, which wasn''t entirely an act.  The third girl of their trio keeps proving very helpful in these situations.


    Thanrie turned around as Qheria approached, having scared the two boys away already.  Her evil leadership tone seemed to be working possibly too well.  "I don''t expect you will be wasting even more of our time?"  "No, no, sorry.  I''ll be sure to get it as quick as possible.  If you''re worried about me wasting time, you can come and watch over me.  I swear I won''t take long."  Qheria and Thanrie''s team act was not only compelling why they would all be going together, but why Thanrie really needed more help.  The three girls lead the way to the library, so that Thanrie wouldn''t suffer further.


    Once they arrived, they found the place fairly quiet.  Thanrie also found herself with a book fairly quickly, as the girls rushed off.  "Sorry, we have to get going.  We were reassigned to patrol around Lady Sxeiva''s Spire.  A lot of people have been reshuffled because of the demands Lady Yhse made today.  You might find yourself moved around too, so take care."  The third girl passed on her parting words before the three of them ran off.


    Mhyl approached finally after they left, looking earnestly at the book, but Qheria shook her head.  "We were warned about standing around, and we just built a case for Thanrie needing the book.  Thanrie, you''ll be using the book for now, lets find somewhere more neutral where we could peacefully look it over."  Qheria was almost being as mean as her previous act.  Mhyl looked genuinely dissatisfied, not just because she wasn''t allowed the book, but also because she still had no idea what had happened.


    Glancing over the book, Thanrie found a few different pages which listed directions and such.  Rather than a normal map, it looked more like a series of smaller maps describing lesser locations with small detailed pictures.  As the whole thing was more words than pictures, Thanrie suspected Mhyl would find this even more unsatisfying, being unable to read it. She eventually found the part of the book showing the library, though she didn''t fully understand how the book was organized.  She decided to keep things simple, found the nearest restroom to their current location, and lead the way.  Stuff like that was always convenient.


    When they arrived, they slipped into what was labelled as the woman''s makeup room.  Possibly perfect, they could even build a world of excuses for being there together.  Thanrie then sat in one of the chairs in the room, a convenient feature if not very comfortable, and showed the book to Qheria.  Mhyl however snatched the book from her, tired of waiting.  Thanrie waited for a bit, before having the book handed back to her.  Mhyl plunked herself into a different chair, further depressed.


    Qheria took her turn glancing over the book, also quickly realizing why Mhyl wasn''t impressed.  She took a bit to figure out how the book was even trying to describe basic things, before passing it back to Thanrie.  The thing was unnecessarily convoluted.  "So, finding a map might not have been quite as helpful as I would have thought.  Everything here is just needlessly complicated.  Whoever designed this stuff had more than a few screws loose."  "Actually, maybe the complexity itself a bit of an intended feature.  I''ve heard of castles and such having a lot of complexity measures used to hide things from people, or to otherwise intimidate followers.  If it''s on purpose, seriously someone did an amazing job."  Qheria didn''t know what worried her more, being herself right, or Mhyl being the one right.


    Thanrie looked it over, and found what looked like a detention facility.  The book described it as where staff goes when they''ve... under performed.  However, it would probably be a fitting place for anyone who had been captured.  Making up a story then would be easy, they were just visiting, trying to find someone who had wronged them earlier, as they were eager to build a further case on them.  This story, they could even get away with not knowing who it was that they were looking for.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Thanrie lead the way again, until they got close.  Then she noticed one of the robotic guards.  Qheria then stepped forwards instead.  "Hello there, I''ve been working on a case regarding someone on my team having fallen victim to some.. rather harsh mischief from another group.  We''ve found that they were probably detained earlier, but my team member only had vague descriptions about how she looks.  We''re hoping to get her identified, to compile a better report."  "Access can be provided, but regulations require all suspicious cases having an aethyrnz witness.  Do you have an identification shard of an aethyrnz that is involved in the case?"  Qheria found herself nervous suddenly, she wasn''t prepared for strange regulations.  The robot''s strange word had also thrown her off.


    "Oh, right, didn''t you get one earlier?  Hopefully you didn''t mix it up, again?"  Thanrie''s comment didn''t make much sense, but she was sometimes really good at being random.  "The identification shard we were given from the incident last night, remember?  I know you haven''t gotten much sleep, but you couldn''t have forgotten already?"  Thanrie was then starting to make a bit more sense to Qheria, as she pulled out the shard they had gotten last night, and passed it forwards.  Aethyrnz.. so was that what those things were called?


    The robot .. aethyrnz took the shard and went inside for a moment, then returned again.  "Hopefully that was the right one, you didn''t mix it up, right?"  Thanrie might have been setting them up with an escape plan, in case things went wrong, but it was feeling a bit far fetched.  Clearly, the aethyrnz was just making her nervous.  "Ah, this shard matches a report about bandits being found in the fortress last night, which we suspect were part of some kind of volunteer efforts, but they had left their designated wing.  The individuals were indeed marked for detainment and questioning, but had been found missing since.  As there is no longer any word of them, we suspect they went back to the proper wing."  The aethyrnz''s report made the three realize they were very lucky to have escaped that room last night, then.


    "Really?  And they were bandits?  That doesn''t match what we were told, we were even told they were successfully found and detained."  "Do you have an identification shard for that report?"  "No, it was a human staff that passed me this information."  "Ah, as you know, this is why aethyrnz reports are much more valuable, as they are considerably more accurate."  "Hmm.. my superior might find all the mismatched sides hard to work with.  Can I have your identification shard as well then, to ... substantiate your report.  Also, I don''t suppose you can show us through the people currently detained, so that I could also say that we can say we did indeed check and confirm this personally?"  Qheria''s story left the aethyrnz to ponder the request for a time, while Thanrie herself was starting to actually feel scared about the situation.


    "Alright, your request is acceptable.  You will be supervised through the process, so that then I can personally qualify that you have completed this confirmation, if it is ever questioned."  The aethyrnz passed over another shard for Qheria to take, and guided them inside.  They walked through the halls, carefully checking everyone present.  All three of them sunk into their disguises a bit better, in case their presence suddenly alarmed Lwyn on being identified.  However, they were lead through all of the halls and never saw her anywhere.


    "As you can see, the individuals in question are not present.  Thank you for your support during this process."  The aethyrnz started to lead them back, as the three of them were left to wonder where else Lwyn could be.  There were even plenty of cells, and the whole place felt like a prison, it would have been a perfect place to have held Lwyn.  This was only the second day, they wouldn''t have moved her either, and while there were a lot of people present, there was also a lot of empty cells too.  It didn''t make any sense.


    They found themselves outside, while someone else was waiting.  "Oh, good, I was getting worried I would have been kept waiting too long.  I''ve found myself without retainers, and it seems Khaexyn has reallocated everyone.  I''m wondering if there is anyone here detained for.. minor repercussions that would be suitable for the position anytime soon."  The woman presented her case, while the aethyrnz looked alarmed.  "I''m terribly sorry, Lady Sxeiva.  There should have been someone here present to deal with such concerns as well, but it appears that Lady Yhse''s needs had required some considerable staffing arrangements."  It then rushed off to obtain the information requested of it.


    Before the three girls could even ponder their next destination, the aethyrnz returned.  "It seems there is no one available for the next several days.  By then, the current staffing issue should be resolved, so it might be more prudent to wait for that."  "Hmm, not acceptable.  You three, you seem unoccupied at the moment.  Come with me."  The aethyrnz returned to its work while Sxeiva turned to the three of them.  Thanrie realized then that this might be why standing around here might not have been the best of choices.


    As Sxeiva guided them along, Thanrie looked her over.  She was both beautiful and terrifying, after taking a moment to check her in better lights.  Thanrie discovered quickly that the woman actually seemed very aethyrnz.. while also seeming very.. not.  It actually looked instead like Sxieva was instead more a person who had many parts of her replaced with aethyrnz parts, like a clockwork cyborg.  Both of her eyes were artificial, as was her ears, sections of her head.. her entire spine, her left arm, probably sections of her torso under all her clothes.. and maybe both of her legs.  This wouldn''t exactly make her half aethyrnz and half person.. she instead seemed more aethyrnz than anything else.  At least she.. sounded more human, vocally.. but Thanrie wasn''t certain there either.


    "I''m guessing the little one is new, her eyes seem to hold a lot of wonder.  Yes, the reports you''ve heard are probably accurate.  I am not as.. alive.. as I once was.  I know it has been fairly intimidating to work with, but I assure you that most of my needs will be familiar enough for any woman.  The.. stranger requirements I can mostly look after myself."  It seems Sxeiva had not missed Thanrie''s examination, leaving Thanrie a touch embarrassed.


    "I''m sorry, we''ve been making sure she''s behaved well enough.  If she''s been a problem, we''ll make sure she is educated further."  "Oh, no, its fine.  Happens all the time.  Anyway, please come this way."  Qheria was getting back into her current act, but Sxeiva dismissed it and lead them into a stairwell.  They travelled up the spire into the domain owned by Lady Sxeiva.


    "Okay, so, now that we''re safely out of the way of any passing listeners, maybe I could get some real answers from you three instead of your usual acts.  Don''t worry, there is no one else around."  "Uh, I don''t understand what you mean."  Sxeiva''s sudden shift had even Qheria start to get nervous.  "Oh come on, you''re bringing her around with you.  No one else might have noticed, but I did."  Sxeiva went right up to Mhyl, clearly indicating her, before shifting to Elaethyx  "Hello honey, you really shouldn''t work so hard to hide such pretty ears.  I understand why you might be doing so, but it''s not needed up here."  Sxeiva held up her organic right hand, as if to help Mhyl with freeing her ears, but not doing so without her permission.


    "I.. I uh.."  Mhyl''s response was filled with uncertainty, finally getting to use Elaethyx again with someone.  Getting caught was also part of the problem.  "Do you need any help with that, or do you have it?"  "I... I''ve got it, thanks."  "So, what about my question, would you care to answer it?"  "Uh, question?  I''m... uh.. I think I missed the question."  Sxeiva''s suspicions began to rise, she could tell that no one in the group spoke both Izhaethyx and Elaethyx.


    "So yes, real answers."  Sxeiva shifted back to Izhaethyx.  "Clearly, the only thing more suspicious than having an elf around here hiding that she an elf, is not having anyone around who speaks both languages.  So yes, while your usual act is fine for others, I might myself know better.  Drawing everything together, I probably might know more about you than you would expect.  So lets see, how much is then the truth instead of an act?  How about, you aren''t actually from the Fortress at all?  How about, you aren''t even from this side of the mountain at all?  How about.. you have memories that aren''t even from Celese at all.  How close am I getting?"  Thanrie and Qheria stuttered in shock, as the same speech was translated for Mhyl too.


    "Now, if I''m right, my only concern is that you three took awfully long getting here.  I expect that was only inevitable, that you got here exactly when you were meant to, but I''ve grown tired of this gilded cage.  Grown tired of a lot of the things around here, honestly.  If you need any help with whatever you plan to do in order to put a stop to this nonsense, please do ask.  Whatever it takes, please stop Khaexyn."  Sxeiva took a seat, letting everything sink in, as the others were at a complete loss.


    "If you need room to talk about it, please feel free to use the door on your right.  I''ll wait here."  Sxeiva determined that putting them under pressure like this wasn''t going to cause any progress, so she gave them a quite place to talk.  The three complied with the idea and fled into the room.


    "What.. what do we do?"  Mhyl had been fully brought up to speed about the finishing part of Sxeiva''s speech that was not translated for her at the time, but still found herself confused.  "I would say that this is just our luck.. but maybe that''s literal.  She already knows things that we''ve honestly had to tell everyone else.  I don''t think we can afford to turn her down, and not only because she could probably easily get us locked away.  The things she knows could probably help in.. so many ways.  If she knows about the memories, she might know more about them then even we do.  If she wants to help us with some of the things we seriously need help with, why in the world would we say no?"  Thanrie was herself convinced, if not still terrified.  They didn''t have any sensible alternative in this situation.


    The three of them agreed then that they would have to be honest with Sxeiva, even though they would not share anything about anyone else.  They took a moment to compose themselves on the matter before returning to the room Sxeiva waited in.

 44: Voluntary Handmaiden

    After the three girls had returned to Sxeiva to share their decision, things had suddenly felt like it had shifted from their control.  Sxeiva had taken full control over the situation, somehow leaving them with fewer answers then they had expected.


    Thanrie still could not believe she was wearing this outfit.  Matching both Qheria and Mhyl, all three of them were wearing what they could swear were maid outfits, detailed in simple black and white.  The colors felt normal for her at least, though it felt less fitting when the others were also wearing the same colors.  For her, it felt akin to a uniform.


    Sxeiva had quickly established that in order for her to be able to ensure their stay was protected, they would have to be able to fully grasp the role they were being given.  What didn''t exactly occur to them quick enough was the types of responsibilities that this would entail.  Thanrie was sweeping the floors while Qheria was cleaning the mirror and Mhyl was brushing Sxeiva''s hair.  Thanrie was certain that this was the kind of things she had seen her staff do, back when she lived at the palace.  Somehow, she had fallen to such a servile role, simply in order to keep up illusions.  At least none of them had been given laundry duty.


    Ten days had passed, and in that time, they had learned nothing new.  Nothing about Lwyn, nothing they could use about their enemy, nothing even about their memories.  Sxeiva had instead insisted that they need to be brought up to speed with their current role, in order for them to remain safe.  Thanrie would have preferred patrol duty at this rate herself personally.  At least Sxeiva was a very patient woman, their mistakes were easily forgiven.  If nothing else, over the following ten days, they had somehow learned their sudden role very quickly.


    Thanrie in fact couldn''t help but compare her situation to how Lwyn''s was when they had first met.  It had seemed like this was the lifestyle she had endured in the many years before, while they were held in greater luxury.  Qheria might have been exposed to some work as well, but she had an established authority from her job, not something as low in society as this.  In fact, Lwyn had still had things worse because, like Qheria, she was highly disrespected in her position and had been treated exceptionally harsh.  Sxeiva''s forgiveness was a light of radiance compared to how things had gone in the Citadel Inn.


    One thing that had been useful was having Mhyl''s language lessons resume.  According to Sxeiva, staff here were all expected to speak Izhaethyx, even if they were elven.  Unlike Lwyn''s lessons, the learning was a lot more professional, which made Mhyl feel a bit more stressed.  Sxeiva was still forgiving, but left a stronger feeling of expectation that made Mhyl struggle to push ahead.  However, since then, Mhyl had started making a lot of progress in her studies.  She could better predict the translation of many phrases, and could construct a wide assortment of broken sentences.  It''s not that she could be considered good at all, but she was still getting better at it impressively quickly.  They had all been expected to also try to exclusively use Izhaethyx around her while working.  For them, this meant keeping sentences simple, so that the meaning would be a lot more clear for Mhyl.  Mhyl in return kept to very simple replies.


    Qheria had been expected to pass off the shard she had been given, so that Sxeiva could use that record to build them a case for belonging there.  It was a witness who had seen them recruited for the role initially.  Because Sxeiva had a fairly high position in the Fortress, there would be no questions raised by anyone else about her choice of staff.  Thanrie herself was still questioning however exactly why someone of such high position would be supporting people aiming to tear everything down.  To a degree, she wondered if Sxeiva was just that desperate for having staff sweep her floors, brush her hair, provide her outfits, bring her breakfast up the spire.. how in the world did Lwyn do this sort of thing for years without end?


    Thanrie felt it especially strange to no longer carry around anything for supplies.  Even her weapon and boots were set into storage.  She had been told their stuff would be safe there, because only them three were given the responsibility to tend to things in that spire.  It seemed that they were in a place called the fourth spire, which according to her book was actually placed in the same spot in a circle that the number would be for an analog clock.  There was even twelve spires in total, though she knew very little what each spire was being used for.  As far as she could tell, each spire was used for the fortress''s upper society, like Lady Sxeiva.


    Being left to tend to the spire involved a lot of cleaning across what was the worst flight of stairs she had ever seen.  A spiral staircase, that was actually her least preferred task of the role, cleaning the stairwell.  It was her job to have cleaned it last, and it would be Qheria''s job to clean it next.  She felt almost lucky that they didn''t need to do any outdoor cleaning.  Lwyn''s almost mythical story about cleaning outside such structures, how she learned to climb so well, the heights around here would make the task largely unforgiving.


    In truth though, she had no idea how things were on the other side of the walls.  Ever since they had entered, she had found not a single window sharing natural light.  They were completely cut off from the outside, trapped in this steel world, with glowing red lights.  She still had no idea how they would return to that world, but she wasn''t alone in this either.


    "How has things been outside of the fortress anyway?  Mhyl has been sharing at least some of the bandit activity outside and the general global news, but I would like to hear from you two as well.  I know there are things you are still uncomfortable with sharing, but having been trapped here for years, I''ve lost touch with most of the world itself.  I don''t even remember what it feels like to have the sun shine upon my face."  Sxeiva had just finished having her hair brushed by Mhyl, while the two of them had been in conversation about the outside world as well.


    "Well, we''ve had a lot of time left without the sun in some of the work we do, but until coming here I''ve still not really thought about it.  The outside sun is only something you seem to miss after having been denied it for too long.  If you really haven''t seen it for years, I couldn''t imagine what that would have been like.  But one thing I personally miss is the plants.  I''ve always loved tending to flowers, which is something we really don''t see around here very much.  However, outside is a plant that has grown in some of the worst conditions and has managed to hold on despite all the odds.  It''s called an amber-leaf, and while not the prettiest plant I''ve ever seen, it has proven to be one of the most useful plants I''ve ever heard of.  You should talk to Mhyl about it, she''s learned so much about the amber-leaf herself."  Thanrie was almost daydreaming while she spoke.


    This was something she probably missed the most, tending to flowers.  In a structure like this, without any plants at all, she had started to really miss other plants and flowers.  Trees even, to be honest, considering that while they have had a lot of work with wood itself, they had not seen actual trees since they crossed the great mountain.  Of all things in the outside world, this was one thing she missed the most.


    Sxeiva considered Thanrie''s words carefully.  "Yes, actually, I think some flowers would be really nice to have around my spire.  I shall see that it is requested right away."  Sxeiva didn''t speak of the matter further, but two days later they had a few boxes arrive with an assortment of flowers.  Thanrie was assigned right away to having responsibility caring over the little plants in their assortment of pots.  This was no garden, but she felt happy enough given an opportunity like this.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The next day, they got a special request from a messenger, an elf wearing an outfit not similar to the one Thanrie wore.  "Lady Yhse has heard that there have been flowers brought into the Fortress, and is requesting having some brought to her.  Lord Khaexyn has requested that Lady Sxeiva will submit no fewer than eight flowers for transfer.  Please have your expert attendant chose the flowers for this process.  Lady Yhse has had a considerable taste for reds and purples, those kinds of flowers would be ideal, but she''s insisted that not all eight should be the same color, and that all eight should look distinct."  The elf spoke a very fluent Izhaethyx before ending in an elegant curtsy.


    Because Thanrie was being considered their expert attendant in flower care, it was her job to pick from her new collection which ones she would hand away.  She knew almost nothing about this Lady Yhse, beyond what she was just told, but she had an idea which eight she would pick.  She found eight flowers which all were more leafy than most, each with a variable bloom, but of only two species, which were fairly close to roses and violets.  She had no idea how well they would be cared for, and she wasn''t willing to just sacrifice eight flowers, the ones she picked would be the eight that she felt could endure the worst of care.  She was already feeling a growing responsibility for the flowers, even if she doubted they would survive long anyways in these conditions.  The lack of natural sunlight was by far the worst offender.


    Because this was a trade between the two ladies, Sxeiva would have to go along personally.  "So, this would be what you have trained for.  Keep in mind that you three are my attendants, and being an attendant of the fortress is actually much less forgiving than I have been treating you so far.  Making mistakes in the public of the fortress will be a lot harder to dismiss.  Make sure to put all efforts to keeping up the veil of your role, so that there won''t be any troubles."  Sxeiva it seems would be then travelling with all three of her attendants, because that''s generally what attendants do, they... attend their lady.


    The three of them were mostly however just carrying the plants.  Thanrie and Qheria were sporting four plants each, leaving Mhyl to personally and more directly attend to Lady Sxeiva.  It sorta gave her the easy job, but it would also put her the farthest from strange conversation, so it was just the way of things.  They would be meeting in one of the central lobbies, for the exchange to occur.  It would be Thanrie''s responsibility to provide information on the flowers, so that they could be used and cared for properly.


    The four of them arrived at their destination, finding two staff waiting for them.  One human and one elf, wearing their same uniform.  The elf was the same one as from earlier.  As she had been directed, Thanrie approached the elf and started to discuss matters of the chosen flowers, while the human started to organize transportation.  A number of aethyrnz were also present, appearing to be part of the process.  Thanrie felt that this many people were kinda overkill on a task the three of them had covered very well, and she didn''t even see Lady Yhse anywhere, so this was just a job for two.


    It was then that Khaexyn himself had arrived, a lady in a glowing dress following behind.  "Sxeiva, I hope things have been going very well for you, my love.  I hope this exchange is not too unfavourable for you.  Young lady Yhse here had heard of your sudden interest in flowers and had decided that she herself could also have use of such beauty in her own domain."  Khaexyn stepped aside to indicate Yhse, startling a number of people present silently.  Thanrie knew she was in no position to do anything about it right now, so just continued with her own responsibility.


    Qheria took her position into account and found the best way to make a move.  She approached and curtsied as per her position.  "I hope Lady.. Yhse.. will be pleased about this selection, which has been carefully selected by our most talented floral expert for it''s refinement and beauty.  It may not be enough to match the young mistress, but I''m sure you will find that all eight of them will hold their own unique measure."  Qheria had to catch herself, almost using the wrong name.  Thanrie did not envy Qheria, the whole dialog was reminding her of Zyuixqs'' worst, and punching things wasn''t an option right now.


    "Ah, yes, thank you.. uh.. Lady Sxeiva, do you mind if I talk to your attendant for a moment?  I would like to.. uh.. learn more about the flowers myself."  Yhse directed Qheria into an nearby room, leaving Sxeiva and Khaexyn to their own conversation.  Yhse then spoke to Qheria in quiet whispers, using English.  "What in the hell are you three doing here?"  "Well, we were worried about you after you ran away from home.. and then followed you after you got kidnapped.. and.. actually, I always thought Thanrie was our best actor here, but what is all this about you pretending to be Lady Yhse?"  "Ha, well, unlike you, I''m not actually pretending.  I''ve actually found where I really belong, while you three really need to go back home.  I have no idea how to get you three out of here, but that''s not my problem.  Forget about me, forget about Lwyn, and go back your normal you.  None of us should have to live lies anymore, go home."  Yhse''s dismissal was shattering for Qheria, it felt like an overwhelming defeat.


    Yhse then shifted to whispering in Izhaethyx.  "The Lwyn you know is gone anyway, I''m Yhse.  Don''t worry, I won''t share that I know who you are, but you''re on your own.  I wish you the best with wherever you find yourself going forward."  Yhse then stormed out of the room, leaving Qheria to pick up the shards of her own esteem.  Qheria wasn''t even given the chance to throw in her own arguments, but she wasn''t even certain what she could say anymore.


    Mhyl watched as Yhse returned from the hall alone, taking a place back beside Khaexyn.  Her wonder on how everything had gone was replaced by despair the moment she saw Qheria''s expression.  Qheria was quick to replace it moments later, with no one else the wiser, but Mhyl had not missed it.  Thanrie had then just finished up with her own task, so Yhse''s two attendants quickly set the flowers to transport and resumed their position at Yhse''s side.  Yhse and Khaexyn then left the area, to return to Yhse''s spire and setup the flowers as planned.


    Meanwhile, Sxeiva set her own course to her own spire.  Keeping to routine, the four of them travelled in silence.  Once they arrived in the spire, however, Thanrie wanted information.  "So, that was Lwyn, wasn''t it?  I know that was Lwyn?  Do we have a plan then, how are we getting her out of here."  "We not, right?"  Thanrie was surprised, not just because she was speaking Izhaethyx and got an answer from Mhyl.  Her sentence was actually pretty good, too.  "What do you mean, we''re not?  Wasn''t that what.."  "No, that wasn''t Lwyn.  She herself made very clear she is Lady Yhse, and that the Lwyn we know, is gone."  Thanrie was stunned at Qheria''s reply, the clarity lost upon her.


    Thanrie let shock pass over her face.  She was back to wanting to punch something in frustration.  What in the world happened to Lwyn?  Why did none of this make sense anymore?  What were they going to do now?  "What the F~~k is going on?!  What do you mean Lwyn is actually really Yhse?  What the hell.."  Thanrie had fallen into a state of English, even with Sxeiva being present, something she had not done before.  She was just incredibly upset at this turn of events.


    Sxeiva approached to calm things down a bit.  "Ah, so that would be the language you three use to communicate.  That makes a bit more sense now.  However, it seems that I should in turn provide a bit more.. sense.. in return.  I knew Yhse was the fourth of your group, and I''m sorry for not having shared that sooner.  I had a feeling that nothing I would have said would have been believed until you had seen it for yourself.  This is why I had made sure to find a way to bring you together like this."  Sxeiva sighed, pondering what to say next.


    "Yhse has also been expected here for quite a long time, Khaexyn has been prepared for her arrival for well over a decade now.  It seems Yhse herself might not have known about anything until she had finally arrived, and now she''s already been convinced by Khaexyn''s claims.  It was only in his own advantage to have wield of a past she had probably been denied her entire life, it made everything so convincing.  Don''t worry, while this changes a lot of things, the one thing this does not change is that Yhse still needs to be rescued.  Khaexyn will only continue to manipulate her otherwise."  Sxeiva sat down, realizing this discussion might take a while.


    She then started to share upon the others a story, one which explained where all this had once begun, and why everything had turned out this way.  While ensuring there was opportunities for translations during the story, she started her story at its beginning.

 45: Historical Origins

    Sxeiva''s story took place a very long time ago, but begun with features all three girls found familiar. And in this story, sunlight once again split the dawn of a brand new day.


    Jheiqs was a young boy who had gone through a lifetime of struggle already. His mother, a Wyxiri noblewoman, a friend of the crown. His father, a Qiciri nobleman, who also had close ties with the crown. This was back in a time of peace unlike the present day, where a union of nobles across nations could only be considered a way to strengthen the bonds between nations. However, there were a lot of complications in this union. The Wyxiri prince, now king, had been infatuated with the noblewoman, and had worked hard to attempt to win her hand, offering her a place as his queen. The Qiciri Princess herself had likewise been an admirer of the nobleman, and was eager to give him the throne. Both nobles had however turned down such offers, being far more interested in each other.


    The result had left Jheiqs rather distant from both nations, where playing favourites could only make matters worse. As a result, his family had moved to the Magus Citadel, the only place of neutrality where they could keep moving forwards. This however left them with little remaining in the way of rank and status, being more of a visiting foreigner instead of a local noble. It left him without much of the way of lifestyle comforts, falling to the role of a simple commoner.


    Back when he was twelve, his family had gone visit the Qiciri crown, as sort of a festive occasion for the princess. She was in fact going to take up the crown on that day, and wanted several of her important citizens present. His parents had already attended the Wyxiri king''s coronation, so this was only fair. However, on that day, a disaster struck, causing danger to the crown family. The building had started to fall apart, for reasons still yet unknown. A local family had risen to the position of hero as a result of saving the crown family, but not everyone was saved in that incident. Jheiqs'' own family died that night.


    Without anyone explicit to blame for the incident, heat started to rise. The Wyxiri King was venomous, insisting that the whole operation was some ploy to assassinate the couple for their bond, he himself still in love with the noblewoman even after having adopted a political marriage. To him, it was more that the Qiciri hero was the one who was instead the assassin, ensuring that everything happened smoothly and disguising the incident as an overall issue in order to end the couple''s lives. The newly crowned queen of the Qiciri did not take kindly to these accusations, herself still grieving the loss of the nobleman.


    Tensions began to rise steadily since that day, putting both nations further and further on a path of war. But this was itself not the fate of young Jheiqs. He might not have had any of the other noble gifts given to him, but his blood was rich with the potential of both nations, it was gifted with its own power. And so, instead of going to attend the coronation, Jheiqs had spent yet another day in lecture in the Magus Citadel. The Arch-Magus was especially interested in the boy, considering just how gifted he truly was. The Arch-Magus was certain that, with the right training, the boy might actually become one of his greatest disciples one day.


    On the day his parents died then, the Arch-Magus had found shelter for Jheiqs within the citadel itself, becoming a sort of guardian over the boy. He ensured that Jheiqs'' education would continue, while ensuring that his family needs were met as best as possible. It meant having teachers in place of parents but it was still better than nothing. This continued a while, until one day Jheiqs was caught being delinquent and starting a fight with his peers. It seems an argument had risen about families, leading to some tension. It was decided after that, keeping Jheiqs this isolated was not doing any good for his psychology, it was instead having a negative impact on him.


    So it was that day which Jheiqs was to bid farewell to his normal room and move into the home of the Arch-Magus himself. He arrived late that afternoon, after spending the entire day packing up his belongings. When he arrived, the first person he had met was the Arch-Magus'' daughter. She had rushed to help him bring his stuff inside, into a room that had been provided for him. Quickly, he had found himself fully moved into his new room, but the girl was gone.


    Two days later, he inquired directly with the Arch-Magus, wondering where the girl he had met then had vanished to, but the Arch-Magus was dismissive of the subject. Spanning over the days following, Jheiqs would continue to bring up the subject, only to be dismissed. This kept going for a year, until Jheiqs snapped and started a fight with the Arch-Magus himself. As a result, he was exiled from the citadel for three lunar cycles.


    Jheiqs was starting to mentally fall apart at this point, much of his life had been spent suffering in hatred. Instead of fleeing to either of the two nations, he cross the great mountain, and took to the freedom he found beyond. There, he found a place he was free, and took to growing upon his own gift by himself. He fell in with some bandits, and was taken in out of his own gifts. There, to disguise his identity, he started using the ending portion of his name, rather than the start of it. Jheiqsylkhaexyn that day started going by the name Khaexyn.


    However, even life with the bandits was not one without hatred. During a squabble between bandits, he found himself thrown between each.. out of their own defense, leaving him to realize how much he was in fact only being used. Even this far from civilization, he was still being used. Near the end of the fourth lunar cycle, he returned to the citadel, fully disillusioned with the bandits he found.


    The Arch-Magus had been very worried in this time, having not expected Jheiqs to have gone so far away. In the time of worry, the Arch-Magus had decided to provide Jheiqs with details of their family secret, since Jheiqs was supposed to be a part of the family, and he had demonstrated so much curiosity about it. He was then reintroduced to the girl from all that time ago, the girl that he had been kept far away. But it wasn''t that he was kept from her, but that she was kept from everyone.


    He discovered then that she was in fact a half-elf, that her mother had died giving birth to her. Her mother in fact was one of the circle elves, who had been leading a good life among the elves with a lot of aspirations for the future. Her mother in fact was deemed a strong candidate for High-Seer, and had been raised accordingly by the current High-Seer herself, to learn everything she needed to know. She had then shared with her best friend her own experiences, even though such a friend was much younger than her, so that she could endure all of these expectations set upon her. However, on the day of the ritual, her mother was stunned to discover that it would not be her that would be gaining the position of High-Seer, but instead that same best friend she had been trusting all of these years.


    Her mother had since then fled the circle in shame, tormented by feelings of unending betrayal. However, she had also found no place among the elves, and so had to flee her entire homeland itself. In the nations of the humans, she had also found no acceptance, only a dismissal for herself being a strange elf within their lands. It wasn''t until she reached the citadel that she had finally found a place that would accept her. Since then, she had grown quite close to the Arch-Magus himself, since they were both in such high regards but so otherwise withdrawn from their societies.


    The story fit Jheiqs'' life all too well, being himself familiar with disregard. But what itself felt stronger was her own personal situation. Being a half-elf, her very existence was being rejected by all corners of society, being the greatest source of hatred possible for the people of the world. This stung him all too much, and he found himself compelled to her protection. He would not stand for her to be caged like this either, however. People would have to come to terms with half-elves, whether they wanted to or not. He would personally see to it.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Jheiqs started taking her out for walks after managing to convince the Arch-Magus of his resolve. He had even agreed that he would not indicate she had any association to the Arch-Magus, so that there was no political problems, but that she was Jheiqs'' personal charge. Handling her like a knight would care for a princess, he took her with him through the sights of the citadel.


    It didn''t take long for words to spread that Jheiqs was dating a half-elf, which had immediate issues for his own reputation. At that point, he found his peers picking on him every day, attempting to torment him. He would however stand up to them, in her defense, to whatever cost that brought to him. This continued for a few more years, until the boy and girl grew into adults.


    It was not as if the torments had ended, only that they had gotten worse. Jheiqs had a collection of scars at this point from all the injuries he had sustained in her defense. There were a number of times where his own personal health made it too hard for him to be around, so he returned her to her father''s care and fled back across the mountain, to people who did not know such grief. They instead didn''t understand either, he knew, but the freedom here granted him room for discovery. And just almost half a year after his seventeenth birthday, he had fallen upon an amazing discovery.


    His gift had revealed to him the veil of the world itself, the source of all gift. His own research discovered that this was what defined the world as a whole, not just the gift. It was a discovery capable of reshaping the world, changing everything. But he still didn''t fully understand it. The veil itself, even after being discovered, shared little beyond it''s own existence.


    He would return home, still researching the veil in his spare time. To reduce questions about his return, he booked a room at the Citadel Inn, which would offer him an opportunity to collect his own thoughts. To that end, he made sure he had exclusive access to room 718 for the night. That night however, right after dinner, he found himself visited by the Arch-Magus'' daughter, who had missed him and had grown worried. They spent the rest of the night together.


    Late into the night, late enough to almost be early into the morning, they had yet another visitor. This one was much less welcoming, dagger in hand. Rather than stabbing Jheiqs'' himself, the assassin turned to cause him the greatest torment possible, and stabbed the Half-Elf beside him, fatally. He woke to her death scream and the assassin fleeing. This instant tore upon his very heart in a searing anguish like nothing had ever before. He held her in his arms, no expanse of the gift able to restart a heart that wouldn''t beat. Her wounds he could heal otherwise, but he had no way to restart her own heart.


    Outraged, he turned back to the veil, demanding of it answers to his own grief. In a fury, he tore into it, and a hole formed through it. Through this hole, he found things beyond the world he knew, details no one of this would would understand. The foremost thing he found was details about how to get a heart to beat that had recently stopped. Something they called.. a ''defibrillator''. It would take an energy not unlike lighting to complete, used very carefully. He took to the lesson with all urgency, and carefully followed every step. Soon after, her heart started to beat once more. He had saved her from death itself, using what he had found beyond the veil.


    From that moment, he had grown infatuated with his discovery beyond the veil. It became a life obsession for him, something he had need of exploring further. However, so much of what he had found did not work, or at least he had found no way to make work. Celesi laws itself seemed to make it not work, the world itself was far too different from the one beyond the veil. Earth, it called itself.


    Nine months after the failed assassination, he found himself a father. There was concerns that her birth would kill her mother, like history repeating itself, but little Yhseliahysse was born without any problems.


    His own research slowed down a bit, after becoming a father. He made sure to teach her how to read, and how to take care of herself. Her mother taught her things too, including both languages. While she was taught to defend herself, she was kept a distance from the uglier parts of the world, to defend her from the hatred that plagued her parents. As she grew older, he only grew more determined to find a way to better the world, to make it something she could truly find a place in without hatred. The world beyond the veil, it was the only clue he had for how this would even be possible.


    While Yhse was still very little, they found themselves victim of another accident. While travelling from a visit from her father, the Arch-Magus'' daughter was attacked by another assassin, this one resorting to poison instead of wounds. Finding his loved one collapsing in his arms again, he struggled to find a cure. This poison was very slow acting, so certainly she could be saved. However, upon further research, his hopes started to fall to despair. The poison given to her was reacting with her very blood, using the opposing factors of elf and human to tear the body apart. This was much like the same way people died giving birth to a half-elf, presumably an ending that they had expected for her during her pregnancy, but had found denied to her.


    Jheiqs returned to the veil, searching for a cure for this, but Earth knew nothing honest about Celesi elves. It was the laws of this world that were killing her, Earth had no cure for that. With no recourse, he turned to his own gift, putting her into a deep sleep that dramatically slowed down the effects of the poison. It almost halted it completely, although it left her all but dead in the process. This wasn''t a solution, he still needed to find another answer. He also needed to ensure the safety of his loved ones. He knew his love would be hunted like this going forward, even if he saved her, and there was little he could do here to find a solution for that. Taking her across the great mountain, that was his only possible recourse.


    However, young Yhse was still too little to make this journey. Bringing her into the wild like that would put her life in danger as well. The conflict tore at him until he realized he had no other recourse. Yhse was still safe from being hunted, her grandfather could ensure her safety, much the same way he had done so before for the Arch-Magus'' daughter. His gift itself could provide more, with something as simple as a hunger to escape civilization and discover the unknown. Curiosity was already in her nature, much like Yhse''s mother, so feeding it with matters of coincidence would just keep things moving forward. When Yhse had grown enough to take care of herself, she would return to him. It was almost simply a gift of good fortune.


    Yhse was also put into a much more temporary slumber, to keep her innocent of the situation. Then, he set to some more complicated illusions. He created an illusion of his own corpse, a stab wound delivered fatally, and then clouded himself with features that would prevent his own identification, with a uniform fitting for a grave-keeper. He then went to visit the citadel, bringing word of the death of the couple while also having his daughter awaken at the doorsteps of the Arch-Magus. His heart twisted at her inability to recognize him, but he left her to her own safety, and carried off the assumed corpses of his illusion and his love.


    Both corpses were successfully identified. Jheiqs and Sxeiva, both confirmed dead. It was left to him to deal with the two bodies. He took them accordingly towards the great mountain, and once safely away dismissed the illusions. From there, he ensured Sxeiva was successfully brought across the great mountain, into the safety beyond. He knew it wouldn''t be safe itself, he would need to keep working with the veil, with Earth, and find a way to make the world truthfully safe.


    Sxeiva would be eventually saved by having a lot of her system replaced with artificial parts, something he had discovered and quickly worked upon since then. His prototypes were much less useful, but quickly grew in quality. Once he had enough progress achieved, he made use of the same discovery upon her. It left her feeling more artificial than alive, but she wasn''t exactly dead. To Khaexyn, this was a victory. It had cost them both a lot, his previous live was basically discarded, he was now Khaexyn full time now. Sxeiva was now mostly artificial, metallic, but still partly alive. Their daughter, Yhse, taken from them, for a time at least.


    Khaexyn however wasn''t done, not until he had remade the world into one without this hatred which would consume everything he loved. The laws of the world needed to be remade in order to make a change, the only way he could do that would be to remake Celese in Earth''s own image.

 46: Fated Providence

    As Sxeiva finished her story, the other three''s head spun putting everything together.  In providing so much insight, it only gave way to countless new concerns they hadn''t even realized.


    "So wait, if Lwyn is Yhse, and Jheiqs is Khaexyn, that would mean Khaexyn is her dad."  "Lwyn, he is your father, join him on the dark side.."  "Shut up Thanrie."  The three of them started talking again in English, with Qheria putting matters together, Thanrie making pop culture quotes, and Mhyl having none of it.  Qheria however turned to Sxeiva in Izhaethyx, putting something else together, something very similar.  "You''re her mother, aren''t you?"  "Yes, I am.  It doesn''t seem like Khaexyn had shared the same story with her yet, she still does not seem to know.  I expect it''s probably out of habit, considering everything else we''ve kept from her over her life."  Qheria realized that the depth of Sxeiva''s statement actually was similar to their own, having also been kept a distance from family secrets.


    Thanrie was of a similar mindset.  "It seems like family secrets are sorta a modern day thing.  Everyone here has had their family secrets kept from them, it''s not been a happy experience.  However, like you, we''ve also been kept in overprotective families that shelter us away from the lives of everything around us.  Good to know that some things haven''t changed."  Thanrie was piecing together that, according to the story, Sxeiva had actually been locked away from society over her life.. several times.  Sxeiva was also a half elf too, then the same nature as Lwyn had been fearing her whole life.  Although, maybe by now she was much less than half an elf, being mostly a.. cybernetic robot?


    Qheria pondered just how much hasn''t changed.  "Actually, that answers something I never understood.  Why have Qiciri and Wyxiri been all but at war my entire life?  That part about Khaexyn''s parents, I''m pretty sure you made it clear that people think mother killed his parents.  Hmm, on that train of thought, doesn''t that mean that Khaexyn''s mother was a romantic crush of Thanrie''s dad.. or was it her grandfather?"  Qheria brought up an idea that Thanrie herself hadn''t yet pondered.  No wonder he seemed so withdrawn in family life.  Thanrie wasn''t exactly liking where that idea was taking her.  Qheria was still lost trying to figure out the family tree in the whole matter, not realizing how much younger Thanrie was compared to her father.


    Qheria instead pondered the information Rhyde had shared with them, about Khaexyn''s history.  It was fairly obvious how his reputation was building in some of his visits to this area, and how it all lined up.  Rhyde had mentioned that Khaexyn had little support from the bandits here over his own beliefs and vision, but had made things happen regardless.  It was some really impressive determination, a sense of stubbornness she herself was familiar with.  However, it was also clear he was crazy, with a deep satiated seat in desperation.


    "Sxeiva mother know my mother."  Mhyl surprised both girls again, having forgotten they were still talking in Izhaethyx.  Mhyl it seemed was still trying very hard to fit in with the routine, and was actually communicating.  "Right!  You said your mom was the best friend of the woman who became the High-Seer!  The High-Seer is Mhyl''s mother!"  Thanrie was shocked just how much everyone was fitting into this scene together.  They had thought they were all four random girls from four different lives that had came together, but things weren''t feeling quite as.. random anymore.  Their parents all formed a web of friends, mostly through Lwyn''s parents.


    Mhyl herself was pondering the chain of events.  Knowing the way of elves, she had an idea why this parental situation panned out.  Sxeiva''s mother would have been a lot older than her own mother.  By becoming friends, her mother had gained the knowledge for the responsibility, and thus she was a far better candidate for the position.  This is why Mhyl herself had no chance in ever being High-Seer, because by the time her mother would give up the position, she herself wouldn''t be the youngest possible candidate anymore.


    However, what dawned on her was that Sxeiva''s mother then had training in being a High-Seer.  She didn''t even know there was a training process involved.  She pondered how to phrase her question, before giving up and surrendering to Elaethyx.  "You said that your mom was trained in being a High-Seer.  I never got to learn about any kind of training from my mother, I didn''t even know there was training.  What do you know about it?"  Mhyl was worried about her question, though.  Talking about a mother who died when their child was born.. might be hard.


    "Father talked about it with her a lot before I was born.  She even kept some records about it, which he had even promised he would neither read nor disclose.  However, she had said as she laid dying that the notes she made would be given to me.  When you''re locked in a room with nothing to do for years, and all you have is some notes... I did a lot of my own research over the years.  The whole process is just a type of gift, but one that is more about giving to the world rather than just taking from it.  Working directly with the world, you can learn things about how it works."  Sxeiva paused for a moment, troubled.


    "Technically, that''s how Khaexyn found the veil of the world.  He caught wind of some of my own research and practice, dabbled into it, and it took him farther than it should have.  The High-Seer is the only one who can converse with the flow of the world, the world''s nature, having been chosen for the conversation, but anyone else who knows how can watch and listen to the same flow.  This is how I learned about you, you and your friends.  While Khaexyn was fixated on the world veil, I worked with the world flow, and discovered how the world was putting itself in balance."  Sxeiva took a moment at this point to share this same news with Thanrie and Qheria, who were finding themselves left out of the conversation.


    Mhyl pondered the details, while otherwise feeling sorry for her own language failure.  Khaexyn wanted to change the world, to change the Celese they knew of, and replace it with something else.  This made it sound like they were chosen champions, to try and defend the last vestiges of the world as they knew it.  There were a lot of things that tied them together, but one obvious question denied this.  Why them?  All four of them were actually useless and ignorant to society, how would this make them the most idea to save everything?  The more she thought of it, the more she realized, they weren''t champions.. they were judges.


    Their position was some of the most neutral in the world, with a taste of both sides.  Khaexyn was biased, but had a point, there were a lot of problems in the world.  Almost like an act of democracy, the four of them had been chosen to decide which fate was best for the world.  So far, Lwyn.. or Yhse.. it seemed had already made her choice.  However, it probably wasn''t a matter that ended with decisions, but action.  They either had to save the world, or remake it.  If they had any splits, they would have to stand against those of the other mindset.  If she felt she still wanted to save Celese, she would have to stand up against her friend.  This was almost too cruel.


    Thanrie was also gauging what was really the luck that had been shifting them around.  The world flow was more a white water rapid, it was clashing from both sides.  The story did mention that Khaexyn had tried to manipulate the flow, to bring Lwyn to him like she had.  It was a giant cascade effect, the world trying to stabilize everything demanded of it.  Khaexyn shouldn''t have even been in a position to make demands, but maybe his was more like a threat.  That''s why Lwyn wasn''t chosen alone, the world was shifting in a spiral of events, a chain reaction, rippling out.


    However, the way things were setup, it almost felt like the three of them were chosen to stand against Yhse.  They would learn of Lwyn, and then she would take her seat as Yhse, and they would find her as yet another enemy.  She thought with no small irony how her name sounded too much like the English ''Ice'', as she had truthfully grown cold on them suddenly.  It was almost a symbol of the good and bad luck conflict they had going the whole time, like Lwyn really was their symbol of luck, both good and bad at the same time.  Thanrie felt a bit overwhelmed, realizing that she would have to stand up against her friend in this.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "So I guess we have a lot of balance work to take care of too.  Still, I don''t think throwing ourselves up to the idea of saving the world really fits the current situation.  Khaexyn might be right here, but we don''t have anything close to the amount of preparation needed to take care of him.  Most likely, we also need to do a lot more work on the whole principle of the matter too, first.  Saving the world is probably more complicated than just stopping one person, which itself just blows things into an even greater proportion.  Instead, one thing at a time."  Qheria wasn''t even floating around the same idea, and somehow sounded a lot more relaxed.


    "Qheria, maybe you missed it, but things just suddenly got a lot more complicated as a whole, even if you consider it in parts.  We came here to save Lwyn, now.. we have to stand against her.  I don''t even know how.."  Thanrie was surprised Qheria had missed the big picture here, she''s usually better than this.  "Stand against her?  Of course not, she''s our friend.  The plan is to still save her, though now we also have her mother asking to be saved as well.  Still haven''t worked out all the details, especially since we don''t have an escape route yet.  Escape is probably our biggest worry overall."  Qheria still seemed to miss it, even though she was the one who had personally talked to Yhse.


    Mhyl had also been gradually figuring out the conversation, so shifted to English.  "Qheria, Yhse doesn''t want to be rescued, she even told you personally that Lwyn is gone, remember?  We have to start accepting reality now, and give up in just wishing and dreaming that things were anything different."  Mhyl didn''t even realize she had quoted something Lwyn had considered a long time ago.  "Yes, I know we were only together for a short time, and having been here at the fortress for this long in turn has left us looking like a bad counterweight.  However, maybe you two are forgetting that reality isn''t always as it seems, that dreams and wishes can even redefine the world."  Qheria had been seeming naive at one point, but suddenly her insight started feeling very deep.


    "Think back to what we''ve learned of Lwyn.  Sure, she did run away from us, but in truth running away from her fears has been her plan for a long time now.  She ran away from the Inn, and as she drifted away from us, thinking we were so different, she ran away from us too.  Think where she is right now.  She''s the princess of a kingdom that is keeping her locked away, denied all information, and given very little to do.  She is the hero of a legend around here, given no support for the role she is to assume, and remains ignorant of her own future.  She''s found herself buried in an endless supply of books, with only the local staff for company, as she wavers in the shadow of her parent.  I don''t know, I think I''ve heard this story before, I know where its going.  There is no way she will want to be trapped to this fate, she will want an escape, and unlike us back then.. she''s even had a taste of it."  Qheria''s references weren''t lost, this life Yhse was facing now seemed all too familiar to them.


    Qheria still had full confidence in Lwyn.  Of all the things Lwyn might have hid from them, one thing most unquestionable is Lwyn''s curiosity.  Left with nothing but her own thoughts to spin, she was certain to come up to a wall of knowledge she would crave overcoming.  The three of them knew, knowledge wasn''t something that just came because you waited for it, instead you found it by hunting for it.  This passive life of Yhse.. it was far too unlike Lwyn.  And so, she would keep waiting, for when her friend needed an escape from her confines, and she would help her find the answers she craved.  If by then they found themselves going in different directions, it would be by their own choices, with full understanding of the situation.


    Mhyl and Thanrie weren''t exactly as convinced, but they knew Qheria could be very stubborn sometimes.  Technically, even if they had to go against Yhse, they really were too unprepared to do so now.  No matter how they looked at it, finding an escape was still the one thing they certainly had a pressing need for.


    Qheria turned back to Sxeiva in Izhaethyx.  "Being able to .. read the flow of the world .. is there any way we can make use of that in this situation, so that we can get out of this mess?"  "Oh, probably.  It depends on how much you''ve improved with your own gifts.  Being so favoured by the world would give your gifts quite a lot of potential, and considering the unique qualities you four would have, I would expect such a thing would be all but mandatory."  Qheria didn''t expect such an answer, everything turned back towards their gifts again.  It was a subject she had forgotten for a time.  Sxeiva somehow made it sound all too obvious.


    "Wait, unique?  We were told that we had a lot of potential, but nothing about being.. unique."  Thanrie had a weird feeling about this, suddenly.  "Oh, of course.  You know where the gift is originated from, right?  Not just your blood, but the thoughts and ideas you can consider.  Information and imagination does a lot to form someone''s potential with the gift.  So think about it, if your memories are of two worlds, your gift will be shaped by both memories.  Even Khaexyn doesn''t have memories of Earth, he only has information he''s gained from something he calls ''the Internet''.  It seems that''s a very complex information source from Earth.. though I guess you would probably know more about it than I would.  He doesn''t have any way to impact or change Earth physically, but does have a way to make use the information from that world.  Either way, that means his own gift can at best only emulate ideas from Earth, while your own could actually do things none of us could ever dream of."  After everything they had learned about the gift, Sxeiva gave them one thing they had never considered.


    They turned to each other again in English, as Sxeiva went to sit down and relax again.  "The Internet?  Khaexyn is getting his information from the Internet?  Holy shit..."  "Thanrie, settle down.  If it''s a matter of information, that probably makes sense.  Although, that probably leaves him with a lot of useless junk too... Anyway, more important is how this relates to us.  Remember how Ehryinae said that our gift has it''s own shape, like hers was.. was it all fire?  If our own gift is being partly shaped by our Earth memories, memories we''re probably not even associating to the gift.. maybe that''s at least half of our problem?  We keep saying it, our two memories are conflicts inside our heads, but really our self is made up of the result of both.  Our gift is then just the same way, we paint a picture of two worlds, not just one."  Thanrie was still mind-blown by the idea of using the internet to change Celese, but she knew Qheria had a point too.


    Thanrie however thought further into this, and realized that.. even as what was their worst case of conflict.. the whole thing didn''t seem as true anymore.  Somewhere along the way, she had just came to peace with the fact of who she was.  She had faced both facets of herself along the way, and came to terms with it.  It wasn''t even until then that she realized just how relaxed her mental state had became.  Though everything they had done, she had found herself with a growing ability to keep a mental focus on things going on.


    Mhyl realized too that she had started coming to terms with things very readily as well.  Rather than getting stuck behind the principle of things, and being too critical, she had lost herself in her own successes.  Things like dancing, singing, even playing sports, rather than painting a picture she had woven a melody between worlds.  She had found her own way to let go, and just strive forwards.  Looking back, it was actually kinda amazing how much progress she had made, in such little time.


    Qheria too, somehow she had not only made peace with herself, but she had even found her own confidence in herself, and has since then started being a leader of their group through this entire rescue.  The old her, she probably would have caved in, having such a monumental task as leading the others through a place as great as this Fortress.  But.. she was actually doing fine.  This was exactly the lesson she said herself to Ehryinae, exactly what she needed to achieve before the gift would be her''s to control.


    Somehow, all three of them had achieved that step of their lessons, and they didn''t even realize it.  Instead of wondering how they got there, however, more importantly would be progressing further, taking even more steps forward.


    Qheria turned back to Sxeiva again.  "You''re the daughter of the Arch-Magus, which is a lot closer to the Arch-Magus than just a disciple.  I don''t suppose you could help us continue our lessons in learning the gift, from where we left off?  It seems it might be time for another lesson?"  Qheria found herself recipient of a gentle smile.  "Of course, I would be glad to help you with the gift.  I myself was personally taught by the Arch-Magus, after all.  Just, please be aware, sometimes getting the gift to work initially can be.. fleeting."  Sxeiva''s concerns were something they were well aware of at this point.  It was still their best possible advantage in this situation, they needed to learn more.


    The day was quickly coming to a close, so their lessons would be delayed until tomorrow.  For the rest of the day, they resumed their regular duties, and prepared for sleep.

 47: Plastic Smile

    Next day came as yet another regular day, filling in as if a part of a routine.  As with most routines beginning a day, breakfast was quick to come, and similarly quick to finish.


    Yhse was finding herself bored of late, the nearly half lunar cycle of same-old same-old wearing her down.  Sitting in a room was boring, reading books or otherwise.  She had been going on walks, but with halls that looked identical, it wasn''t like there was anywhere interesting to go.  She was running out of ideas for fun things to do, and it wasn''t like everyone else was giving her much in turn.  It was like doing nothing every single day was expected to be fun.  At first, she had thought it would have been fun, no expectations, no real responsibilities, just endless relaxation.  Instead, it was really boring.


    Lord Khaexyn came to visit her unexpectedly, though she suspected one of her maids might have been the cause of it.  "Hello, young Yhse.  I hope everything is going well enough for you.  Have your flowers been doing well for you?"  Obviously Khaexyn didn''t understand boring.  The flowers were nice, even though they only reminded her of her friends.  They were also, like her, getting tired of being stuck in this place, and had started to wilt.


    "Good day, Lord Khaexyn.  I have been doing well enough, I thank you so much for your concerns.  Thank you for ensuring that I was given these beautiful flowers, they have done wonders for brightening my room."  Yhse had years of experience with faking her own happiness.  What she wasn''t used to was being pampered so much every single day.  She still didn''t understand Khaexyn''s motivation, was this really just to have her as an icon for his own vision?


    "I''m glad to hear things have gone so well, if there is anything I could do to brighten your life further, please let me know."  "If I can think of any way I could possibly have any more fun than this, I will be certain to let you know.  The fun and games here couldn''t possibly get any better than this."  Khaexyn looked at her awkwardly, as Yhse realized she might have laced a bit of sarcasm in her voice there.  Considering the fun and games here were.. non-existent.. it was really hard to bluff about it.


    Khaexyn excused himself and rushed off, returning later with some documentation.  "Would this work?  I found plans for an... entertainment system, I believe that was what it was called.  I''m sure something like this would provide considerably more fun than anything you would find anywhere in Celese."  Khaexyn handed her documentations, almost a blueprint in nature, for what was honestly a video game console.  It was actually one she had memories of using all too well.  Flipping through other documents, she found games she was also familiar with, ones she either never liked or had already beaten in another life.  He was going to create these things for her?


    Being crushed upon by the memory, she realized there also wouldn''t be any point.  Even if he could somehow use his gift to produce those things faster than it would normally take to create on earth, she knew those games all too well.  The utter lack of originality, it was like the worst kind of Celesi remake, no originality at all.  Why bother to simply make a game she''s already done, already learned about, knew inside out, and already lived through?


    Then, it dawned on her, that''s exactly what his goals were, not just for the plans in her hands, but for the world as a whole.  He was going to bring all of Earth, and make Celese as much like Earth as possible.  It would be like a remake of a life she''s already lived.  Did he honestly think it would be better?  It then dawned on her how wrong he actually was.  Earth had no hatred?  She went through all the problems with that claim in her memories.  Earth had people hating other people everywhere, people of other nations, other cultures, other.. anything different, really.  There weren''t elves, but there certainly was racism.  There might not be wars anymore like people here knew, but it''s not like there weren''t fights, battles, death, suffering...  To think Earth was any more perfect was a naivety beyond compare.


    Earth wasn''t any better, not in the least.  Trying to force Celese to become like Earth wouldn''t fix any of the problems Khaexyn aimed to fix, it would only run from the problem and create new ones.  How would running fix anything, how could he think he could just escape by turning to something else and hoping that would change everything for him?


    Then she realized, she wasn''t one to talk, that''s been her all her life.  Even now, she had run away from one lifestyle, only to suffer another that honestly wasn''t much better.  All that happened was that she had lost friends in the process, friends who had probably moved on without her and found their own way.  She was honestly as much an idiot as the company she kept, it was surprising this similarity.


    Yhse handed the documents back to Khaexyn.  "I''ve changed my mind.  While this idea looks very interesting, it seems a bit too.. ordinary somehow.  Much like reading a book that comes to live in your hands, it''s still just a book.  It is a very good idea at least, but I''ll give it some thought on the kinds of thing I would truly rather do instead.  I''ll get back to you if I come up with any ideas.  Maybe I can find an idea within the library, there is a whole collection of information there."  Yhse knew that complaining about books right before saying she would find a solution in the library might not make sense, but she felt that fit with most of her other choices of late.


    Khaexyn took the documents back with a frown.  "So be it.  Please let me or any of the staff know if there is anything further we can do for you."  Khaexyn had a few passing words with the maids before leaving, not something she was able to hear.  Yhse did ponder that, for all his intent on using her as an icon for change, this was probably the first time he''s offered her anything from Earth itself.  Considering she was supposed to represent change for him, it would have been assumed that she would have been given a multitude of trinkets and gadgets she has passing familiarity with, not just that one.  It gave her the idea that there was more to this whole thing than Khaexyn was letting her know.


    This triggered her curiosity, she wanted to know what else he might be hiding.  What other motivation would he have for everything, and why her?  Yhse had to know.  Fortunately, she had made plans to go search for information, it was by far the best place to begin.  Yhse set off at once for the library, her maids acting as her guide as always.  Once they arrived, Yhse started her search for anything that might meet her fancy.


    Yhse''s initial impression was more boredom.  She hadn''t bothered with informative books before, having generally focused on stories instead, and so this boviously wasn''t exactly a thrilling experience.  Her eyes started to glaze over, it was getting that boring.  However, she wasn''t doing this for fun, she needed answers.  Answers had to be somewhere, she just had to look for them.  She just wasn''t exactly used to looking for answers, having spent a long time running from them instead.


    Eventually, her eyes settled on a history book.  It was a record of the development and civilization of the lakeside and the bandits.  The author was Khaexyn Duxaeyhlit, meaning Khaexyn himself wrote this as records of his own accomplishments.  She started glancing over it until she realized something was bothering her.  She flipped back to the cover and confirmed the author''s name.  That last name was far too familiar, leaving her to drop the book in surprise.


    Yhse''s human maid came to pick it up.  "Are you alright, mi''lady?  Is something amiss?"  "Just wondering, are either of you even aware of my real name?"  "Of course, you are Lady Yhse."  "I mean my full name."  "That would be Lady Yhseliahysse Duxaeyhlit.  Why do you ask?"  "My last name, is it spelled like this then?"  The maid saw Yhse indicating the author of the dropped book, and nodded her head.  Then she started to see what reason Yhse would have for concern at this point.  Of course, both maids were told to not get Lady Yhse too heavily involved in her father''s work, or even put any additional strain on her by letting her know of her own heritage so soon.  That would be for Lord Khaexyn to do, when he felt the time was right.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The elf maid approached, not being herself aware of the situation that had just risen.  She hadn''t even heard the conversation, just that Lady Yhse''s voice had gone very serious.  "Is there anything the matter?"  "Depends, what else has my father kept from me?"  "Lord Khaexyn hasn''t kept anything.."  The elf realized her mistake moments after she begun.  Yhse had specifically called out Khaexyn as her father, and it wasn''t even denied.


    Yhse couldn''t believe this, and yet everything was starting to make so much more sense.  She was told her father had died ages ago, but that had been a lie.  Instead, it seems her father was some great mastermind set on ruining the world for some ill-conceived dream of his.  Instead of even telling her something so simple, he had kept it from her, making her feel alone in the world.  Sure, in the rush of emotions at just hearing about her own heritage, she had an idea why he might not have told her.  But it was a stupid idea, much like all of his other stupid ideas.


    Yhse was done here, she put all the books away and made way to return to her room, still being guided by her two maids.  She felt absolutely helpless and misunderstood.  Was there no one who understood her own struggles?  Her maids, for all their physical guidance, were otherwise useless in the subject.  Her father, only recently known as such, was the symbol of ignorance to her.  None of the staff understood, leaving her very much alone.  But in matters of understanding, and symbols, she started to understand her purpose here.  She was set a place here because somehow her father knew she would return.  But as his daughter, she was being trained into his own legacy.


    Yhse''s mind screamed inside.  This is not training for a legacy, he was still giving her nothing.  She was being kept away from actually understanding what was going on, left ignorant to everything, all because of a feeling that the responsibility was too much for her.  Well, maybe it might be, but that didn''t make it just go away, or make it any easier.  Learning to accept responsibility, that made it easier.  Instead, he just drowned her in a sea of books, left with expectations of a legacy she knew nothing about, and didn''t even let her know she had a place important within this.. family.  Who in the world does that?


    Then she realized what else sounded familiar.  Who drowns in a sea of books, Mhyl had done that her whole life.  Who had to suffer expectations of a legacy she never knew about, that would be Qheria''s life.  Who else was the princess of a kingdom that didn''t even give her the feeling her being alive actually mattered for shit.. she was really sounding like Thanrie there.  The only people in the entire world who had even a glimmer of a chance in understanding her situation, were the same three friends she had told to get lost.  It was probably the worst mistake of her entire life.


    Yhse sent both maids away silently, desperate for some time alone.  Once they were gone, Yhse finally resigned herself to the tears she had been holding back.  She flopped onto her bed, burying her head in her pillow, as it soaked up her tears.  Her father might be an idiot, but clearly such stupidity ran in her blood too.  She had even left them, believing herself to be so different, only to find out how similar they actually were.  She was just that blind, she didn''t see it before.


    She turned her head, glancing at one of the nearby potted flowers.  It had already started to die, much like she herself felt.  She picked up a few of the fallen blossoms, remembering the friends she had lost, and clutched the blossoms tightly.  Tears were replaced with general despair, and a sense of hopelessness.  Her own foolishness had left her with a dying fate, her own meaning to be lost, everything she cared about.. to fade away from her reach.


    Meanwhile, her father would ruin everything for them, and she would have no choice but to remain at his side.  He would continue his goal of replacing Celese with his vision of Earth, only to eventually find that nothing has improved and instead a lot has been lost.  It would then lead to only more hatred and despair, only more loss.


    In fact, to get there, he would have to go through countless lives.  Far too many people would stand up to him, that''s why he had this army.  Before people would adopt a live of Khaexyn''s choosing, he would have to shatter their wills.  That would involve the death of countless people.  There were already a large number of people standing up against his beliefs, and all of them would have to be crushed.  Both of the main nations would be still raising their armies to counter all of Khaexyn''s ambitions, in an attempt to crush them.  Khaexyn would then have to crush them instead.  The elves wouldn''t stand for it either, they were fighting back too.  Even the Arch-Magus was against this.  All of that determination would have to be crushed, and in the process, lives would be lost.  Even out here, there were those who opposed it, and they would have to be brought under control too.


    Then she realized what kind of lives were at stake.  The three friends she had sent away, she had sent to die, or at least to have their resolve crushed completely.  Khaexyn would have to crush them all in order for his goals to be achieved.  Those three, all of their friends and family at both the rebellion and back across the great mountain...  The people in danger here were those closest to her.  She was going to be placed in a position against everything she could have ever held dear, to destroy anything she could have ever cared about.  Sure, she might not ever be expected to raise a hand in the process, but she would still be then helping in this senseless destruction as a result.


    It was impossible to do nothing.  Doing nothing was still doing something, she had responsibilities for things, even if she pretended otherwise.  There were things she could not ignore, no matter how much it hurt.  Doing nothing was in fact possibly the most painful solution of all.  It was like waiting to die, in slow and terrible agony, with no idea how long it would be before death finally took over.


    So instead, she finally noticed the bars in her cage.  The things she wanted most to do, she could not.  Instead she was left with only doing the things she wanted least, to let despair crush the friends she cared about.  She couldn''t, she wouldn''t.  She would rather die herself.


    Bearing the guilt of responsibility for everything so suddenly, a wash of dizziness rose over her, all too familiar.  She laid upon her pillow as the air above her became blurry, her head spinning enough to make her dizzy.  Soon after, she lost consciousness, having fainted once again.


    The maids returned to check on her, and found her fast asleep.  They let her rest for a while, and returned later, only to find her still sleeping.  When they tried to wake her, she did not stir at all.  Khaexyn himself eventually showed up, and tried to figure out what had gone wrong, but even his own abilities did not wake her.  He immediately feared illness, and set about checking over her, but could find nothing wrong.  She was still fully healthy, wasn''t injured, wasn''t sick, nothing.  Using his gift or even a few things from Earth, nothing came up for why she wouldn''t awaken.  His staff uselessly couldn''t figure out anything either.


    In truth, her mental state had caused her to faint, the problem entirely psychological.  However, this wasn''t something someone like him, with his own psychological state ignored, would have any chance at recognizing.  The stress of her situation had caused her to black out, her mind itself going entirely unresponsive to the world outside.  The intense depression causing a lot of her to simply shut down.


    At a loss, he made sure arrangements were made to attend to her health, as he continued to search for a cure to whatever had happened.  It seems, until he could finally bring peace to this world, everything he loved would be at an eternal risk.  He would have to speed up his own research, to work towards a proper solution.  But first, he had to save his daughter.  He had learned she had discovered the truth already, about her being his daughter, just before this had happened.  Clearly, he was right in wanting to protect her, he would need to ensure she received even more protection than normal in the future.


    Khaexyn then set about working to discover a way to save his daughter, working hard though the rest of the day on a cure.  Meanwhile, Yhse continued to sleep, in a slumber as deep as death itself, still clutching tightly the blossoms she had recovered earlier.

 48: Tracking Shadows

    Even after everything that had happened, the day itself had still not yet ended.  It was in fact still early evening, with everything preceding much like it would have normally.


    Khaexyn had in fact not let a sense of panic disturb his fortress.  The only ones who knew of the situation were himself, the staff assigned to the situation, the staff assigned to his explicit care, and the staff assigned to Yhse herself.  As a result, hidden under a guise of normal, the day continued without any commotion or incident.  Hidden under this tranquility, Yhse''s mind raced in her sleep.


    Yhse may have only been dreaming, but it was very hard to tell.  She got up from her same bed, wearing the same clothes, clutching the same blossoms.  Her room looked exactly as it had when she was last awake, and she herself felt like she had only woken up.  As such, at first, Yhse herself didn''t know that she was dreaming, not until she decided to leave her room.


    Yhse opened the door to her room, and stepped into.. her room.  There was no out, there was no escape.  She turned around to try the door again, only to find it locked this time.  She tried to break down the door, but nothing happened.  She was trapped.


    "Look at you, look what you got yourself into."  A strange voice was behind her, so she spun around.  Before her stood a face she knew all too well.  Small, blonde hair, purple eyes, wearing a hooded cloak with blouse and pants in a mixture of reds and golds, carrying a complex crossbow, wearing even more complex gloves.


    "Yhse, no hard feelings, but you''ve put yourself between me and the Celese I''m here to save.  As a result, you''re going to have to die."  Lwyn pointed the crossbow at Yhse, aiming to fire.  Yhse dove out of the way, barely in time, her own movement dramatically hampered by the dress she still wore.  The bolt missed it''s intended target, but still struck her left shoulder, drawing blood painfully.


    Yhse picked up the blade with her empty hand, which had fallen nearby, and threw it back at Lwyn.  The blade struck Lwyn in her right arm, having barely dodge the blow at all, with her using her gloves only after the blow connected.  Meanwhile, Yhse winced in pain, her same arm now bleeding from another slash, causing even more pain.


    "Don''t think you can escape this so easily.  If you fight back, it''s only going to hurt you.  Maybe you forgot, but I used to be you."  Lwyn demonstrated the point further by stabbing her own left leg with the blade she held.  Yhse fell to the floor, her own legs crumpling under the pain and agony.  "If you''re me, why do you look like you aren''t suffering at all?"  "Not suffering?  Do you know how long I''ve suffered?  Do you know how long I''ve had to pretend I''m not?  Of course you do, you still remember."  Yhse realized that this Lwyn was just that good at hiding her own pain.


    "But, if you are here to kill me, won''t you just die too?"  "And?  Do you really think I have anything to live for?  Do you really think you have anything to live for?  Are we both not ready to die as is?"  Yhse winced at Lwyn''s words, echoes of her own thoughts.  Maybe death wasn''t such a bad idea after all?


    Lwyn took aim once more, but not aiming to kill.  Instead, she shot Yhse''s hand, forcing her to drop the blossoms she was carrying.  The blossoms scattered to the floor, drying and wilting dramatically fast.  Yhse struggled despite the pain, her concerns shifting instead to the blossoms, the symbol of her friends.  She reached out with her other hand, grasping the blossoms now covered in blood.  Fed her life energy, the blossoms recovered a bit, but were still only holding on.  Lwyn fired again, this time at Yhse''s other hand, forcing the blossoms to fall once more.


    The pain was an agony, the back of her hands were a fountain of red, and yet she gripped the blossoms as tightly as she could.  "Don''t you dare take my friends from me!"  "Your friends, but you gave up on them, you let them go."  "I will never let them go!"  Yhse was seething with rage and determination, Lwyn mocking her all the while.  "You don''t deserve them, not only for what you''ve done to them, not only because you''re so different from them, but mostly because you''re only just a half-elf."  Lwyn set her crossbow down, shooting Yhse with words instead of blades.


    Yhse thought for a moment, the words forming for her.  "Just because we keep getting blessed with good luck doesn¡¯t mean we should start feeling uptight about finding the other side of luck step on us.  The only thing that matters is how we work with it."  Yhse was quoting Mhyl''s quote of Thanrie.  "Just because I did something wrong, it means I shouldn''t get stuck in the problem, but instead work towards a solution.  I don''t even see how being different matters here, being friends is all that counts.  They have shown their friendship to me so many times, I need to return the same.  Friendship isn''t a one-way transaction."  Yhse had another quote from Mhyl.


    Yhse sighed, clinging to the hopes she carried in her hands, her only salvation.  "So, if I plan on saving anyone, first I''m going to have to start taking care of myself.  I''ve been told that I seem to matter too, you know."  Yhse had even another quote from Thanrie.  "I know people who have beaten themselves up at people almost dying, and I won''t stand for you hurting my friends like that.  If I was to just die, and they found out, it would devastate them.  Being a half-elf doesn''t even matter to them, it means nothing.  Honestly, tell me, what''s so bad about being a half-elf?  After all these years, what is honestly the problem?"  Yhse started to turn words back at Lwyn instead, attacking her that way.


    "That one is easy.  Being a half-elf means being the scum of society, having everyone hate you, want you dead.  It means being born of a... unnatural process... a Hyxzaelni.  It means having people die just so that you can be alive."  "So tell me, how is any of that my fault?  People hating me, that''s their choice, not mine.  The people I actually care about, don''t.  People hate everyone, that''s what father is so crazy over, it''s everywhere, not just me.  And, if someone had to die just so that I could be born, then what right do I have for dismissing their choice and sacrifice?  It sounds to me like you''re the one being unreasonable here, making poor judgement, being far too much like your father."  Lwyn froze at that last jab, Yhse''s point sinking home very deeply.  It wasn''t lost to Yhse at all that she was in fact scolding herself.


    "So like I said, it''s time I start taking care of myself.  I''m going to need help finding them, after all.  If they left already, it means getting out of here on my own.  So how about it, want to actually work together for once, figure things out, and start moving forward?  I think it''s a pretty good deal, if you ask me.  It''s way better than being alone, dying alone, or otherwise even arguing with yourself."  Yhse held out her empty hand, as if to shake, though it was far too injured to be capable of that.


    Lwyn had to smile gently, a true genuine smile.  Yhse returned an identical one.  "If you''re going to start by taking care of yourself, you should start with your own wounds.  Here."  Lwyn carefully went to her full hand and gently compelled Yhse to drop the blossoms over her head.  The blossoms swirled around her, recovering even faster for having relieved her wounds than they had for drinking of them.  They looked pristine and healthy, floating before her.


    "If we''re going to start working together, it''s going to be a long road, but I guess the only thing to do is to keep going.  Just remember, you aren''t alone, as long as you keep your friends close to you."  Lwyn returned the blossoms to Yhse''s hand.  "Keep them close to you, and don''t forget your own words.  You matter too, you know?"  Both of them smiled gently, the humour about quoting friends not being lost to either.  "As you know, you and I.. we will always be together.  I look forward to working with you for the rest of our lives."  Lwyn finally took up the idea of shaking hands, before giving a quick curtsy and opening the door once again.  The true hall was on the other side, and both of them stepped onward together.


    Yhse finally woke up from her slumber, feeling much better rested than she had for as long as she could remember.  She felt incredibly relaxed and relieved, having came to terms with so many problems.  But there was still one left before her, she needed to find her friends, she needed a way to find them.  That idea was still etched in her head, a founding thought that had carried her through everything.  As she got out of bed, pondering her next move, she stumbled, and one of the blossoms fluttered into the air, drifting towards the door, and sticking to it.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Yhse pulled the blossom from the door.  "You aren''t alone, as long as you keep your friends close to you..." Yhse repeated the quote she had heard from herself in her dreams, watching the blossom suspiciously.  She opened the door, and let go of the blossom.  The blossom then started drifting aimlessly out the door and down the hall, not even following concepts like gravity, and ignoring the entire detail about the halls having no wind at all.  Yhse chased after the blossom.


    Quickly, she noticed one of her maids approaching, the human one.  The blossom fluttered up to the roof high above them all of a sudden.  It really wasn''t a bad idea, except for this dress.  Lwyn scrambled up the wall, her climb greatly hampered by her outfit.  She clung to the corner of the ceiling, waiting for the maid to go past.  It was obvious that she would have to hurry, questions would rise about her disappearance.


    Both her and the blossom fluttered onward.  As she kept going, she took careful consideration to this blossom, being aware of what it signified.  The blossom might represent her friends in her mind, but the fact it was moving was specifically because of her.  There was no doubt about it, she had used the gift to allow the blossom to find her a trail.  Most likely, she had attuned the blossom to one of her friends, and it was going to them.  While the blossom was the visual representation, what she was actually following was her own gift.  Working with herself.. she didn''t expect it to become so literal like this.


    Along the way, she ran into an aethyrnz.  "Halt, human patrols are not permitted at this hour.  Curfew has passed already, please return to the patrol ward for routine rest."  The aethyrnz made no sense, of course she wasn''t a human patrol.  "Sorry, I''m Lady Yhse, as my father had never set any curfew for me, I believe that I am exempt from your regular routines.  Please pass me your identification shard, so that I can have records of this event.  Please be aware, that if you are willing to displease me, I will let my father know."  Yhse found herself quickly the owner of a new identification shard, and an unblocked path.  She then resumed following the fluttering blossom.


    The blossom guided Yhse to another spire, much like her own.  She made her way up it, watching the blossom clearly defy gravity now by floating up the stairwell.  After a long climb, Yhse herself feeling worn out, the petal fluttered into yet another door, with voices faintly on the other side.


    Yhse knocked on the door, finding it answered by Lady Sxeiva.  "Oh hello young lady.  Is there anything I could do for you?"  The blossom fluttered into the room as Sxeiva opened the door.  "Oh, yes, excuse me."  Yhse pressed in to follow the blossom, neglecting a decent explanation.  Sxeiva however had not missed the strange movements of the blossom, herself left in wonder.  The blossom continued until it reached the room the three girls were in, relaxing.  There, it fluttered right onto Qheria''s back, before instantly drying up and crumpling into dust on the floor.


    Yhse stood there silently, tears forming on her eyes.  She wasn''t too late after all.  "So, it seems Lady Yhse had unexpectedly decided to drop in, without any notice."  Sxeiva broke the status quo, startling the three girls who had not noticed.  Mhyl noticed Yhse was crying, and was the first to jump in with a hug.  Thanrie was still in shock, like her mind was still processing everything.  Qheria stood up smiling, greeting her in English.  "You left us waiting for a while there, but it seems you''ve came back to us finally.  Everything doing okay for you?"  Qheria seemed to be the only one not totally surprised.


    "You... you came back.  We.. we weren''t sure you would, since you seemed so happy here.  Qheria seemed convinced you would though.  Is that why you aren''t surprised?"  "Well, it''s not like I knew she would show up now, but I could have sworn I felt.. something earlier."  Thanrie herself was breaking into tears, while Qheria''s hand drifted over her back in passing, coincidentally where a blossom had ran into not that long ago.


    "I''m sorry though if I''m interrupting anything, it''s just I don''t have an awful lot of time.  If we''re going to do anything, I''m going to have to pretend everything is normal, and let me tell you how hard that is going to be.  Actually, I won''t, that would take too long.  But really, it was so rough coming here, you wouldn''t believe how hard it is to run around in a dress like this."  Yhse indicated her dress to the others, and then noticed Mhyl and Thanrie''s eyes rolling at her.  Of course they were both familiar with dresses like that, it''s just been a while.


    "Oh, uh, I guess we weren''t doing anything.  We''ve just been practicing our new responsibilities, since the three of us ended up with these roles.  Seriously, how did you do this all those years?  I mean, this maid thing, like you did back at the Citadel Inn.  It''s really rough."  Thanrie was quick to paint out how much their positions had reversed since coming to the Fortress.  The only one from a servant role was now of a noble position, while the others of esteemed positions in society found themselves doing basic chores.


    Mhyl took a moment of deep thought, then opened up to Yhse.  "That''s not all.  We''ve also been practicing... Well, things kinda happened and we''ve tried to learn a few more things about the gift today, and already made a bit of progress.  I''m sorry for leaving you behind like this, I''m sorry for all the times we''ve left you behind."  Mhyl herself started crying in Yhse''s arms.  The others started to feel bitter about it too, leaving Yhse herself guilty for having done this to everyone.


    "Hold it, hold it, hold it.  There is quite a lot that has gone wrong, yes, and I''m sorry myself for the part I''ve played in that.  Even so, we still have to keep going, right?  I know everyone here likes getting drowned in the event, myself included, so lets just get that out there before everyone is lost in the moment."  Yhse startled everyone with the sudden insight.  It was a problem at the forefront of her thoughts at this point, and she wanted to make sure no one suffered, herself included.  Yhse was also already realizing they had a lot to talk about, which sadly she wasn''t sure they had enough time for.  She really couldn''t afford to be caught here, not if she had plans to come here more often.


    "Well, then on matters that are important to discuss.."  Qheria shifted to a serious tone before finally switching to Izhaethyx.  "Lady Sxeiva, can you please come in here?"  Qheria invited Sxeiva into the room, then started to formulate what she was going to say next.  Yhse looked up at Sxeiva and looked her over carefully.  Her aethyrnz side stood out considerably, but with her thoughts this clear and given such an opportunity, she finally saw something she had missed thus far.


    "Mother?"  Yhse paused in shock at both her own observations and her own words.  Qheria also froze, completely shocked how quickly that had just worked itself out.  "Yes, honey."  Sxeiva''s gentle smile looked like it would cry if it was built to be able to.  Both mother and daughter hugged in that moment, as the other three backed off a bit.  There was so much now that Yhse had to catch up to, but she simply didn''t have the time.  She would certainly return.


    "I''m sorry, everyone.  This is probably the worst timing ever, but I really have to get back.  I''m supposed to be... uh.. unconscious.  I think I fainted again, but this time for a really long time.  I''m pretty sure father ended up worried, being out for that long.  But while I was out, I had the strangest of dreams.  Anyway, we can talk about it later, I have to find my way back."  Yhse started on her way back only to find herself delayed by Thanrie.


    Thanrie was holding out a book.  "If you need directions, you can take this.  It''s pretty rough to work with, but I was kinda supposed to return it a while ago.  It would be much safer in your hands, with far fewer questions asked."  Yhse took the book, but shook her head.  "I thank you for your.. backup solution.  However, I''ve also been doing some.. soul searching."  Yhse pulled out another blossom, and concentrated on the plant it had originally came from.  After resolving confidence in her vision, she let go of the blossom, as it fluttered into the air.


    Having found another success, Yhse was very proud of herself.  "If you three are also hard at practice, make sure you keep at it.  I would feel really bad if I ended up leaving you three behind.  I''ll try to stop by tomorrow, depending on how things work out.  Take care!"  With that, Yhse headed out the door, following behind the blossom.  The other three were shocked at what they had witnessed, while Sxeiva simply had a smile on her face.  She knew her daughter would be pretty talented, even if she was slow to bloom.


    Almost successfully back at her room, Yhse found herself intercepted by her elven maid.  "Mi''lady!  You had us so worried, where were you?"  "Oh?  I.. uh.. went for a walk.  Yeah, I have an identification shard on the matter, even ended up picking up a book along the way.  Was just going back to look it over."  The maid looked at the two items, evidence of her activity.  As long as Lady Yhse was alright, it didn''t really matter.  Yhse realized that she had a reason to be thankful for the book, even if it wasn''t for directions.


    Full of excuses of being tired again, due to the day having ended, Yhse excused herself to bed.  She had plenty more to think about, but it could wait until morning, when she could actually do something about her thoughts.

 49: Supplemental Classes

    By next morning, the calm tranquility which had prolonged each day before could no longer be found.  Instead, it was time for a good many things to finally change.


    Yhse had found herself awoken very early in the morning, as her father wanted to check up on her.  She sat through his diagnosis, very disinterested.  He concluded she was once again perfectly healthy, just now she was up and active, like nothing had happened.  The most he could conclude is that somehow she was honestly that tired.


    "So, we''re going to need to figure out a way for you to get better sleep."  Khaexyn''s conclusion was laced in irony, as Yhse yawned sleepily.  Clearly, her father was truthfully an idiot.  His obsession with her was really starting to feel overwhelming too.  "So, in order for you to be guaranteed a proper amount of sleep, I''m going to have you put under a curfew, so that you can have some proper relaxation.  Also, I''m going to supply you with some additional staff, three more girls.  In case anything goes wrong, I''ve made sure there are additional patrols in your area, so that you will have extra support."  Khaexyn''s over-protectiveness had suddenly made an even worse turn.


    It seems her insight last night had backfired on her.  Claiming she didn''t have a curfew had only landed her with one.  Even worse, with all the extra people around, sneaking into Lady Sxeiva''s Spire.. her mother''s Spire.. that was going to be even harder.  This wasn''t going at all like she wanted, and she had so much she wanted to talk about, both to her friends and to her mother.  She hadn''t expected so much to suddenly change overnight.  Instead, she found herself trapped in her room again, almost as securely as in her dreams yesterday.


    Just the same, she was determined to find a way to escape.  She just needed to find an opening, something she could take advantage of.  She waited patiently, trusting her friends would understand.


    Mhyl got Thanrie and Qheria out of bed right on schedule, not letting them get even a wink more sleep.  "Okay, sleepy heads, good morning!"  "Bad morning, five more minutes."  "Thanrie, Celese doesn''t even have minutes, get up."  "Why?  We don''t have any responsibilities until breakfast."  Mhyl paused, wondering how Thanrie couldn''t be as motivated.  Certainly they all saw Yhse last night, walking in and out like a mystical sorceress of the night.  That blossom seriously wasn''t just getting caught in a subtle wind, that was more than a little obvious.  There wasn''t even a draft in these halls.


    Qheria got up, not as excited as Mhyl, but not as lazy as Thanrie.  "For someone who had all but given up on hope yesterday, we''re brimming with energy today."  "Of course, we have lots of practice to do.  I''ll go see if Lady Sxeiva is awake."  "Mhyl, stop.  With consideration of every position Lady Sxeiva has, a Lady of the fortress acting as our superior, our teacher, our friend''s mother... She is not someone you wake up.  If the lady is still sleeping, you''re going to have to wait patiently."  Qheria''s serious tone was there, slowing Mhyl down.  Qheria had a pretty big point there, Mhyl was really getting ahead of herself.


    "If .. if I don''t wake her up, it''s fine to just work on some of our later chores, right?  Get ahead of things, so that there is more time for lessons?  That wouldn''t be a problem, would it?"  Mhyl sounded really driven, there wouldn''t be any help for it.  Qheria sighed.  "Fine, lets get some work done then.  Thanrie, get up."  Qheria wasn''t going to just leave Mhyl to carry this alone, she needed help.  Thanrie being lazy wasn''t helping either.


    Thanrie burst up in surprise at being slugged with a pillow.   "Hey!"  "About time you got up, let''s get going.  You slept in long enough, that''s your five minutes."  "There is no way that was five minutes!  That''s totally not fair."  "Learn your role here.  As I recall, Lwyn got up much earlier every day, back at the Citadel Inn.  We might only be faking it, but it is also how we earn our keep here.  We owe Lady Sxeiva a lot for letting us stay here safely.. or would you rather do laundry?"  Thanrie found Qheria to be completely unfair.  Even her accuracy and practicality of their situation was unfair.  She also had learned to fear the laundry job, simply by it''s reputation.


    The three of them went off to get some basic chores done.  Mhyl was dusting shelves while Thanrie was back to sweeping the floor and Qheria was sorting clothes.  There was clothes that came in and went out as laundry, but fortunately, it was never their job to clean the clothes.  They just had to ensure it was sent out properly and folded properly on return.  However, Qheria was instead picking an outfit for Lady Sxeiva, a responsibility she had gotten used to.  Mhyl was better at her for coming up with an outfit for special occasions, but Qheria had a much easier time at coming to quicker decisions on matters of much less importance.


    "I still can''t believe how good she got."  "Uh, what, who?"  "Lwyn, of course, Yhse?  Whichever we''re calling her.  Didn''t you see yesterday?  She set that blossom going like a pro.  Just how much practice has she had in her gift since we got here.  I feel so lazy having made so little practice."  "Mhyl, don''t be hard on yourself.."  "I know, I know, I''m not.  I heard her say that back there too.  She was making very sure we weren''t.. she''s matured so much since we got here, it''s scary."  Mhyl still wasn''t aware just how many of those changes happened only over the last day.  Thanrie however was still too tired to keep up with her.


    Qheria however was reflecting on the details with more rationality.  "I get the feeling she was letting us know it was her turn too, even if she didn''t know it.  She spoke of being unconscious, fainting, longer than would have been expected, and worrying her father.  Specifically, she mentioned dreaming.  That last one is probably the biggest clue.  I think even our little Lwyn had her turn with a life-changing dream."  "Wait, that would mean her life was in danger, wouldn''t it?"  "Like you implied, we''ve missed a lot about what''s happened to her.  We''ll have to ask for more details when she returns."  Qheria trusted that Yhse had everything under control, that they would only need to wait patiently and things would be fine.  Mhyl however started to get really worried about having left Yhse alone to endure all of this.


    Eventually, they found Lady Sxeiva had woken up.  Mhyl snatched the outfit from Qheria and raced to help Sxeiva into it.  "My, my, someone is excited this morning."  "Good morning!  Can lesson time?"  "Ah, because of Yhse, right?  Fine, fine, after breakfast."  Sxeiva was genuinely happy to find Mhyl so inspired.  Mhyl''s Izhaethyx was making progress as well.  The four of them completed some initial tasks as part of Sxeiva''s wakeup routine, and finished off a breakfast.


    Mhyl considered Yhse during breakfast, recalling on their first day how she had to pressure Lwyn into eating breakfast.  Now, she was fairly certain that Yhse was given as much freedom in breakfast as Lady Sxeiva herself had.  Sxeiva was at least nice enough to give them a lot of freedom with their breakfast, but there were still rules.  What she ate was already established for her, she wasn''t given choices like Sxeiva was.  Sometimes Sxeiva shared some of her breakfast, like today when Mhyl was given a bit extra toast in order to keep her more occupied.  The world had a funny way of turning things around.


    They resumed where they had left off in gift training yesterday.  As it was reasoned that all three of them had displayed an initial usage of the gift, the most rational step was to simply reproduce the same results.  Once they could do that freely, they could move on to learning other ways to use their gift.  However, in truth, all three of their abilities were dangerous in reproduction.  Mhyl''s initial usage related to healing, which would be difficult if there was nothing to heal.  Qheria''s initial usage was some kind of resistance, which would require something to resist.  Thanrie''s initial usage was some kind of boost, and the dangers to her''s were the most memorable of all.


    "So, yesterday we learned that some exact reproduction might be difficult to reproduce, but lets not forget the unique principle of your gift.  The things you can achieve will relate similar to the same ideas of something very similar to your memories of Earth.  Don''t just think of everything from a Celesi perspective.  So in matters of Earth, what kind of actions do you picture there describes their version of healing?"  Sxeiva begun the lesson by giving her most eager student the first opportunity.


    Mhyl however was confused until things were translated for her, then she came up with an answer.  "Earth had ''medicine''.  They used ''doctors'' at a ''hospital'' to treat injuries too.  They also had.. uh.. a lot of ''chemicals'' to help with a bunch of things."  "Which of those things do you feel are the most advanced process, something only possible at Earth?  What just defines the act of the state of a person?"  "That would be the ''science'' of ''biology''.  It was considered the core of anything to do with medical care."  Mhyl was left to translate everything into English for the others, as using words Sxeiva really didn''t understand wouldn''t make for a practical Izhaethyx translation.


    "So during our lesson, don''t limit yourself to how this stuff works in Celese.  Your gift can manipulate things to work similar to the medical care you''re imagining from Earth.  That means you could do a bit more than you thought you could, as only the beginning.  Think about what you know, and feel for yourself what you could do that just makes sense, given this blur between Celese and Earth.  Take your time, as I help the others."  Sxeiva just seemed like an amazing teacher, with a certain gentle tone that felt encouraging.


    Sxeiva determined that she should leave Thanrie for last, since Thanrie seemed a bit out of sorts right now.  "Qheria, what about you?  What kind of actions do you picture from Earth that describes resistance.  Remember, you want to get as deep as possible into what makes it something of Earth, as far away from Celese''s way of thinking, much like Mhyl did."  Sxeiva was implying again more sciences, even without understanding the word.  The biggest measure of resistance, a material''s ability to negate influence, like how lead was practically immune to anything.  Magnetic, electrical, radioactive, chemical.. okay maybe not everything, but it was a serious symbol of defense against science.  The titanium Thanrie always spoke of was a pretty good one too though, but only for blunt force.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Sxeiva gave Qheria the same assignment as she had given Mhyl just before, leaving Qheria to also consider the right way to apply her idea.  "Thanrie, now for your turn."  "Earth has a word very similar to one we have for energy, but they studied it much more.  The ''science'' behind energy goes much farther than we could have ever dreamed of here, from ''gravity'' to ''lasers''.  Accelerating the energy of something... boosts it.  This is what things like ''batteries'' and ''generators'' are about."  Sxeiva paused for a moment, not actually unfamiliar with the last two words Thanrie had used.  Khaexyn himself had used both before as well.


    Batteries, that reminded Mhyl of the power cells they used for their stuff.  A bunch of the cells they carried were actually empty, they just hadn''t discarded them yet.  Mhyl ran off to their hidden supplies and returned with a few empty power cells.  Sxeiva recognized the design instantly.  "Ah, I''ve seen those around before, Khaexyn has several of those used for many of the things he''s made.  He''s personally grown attached to them because they didn''t explode readily on him.  I doubt they would be so unfortunate to explode on you either.  Maybe see if you could recharge one?"  Sxeiva was impressed how quickly their first assignment was created, and turned back to the others.


    Thanrie thought about it for a second, then opened up in Izhaethyx.  "If we''re thinking this handy, why are we not bothering helping the poor flowers that are dying?  Couldn''t Mhyl do something like that?"  Thanrie using Mhyl''s name caught her attention, she was only half paying attention.  She understood three words clearly, ''help flowers dying''.  Of course!  Healing wasn''t just good for people, a lot of biological things needed help when suffering.


    A plant needed some really basic things, not something you would imagine for wound healing, but.. Sxeiva did tell them not to restrict themselves like that.  While a lot of the plants needs were being met, they had good soil, they were being watered properly, but they couldn''t photosynthesize without natural light.  Being a beacon of natural light might be ridiculous, but there was an easier way to fix this, directly simply make photosynthesis happen.  It was a bit more chemical that way, kinda a biological reaction that was just made to happen, but that''s how the application of any medical practice would work out in essence.  If she could shortcut the process, and bypass that unmet requirement, she could effectively heal the plant.


    Mhyl ran off to get a plant, leaving Qheria to her own devices.  Somehow, she had found herself last in this process.  Somehow, even thinking of lead wasn''t helping at all.  Maybe, that was the problem.  Like her, she had expanded out her thoughts on the subject, but all of them went down to something really simple and specific.  Staying in the big picture wasn''t helping.  The incident with Mhyl, it was caused by scalding, so she was protected from high temperatures.  That was heat resistance, how would that help...


    Qheria resorted to using English to ask for help.  "What relates to heat resistance?"  "Oh, Thermal Resistance, so like Fourier''s Law for Heat Conduction?  According to that, the three more important parts of something''s thermal resistance is it''s thickness, it''s exposure, and it''s material thermal conductivity."  "Mhyl, why not just tell Qheria to think like a fridge.  Unlike my brother, you don''t just freeze stuff cause you give it ice, you can also steal heat.  Earth never believed in giving ice, because ice is just the lack of heat, but here ice is a thing.  No one here would understand the principle behind how heat moves around."  Qheria was shocked how the two of them were keeping up with all this.  Mhyl had a really complicated idea, something else which might have set Qheria down a long road of nothing, but Thanrie made sense of it and came up with something simple.


    Heat transfer, Thanrie might have thought of it because it wasn''t actually that unlike what she herself was doing.  Still, she had no idea how she could do something like redirect heat with the little she had.  She thought of it some more, and broke it down further, following the same path of simplification the others were using.  The mentality was about making heat ineffective, but the most simplest of heat was a flame itself.  According to science, flame had a combustion reaction, depending on oxygen to convert a hydrocarbon material into smoke and ash.  It was a bit more science than that, but she couldn''t remember the details, and didn''t want to interrupt Mhyl again.


    Flames were easy to make, though she would only be allowed something as big as a candle.  Candles though were easy to put out, very easy to consider going out, the mental construction would be a piece of cake.  Most people in Celese think that you need to drip water on a candle to put it out, that water is needed to quench a fire.  Technically, that principle pervades so strongly in Celese''s natural laws that there was some evidence Celese flames would not go out simply by having lost access to air.  To her, the idea was nothing more than a challenge.


    Qheria prepared a candle, and set it in a safe area where nothing would catch fire if things went wrong.  The metal everywhere would have little chance of burning, but cloth and wood were a problem.  She focused intently on the flame, and it stared back.  Of course, right now there was nothing that would put it out.  She went and got a thin metal rod, and poked the flame.  The flame disappeared.  Well of course, wouldn''t that deal with it?  She re-lit the flame, and tapped the end of the rod to the flame.  The flame went out again.  She sat there for a moment, wondering if she had made her assignment too easy.  She wasn''t doing anything special, this was a pretty natural way to put out a flame.


    After a time, she gave up, and went to get insight from the others.  "Mhyl, Thanrie, I''m at a loss.  I''m trying to figure out a good test for putting out a candle, but it''s not working for me."  "What are you trying to do, exactly?"  Qheria reproduced her experiment at Mhyl''s request, and once again the candle went out from the rod.  Mhyl stared at it in shock.  "Qheria, you''re amazing, you''ve got it so easily?"  "Huh?  What do you mean?"  "You do know that candles are put out with a tiny metal cup over it, to snuff out it''s oxygen, right.  There is nothing cup-like to that metal rod, you are just poking it and poof!"  Mhyl was really impressed, she hadn''t had nearly this level of success yet.  Qheria sat baffled by her own success before Thanrie showed up.


    "Ah, I get it.  Qheria maybe did not know exactly that snuffing out oxygen needed a cup.  Because she believed it would just work, it just worked.  Qheria, knowing this, can you do it again?"  Qheria lit the candle again and once again poked it with the rod.  The flame didn''t care.  Her experiment worked exactly until she stopped believing it would.  This insight astonished her, her eyes lighting up with wisdom.  She took a moment within her mind to contemplate everything.  This means the truth was, the flame was not going out because Mhyl was right, but because Qheria herself stopped believing she herself was right.  She scolded her own self-doubt, determined to stubbornly prove Mhyl wrong once again, and the candle once again went out.


    Qheria stood in absolute jubilation.  She had done it, she had found a way to her own gift.  Her own stubbornness was both a shield and sword in equal measure to the ones she carried normally, her third in that fact.


    Thanrie took to the same insight, focusing on her power cell.  She had been having no success with the empty cell because she had no idea how to fill it.  However, out of instinct, she just picked up the power cell and put it into a lamp.  She turned the lamp on, nothing.  She was worried that might of happened.  She turned it back off, pondering her next move.  Then it hit her, she had worried it would not have worked.  How was she so certain it simply would not work?  That is not how things go.  She turned it back on, and still nothing.  The damn thing was refusing her, she glared at it, anger surging over her.


    "F~~~ing thing, turn on already."  She kicked the lamp, and it turned on.  Right, because kicking machines makes them work.  Wait, does that work if the machine''s energy source is empty?  The light turned off again.  She paused, her cold rage settling in.  The damn thing really did hate her.  If the thing was working, it shouldn''t just turn off like that, right?  It once again turned on.  At this moment, she stopped herself, and took some time to clear her thoughts.  The thing was turning on or off simply because she thought it should.  Then she realized, in all practically, she herself was right now the power source.  If she turned her own offering of energy off, it would turn off.  If she turned instead turned her own offering of energy on, it would turn on.  The only control for that was if she believed it was on or off.


    She picked up the lamp, staring at it earnestly.  The lamp turned off, then on, then off again.  Then she started to get it to pulse rapidly, to her own personal amusement.  "Ah, Thanrie, stop that, I can''t see what I''m doing!"  Mhyl was not amused, clearly she was the last one here left at a loss, she had been the last to learn far too many things, and for someone who had a proud amount of scientific knowledge, that really stung.  Thanrie settled down, and just left the light on, turning to Mhyl''s work.  Even Qheria went to join her.


    Mhyl was depressed, even Thanrie could make that light work, as the light shone on the plant.  Too bad it wasn''t real sunlight, that would be what this plant needed.  Then she also considered Qheria''s lesson.  Qheria had made something work simply because she believed in what shouldn''t have been possible.  And yet, here she was, so firmly set in her ways, that she couldn''t even believe the lamp before her was anything of use at all.  How was she to be so quick to judge, did she even know what kind of light it emitted.  The lamp wasn''t even made of things from Earth, the only reason she was so firm that it wouldn''t work was because she didn''t see it work.  But maybe, worse than that, she wasn''t ready to believe it would work.


    After all the ''Celesi science'' she''s seen here, what evidence did she really have that things wouldn''t work?  She was rejecting principles, proven principles, simply on the premise that it didn''t work in a place with other principles.  This was a poor scientific approach, more of a personal bias.  Everyone else found stuff that worked, why couldn''t she?  She turned to the lights glowing in the room, the neon filament lights, lights she had the worst understanding of.  These things had exploded under pressure, a scientific thing to do.  However, she still knew next to nothing about them, beyond that they emit light.


    She brought the plant directly up to the light, and fought hard within her mind.  If scientific principles matter so much, then she has to consider the scientific principle they had just proven.  When the gift is used properly, things just connect the way they are supposed to.  As such, under that belief, giving this plant the light, while herself carrying the plant, with consideration to her current potential capacity in healing, that would effectively equate to a net positive in overall light required to complete a life-light process like photosynthesis.  It was just scientifically sound.


    Mhyl practically danced with the pot in her hands, lost within the science her mind was creating.  Eventually, building a pattern into her motions, she even started to sing.  It was the same habit she had done initially way back at their facility, to calm herself down while they were working, setting nails into wood.  Her mind had just felt overwhelmed, and she buried her thoughts in more creative ideas instead, building into a pattern of motion.  As a result, she stopped concentrating, and started having fun.  Then she stopped noticing everyone staring at her like she was crazy.  She then set the plant down in embarrassment.


    However, before her was a flower that had fully enjoyed the experience, and was brimming with life.  All three of them had accomplished what they had set out to do.

 50: Covert Progression

    The three girls continued their regular responsibilities into the afternoon, still waiting for their expected visitor to return.  Sxeiva herself had been gone for a while, doing whatever it was that she typically did during the afternoon.


    Sxeiva eventually returned and sighed, not seeming that all impressed.  "So I figured out why Lady Yhse hasn''t been here yet today, and why she might not make it.  It seems that after Lady Yhse fell unconscious for most of a day for still unknown reasons, her father had taken dramatic action to ensure her own protection.  She''s now being detained to her room.. much more than normal, with additional staffing.  I can''t believe he would do this, after all the times he constantly saved me from my father doing the exact same thing.  He should know that locking away his daughter doesn''t actually do her any good."  Sxeiva sat down, at a loss for what to do about this mess.


    Thanrie stopped watering the plant before her, the one which had fully recovered from Mhyl''s practice.  Well, one of them, Mhyl had actually gotten so excited that she had restored life to the entire collection.  Tending flowers like this felt like a lifetime ago, they weren''t the Amber-leaf Thanrie had recently gotten used to.  But.. who is to say they had to be so different?


    "Oh, Lady Sxeiva, I do so hope that isn''t because the flowers in Lady Yhse''s room have started to wither.  There is a known weed in this area, one known to cause deep sleep, one that elves are especially vulnerable to.  Why, if these plants started to wither, I could imagine they would start to fill the room with a faint air that might put an elf into a deep sleep."  "Wait, really?"  "No.  Well, kinda, there is such a weed, but it would have nothing to do with these flowers.  Paranoid fathers, if he never knew of even the slightest hint at what would be causing this, he would jump all over something like this despite reason.  The flowers in Lady Yhse''s room are probably dying, like the ones here were earlier.  If we can bluff it out of care, the only cost would be taking the flowers away from Lady Yhse, she should be free otherwise."  Thanrie had been getting troubled about the eight flowers she felt were still suffering, and everything just honestly started to fit into place in her story out of instinct.  Sxeiva was alarmed at this information until Thanrie explained the ruse.


    "Ah, I see where you are going with in this.  It isn''t a bad idea.  However, I''m afraid you are missing one small detail, young lady.  There is still a danger to Lady Yhse that can not be ignored.  Hmm.. please make sure that the bag of belongings you brought when you arrived is moved into the heavy chest in the back corner of my room, we''re going to need it there if this is going to work."  Sxeiva it seemed was fairly good at coming up with plans of her own, but she didn''t feel any need to explain further at this time.


    Khaexyn marched into his daughter''s spire, full of concern.  This news was highly concerning, to think that the flowers could bear such threat if they were so neglected.  However, he knew his staff were diligent, of course they wouldn''t let the flowers be neglected like this.  Khaexyn knocked on Yhse''s door, and waited for it to open.  One of her new maids were present, and opened the door for him.  He disregarded her, and went into the room, only to find that Sxeiva''s theory proven correct.  He looked around the room, finding all eight flowers suffering towards death.


    "Someone, I need a transport team in here immediately.  All eight of these flowers need to be relocated, get them out of here.  The staff who has been responsible for these flowers, I want brought to my office for questioning.  Disregards for protocol is not acceptable.  I should have been made aware of their fading state long ago."  "My lord, where do we bring the flowers?"  "Take them into Lady Sxeiva''s care, she has staff who have demonstrated skill with their care, far better than those I left for my daughter."  Khaexyn was a tempest of rage, storming through the room.  The maid present taking his request was visibly shaking in fear.


    "Father, what is happening?"  "Nothing, don''t worry, I have everything under control.  I should have suspected the flowers sooner, they were the unexpected addition to everything.  I''m sorry for causing you undue stress."  Yhse was worried, having grown very attached to the flowers as a symbol of her friends.  Would Khaexyn deny that of her as well.  Yhse sat down on her bed again, feeling helpless and trapped.


    Another maid walked in, two of the new maids.  "My lord, is there something amiss?"  "Yes, indeed.  One of you needs to help your peer here with her responsibilities, I''ve set her to some substantial tasks that I need dealt with right away.  The other, whichever that is, I have another task for."  Both maids looked to each other, as if quizzing which role they liked better.  Eventually, one of them split off as the other stayed and curtsied to Khaexyn.  "Of course my lord, how can I be of service?"  The remaining maid however was still shaking, it''s not like either situation was a good one.


    "Excellent.  I need everything of Lady Yhse''s taken care of, the toxins could be all over everything in this room.  All of her stuff needs to be cleaned, especially any fabric.  As there is urgency here, I need all of her clothes washed right away, so that she can have something else to change into.  I don''t care if you have to wash everything yourself."  Khaexyn left the maid present before him stark white, she was being given laundry duty.


    Yhse was starting to get overwhelmed with the situation, so much was going on at once.  "Father?"  "Yes, sorry.  There is so much work to be done.  Anyway, I''m sorry to inconvenience you, but you will have to follow me."  "Umm.. where are we going?"  "Yes, well, I had been hoping to find a better time to explain this too you, but you had already figured out the half of it.  You already know that I am your father, but you wouldn''t know that Lady Sxeiva is also your mother.  As your own space here is going to need a lot of maintenance to ensure it is safe once again, I''m going to have to ask for you to move into her spire for now.  It won''t be anything long term, don''t worry, but she''s made the offer, and there really isn''t much else for a choice right now."  Yhse hid her jubilation, revelling in her father''s own ignorance.  She could smell the deception clouding his judgement, and had a feeling who might be at fault for it.


    Not long later, she found herself brought back to Sxeiva''s spire.  Two of her three new maids had already delivered some things and had returned to guide her personally.  She arrived to find her mother and friends waiting for her.  "Welcome, Yhse.  I''m so glad to finally get to meet you like this."  Sxeiva''s act reminded everyone that they also had some unwanted guests.  "Please, make yourself at home.  Maybe you would like to join me in private for some initial conversation in the space we''ve set aside for you?  There is much we need to discuss."  Sxeiva and Yhse headed off into the room being provided for Yhse, leaving the five maids together relieved of work.


    "Oh wow, I was surprised to find you here.  So I guess we weren''t the only ones to get moved from patrol to personal attendant.  What would you know."  The senior-sounding of the trio Thanrie had first met in the laundry room approached her in greeting once again.  It seemed they kept running into each other.  Thanrie was mildly confused for a moment, the last time they met, she was already in this role.  However, she then clued into the nervous tone in the girl''s voice.  Ah, she was feeling out of place and very uncertain of herself.  Possibly, the confusion they had just created might have left them with a lot of stress.


    "So, where is the third of your group?  Did you get separated?"  "Oh, her?  No.  Lord Khaexyn is having her do Lady Yhse''s laundry.  She will be around once her work is finished.  Hopefully she''ll be alright."  Thanrie went pale, realizing what fate she had created for someone who had comforted her when Thanrie herself might have been faced with the same role.  It was heavily guilt inducing.


    The two ladies returned not long after.  "Alright.  Lady Yhse here is in need of some relaxation, so the two of us are going into the bottom level of my spire."  "But, wait, no one is allowed into that level without your explicit approval."  "Of course, that is obvious.  Lady Yhse, please have your staff continue to work to provide comfort for the arrangements we''ve set aside for you, they will have plenty of work to do in this time.  Your staff are allowed space within the quarters of my own staff, they should make sure they have everything they need in order."  Sxeiva was basically giving orders to the two new staff on Yhse''s behalf, leaving Yhse to nod her approval.  The senior of the trio was still alarmed at how things were progressing.


    "Thanrie, Mhyl, please recover the eight plants and bring them downstairs.  We will need to look into their urgent treatment, before they cause any more problems.  Qheria, please go into the back corner of my room.  In the heavy chest found there is a bag, I need you to bring it downstairs with us.  It will be required for some of our activities."  Sxeiva was certain to provide additional instructions to her own staff.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Soon after, the five of them entered what looked like a heavy security area.  Sxeiva had to unbolt the door and disarm the security in place.  The interior was filled with mechanisms and machines, many which they didn''t even recognize.  Sxeiva lead them into one of the rooms held within, a room they found was completely empty.  "So, this place is about as safe and secure as things could get in the Fortress.  It''s where I complete some of the more.. metallic chores my body has started to require.  The chances of a visitor is absolutely nothing, and the chances that even loud noises are heard, also nothing.  While here, you three are free to behave like equals."  Sxeiva had managed to secure them a place they could work with.


    Yhse made sure to give all of them a hug, having missed them a lot since their last visit.  "I''m sorry I couldn''t have shown up any sooner."  Yhse''s apologies lead them into general discussions about how things have been going for everyone present in their time at the Fortress.  Qheria explained to Yhse their general adventure before Sxeiva took them in, and then how their more maid-like life had gone.  Yhse went over her own much more noble experiences.  Once they were done, Sxeiva retold her story about Jheiqs.


    Yhse herself was stunned at how big everything got, but what hit her the most was the confirmation that she was indeed the granddaughter of the Arch-Magus.  It was a lot of potential responsibility, especially when added to her father''s legacy.  Even if she wanted to stop her father, it was still her legacy, that just made it more her responsibility to stop him.


    Seeing Yhse overwhelmed, Mhyl herself still being occupied, Qheria gave her a hug.  "I''m sorry Lw-.. Yhse."  Qheria, seeing her friend in such a familiar state, had her slip almost into her old name.  Yhse pondered the idea for a moment, and turned to her mother.  "Mother, there is something I would like to talk with you about.  I''m sorry, I know the name you have chosen for me is really beautiful, but I don''t think it properly identifies me.  I''ve grown so much into being Lwynitsse, with all of my friends, that I feel it''s a much better representation of who I am."  Lwyn was standing brave up to her mother, trying to build clarity to how she felt in that moment.


    Sxeiva nodded.  It made sense, after having left her for so long to her own devices, her daughter would certainly have grown away from her.  "I understand.  Please be aware that if you ever wish to return to being known as Yhseliahysse, it is a name that will be waiting for you should you ever need it."  "Of course, thank you.  I expect that, while here, it''s not a name I could fully avoid.  I''ve came to terms with it, and have learned to accept fully who I am.  Ah, but so you know, I do think I will keep my family name.  Duxaeyhlit just feels so much better than Qtehlatys."  Sxeiva gave her daughter a hug, realizing that Lwyn was expressing that she still wanted to be known as Sxeiva''s daughter.


    "Okay, done!"  "Oh wow, the flowers look all better."  "Flowers are fully healed.  Should be good for days."  "Wow Mhyl, you''ve improved so.."  Mhyl had returned with one of the flowers she''s managed to heal, and showed it off to the others.  Lwyn was really impressed at her healing, before also realizing they were both speaking in Izhaethyx.  Lwyn paused in shock.


    "Holy crap, when did Mhyl learn to speak Izhaethyx?"  "Lwyn, you don''t need to resort to English, thank you very much.  I''m trying my best to keep up to everything."  Lwyn was slack jawed, not realizing how much she had missed.  It seems Mhyl had been not only practicing her gift, but she had made some pretty good progress in Izhaethyx while she was gone.  Lwyn felt a little deprived, they were going to do those lessons together.  Well, it was only her to blame, and nothing to be done about it now.  Rather than dwell on the matter, Lwyn should probably continue to support Mhyl.


    "Good, excellent, with the flowers done, it''s time for the next class in our lesson.  Yh-.. Lwyn, you will be joining our classes here forward, right?"  Sxeiva took some time to cover a quick review of the unique gift the four girls had, and how it applies to Earth.  Lwyn was excited to join in on the lesson, less she fall behind again.  "So this time, our next lesson is about taking your initial usage, and expanding it to other forms.  While a normal class might have other intentions in what forms are desired, we have a specific goal here that needs to be addressed.  With us all gathered, our next biggest goal is to escape, something which will take some very exceptional usage of the gift."  Sxeiva motioned to the bag Qheria had brought with her.


    "I know all four of you have combat experience, even experience with combat using special gear that most would find foreign and scary.  I would ask that you get all of that gear ready, for our next lesson will include it."  Sxeiva kept talking while the four girls started getting their stuff out.  Lwyn was amazed to find that even her stuff had been packed and brought.  Clearly, she had the best friends imaginable.  She was very thankful to get some time out of that dress, and into some more comfortable clothes.  The gloves felt so warm and welcoming back on her hands, and the crossbow made her feel complete once again.


    "Each of you have a style of fighting, just as you have a style of gift.  Your gift is a part of how you think and how you act, it conforms to it.  In that way, applying your gift to your own fighting style should be very simple.  Consider what you have done so far with your gift, it will be the easiest thing for you to apply.  Once we''ve applied it, you can build from it and discover what else you can achieve."  Sxieva waited at this point for everyone to finish getting ready.


    Lwyn looked at her crossbow, in thought of her own blossoms from yesterday.  They had gone exactly where she had wanted them to go.  In application for combat, this was easy.  Lwyn pulled out one of her blades, concentrated, and threw it.  The blade went forward, then slowed and arched around, before slamming into the wall behind her seven times in a row.  Everyone else had watched the display as well, marvelling at how natural Lwyn seemed in her gift.  Lwyn was excited as well, this was like a homing shot.


    Thanrie considered the same display.  Lwyn had clearly used her gift to make the blade move as she wished, just as she had made the blossom move as she wished.  That was a part of her gift.  Thanrie''s gift was a boost.. or an acceleration!  Of course!  She had always wanted to flow with her own agility.  What could be better then than having her gift offer her even more speed?  She released the end of her blade in a toss, concentrating on it.  The air rippled in a shockwave, as the blade broke the sound barrier, crashing into the wall before she could even think of recalling it.


    Everyone winced in a bit of pain.  The sound wasn''t as loud as it should have been, the walls being very good at noise cancellation, but that was still very loud.  "Woah, Thanrie, careful, you might hurt someone."  Qheria''s words caused Thanrie to freeze up, before Qheria could realize the error of her words.  "Sorry, I didn''t mean it like that.  I know you are being careful, but there is some concern that you might hurt yourself.  I think we''ve all gone through risk of loss by now, none of us want any of us to suffer that."  Qheria lent comfort to Thanrie, who eventually nodded.  Qheria was right, she had to be careful.  That didn''t mean living stress day by day in fear, that meant improving so that she had complete control over her gift.


    Qheria pondered the situation for a moment, and turned back to Thanrie.  "Hey, Thanrie, care for another duel?  Is another mock duel, but with special rules.  Both of us will be using our gear, though you should use the non-pointy side of your''s.. close up only.  I''m only going to defend, you have one strike, knock me over.  I dare you."  Qheria wasn''t underestimating Thanrie''s abilities.  Thanrie grinned like a demon, taking up the dare.  She went up to Qheria, and started to concentrate.  She knew Qheria was good, but could she honestly take a boosted strike?  Somehow, she got the feeling Qheria would be fine.


    Thanrie struck her blade against Qheria''s shield, both of them in concentration.  The strike of the blow rippled the air itself, the force of Thanrie''s weapon having been intensified.  However, on collision, Thanrie was the one blown backwards.  Qheria''s vision of a super reinforced titanium shield sent all of Thanrie''s enhanced momentum right back at her.  It seems picturing super-hard substances like lead and titanium were still very fitting for her gift.


    Mhyl pondered the situation.  She had yet to act, but everything for her seemed just too simple.  It wasn''t like she was exactly combat, she knew she could just walk right up to Thanrie, heal any wounds she probably didn''t even have, and that would be that.  She was tired of being useless, tired of having no place in things.  But complaining was useless, not if there wasn''t anything she was willing to do about it.  She didn''t care there wasn''t anything she could do about it, the only reason she couldn''t do anything would be because she believed she couldn''t do anything.


    "Qheria, if that bet is still holding, I''ll take you up on it."  Mhyl got back everyone''s stunned expression, but she disregarded it.  Of course no one else would understand, she hadn''t shown them yet.  Mhyl took up her book and approached Qheria.  Qheria had no idea what Mhyls plan was, but set to her defense regardless.  It wouldn''t be fair to disregard her so easily, and Mhyl had surprised them before.


    Mhyl considered her own lessons with the gift.  The plant had not healed until she had accepted that it could be healed, that light could bring it life.  If something like that was willing to listen, maybe it was not alone.  Mhyl placed her other hand over her book and focused on the floor below Qheria, the floor which by design was holding her up.  That was how things worked, after all, but only because that''s how she was letting them work.  The floor was just sitting there, because it had no reason to do otherwise.  An object at rest will remain at rest unless an external force acts on it.. or an external will.


    Following Mhyl''s intent, the floor buckled and rebounded underneath Qheria, throwing her over ten Uyn straight into the air.  Qheria landed flat on the ground in her decent, still uncertain what had even happened.

 51: Practical Application

    The days that followed were filled by their new routine, all under Sxeiva''s guidance.  They continued their lessons, and after lessons resumed their basic routine with Sxeiva.


    Lwyn found herself still needing to wear silly dresses during the ordinary part of the day.  Being no longer alone had it''s upsides, but not being allowed to help her friends in their work came at a harsh counter.  At least, she was able to be around as they worked, and in a few space occasions she managed to find time to lend them tips in how to sweep efficiently, how to quickly fold clothes, and how to sort a broom closet.  She was, however, still then bored for most of the day.


    Thanrie had found that the three of them didn''t have as much opportunity for themselves as they used to, now that the three other maids were also present.  When not left with chores to complete or lessons to do, they found all six maids left to one space to figure out what to do, which classically was to just pretend to be social with the three they didn''t feel fit in with them.  Mhyl herself had found it extra difficult, being stuck with only speaking Izhaethyx.  The result make her look exceptionally anti-social, only being able to provide single-word answers with enough clarity.


    However, when the time came for their lessons, it was a considerable relief for them all.  They were fortunate that a good portion of the day, including almost all of the afternoon, was dedicated to lessons.  For a regular person, this might have been very tiring, but in their case, it was far better than the alternative.


    "Thank goodness her injuries had safely gotten better."  Thanrie had been worried, the one maid who had been selected for laundry duty that one day had came back with massive purple bruises on both arms, and a slash on her forehead.  All of which had been healed, even if Mhyl had been required to secretly ensured that there would be no scars at the same time.  Thanrie had pleaded with her upon the matter.


    "Injuries, who got injured?"  "Oh, one of your maids had been injured for a while now, though I guess she did work hard to hide the cuts and bruises.  I''m happy Mhyl made sure there wouldn''t be any scars."  "Wait, really?  I never learned about that, what happened?"  "Oh, it was because she had to do laundry.."  Lwyn was still confused, how could laundry cause serious injury?  Thanrie herself seemed pretty scared talking about it, clearly there were little things about being a maid around here that even Lwyn didn''t understand.


    Having finished setup for their lesson, the four of them resumed their exercises.  The biggest lesson they were working on right now was control.  Thanrie tossed forward her blade overhead, which planted against the ground and froze there, not having penetrated the ground.  While the blade was locked in place, she compelled it to release shock-waves in regular bursts, with a very controlled intensity.  She had to make sure there was a burst, but that she herself felt nothing of it.  For the first while, this had proven challenging, the first shock-wave throwing her backwards instead.


    Qheria planted a fist into the ground below her, and a force-field expanded from where she stood.  She was working on controlling not only it''s size, but it''s influence.  Lwyn''s practice similarly involved her, as she took shots that flew around the forcefield, and every second shot was allowed to pass through it.  Lwyn''s shots were also being controlled for complex maneuvers in flight, though her gift usage was bit more complicated than before.  She had long ago actually ran out of the blades she had carried, not having been given a full 800 clip set.  Instead, she was firing blades of her own creation, laser discs of a similar shape, made completely from some variant of energy.  Sometimes the discs got blocked or passed in the wrong frequency, sometimes they didn''t exactly complete the path she gave them before firing, and went somewhere else.  Sometimes, she fired nothing at all.


    Mhyl''s biggest lesson in control was simply the usage of her own stamina.  Her own abilities with the gift seemed the most varied, being able to simply manipulate her surroundings.  However, a lot of what she did ended up very involved, being nothing as simple as the others, and thus itself consuming more stamina.  The more complex her manipulation, the more stamina it consumed.  She had a great ability to over-complicate things, and so wasn''t used to taking enough shortcuts in her gift so as to lighten the load it induced upon her.  Being an elf, this problem was even worse.


    In a sense of irony, Mhyl had settled upon a practice that simply involved telekinetic manipulation, to literally use her mind as a hand to move something around from a distance.  Lwyn had already told her that all she needed to remember was that there was no spoon.  The symbolic similarity wasn''t exactly lost upon her either.  She had chosen to have her book be her tool in this exercise, to have it float around by her will, maybe even do tricks in the air.  All the while, her goal was to try and not control the entire book, but only influence touch locations of it, to have it do what she wanted it to do.  Once she no longer needed a location for an action, she would release it and switch to something else.  More than a few times, she had instead dropped the entire book.


    At a point, the four of them had discovered that they had been at the Fortress for a whole lunar cycle.  They had improved a lot in their stay here, but they still needed a way to escape.  Lwyn was especially worried, she had found that her old room was almost judged to be cleaned enough for her return, which would take her away from her friends again.  Making further progress could be almost impossible, if she was sent back to that room and locked away again.  They needed to find a solution before that happened.


    Later into the afternoon, Sxeiva returned from where ever she typically goes during the afternoon.  Lwyn had learned that she went typically to tend to her mechanical needs during the afternoon, and even Lwyn had been asked to give her mother privacy in the process.  She had complied, even if she had remained curious.  As she returned, all four of them stopped, to hear her evaluation of their progress so far, and any recommendations for them to work on going forward.


    "All four of you had made great strides in your lessons, and have even learned to shape your gift to your will.  Today, we will be doing something different.  It might be a bit sooner than expected, but not only are we lacking on time.. it wasn''t exactly my choice.  For today, I will only be your assistant teacher, your real teacher it seems will be the flow of the world itself.  I have found that the world moves again today, something big will happen.  Make sure everything you want to keep is assembled, and everything you want done is done.  We will even be having an early dinner, arrangements have already been made.  Then, meet back here once our dinner is concluded, weapons ready.  Consider it a test from the world itself."  Sxeiva it seems had heard from the world again, which wasn''t something she talked about frequently.  She still seemed very relaxed and composed about it as well.


    The four of them packed up, calling off lessons early, in order to prepare.  It wasn''t missed by any of them, Sxeiva was hinting that tonight was they night they escaped from the Fortress.  Mhyl wondered if this oracle-like ability was something even her own mother possessed.  It was most likely, which made her extra thankful she had managed to escape initially, without her mother even aware at all.  The world clearly did not share all of its secrets.


    The four of them in truth didn''t have much to pack, most of it was in the bag they had ready anyway.  Lwyn no longer had any of the stuff she had brought initially, and had little want for most things around here, but she did have one thing she wanted to preserve.  She snatched a handful of discarded blossoms from the flowers that had been her company for a while before, a source of comfort and a symbol of her friends.  She had been told that she was here as an icon, but for her, it was these blossoms that were an icon of their own unity.


    Meanwhile, Thanrie got back the book she had let Lwyn borrow, having never having found an opportunity to return it.  Thanrie decided to keep it, but she also spent a lot of time in closure with Lwyn''s maids.  She made sure to not say anything that might betray this being their last day together, but she wanted to wish them luck in their routines going forward.  Most likely, the moment Lwyn was found missing, all three of them were going to be in big trouble, a fact Thanrie was already feeling guilty of.  She wanted to make sure they would be okay.  Even if the Fortress was going to be a nest of enemies in the future, it wouldn''t mean they would be all evil.


    Mhyl and Qheria personally had nothing they felt need of worrying over, not beyond what both Lwyn and Thanrie were concerned about.  They both simply helped to make sure everything progressed smoothly, that dinner would occur as planned, and that things would be ready.. whatever that might require.  They also made sure Sxeiva was ready, her own stuff was packed, and that she was wearing something that could best suit their escape.  They concluded dinner and made their way back downstairs, getting the final of their stuff together.  With no place to put the clothes they were normally wearing, the four of them decided to pack such as well, as a final memento.  Back in their regular gear, weapons ready, they relaxed and waited, saving their stamina for when it would be demanded.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Without any warning otherwise, an siren started resounding across the halls of the Fortress.  Sxeiva returned to report what was going on.  "That siren would mean that the Fortress is under attack, it''s actually not an alarm we''ve ever heard before except during regular testing.  The fortress'' defense systems are turning on at the outer ring of the ninth spire.  That would mean that whatever is attacking the Fortress, its in that direction.  That''s where we''re going too."  Sxeiva lead them out the door, rushing down the hall.


    As they travelled, they intercepted an aethyrnz, which Sxeiva confronted personally.  The thing confirmed the same thing Sxeiva told them, and saying that all staff were prohibited from leaving the central area of the Fortress, where all of the Spires were, for any reason.  It seemed that in such emergencies, Sxeiva''s position was not enough to have any influence in the matter.  They would then have to avoid being spotted going forward.  Qheria realized that this would end for them much like it had begun, sneaking along the halls in an effort to not be noticed.  This time, however, they had two additional people, and a lot more training.


    Qheria motioned everyone into a familiar storage room, as an aethyrnz patrol walked past.  Mhyl was back on watch duty, using her headset finally once again.  Sxieva was finding it slightly disorienting, while Lwyn wasn''t used to it anymore.  Lwyn was adjusting fairly quickly though, a grin on her face.  This was much more like it, she was finally doing something fun and useful again.  At one point, they actually felt the ground tremor with impact as something big was slamming against the Fortress.  It was obvious, whatever was doing this, it wasn''t far away.


    "This is the outer wall, though I don''t know where an exit might be.."  Sxieva looked around, as another vibration caused the neon filaments to flicker.  "Awesome, I was getting bored again.  Clearly, we need a shortcut.  Qheria, my idea is going to be pretty dangerous, can I trust you to make sure we''re all protected.  Emphasis on all, you included.  Don''t make this like last time.  About last time, Thanrie, remember last time you played with the neon filaments?  If we seriously juice them up, inside the wall, the pressure could get pretty big, right?"  "Lwyn, that''s still not going to cut it.."  "No, but we know the lights are wired into the power grid.  Overload it, the defenses go down.  That explosion out there would roast right through this metal, I can hear it, there is something else blocking shots.  Take down the barrier, it will open a door."  Lwyn''s idea really was dangerous, because if her idea worked, they would be faced with explosions that could ''roast right through Fortress metal''.  Mhyl was worried that Lwyn''s idea wouldn''t work, but was now getting more worried if it might.


    Qheria plunged her fist into the ground, setting up her own barrier.  Thanrie launched her blade into the wall, having it stick, then focused on super-charging the lights.  The lights shone with a growing glare, as the metal started to warp under pressure, and pipes started to burst.  A waterline ruptured within the walls, starting to flood the room with water.  Qheria''s barrier held against the unrush of water, but Mhyl was really starting to dislike this plan.  Suddenly another burst resounded, colliding with the wall proper, and the entire wall started to warp under the force.  Another round later, and the roof crashed down upon the barrier.


    Qheria braced hard, the control required by the process putting a strain on her.  She had no way to move the wall pinning against them.  Mhyl knew this was a bad idea, but no, they did it anyways.  Mhyl grinned, despite her criticism.  The wall was all but gone, if only all this annoying water around them turned to rush against the metal braced upon them, in a torrent of inerrant force.  She surrendered control to the chaos of the moment, doing nothing more than reversing the flow of water as a single vector.  The waters spiraled around them and surged towards the wall, sundering apart what was left of it.


    Outside, they found a score of destroyers firing upon a very familiar sight.  It seems, rather than waiting for them to come to it, their home had came to visit them.  The smith had finished all of the upgrades, gotten the entire facility armed and mobile, and was now taking fire on the Fortress itself.  The surging blast of spherical inferno started to itself become all too familiar.


    That same blast came and connected with Qheria''s shield.  In an instant, the entire heat from the blast was cancelled, and the shield didn''t even ripple.  Qheria''s initial training in heat cancellation had indeed saved the day in the most invaluable way.  Lwyn however was pondering the opportunity before them.  There would be another shot in nothing more than moments, while there were far too many Destroyers around to advance.  Everyone else had pitched in for their part, it was her turn.


    Lwyn concentrated on her crossbow, and fired twenty shots into the air.  All of them spread out, seeking their target.  On arrival, the small bundles of energy detonated, rupturing the cannons they each hid inside, simultaneously causing all Destroyers to explode.  The shot being prepared by the Facility charged down, obviously suddenly alarmed by the sudden turn of events.  Qheria took to the signal and made her move, urging all of them forward with a motion.  Her barrier went down in the same process.


    The five of them arrived safely at the facility as a storm gathered overhead.  Khaexyn himself materialized over the fortress, an electrical barrier pulsing around him violently.  "As if I didn''t have enough to worry about.  You really picked a bad time to make me angry.  I''ll show you what happens if you make me angry."  Khaexyn was seething in rage, but didn''t seem to notice the four escapees.  A loud whirling sound started up somewhere near the Fortress, followed by a very loud popping sound.


    The Colossal once again landed nearby, and turned to face their base.  All of them raced inside to lend a hand.  "Qheria, you''re in charge of defense, try to predict and intercept whatever move that thing makes.  We''re counting on you.  Thanrie, go find Ehryinae.  I''m sure she is charging this thing''s weapon, and I''ve figured out an improvement we should make use of right away.  Go and supercharge the cannon, boost it with everything you have.  Mhyl, you''re the backup plan.. probably the best plan.  Figure out how this thing is moving, make it move us out of here.  I''m going to figure out how this thing is aimed, I''m pretty sure I can improve on it."  Lwyn was again building a strategy right away, and having been taught how to give orders as a lady of the fortress simply made the role all the easier.


    The four of them split off to their given roles.  Rhyde and Yuxzn were shocked when Lwyn and Qheria suddenly barged into the room.  "Cannon, where are the controls?"  "It''s in the upper room.  When did you guys get here, we came to save you."  "Thanks for that, actually.  I guess it''s our turn."  Lwyn ran off to where Yuxzn said the controls were.  Rhyde started after Qheria, then decided against it.  He would just have to save his questions for later.


    Mhyl burst into the Smith''s workshop, finding Chyurae there helping him.  "How to make this move?  We must go now."  Mhyl started talking to the Smith directly, startling even poor Chyurae, who for once had no idea what Mhyl was saying even though she wasn''t using an off-world language.  He still didn''t know an ounce of Izhaethyx.  The smith clued into what was being asked, and showed Mhyl into the basement.


    Ehryinae took a few deep breaths, trying to conserve her energy for more fire blasts.  She was really having fun with this sort of destruction, though she still had no idea how all those Destroyers suddenly went up in smoke.  Facing off against the Colossal wasn''t going to be easy either.  Zyuixqs was handy nearby, giving her some water to keep her from overheating herself.  "Hold it."  "Ah!!!"  Thanrie''s sudden arrival sent the tense Zyuixqs into a torrent of fear, being startled so suddenly.


    Thanrie took one of the waters Zyuixqs carried and gave him an appreciative nod, herself a bit thirsty.  "I know you like your fires blazing hot, and it looks like you''ve got that down really well.  However, I think the only thing that could be better is if we gave your flame a bit more of a.. boom.  I''ll let you know when everything is ready."  Thanrie patted down on the intake Ehryinae was working with for her flame, before following it along to find the right place to involve her own gift.


    The colossal surged forward, coming down upon the facility with a hail of missiles from a case revealing itself upon its upper shoulders.  A bright light expanded near the point of impact, as a force-field intercepted each shot.  The colossal then surged with steam, as it prepared to itself charge the facility in a tackle.


    The facility seemed to shift subtly, as the cannon aimed itself.  Once it had gone stable, Thanrie took that as the queue that Lwyn was ready.  "Okay Ehryinae.  Let loose the flames of destruction."  Thanrie was having way too much fun with this.  Ehryinae begun charging the cannon, and Thanrie started to boost the effect, accelerating the process within.  Heat was just particles moving faster, so if they moved even faster, it would lead to even more heat.  She had moved near the end of the entire system, so that the heat wouldn''t damage anything.  The heat would also move much too fast to cook anything near them anyway, she would make sure of that.


    Lwyn, having made the whole system aim itself correctly, then turned her ability on the firing process.  She was used to doing this not from where the shot originated, but from how it was aimed.  In her mind, the aiming gave all the directions, it made the most sense to her.  She laid a path for the surge of flame, fully aware that after Thanrie was done, it wouldn''t look anything like it had before.  She was counting on it.


    Once again, the main gun of the facility let loose, but instead of the usual ball of red inferno, the whole thing blazed with a white plasma photon, moving at the speed of light.  The light danced in the air in the span of an instant and crashed into the Colossal''s right leg.  The entire thing crumpled under the force of the blow, but was not seriously damaged.  Regardless, it wasn''t exactly designed to be knocked over, so it was having some difficulty standing up once again.


    Khaexyn was visibly enraged, having been unprepared for this level of onslaught.  However, he still had the upper hand, they still had no way to win.  Thanrie stood up, basking in her own pride.  "What''s that?  You don''t think we have a chance?  What could we possibly have that could stand up to your giant ''tin can''?  How about a ''Siren''?"  Thanrie''s pop culture retort was rewarded by the entire facility shaking.  Then, shifted around, the entire facility made a hasty retreat, the ground shifting to ease the motion of the entire structure.  Thanrie shrugged, this wasn''t exactly teleportation, but it was good enough.


    Before the colossal could find any opportunity to rise and give chase, it''s enemy was already gone.  Khaexyn decided to withdraw, repairs were more important, let alone ensuring his family was still doing well inside.

 52: Deserved Vacation

    After everything that had occurred, it should not have been surprising for the next thing the four of them to be aware of is waking up in their beds late the next morning.  Having been more than just exhausted, sleep had taken over regardless of whatever else they might have otherwise planed.


    The four of them did however stir from their beds at around the same time.  It was a very welcoming feeling, even if the beds were of much less quality than they had grown used to.  Lwyn herself knew that the quality had seriously plummeted, and yet she still missed this feeling so much.  It was the feeling of home.


    Mhyl had actually fallen asleep during the escape while using her gift, the last of her stamina crumbling away, leaving the whole structure to manage on it''s own natural design, herself still uncertain how the whole facility had moved there in the first place.  Lwyn had faded next, barely capable of registering they were safe, before sleep overtook her.  She was in fact fortunate she had made it safely to the floor, for once.  Thanrie and Qheria had tried to bring the two elf-kinds to a more comfortable location, but sleep had overtaken them before their own successes.  It was then Rhyde, who ensured that all of them had at least safely made it into bed.


    Lwyn''s first impulse upon waking up was to start tidying up.  How long has it been since she was allowed to organize her own stuff?  Even though it was yet another of her standard outfits, she took it out with pride in having selected it for herself.  Finally, she felt free once again.  The others tended to themselves as they watched Lwyn.  Clearly, their rescue was all too successful, they had brought Lwyn back, and she was doing much better.


    Once ready to face the day, the four of them left the room.  There, they found Sxeiva being questioned by everyone else.  They had totally forgot that there was someone else in the rescue team, and no introductions had been made.  Lwyn rushed into the scene.  "Woah, woah, woah, stop!  She''s with us, okay?"  "Uh, okay.  If you say so.  She should really take some of that creepy stuff off though, it''s weird."  "It is not weird, she needs that stuff to stay alive.  Don''t insult mother that way!"  Lwyn was being really protective of her mother, disliking how people were already judging her for being different.  It reminded her too much of the hatred behind half-elves, another feature her mother also had.  Ehryinae however had an awkward expression shift into utter shock.


    "This.. wait.. how?  Isn''t... Wasn''t... Wouldn''t..."  Ehryinae couldn''t even finish a thought.  She was stuck realizing the implications of someone being identified as Lwyn''s mother, which would also be the Arch-Magus'' daughter, who was supposedly dead.  She looked like she had seen a ghost.  It also prompted an opportunity to share with everyone what had gone on while the four of them had been away.  It had been a long time, after all, a whole lunar cycle.


    Another meeting was setup, giving the four of them the chance to discuss everything they had gone through.  In return, Rhyde covered some of the things the four of them had missed.  The hunting party that had tried to track the four girls down.. the bandits taken captive, who had spilled the beans on taking Lwyn to the Fortress themselves.  From there, plenty of work to build up the facility into a true mobile base, while Xyithy tried to break into the Fortress and setup her own rescue.  Xyithy couldn''t even get into the Fortress, so had to return unsuccessful.  Ehryinae had then compelled everyone into a rescue more of her own design.


    Somehow, the idea that Ehryinae was the one who had thought of breaking through the fortress directly explained so much of what had happened.  It was alarming to realize that, had the four girls not stepped in, the results would have been a disaster.  However, in a pure reversal, had they not arrived like that, the four girls might have been hard-pressed for an opportunity to escape.  You could say it was a wide round of good fortune.  Thanrie however looked towards Sxeiva, finally blending in better with everyone else.  Nothing about this was as simple as chance, Sxeiva had even been able to predict it.


    The meeting came to a close soon after.  The four girls were excited to simply resume a much more normal-feeling routine of just being home.  They were, however, heavily missed by friends and family.  None of the four of them were aware that Sxeiva had stood up in on their behalf, saying that they would need space before returning to their loved ones.  She had eventually convinced the others that a day to themselves might be the best idea.  Anything further could wait until tomorrow, they at least knew the four girls were alright.


    Each of them had their own idea on how to spend their free time.  Lwyn was eager to get some laundry done, her own outfits feeling musty after so much lack of use.  There were a number of other chores she wanted to do as well, just to feel home again, but this was where she would begin.  Thanrie looked at her like she was insane, but trusted Lwyn knew what she was doing.  Lwyn had done laundry before and escaped unharmed, maybe she was just that good.  Thanrie herself wanted to go for a walk.  They had returned to their usual spot, so there were once again plenty of Amber-leaf outside.  She wanted to go out and enjoy some of the plants and nature.


    Mhyl looked at the blossoms Lwyn had given her, having been asked for a way to preserve them.  She had brought them to Yuxzn, who had said that he would work something out with the smith.  With that completed, she found a quiet room and just started humming a song.  By the time Qheria wandered by, however, Mhyl was outright singing and dancing.  Qheria smiled at Mhyl, knowing this was one way Mhyl found relaxation.  She herself needed to find a way.  She had been stumbling around and had found the deflated ball Mhyl had made her, and was herself off to the workshop to see if she could fix it, maybe even improve on it.  She wanted an opportunity to practice some Footsphere, just kicking the ball around casually, where she could also lose herself in the moment.


    Lwyn eventually brought back a finished set of clothes, all clean and ready to be put away.  She pulled each item rapidly out from the basket and threw everything behind her.  Instead of landing in a heap behind her, every single article had folded itself up and put itself away.  She nodded, impressed, but went to double check things anyway.  She discovered that over half of everything her gift had done was wrong, either folding things wrong, putting it in the wrong place, or both.  It was a convenient idea, but she would have to get better before she could accomplish it properly.


    Thanrie sat out with the amber-leaves.  The heat of the sun was blazing, but it was still a feeling she had grown to miss.  She went out to the river, got some water, and sprinkled it on the amber-leaves.  They were honestly weeds, they didn''t need any special care, but they were weeds Thanrie had came to respect.  Thanrie then decided on a better way to provide water.  She crossed to the other side of the river and found a small stone.  She then tossed the stone into the river, which pulsed as a shock-wave on contact.  A gigantic pulse of water surged from the river, coursing over a lot of the nearby Amber-leaves, ripping them apart.  Right, that was a thing that happens, this wasn''t how you bring water to plants.  The flash of water over the tide of yellow had looked pretty, at least, leaving a rainbow settling in the air for a few moments more.


    Qheria carried back the inflated ball, bringing it into the training room.  She had made a few adjustments to the ball, temporary things that could really improve the experience.  She set the ball on the ground as she backed up and approached it with a kick.  Moments later, she had crumpled to the ground in pure agony.  It seems increasing the overall durability of the ball hadn''t just made it retain air, but had also made it impossible to kick.  This was like kicking a solid steel ball.  Qheria picked up the ball once more and brought it back to the workshop.  It seems the more regular approach would be needed to ensure this thing kept its air.  However, the ball was really as light as a normal ball, it wasn''t like her efforts were a complete waste.  The ball had suffered a lot through this, it''s age getting the best of it, so she set about having a brand new one made instead of trying to repair it, using the old one as a template.  The replacement didn''t have any gift-given shortcuts to it''s creation, it was just a simple ball.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Mhyl continued her spiral of song and dance, completely lost to her own music.  Still resorting to pre-planned songs, her movement was also as elegant and refined as usual, not a single motion was wasted.  As her melody progressed, she suddenly found herself getting very exhausted much faster than expected.  In the midst of her struggle to keep going, she stumbled upon one of her steps, and instead tumbled to the floor.  She wasn''t alone, the room resounded in countless, numerous crashes as all the elements of the room tumbled to the ground with her.  She wasn''t even aware that she was dancing with everything in the room, and unlike her own movements, her usage of her gift was very wasteful.  Over-complicated approaches to over-complicated concepts, and it was all even subconscious.  Having been brought back to reality, she set about cleaning up the mess she had just made.


    All four of them had a lot of potential with their gift, but not much control.  The lack of such was even a bit of a problem, potentially even a danger.  For all of them, the gift was still a new feeling they weren''t fully adjusted to yet, even after all of their training.  They would need to put conscious effort in not using it until they could get some proper and safe training in its usage.  Today was probably also a bad day for such, having just finally returned home, their minds were all over the place after all.  It really probably didn''t help.


    Lwyn sat down to relax and sort out her own thoughts.  A lot had happened over the past.. lunar cycle.  It was like a month, though not exactly.  Lwyn knew Mhyl would squabble the details too.  Regardless, they were really gone a month, and more so hadn''t been with their friends for anything close to as long.  Even so, reflecting on everything in her life since leaving the Citadel Inn, she had far more memories being here than at the Fortress.  Far nicer memories too, even though there was a lot of sadness and despair here back then.  Somehow, the Fortress just felt.. worse.. and yet she had learned and improved so much from it.  It left her with a feeling that she needed to invest more into the things she liked more.


    Thanrie showed up with Mhyl, having helped Mhyl clean up some of her mess already.  Lwyn nodded at their arrival, but noticed that both of them were also lost in thought.  Mhyl was mostly ashamed at being caught in that mess, though Thanrie had been too shy to share her like circumstances.  Mhyl seemed tense, focusing on an explicit nothing so as to not lose her own concentration.  She knew Lwyn had just finished cleaning up in here, and didn''t want to throw all the freshly folded clothes over the room on accident.  Thanrie wasn''t even near her weapon, having fully put it away.


    Qheria finally walked into the room, passing into the thick silent atmosphere of the room.  She had finally finished replacing that ball, though she wasn''t as interested in practicing with it anymore, maybe tomorrow.  A quick review of the room furthered this impression, physical relief didn''t seem quite as important right now, compared to mental relief.  "It''s almost a shame this world doesn''t have video games, you three look like you could use the escapism."  Qheria was considering how games had proven to be a good way at relieving stress mentally when a lot had accumulated.  She remembered the activity frequently from Earth, for this kind of situation.


    Lwyn also considered the concept.  Escaping from reality sounded just like what she figured her Terrain-self had done a lot, considering all that she remembered.  However, she also remembered what her father had brought forward to her, an invitation for the exact same games she was used to, in Celese.  However, ripping so much from Earth like that felt.. wrong, like a bad remake.  Meanwhile, she actually had nothing like it in Celese.  As Yhse, she ended up bored for that very reason, and back at the Inn.. relief didn''t exist at all.  It might be possible to come up with something using the gift.. but that was going back to their previous problem.


    Still, it''s not like technology or the gift were the only solutions they had.  Even the idea of borrowing general principles that sorta worked in Celese might not be that bad.  They had done so with not just their instruments, but ''Footsphere''.  The later was a great example of how even their own earth experiences and ideas could be reshaped into something new.  Thinking upon it further, Lwyn went and grabbed a blank report sheet and a writing tool.  The writing tools around here were primitive, clearly based upon the feather quill idea more than an actual pen.  It was an elven reed-wood branch, though even she didn''t completely understand where the ink came from.  Something about tree sap or something..


    With minimal creativity, she set the paper in front of Qheria and drew a number sign.  In the very middle of the number sign, she drew an ''X''.  "Your turn."  Lwyn passed the branch to Qheria, who stared at it for a bit before getting the hint.  She put her ''O'' and passed the branch back.  A few turns later and they found themselves at a draw.  Even with no clear winner for that match, Lwyn at least won on matter of premise.


    Thanrie caught onto the concept of more mundane games, even board games.  She went out to the workshop, got a large square piece of sheet metal, some paint, and a set of smaller chips.  Eventually, having finished her idea, she returned and set up the ''Go'' board in front of Mhyl, who was also catching on.  "Is that supposed to be like chess or something?"  Lwyn wasn''t getting it, again.  "It''s a ... Japanese game like chess, kinda.  Thankfully it''s not the Japanese ''Mahjong'' or anything, I''ve been really bad at that game."  "Mahjong, isn''t that a single player game like Solitaire?"  "No, it''s a very competitive game, almost closer to Poker."  Mhyl tried to explain cross culture games to Lwyn, who was still having problems keeping up.


    Qheria then got her own idea.  "Oh, speaking of Poker, we could maybe try to make a card deck?  Maybe play a game of Skat?"  "Of what?  What''s Skat?"  It was Qheria''s turn to have her own culture go over Lwyn''s head.  "Maybe, but isn''t that only for three people.  We need games for four or two games of two, three people games just leaves one of us out."  Mhyl, as usual, was their cross-culture guru, keeping up with both Japanese and German games.


    Lwyn was starting to feel overwhelmed and left out, her own Earth knowledge feeling insignificant compared to what the others had.  However, she knew better than to let that stop her, she had grown to understand such a lesson.  It was obvious Mhyl had an advantage in this area, but she herself wasn''t perfect.  Instead, she was very lacking in more Celesi cultures, not even having been very social and active in elven cultures.  Sure, Lwyn herself had avoided a lot of elven matters, but when she was little she had learned a lot of elven matters from..


    Lwyn dashed off suddenly, an idea forming in her head.  She returned later with a set of paint and numerous small chips of wood.  Behind her, carrying some of the same supplies, was her mother.  "Mom, my friends and I were trying to come up with a fun game to play together, and so I was thinking we could all play Daezhyn together.  I remember you teaching me how to play when I was little.  Could you teach my friends too?"  Lwyn seemed excited as she was putting everything together.


    "Sure, I would be happy to help!"  Sxeiva started to explain the game to the others, making sure to use Elaethyx to explain anything Mhyl didn''t understand.  It seemed the game had elven origins, and was a very classic game.  Four players compete with a set of decorated wooden chips to complete sets before the others could.  As the description went on, Mhyl developed a look of dread.  "Lwyn, okay, I came up with a better comparison.  The ''Mahjong'' I was talking about earlier, it''s practically this.  Slightly different rules, obviously different words and pictures for everything, really not far from the same game."  Mhyl really was nervous about the way this was going.


    Mhyl considered the game in depth, including her Terran comparison.  With slightly less rules but slightly more combinations, Daezhyn was actually more strategic than Mahjong.  Then it occurred to her, Lwyn herself was very good at strategy, maybe even because of this game.  Meanwhile, Qheria did say she had a history of strategy gaming from Earth.  If Thanrie was proficient in Go, she could possibly be skilled in this kind of game similar to the Japanese-styled variant Mhyl was comparing it to.  That would leave her with the worst disadvantage.  The biggest grief to her was that the game itself was elven, and she was the most elven person present.  She didn''t even know it existed until now.


    It was a while more before they put the game away.  Lwyn had by far won that one, and Mhyl had found herself doing the worst.  Even so, playing with her friends and sharing the experience was fun enough, giving her a good first impression of the game.  Maybe it was something they would have to play more often, learn to get better with, and generally have fun.  Mhyl also knew she might need to find a better seat in the arrangement, sitting beside Lwyn like that was just setting herself up for a harder difficulty.  It was almost intimidating how smart and clever Lwyn could be sometimes.


    Though all of their fun mind games, all four of them had already forgotten about their stress from earlier.  It had become a very good way to relax and escape from their inner troubles, to visit such again when they were better prepared for it.

 53: Friendly Reception

    Having had a bit of time to relax, the four girls where again inclined to return to a regular routine.  They had been distant from their home for quite a while, and there was plenty to revisit.


    Lwyn had finished putting the game away and was trying to relax with some late afternoon chores.  More than not being used to how things work anymore, things weren''t used to them anymore, the day moving onward without them.  There wasn''t actually much she could help with right now, things had already been finished.  All of her offers to help out ended up rejected, with nothing left for her to do.  Even dinner was well on it''s way to finishing itself.


    Lwyn found a place to sit down, still feeling troubled.  She had been deprived so much of her own contributions in the Fortress, one thing she had been really hoping for was to revisit demand for her contributions back home.  However, it seems things wouldn''t be that simple.  As she sat there pondering everything, Yuxzn wandered by.  He appeared to be already occupied, but noticing Lwyn was lost in thought alone, he stopped to lend a hand.


    "Anything on your mind?"  "Well, I was really hoping to find something to help out with, but it seems everything is already taken care of."  "Oh, only all the ordinary things.  In truth, there are things to still worry about.  For example, did you know that after that last battle, the weaponry and engine here are both in need of repairs.  Seems they were pushed far harder than normal.  Don''t forget, you are capable of far more things than just the normal and ordinary, you don''t need some simple every day task handed down to you.  You four came up with a bunch of extraordinary things, and we''ve had none since you were gone."  Yuxzn might have usually be nervous of such unpredictable elements as the four girls, but instead he recognized their potential.  He personally believed in Lwyn too, understanding just how smart she could be.


    Even while Lwyn was not believing in herself, Yuxzn was catching on to her own tactical prowess.  An unnurtured mind, capable of her own ideas.  While they had been lost in their game, he had even wandered by and watched for a while, witnessing her employ victorious strategies in a game he didn''t even yet understand.  It had left him realizing that not she had a lot of potential in areas even he himself didn''t.  He was capable of the ordinary, but only she seemed to have any grasp of the extraordinary.  Considering she was the heir to the Arch-Magus, that planning potential of her''s in the extraordinary almost intimidated him.  He felt nothing but respect for her in this.


    Thanrie wandered around, looking for something to do.  She was coming back to her original concerns, worries about her control over her gift.  She was certain that most of the problem was within her mind, her head pulled in different directions.  Earth stuff was often made with safety mechanisms for this very reason, but all of this was being constructed on the spot in her head, having safety mechanisms automatically was impossible, she would have to figure out how to add them manually.  The whole concept of balancing things manually was still stressful for her, considering that her mind was by current design not the easiest thing to balance out anyway.  There were still certain points of conflict left to worry about.


    In her wanders, she came across Ihzyhur and Zyuixqs having an argument.  They had been in a dispute in how to properly lend support for Thanrie now that she was back.  Zyuixqs was certain that she needed the opportunity to relax first, to do things at her own pace.  "You seem to miscount situations that demand action and decisions, being so timid.  This is when we need to make an assertive move, to ensure a clear set decision that would.."  "Oh hey, Ihzy, Zyuixqs, how are we doing?"  Ihzyhur paused in his explanation as his sister interrupted.  He knew for certain that after her being so worn out, expecting her to stress over her own decisions would just make everything worse.


    "Nothing, totally nothing at all."  Zyuixqs was already in a cold sweat, put on edge at Thanrie''s presence.  It didn''t help that the actual topic of discussion was not one he wanted to be caught speaking about.  He backed off completely, eager to get out of the way.  Ihzyhur however held his grounds, cool and composed.  "My dear sister, don''t worry your pretty little head over the lesser details.  This is just a matter between men, not something you would understand anyway."  Ihzyhur was so confident in his assessment, knowing that this was the obvious solution.


    Qheria was elsewhere, having an argument with her mother.  "Mother, come on, just because we were pinned down in the Fortress doesn''t mean we can''t help out.  Why can''t we do any scouting with you?"  "I''m speaking for your own protection, you just don''t know the proper ways of sneaking around undetected and.."  "Oh sure, says the woman who couldn''t even get into the Fortress.  We got in first try, by the way, no problems at all.  Stayed undercover the entire time, only noticed by someone as profound as Sxeiva.  Why did your ideas fail?"  Qheria was eager to fit back into the way of things, but was finding herself denied out of concern.  Xyithy however was finding it difficult to keep arguing with her daughter, Qheria''s arguments being ever so pointed.


    Rhyde stood nearby, marvelling at not being part of the argument.  The fact that Qheria was actually winning an argument like this, it made him feel even better at not being involved.  He did know it was only a matter of time before he did get included, and generally suspected he would be taking Qheria''s side on the argument.  He did have to recognize just how experienced she was by this point, it was impressive.


    Rhyde noticed Zyuixqs wandering by at this point, carrying an unconscious Ihzyhur along the hall.  Ihzyhur''s face was bleeding from some kind of injury, it looked like he suffered a serious concussion too.  "What happened?"  "Oh, the guy just said the wrong things to the wrong person, it happens.  Feeling a bit of empathy, I felt it best to see he got some care."  Rhyde traded a glance with Zyuixqs as they also turned to silence, listening to the argument in the room.  Clearly, the four girls were indeed back.


    Mhyl had gone to watch the wardens at work, wanting to see if she could learn anything from them.  It seemed they had a lot on their hands still after the previous battle, a lot of people had been pushed to breaking, some more physically so than others.  They were assigning many wardens per person, to ensure that healing progressed faster.  Chyurae had shown up and sat nearby, uncertain what to do or say.


    Eventually, she noticed the Wardens had admitted a new patient.  She watched as Zyuixqs ran off, himself in a hurry to make sure Thanrie wasn''t upset at him as well.  Aelyiq was looking upon the situation with dissatisfaction.  Another injury wasn''t good news for him, people here got hurt way too often.  He had also over-allocated his wardens, he would have to reconsider his current setup to address this.  At least Ihzyhur''s injuries were very simple, though there was a risk of skull fractures or anything else harder to detect.


    By the time Aelyiq got back, he found Mhyl working on Ihzyhur already.  Chyurae was running around following her instructions for anything she wanted brought over.  "Mhyl, we''ve told you before, the slower way isn''t going to work, especially for someone that is so important for our defense.  We''ll be taking it from here, he should be on his feet easily late tonight."  Aelyiq got a puzzled look from Mhyl.  "So long?  This looks so easy, I''m pretty sure he could be on his feet for dinner.  Chyurae, can you get me a warm damp cloth?"  "Things aren''t always as they seem.  With a concussion like this, there is always the risk of greater unseen damage, it will take plenty of work to go over everything and ensure a proper distribution of healing energies to.." Mhyl generally ignored Aelyiq as she kept working.


    "No skull fractures, though the bump on his head is nasty.  The upper section of his nose took the whole thing by far the worst of the whole incident, would probably need the most attention."  Mhyl turned off her headset and set it aside, leaving Aelyiq to realize that she was using techniques possibly too advanced for him.  It was a rudimentary X-Ray, but far better than the world would typically be capable of.  Her own gift had attempted to build upon her efforts.  She wanted to keep things fairly mundane, just pushing the mentality of how well her actions work for healing into her impressions of the gift.  Even wiping the blood on his nose with a cloth was having the wound close unnaturally, the bump on the back was going to be next on her list.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Aelyiq watched, stunned at the speed and efficiency of her work.  As Ihzyhur woke up, he realized that Mhyl might finally be at an impasse.  He started his approach to intervene.  "Hello Ihzyhur.  You got hurt, Zyuixqs bring here.  I tending to hurt, you need rest now.  Not long, maybe to dinner."  Mhyl finished her medical report to a dazed audience.  Neither Ihzyhur nor Aelyiq had expected even that degree of Izhaethyx from her.  Ihzyhur himself still felt dizzy, still unclear exactly what had happened.  He decided to follow Doctor Mhyl''s instructions and get a bit more rest.


    Chyurae smiled as he kept going as Mhyl''s assistant.  He had no idea what she had said, but knew exactly what language it was.  Clearly Mhyl had been working very hard, he might need to follow in her example.  Maybe Mhyl would be willing to teach him as well?  Aelyiq however decided to leave this situation to Mhyl, clearly he was wrong to assume Mhyl was in over her head.  So many things kept changing in the girl he found that time way back in the elven library.. this girl was all too impossible to keep up with.


    Lwyn was considering Yuxzn''s advice, having left him when Rhyde had called him away.  If things were expected of her that even Yuxzn could not explain, she would need more information.  As she wandered around in thought, she came across Ehryinae.  "Oh, hi Ehryinae.  Up to anything in particular?"  "Oh, nothing much.  Just getting somethings setup for the smith here.  Something about overheating the main weapon here with some super heating.  We''re still not sure how it got that hot, actually."  Lwyn paused for a moment in sadness, realizing that Ehryinae was even already doing repairs, the only idea Yuxzn had given her.


    Ehryinae realized that Lwyn was sad that she was occupied, so thought for ideas.  "Oh, I know, maybe when I have a moment, we can have another lesson about the gift.  It''s been a while since we''ve had a class.  You four had been through a lot, maybe we can do some basic lessons to see if you can reach out for your gift again?"  Ehryinae did not know how much progress the four girls had already made.  Sxeiva herself though did walk in at this point, having been interested in helping with repairs as well.


    "It must have been a while.  The four girls, none of them are at the basic lessons anymore.  We''ve had some rushed classes and the girls have taken to their lessons very well."  Sxeiva''s statement startled Ehryinae, the four girls had been personally taught by the daughter of the arch-magus?  By the sounds of it, they had even made considerable progress too.  "Which lesson, where are they at?  What sorts of affinity have they been demonstrating?"  Ehryinae''s questions left Sxeiva at a loss for where to start.  It wasn''t like she was following the existing curriculum, everything about the lessons were unique, from presentation to how their other world memories applied.


    "We had a very... condensed lesson, but they are fully capable of using their gift, just with the typical lack of control.  You might find it challenging to continue any form of regular lessons going forward.  As for their capabilities, I feel that it would be unjust to spoil the surprise.  Certainly it would be better for you to witness everything for yourself, maybe after dinner?"  Sxeiva surprised them in this, the plan originally was to take it easy this evening.  Lessons were usually best in the brighter hours of the day, tomorrow morning made more sense for any such demonstrations.  Lwyn got especially suspicious.


    Dinner time arrived soon enough.  As all four girls came together again from a busy afternoon, Lwyn open conversation in English.  "I''m worried about something.  I''m sorry to make a rush out of things, but I think it might be best if we kept dinner short and quick.  I''m pretty sure something is going to happen after dinner, we need to get ready."  Lwyn was rushing to get her own dinner taken care of.  Mhyl nodded, trusting Lwyn''s advice.  Thanrie had a feeling that Sxeiva had made another prediction.


    Qheria finished her food and started organizing their efforts, having thought on the matter all dinner.  An open unknown was expected, which left a lot of uncertainty in how to prepare.  Most things around them were already prepared for them, they even knew where things could be that would be weird.  However, the biggest thing they would need to be ready for was combat.  Ihzyhur had been out for a while that afternoon, Xyithy had actually missed patrols arguing matters with her, and the building''s defenses were down.  The one thing they were least prepared for at that moment was an attack.


    This insight had her spring into action, bringing the other girls with her.  They recovered all of their gear and made their way outside.  Lwyn was sent to the roof to do some scouting, which was getting difficult in the setting sun.  Mhyl meanwhile had her headset active, searching around.  It did not take much effort to find what they needed.  Thanrie herself started to spy all the flames lit in the darkness, all the glints of shiny metal moving in all direction.  They were already surrounded, and the numbers were immense.


    One of them started to shout proudly from the hills.  "Oi, the beasts are sniffing already?  Guess the night runs hot with blood already.  Blood and coin.. you won''t believe what kind of coin Khaexyn is offering for having two people returned to him.  Best part is, we even get paid for anyone else who dies.  Only two hostages, such easy easy money.  So, if the half-elf girl and the metal girl would kindly step forward, we would be glad to make death quick for everyone else here."  The speaker was assuredly another bandit leader, who wasn''t alone.  This was several times more bandits than they had ever seen before.


    Lwyn, from her vantage, saw things even worse.  Not all of the forces present were just bandits.  Among the bandits were countless armed aethyrnz as well, mostly of the older model, but she saw a few of the newer model, brandishing weapons she''d never seen before.  Mhyl couldn''t make out who was flesh and who was metal, but in the back she could make out shapes that she hadn''t ever seen with her own eyes.  Around 15 Uyn tall, they could only be described as power armor, clockwork armor closer to a tiny Colossal in design, but with much greater numbers.  Clearly, Khaexyn was not impressed to have found his family had gone missing.


    The facility started to close up in its own defense, still being left with it''s main doors opened.  No one had been prepared for an ambush, let alone one of this magnitude.  Inside, Rhyde was rushing to gain control of the situation, Yuxzn on hand trying to lend a hand.  Ihzyhur, fully recovered, was making his way out along side Xyithy, the Seekers and Reavers at their backs.  Having given up on the main weapon of the facility, the Embers were setting out behind them, with the Wardens preparing for the additional work.


    Zyuixqs and Chyurae ended up outside as well, aiming to help out.  Chyurae was trying to urge Mhyl inside into safety, knowing what non-combatants are responsible for.  She instead shook her head.  "Sorry Chyurae, you go inside without me.  Things... things are different now, I''m not going to be afraid and run away.  I might not have my own weapon, but that doesn''t mean I can''t fight.  You go inside without me, make sure things are good in there.  Thanks!"  Mhyl waved Chyurae off to safety, himself still worried about this change.  Just how much had changed for Mhyl in this time?


    Sxeiva herself showed up as well, but keeping her distance.  She only had a message.  "Lwyn, remember.  To learn control, you need to learn the complete shape of your gift, to have a complete understanding of what you are capable of.  This won''t happen overnight, not in anyway so instant, but it means the more things you try, the more control you gain.  Feel confident experimenting with new things that you feel comfortable with, and you will find your control over everything increasing.  You''ve got this, show them what you''re made of."  Sxeiva followed Chyurae back after finishing her message.


    Lwyn shared the same lesson with her friends.  It was getting too obvious, she was expected to make use of this knowledge in the worst fight she''s seen yet.  However, considering their past, it was always the darkest of circumstances that brought out their greatest of potential.  There was that earth saying, that which didn''t kill you, made you stronger.  Maybe Celese needed a quote like it, the same concept certainly felt like it applied.  They would need to be careful though in this lesson, failure had a large expense right now.  The plan was for her and her mother to be kidnapped and forced back, as well as having her friends slaughtered.  Neither of those ideas sounded like something she actually wanted.


    All four of them readied their weapons, preparing for battle.  If Khaexyn expected that a challenge like this was going to just break them without them even trying, he was going to have to learn a lesson of his own.

 54: Unexpected Potential

    There was still hardly any accurate assessment of how many bandits lined the area surrounding the facility, but it was far too late to take a headcount.  Having finished all their preparations, the bandits signaled their attack, and their forces rushed ahead.


    All four groups initially worried just how much it would take to deal with this threat.  Sure, bandits were easy, but this wasn''t just a handful of bandits.  They could easily be swarmed and overwhelmed.  This wouldn''t be like the last time they had to fight here, this was actually far too dangerous, far too high risk.. far too uncertain.  Ihzyhur and Xyithy took to the field, weapons drawn.  Ice began to form in the area near Ihzyhur, his gift already active.  Xyithy meanwhile started to shimmer and fade, her own hazy mist gathering by her own gift.  Both of them advanced, knowing that everyone would be counting on them.


    As Ehryinae set out with the embers, her staff drawn and already lit ablaze, she took a moment to wonder what Sxeiva had mentioned.  They were fully capable, it wasn''t a surprise to be spoiled.  She took to the enemy before her, but left an opportunity to watch in the meanwhile.  As their initial teacher, it was only right that she gave some of her attention to her students as well.  She was told she should bear witness to what was about to unfold, after all.  It but lent credit to the Arch-Magus'' daughter that she had so effectively predicted this opportunity.


    Thanrie meanwhile set into the enemies, throwing forth her weapon, and when it struck the ground and set forth in a shock-wave, numerous enemies fell.  Added to the speed of her boots, she was a blossom of death, felling enemies everywhere with blinding speed.  The massive number of foes wasn''t a problem for her, not with the way she fought.  After the waves of death begun, Ehryinae started to find it difficult to keep up where Thanrie had ended up in this melee.


    Lwyn scaled atop the facility once again, her gloves active once more.  She let loose with bolts that pierced into bandits and took them down.  Her shots never missed, but her foes were too numerous for the few taken by single shots.  She had to learn the shape of her gift, to find what else it could offer her.  She needed more control overall, and right now she needed more options.  There was no helping it, she would have to figure out something new.  Thanrie looked to be having no problems though, and that made her ponder.  Thanrie was just doing well because her attacks had such a great area.  Well, of course then, she need to use shots that did more than sting.


    Lwyn started focusing for a bit, building an impression within her mind, forming upon an idea that stirred within.  She was using smart ammo to shoot upon her foes, but clearly her imagination wasn''t that limited, right?  If her bolts flew like missiles, then why couldn''t they connect like missiles, and deliver a suitable explosion worthy of the idea.  She loaded another light disc into her crossbow, and fired her idea upon her enemies.  The shot connected and detonated, a fiery eruption proclaiming itself from the impact.  Visually, it looked something closer to a very miniature nuclear blast from stories.  This made her a bit nervous, clearly if her imagination took over too much, it could end up with a much more... authentic version of such a blast.  Maybe simpler explosions were better for now.


    Qheria had been unsure how to begin, but set off regardless, setting up a very small barrier around her, she left into her foes like she had of normal.  Her boots gave her still plenty of a crushing impact, and her shields did plenty of the rest of the work, but right when Lwyn''s explosion went off, she hesitated.  That was not expected at all, her shield ensuring she had no worries of the blast, but the blast itself outperforming much of her own efforts.  Lwyn was again forging ahead with the gift faster than they were, it wouldn''t do to simply rest in her dust.  She lept again, her mind racing for ideas.  In all of her leaps, she was depending on her tools to yield results, her gift wasn''t helping at all.


    Maybe it should be.  She paused under the protection of her barrier, pondering ideas.  The barrier was a wall of force, blocking out everything from outside.  The barrier however did not move.. but did it have to be so still?  She built upon the idea over the movement of her next jump.  She connected with another leap, the impact forming another shield that begun small, but with instant velocity ripped across the field in a growing sphere.  Several bandits went flying, the sheer force of the moving wall crushing them in an instant, their bodies cluttering to the ground.  She smiled, once again bearing a shield upon her foes to crush them.  Nothing said that a defensive fighter like her had to be so harmless.


    Mhyl meanwhile found herself in new ground.  She had never actually faced her own battles before, and this wasn''t a simple one.  A handful of bandits rushed at her, alarming a number of her friends.  Mhyl paused but a moment, and then her dance begun.  None of their hits connected, finding no one where she once was.  Mhyl herself turned her sight to her headset, turning to view her surroundings as a whole, instead of being limited to just what was before her.  Even in her spins and leaps, her headset kept up.  But this wasn''t enough, being untouchable wasn''t having her losing her anything, but it wasn''t winning her anything either.  She set her other hand upon her book and focused into it.


    It is said that gravity was one of the weakest forces on Earth, even in the universe Earth belonged to.  The laws of the universe there were nothing like here, so there was nothing at all saying that gravity should be so weak in Celese.  The ground itself crinkles around her, every blade of grass going flat.  Each bandit near her was crushed into a space no higher than 0 and 1 Uyn high.  And her dance continued, gravity itself dancing with her.  She lent her focus around the field, crushing other places in turn as if by an invisible weight, as if painted by an invisible brush across the field.  Enemies who tried to sneak up behind her found themselves instead the one with an enemy at their back, and then similarly crushed.


    Ihzyhur, Xyithy, and Ehryinae begun to slow, seeing that they were quickly being outperformed.  Ehryinae took a moment to smirk at the sight, Sxeiva wasn''t kidding at how much of a treat this performance was.  She was however aware of the limitations, being personally attuned to the circumstances.  She was also using very expansive bursts of flames to take down her foes, but this only worked because her foes were so easy to deal with.  Against more challenging foes, this kind of approach wouldn''t work anymore.


    Thanrie struck down once again with her shockwave, clearing the area.. except for a few who stood firm.  During all the fighting, it was simply bandits who had rushed, the aethyrnz however had been a bit more cautious to first calculate the threat they faced.  One aethyrnz turned to Thanrie with a rifle, predicting her location and movement, and fired.  Thanrie fell to the dirt, her thigh being shot with skilled precision.  Qheria lept in to help, only to find additional aethyrnz approaching.  Qheria''s barrier was up, as bolt of lightning struck through it.  A barrier of force does nothing against something as unsubstantial as electricity.


    Lwyn turned to help out, only to find the roof itself had been invaded by aethyrnz with jetpacks.  As she turned to fire, one of them shot her crossbow, and the bow itself went falling to the base of the facility.  She was left completely disarmed.  Mhyl found herself facing such a foe as well, but instead of her movement pulling her through safely, it seemed instant calculations guided their actions much faster than she could, and she was also brought down.


    Things were not going well for the Embers, Seekers, or Reavers either, their new foe was proving calculating and dangerous.  They had faced such clockwork soldiers before, but it seemed the advanced model was dramatically smarter and faster.  They also had very advanced weapons in comparison.  Things were generally going poorly all around for everyone.


    Thanrie struggled through the pain, despite things looking to be turning for the worse as they had before.  Facing such foes that could wield calculated movements and ultimate precision, it looked like things might be hopeless.  However, she was determined to not give up.  She had grown tired of giving up, of suffering, of having to yield, the time for that had passed.  The time for change had come instead, the time for...  Thanrie paused in an instant, her intuition forming a fresh new idea in her head.  It was crazy, but of course being predictable wasn''t working in their favour right now.


    Calculated movements and ultimate precision, this was exactly what she struggled with when she faced Mhyl in her own sparring.  She was faster, but she never had the time to act, never had the time to think, never had the time to do anything.  Of course though, she was fast, so the obvious solution was to give herself more time.  Thanrie lashed out with her weapon, striking the ground.  Even this trick of hers, she was simply stopping the weapon where it struck, a trick she had been using with her gift for some time now.  But if so, why stop there?  As the blade struck the ground, a ripple surged out from it, but not as a shockwave.  To Thanrie, everything hit by the ripple simple stopped, frozen in a bubble of time.


    To everyone else, the foes around her were at first still standing, and then they were divided into several pieces, Thanrie no where nearby.  As Thanrie stepped forth from the bubble, time resumed.  Lwyn had gotten a pretty good few of everything in that instant, thinking of Thanrie as a pure genius.  Clearly, she was nothing like the naive girl she used to be.  Thinking outside the box, thinking beyond the norm, of course their enemies couldn''t stop them if they knew they were truthfully better.  Lwyn however had no weapon, which would leave her at an impasse.  However, her own original style was to throw attacks without her bow.  She considered just creating attacks without a weapon, but remembered Ehryinae''s lesson.  It was far too dangerous to just use your body as a point of focus, especially when it came to weapons.  That''s why Ehryinae had used her staff and her...Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Lwyn''s smile turned as a if a demon, raising an empty glove into the air.  She activated the glove''s magnetism, and with it built her own image of the magnetism pulling form a blade within it.  She tossed this blade at her foes, but the blade had no effect.  Of course, her foes were still too mighty for this, they were metallic soldiers.  Metal, of course there were ways to deal with that one.  She pondered for a moment an electrical burst, but decided that there was too much danger of conduction, considering she was on the facility.  Instead, she opted for a more chemical solution.  Another blade formed in her hand.. and even another in her other hand.  The blade itself struck harmlessly upon her foes, but then burst into a chemical smoke.  She was picturing some of the worst of chemicals, reactive with metal, corroding the metal with not only rust but also a breakdown of chemical composition.  The chemical itself was lighter than air, for her own safety.  Her foes however begun to rapidly meltdown around her.


    Qheria stood as the foes around her fell away, and had looked around.  Thanrie had not given up, and while watching she even noticed the strange vapours rising from the facility.  Lwyn was also pulling new tricks from a hat.  A change of approach, then?  She was originally thinking vectors of force, but that stops working when immaterial threats are involved.  Electricity wasn''t going to stop because it was pushed away, it wouldn''t care.  However, there was an atomic level for electricity, electrons.  She still had to be careful, playing with things atomically could be far more dangerous than normal.  But she didn''t need to play with fusion reactions or anything.  A proton wave, something which could cancel out any electrons passing through, but would still then incinerate enemies in a wave of energy.  She had to be careful though, unlike her usual barrier, she couldn''t pick friends in the range, this would just annihilate anything around her.


    Thanrie however had moved away, and Mhyl was still a distance off.  Qheria charged an unclaimed flank of their enemies and lept into the fray, a glimmer of light shining in her movements.  Several aethyrnz fired at her in the air, but the shots had no effect.  Then Qheria came down, and a blaze of white scoured the field.  Bandits hit were vaporized, while any aethyrnz were left fully inert, everything they had for energy consumed and burned away.  Qheria took in a few deep breaths, the burst having taken a lot from her.  Clearly this was overkill for the bandits, but it worked very well against her mightier foes.


    Mhyl watched as Ihzyhur, Xyithy, and Ehryinae were forced to retreat, herself struggling to stand back up.  She had to feel a bit of pride that she was doing this well, she was actually fighting, but her friends were still doing better.  It was aggravating, it was infuriating, it was unfair.  She had expected much more of herself, she knew she was capable of so much more.  She would not be left behind like this, not when she knew her own focus was supposed to mean so much more.  She then remembered, she had vowed to make her own focus her own advantage, the focus of the elves as her own strength.  She looked to her headset once again, and took her focus to every enemy within no less than 300 Uyn.  She felt for her friends on the field, accounted for them, and focused upon the rest, the enemies that stood around her.  None of them would be spared.


    The sky above started to shimmer with a haze of bright blue in the red haze of the setting sun.  The light grew in brightness and intensity as the sky itself formed countless rings above them in a stacking pillar.  The ground itself begun to glow blue faintly, the yellow and blue mixture making even the grass appear green in this moment.  Thanrie and Qheria looked around them in concern, although they did notice the grass near them yet remained yellow for a fair distance.  Then Mhyl''s wrath was unleashed, and a multitude of energy pillars struck down from the heavens, scouring the grounds below the rings.  It happened in less than an instant, leaving Thanrie and Qheria without sight for a moment.  When the light cleared, Thanrie finished off the last remaining aethyrnz on the field, the rest were already obliterated.


    Mhyl fell over at this point, her stamina completely consumed.  Chyurae rushed out to her aide, bringing her back inside.  Zyuixqs simply stood there, feeling completely out of his element, having been unable to do a thing at all.  However, it wasn''t like the battle was concluded.  With all of the main troops wiped, even the leaders gone in that melee, Khaexyn''s latest innovation stepped forward.  They had no name for these miniature colossal, walking as if they were giant power armor suits.  Thanrie set off against one, her blade rebounding from it harmlessly.  Lwyn recovered her crossbow and fired at one with another chemical blast, but it also had no effect.  Qheria came at several of them with another proton wave, which at least caused damage, but not much more.


    Already, they were facing a foe even more dangerous than the last, and already they would need to strive to even greater heights to claim victory.  The difference in potential, they knew they would get no backup in this fight, the most they could hope for is that Mhyl might be rested enough to let loose with them.  Qheria realized in the aftermath of her own strike that it was very unfortunate Mhyl was down at this point.  Mhyl''s attack might have been enough even for this foe, but her stamina couldn''t endure such demands.  They would either need to find their own victory, or at least hold the line until Mhyl was rested enough for another air strike.


    Qheria considered her enemy, and just how much power it had.  Clearly, an unfocused attack upon the masses wouldn''t work, she needed to be much more focused.  But how would she gather enough power to do much more than scratch this enemy.  As she pondered, she noticed the same enemy had turned to her and had raised it''s arm towards her, an end not unlike a cannon gathering electrical light.  It was going to fire upon her soon.  She pondered using her own attack to negate the attack, but was worried if it might be powerful enough without any amount of focus.  Even with focus, did she have enough power.  As it gathered it''s own power, she wished she had a way to do the same.


    Maybe she did.  Nothing said that it all had to be her own power.  She punched down upon the ground she was standing, a silver barrier emitted before her.  The back of this barrier, she punched with her other hand, and coils sprung from it, circling around to her enemy.  After her attack was set, her enemy fired.  The attack struck the barrier, which begun to glow.  Electrical energy surged along the coils from the completed circuit, bringing all of the energy around to the enemy before her.  The entire thing lit in a surge of electrical force, before it fell over smoldering.  Qheria went to figure out how to deal with her next foe.


    Meanwhile, Zyuixqs dragged little Chyurae along.  He knew they had no way to communicate, but he knew the help would be needed.  He was growing tired of being so useless all the time, having to stand an icon of his family legacy.  He crushed his spear within his grips regretfully, mundane solutions had availed them nothing.  He had been tormented this ever since they were cast away from the Marauders, and especially the lunar cycle without Thanrie.  He had dedicated that time in fact to his betterment, to find something he could do, and he was certain casting aside his legacy was a requirement.


    Zyuixqs reached the fallen armor, and motioned to the casing for Chyurae.  Still not understanding, Zyuixqs tried to open the case by himself.  Chyurae then figured out why he was needed, and opened it up.  Khaexyn had not been original here, the armor had it''s own pilot, even if the pilot wasn''t itself organic.  Zyuixqs tossed the metal carcass out from the suit, and started to make his way inside.  He then motioned for Chyurae to withdraw, which finally was understood.  Chyurae again fled to the shadows and made his way back, unnoticed.  Zyuixqs himself took his seat and got accustomed to what was before him.  This was not a first time for him, none of the girls had in fact considered asking who exactly had driven the facility to the fortress in the first place.


    The system had been overloaded, but it was restoring itself.  If the pilot hadn''t expired in the electrical surge, this thing wouldn''t have stayed down long.  He fiddled with the controls, getting accustomed to what everything did, as the systems came back online.  Pleasantly enough, feeding the electrical circuit had supercharged the cannon, the thing was ready to output even more than it would usually, though that could cook the engine faster.  Funny, according to how this thing had suffered, overloading the system core could chain react the entire system.  This thing craved energy so much that it was a fault, feeding it could tear it apart.


    Zyuixqs got the entire thing back on it''s feet and made his way forwards.  Thanrie paused, seeing another armor approach her, and tried to prepare for her own defense.  However, the new-coming foe instead turned to one of the other power armors and fired upon it.  The foe''s energy levels spiked and surged, then the entire thing detonated.  Thanrie stumbled backwards in surprise, what in the world had just happened?  Zyuixqs popped open the back door.  "Thanrie, they hate their own power, it''s too much for them if they feed upon their own greed.  Give them more than they could ever use."  Zyuixqs finished shouting out the back, closed the door, and moved towards another target.


    Thanrie was only even more shocked to find that was actually Zyuixqs, the useless guy they had always had around them.  She had just been saved by Zyuixqs, of all people.. how did that happen?  Still, his news was also a precious gift, this foe was suddenly so much easier to deal with.  She pondered the details though, usually she would boost something to charge it too much, but boosting it would only increase the energy against her, not the amount contained within.  No, instead she needed to actually supercharge it directly.  She approached another foe, and struck out at it with her weapon.  In that moment, time stopped.  It was perfect, she had a connection, and opportunity.  She charged the link of her weapon with a surge of energy, and then only boosted the energy of the connection, pushing even more power into the result.  Once she had enough, she cut the connection, restoring time.  Her foe meanwhile found itself dealing with far too much energy in the span of an instant, and began to surge.  She walked onward as her foe detonated.


    Lwyn and Qheria caught on to what was going on soon enough too, also surprised that they had an unexpected visitor on the field helping out.  Zyuixqs however wasn''t able to keep going for much longer, his own system starting to suffer finally from being pushed so hard.  He pulled off to safety, leaving the rest to the others.  There weren''t many left at that point though.  Lwyn charged her shots with an electrical surge, taking one down after a few rapid shots connected.  It might have looked slower than Thanrie, but only because Thanrie could stop time.  Qheria eventually only started having problems because her enemies stopped shooting at her.  Their sudden switching to blunt strikes were however easily fended off, leaving victory inevitable.


    Lwyn was the second to collapse on the field, having been able to hold on unto the bitter end.  Qheria and Thanrie made sure she was brought inside along with Mhyl, for a well deserved rest.

 55: Welcomed Recognition

    Everyone slept like a log that night, fully exhausted by the late night exercises.  By morning, everyone had instead been left with the unresolved questions that were only now finally getting to unfurl within everyone''s minds.


    "Holy F~~k, where did Zyuixqs get that talent with tech from?  Did you two see him there?  F~~k!"  "Uh, I missed something, didn''t I?"  Thanrie was only now letting the shock of events wash over her, having already recovered from all of the injuries she had been suffering overnight, due to proper healing.  Mhyl meanwhile had been lost to the waking world before Zyuixqs had held his display of technical prowess, so knew nothing about it.  The other two had noticed that they had a friendly pilot on the field, but hadn''t actually been told who it was.  They hadn''t even seen when Zyuixqs had left the field either.


    "Was that Zyuixqs then?  He was the one inside that thing?"  "Yeah, I know, it''s insane.  I thought it was crazy when Lwyn was trying to use a bow, someone needs to take that guy''s spear away and replace it with.. I don''t know, something more his style.  Even one of those power armor suits would work a million times better.  F~~K..."  Qheria considered the answer Thanrie provided for her.  Rhyde had even said it was a flaw of the Marauders to not recognize the ability of their enemy, and it seemed this was even further correct when some of the marauders were given a chance to actually make use of it.  So far, the four of them were the only ones to use technology directly, especially in combat.  Ehryinae had limited access, mostly to funnel her own gift.  Maybe things would have to change.


    As the four of them headed to breakfast, it seems their own abilities were being reevaluated.  Ehryinae had been impressed with the magnificent display of the gift last night.  What was the most surprising for her perspective was the concepts of its thematic usage, which were completely foreign to her.  Her views of the gift were restricted to something more akin to the fantasy elements Celese had been more known for, but the four girls were using something totally unlike anything ever heard of.  Lwyn''s tiny mushroom cloud was the first wonder she had marvelled upon, herself not actually thinking it was anything but huge.  Thanrie stopping time though caught her eyes later on, something that looked relative to known world principles, but something absolutely insane even in that regard.  Qheria''s prismatic conduit had itself been remarkable and in its own way very nightmarish.  Mhyl''s laser storm however looked like the world was ending.


    Mhyl was actually still upset that her single attack had taken her out, even just before their greatest foe had attacked.  Her stamina had betrayed her once again.  There wasn''t anyone else who saw it this way, however.  The storm she had unleashed was held akin to an act of the divines, as if she had brought forth a god-like power to smite her enemies.  Of course something like that would have been too much for a ... mortal?  Just how insanely powerful was this elven saviour?  Qheria herself has considered that an electrical storm, using their enemies as lightning rods, could have instantly won the entire last phase of the battle.. and she could tell Mhyl would be capable of such a feat.


    Lwyn pondered Mhyls battle prowess.  She might not have been able to do much for a while, but this changed everything.  She was like some kind of battle mage, someone who would set lose with cataclysmic spells that end battles in an instant.  She didn''t have many other ways to fight, but in the games she played on Earth, those mages never needed anything more either.  The fact that Mhyl had so little stamina was the only reason any of the other three would need to fight at all, as far as she was concerned.  To her, Mhyl was their personal super-weapon.


    Thanrie, however, was still more intent on finding Zyuixqs.  She had done well, that was good, it was expected of her, and it happened.  She was still a bit surprised at what the four of them had accomplished, but that was nothing compared to this sudden shift demonstrated by Zyuixqs.  The guy, who was typically useless, had just jumped into her yet hardest challenge yet, taken out a foe even her brother had no chance with, saving her in the process, and kept going like it was normal to take out even more.  Sure, most of it was the potential of the tools given to him, but that was stuff he should have had no way to understand, no way to use at all.  She wanted answers.


    "It was a whole lunar cycle, and someone needed to learn how to make things move when we brought the facility to the fortress.  Everyone else had something they already had to worry about, I just made this mine.  After all, look what yourself and the others was able to do in just a lunar cycle, you weren''t even able to use your gift before you left, as far as I know.  Now you make your brother''s gift seem but a dull dagger to your own keen claymore."  Zyuixqs startled Thanrie in this insight.  It wasn''t even like they had started on the gift right away, she had actually learned far faster than that.  Maybe she was being unreasonable after all.


    Her brother showed up at this point, but kept his distance.  He had seen enough of his sister in action yesterday to know that he also needed to rethink things about her.  She remembered her own actions injuring him.  Talking with Zyuixqs at the time, she reflected upon her own changes.  Zyuixqs himself had changed over time in this too, not being as afraid of her, but defiantly not willing to underestimate her.  Back when she had punched him, it was in a similar situation as with her brother, but not even for the same reasons.  She thought about it, and although her struggles with her gift had been a great weight upon her thoughts, her mind was not the raging torrent it once was.


    They had both claimed that she didn''t understand guys.  With Ihzy, it just seemed like her brother was not appreciating what she was capable of, and was excluding her.  It was mostly how he said it that had bothered her, like she couldn''t take care of herself, even after all her effort.  He hadn''t given her a chance to show what she was capable of, even though she was trying so hard.  She actually didn''t learn about the true nature of the argument for a long time afterwards, and even that just lend credit to the impression she was left with.  But as to the exact comment, the similarity with Zyuixqs, she realized that the principle was the only problem.  Just like her fears of creepy shadows was a Celesi thing, the fact that her memories belonged to a guy wasn''t even a concept of who she was herself.  That''s how she felt at least.  They were of two different worlds, two different lives, and although the memories had changed her dramatically, Zyuixqs himself proved that she might not actually be the best at understanding guys after all.


    She contemplated the concept and the split, the division and separation of lives and memories that haunted her and the other three girls.  Qheria.. Thanrie wasn''t perfectly certain, but she had a very strong feeling that Qheria had also came to terms with her own identity, that the guy in their memories was just the guy of their memories, that both of them were someone else, and it was simply that easy.  They had both in fact moved on, the whole point wasn''t even a discussion anymore.  Their two elves had a similar conflict, and she considered how that had turned out.


    Mhyl still had a poor stamina, and was working hard simply to better herself, not exactly because of any human alternate life.  She could tell, the thing everyone else was marvelling about, it was her elven nature being left to shine.  Mhyl was working on her elven weaknesses while leading with her elven strengths.  It didn''t even feel like she was questioning being completely an elf, not anymore.  She had striven and risen well beyond that, leaving any consideration of humanity behind.  In the process, she had also demonstrated just how similar elves and humans could actually be, and her being natural at fitting in with all the humans lent weight to that idea.  All of their conflicts just felt smaller as a result.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Lwyn.. she was someone Thanrie had to really appreciate for how far she had came.  More than only accepting she was a half-elf, she had also accepted that there was nothing wrong with being a half-elf.  She had taken her fate by the horns and turned it right around.  This was something you could tell shone brightly over her by this point, her own self-respect.  She still wasn''t sure how it happened, but she had a feeling she had somehow helped in the process.  In truth, maybe they had all been priceless support for each other during this entire struggle, such support being the credit for how they had gotten so far with everything they had.


    Marvelling and swooning over how things have improved was a thing, but maybe it was time to move beyond that.  Just as their reactions to things that had gone wrong, even when things instead had gone so right, it was better to move forward than to dwell on the results.  Their lives had improved, their gifts had improved, that was great.. but they still needed to keep going.  This was no reason to stop learning, to stop improving, but it was reason to be allowed to keep going, to be respected for their current abilities.  Zyuixqs himself deserved the exact same, his newfound talents needed to be nurtured, not idly admired.


    Without even a word, Thanrie departed from breakfast, heading towards the smith.  She wanted that recovered suit of armor worked on, personalized for Zyuixqs.. made to work for him.  After all his hard work, he would deserve nothing less.  Watching her leave, the other three decided to wrap things up themselves.  As Mhyl set to go, she found Chyurae had approached her, shyly and silently asking for some of her time as he took her hand.  Mhyl set off with him, to talk about her own language skills, and to pass off a few useful beginner tips.  It wouldn''t be much, but maybe one day it might inspire Chyurae to learn more for himself.


    Qheria found herself quickly facing her mother.  "I want you to know that I''m very proud of you for everything you''ve managed to accomplish, and I''m sorry for never giving you the opportunity to discover it for yourself sooner.  I know, with your memories, you already aren''t the same girl you used to be, but even then I''ll never know the kind of girl you then could have been.   I didn''t ever give you the chance.  Instead, it seems you''ve grown on your own into someone of your own legend, the gift I earned for our blood was only enriched by your own accomplishments.  If there is anything I could do to help you going forward, please let me know."  Xyithy''s sombre mood went silent at this point, giving her daughter a chance to speak.


    Qheria was left to pause, never having had such a conversation with her mother before.  It seems even her own accomplishments had broken through even her mother''s stubbornness.  It was a golden opportunity to have an open and calm conversation, just mother and daughter, something that had been denied of her.  Getting to share her thoughts and feelings of her experiences so far, the common understanding could help them a lot to move forwards.  Qheria left with her mother to hold such a conversation, Rhyde nearby grinning at Qheria''s accomplishment.  He wasn''t sure himself how well his own ability to hold an argument with such an experienced lady would go at this point.


    Yuxzn took the opportunity to step from Rhyde''s shadows and ask for Lwyn''s opinion.   "So, in matters of defense, if we''re going to be faced with such threats in the future.. do you have any ideas in how to best approach things?"  Yuxzn shocked Lwyn, herself being asked by him for a plan of strategy.  They had always considered Yuxzn an icon of strategy, this alone then put Lwyn into a position of apparent high regards.  She could feel the blood rush to her head.  But he had a good point, their enemy was starting to outclass what most of them were even capable of.  The four of them, plus Zyuixqs for a bit, were the only ones capable of standing up to their enemy in the end.  Yuxzn was counting on her knowledge, because he still couldn''t fully account for their complete potential.


    Sxeiva stepped in before Lwyn could reply.  "Pondering defense could be smart, but there shouldn''t be much hurry.  What we saw last night was Khaexyn''s desperation, he threw everything he had at us at once.  Having shut down it all as we did, he will be left at a loss for how to proceed.  By now, he will be fuming in his own helplessness in his office, pleading for another solution.  It will be several days before he will have composed himself enough to discover a better solution.  By then, it will probably be too late for him.  Regardless, you will still need to be ready for his rage and anguish that will certainly come eventually."  Sxeiva walked off when she finished, her own thoughts otherwise occupied.  Lwyn wondered what was keeping her so busy.


    Yuxzn watched Sxeiva depart, still not completely certain what abilities their wisest council had to offer.  "Your mother is quite the mystery here, she always seems to know more than would make sense.  Of course, she should have her own gift at hand for her own needs, though I don''t happen to recall the last time she had used it."  As Yuxzn pondered the matter aloud, Lwyn took the opportunity to consider the same thoughts.  She had a decent idea how her mother was figuring out things she shouldn''t know, but it was true.. through all of their lessons, not once had her mother even shown them a demonstration of the gift.  Even Ehryinae''s lessons had involved some basic demonstrations, but her mother had skipped on that.  In any situation of danger, she had kept withdrawn, not showing anyone her gift either.  It left Lwyn with more questions than answers as she shrugged.


    Their previous subject however was still a good point of interest.  Sxeiva had even established that they would need to have a defense ready, they just didn''t need to have it right away.  A long term plan, then, for whatever new idea her father could cook up.  She headed off with Yuxzn to ponder various ideas of defense, things that might be able to help them, even though they made no real progress.


    By lunch, all of them had received word of a guest arriving at their doorstep.  Unexpectedly, the individual in question hailed from the Rebellion, a factor of everything they hadn''t been dealing with for quite a while now.  The messenger spoke of how word of their recent accomplishments had spread rapidly, both the assault on the fortress and their victory in defense of a siege against what should have been insurmountable odds.  The messenger did not hail from the Marauders, but from the main division of the Rebellion itself.  "Most of all, our esteemed leader has learned that this is from the same group that his son has taken to, and has earned his way within.  There has been growing concern about the implications of exiling such an individual of both high standing and demonstrated ability, and talks have been proceeding to have the exile of all involved to be annulled.  To that purpose and end, your council is appreciated at the rebellions main headquarters, and you will be admitted as guests of the rebellion for that purpose."  The messenger''s message even took Rhyde by surprise.


    Rhyde pondered the destination, a subject most people would not have knowledge of.  "That would involve making our way to the far side of the lake.  This could be a very dangerous expedition, I''m sure you are aware.  Our base is fully mobile, but that would just bring the same wrath from last night to bear upon the rebellion itself.  This could be very difficult to arrange."  Rhyde pondered the situation carefully.  He wasn''t exactly thrilled how things had turned around suddenly, feeling potentially used in the process, but it wasn''t itself bad that people were starting to wake up.  The dangers however were still great.


    Sxeiva however again showed up with unexpected insight, knowing exactly where and when she had to be.  "With Khaexyn feeling so desperate, going so close to him would be perilous.  After several days have passed, however, his desperation will turn to a rage of conquest, and by then few people anywhere will be safe anymore.  If we take three days to prepare, even by relaxing, and then set off, we will arrive at precisely when we are meant to."  Sxeiva sounded slightly sombre as she spoke, a sense of resolution undermining her voice somehow.


    Rhyde accepted this idea, especially considering the part about conquest.  Sxieva could probably be trusted to be right in assuming how Khaexyn thought, that he wasn''t doubting, but then that also implied that things were going to begin very soon.  Though all of his efforts, Khaexyn had only demonstrated preparations for war, never actually making a move.  This news however made it sound like things would be dramatically escalating soon enough.  The moment of truth would be soon to arrive.


    If this was true, there was a lot of work to be done, a lot of things to prepare for, and yet very little they could prepare specifically.  Instead, it almost felt like everything was coming together by it''s own accord, guided by an unseen hand.

 56: Shared Interests

    Though the afternoon, everyone had kept busy with whatever they felt best suited their efforts for their new goals.  Khaexyn would leave them alone for now, but it seemed like he was simply instead focusing on his bigger goals.


    Thanrie had her own ambitions to look into.  She felt a bit of irony and rage at the tech-fearing rebellion deciding to invite them back, just because they''ve started looking really handy.  If she was going to accept this, they would have to get their heads out of their arses and actually start making use of the stuff sitting on their doorsteps.  To make a show of this, she wanted to refit all of the power armor salvage they recovered and get their own forces geared up with some of the best things they''ve ever seen.  Mostly, she had a particular person in mind who most needed the stuff, him being the heir to the leader of the entire rebellion being only a small part of the reason why.


    Zyuixqs would even be driving the entire facility to make the distance.  As is though, the building wasn''t ready for the trip.  Qheria was herself working with Rhyde to make sure this was addressed.  She was even taking account of the abilities for all four of the girls, looking for ways that their setup could be improved in such a short time.  Most things would require more time then they had, but she was certain she could come up with some smaller things.  Makeshift platforms for her shields, an area Lwyn could shoot from, certain sections made more accessible for Thanrie''s boosting...  She just had no idea what to do to help Mhyl.  Mhyl could do so many things, the only thing she could think of was giving her more places to rest.


    The need for rest was exactly what Mhyl was trying to avoid.  Mhyl was treating the entire thing as a three-day workout routine.  She had gone to the smith, attempting to communicate without a translator, and started working on tasks under poor lighting conditions, with herself as the light source.  It meant she needed to concentrate on light the entire time while also focusing on the difficult jobs on hand, mostly related to the tasks Thanrie and Qheria were working on.  She avoided the compulsion to use her gift on the work directly, the chances of making a mistake was too high.


    Lwyn however was busy with Ehryinae.  Ehryinae wanted to know what Lwyn knew about her mother.  "Mostly, all I know is the story she also told you.  Other than that and her ability to.. uh.. predict the future, I guess?  Something like that.  Anyway, yeah, it''s mostly that.  I don''t actually remember my own youth very well, mostly buried behind unhappy memories."  Lwyn took a moment to consider the implications of such, forgetting unhappy memories.  Maybe that''s why she forgot so much about her time on earth?  Maybe her own self was just a bog of unhappy memories?  There was no way she could be sure anymore, but she wasn''t exactly going to let that slow her down anymore.


    "Ah, so her gift helps her to see into the future?  That''s pretty nice, actually."  "Uh, actually, that''s not really a gift thing and is more.. I don''t know, an elven secret?"  "Oh, well, wonder when she will be willing to show us some of her gift then.  She''s almost made it a secret or something."  Ehryinae''s reflection still started to get Lwyn curious.  She couldn''t remember her mother using the gift, true, but why?  Was it so much a secret?  She considered what she knew, realizing that her mother would have a lot of gift to work with, even her training made her understanding very personal.. but why hide it?


    Lwyn''s curiosity had spiked.  She brought Ehryinae over to Sxeiva to get some answers.  "Mom, we were talking about our gift lessons, and wondered if you would be willing to demonstrate some of your own gift.  Just.. getting to see you in action might give me a few more ideas, you know."  "Oh, uh, except your own gift is based far too much upon your memories, you wouldn''t get any ideas from.."  "Please?  I mean, I know I''ll need to use my own ideas to make things work, that''s obvious already.  I just want to see what you can do, that''s all."  Lwyn noticed Sxeiva starting to get nervous at the rationality behind her request.  There were things she was being kept from...


    "Sorry.. I wish I could.. really, I do.  But I can''t, not anymore.  Having access to the gift requires someone to have still enough of.. who they are.. to work at all.  I''ve lost far too much of that to be capable of anything anymore.  Father used to say I had the prettiest gift he had ever seen.  With my ability over the flame, I probably would have been put in charge of the Embers, if all of this hadn''t happened.  I''m glad at least that the Embers have done so well otherwise in my absence.  Ehryinae has been a very good disciple of her pillar."  Sxeiva was finally willing to admit a ghost of her past, concerns that have haunted her for years now.


    Lwyn froze, realizing what she had just done.  Her mother''s loss of organics was haunting her akin to an even worse version of her half-elf fears.  The worst part was that they were well founded, her mother had found her own branch of awesome in her life, had made a path for her to achieve some great things, even being a half-elf.. and then had everything taken from her.  She had thus forced her mother to recount and admit to her own dark past, her own lack of ability... and Lwyn knew exactly how it felt to do that.


    Ehryinae meanwhile was shocked herself.  Sxeiva wasn''t only the daughter of the arch-magus, but would have been in charge of her Embers if things had gone better, one day possibly succeeding the Arch-Magus to the honor of the Embers.  She had effectively taken the position from Sxeiva as a result of Sxeiva''s disappearance.  It started to make even more sense why her pillar was on the Arch-Magus'' mind when it came to matters of his family.  This itself, above everything, might have been why she was initially chosen for this task, way back in the beginning.  This fact, maybe alone.  It gave her an even greater respect for her.. superior, honestly.


    Having gotten the news from Sxeiva, Lwyn tried to back off, but Ehryinae asked for more.  She herself wanted to learn how to better use her flame, how that might help.  Being the one who fired the cannon with her flame, anything more she could learn would only help them out going forwards.  Lwyn eventually decided to help out with this topic, just to lighten the load on her mother.  They discussed some of the principles of the process, and how Ehryinae was working with everything.  Lwyn had been innocent to a few of the details, especially with how much was decided only after she had left for the Fortress.


    "Considering everything runs on steam, I''m surprised you aren''t using flame as a water heater.  We saw how good your fire is at boiling water, couldn''t we just capitalize on that to really get some power into the system?"  Lwyn''s idea caught the other two by surprise.  No one had thought of anything like that, especially considering how fire is supposed to be weak to water.  Lwyn knew the truth though, as would Mhyl, if the goal was steam, fire played an incredible role in the entire process.


    It wasn''t long for her ideas to start working along side Qheria''s own, leading to a chain of improvements upon the original design for even greater output.  Some mock tests proved that the resulting heat could increase their overall power yield immensely, more than any wind generation she was doing.  Considering the power behind Lwyn''s own shots at this point, she could fairly reasonably replace their main weapon anyway.  The whole system was left in place regardless, as a backup weapon when they didn''t need as much steam in the system.


    Mhyl had initially gotten excited about the improvements, only to realize that it still wouldn''t be enough for her own vision.  Getting the place to fly, it seems it was as complicated as the piano idea she had earlier, the one that they had also given up on already.  She clearly dreamed big, spanning visions of ideas that were the epitome of complexity.  It was possibly how come her gift always had such dramatic effects as well, but in about the same way, it was too taxing to try such complex ideas when simpler solutions would have far fewer requirements and might actually work.  It was a lesson she would have to consider for herself as well.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Thanrie meanwhile had been proud to finally revitalize one of the power armors, the one that Zyuixqs had been using previously.  She also gave it back to him, considering he had adjusted to it so well.  "Okay, so lets take this out in the field.  You''re a big target with this, so this is going to be hard, but lets see how well you can do.  I''m going to lash out at you with my weapon.  Don''t worry, if I connect, I''ll just follow through with my gift, generally doing nothing.  You won''t be hurt, the armor won''t even take damage, but I want you to dodge anyway."  Thanrie wanted to test him with it.


    She lashed out towards him with a simple horizontal sweep, and he guided the machine easily out of the way.  She turned around with a series of vertical drops, moving a lot faster.  Nothing.  She swung out a boosted horizontal sweep then, three of different heights, one in the reverse direction.  Hop, dash, dash.  He was good, he was very good.  She needed something more challenging.  She made use of her gift to cause a flux in time, making it seem like she threw three blades together, slightly behind the other, while advancing rapidly with her boots.  The third one connected.  That was still really good, all things considered.


    She also considered her own trick, clearly her gift had a lot of potential if she could mess with time itself.  Well, maybe she wasn''t exactly messing with time, it''s not like she could outright manipulate the past and future, not the same way Sxeiva seemed to be able to.  She had a feeling that Sxeiva had quite a trick of her own, being able to do something like that.  Having the flow of the world at her disposal like that was giving them a lot of lucky opportunities.


    Regardless, the whole power armor idea was going remarkably well.  The entire device broke the whole steampunk vibe though by having a lot of electrical current.  Harnessing "lightning" like that was a lot more advanced.  She recalled for a moment that Khaexyn was actually getting all of his inspiration from the internet.  Just what kind of sites was he looking up?  Worse, how was he getting everything translated, she was pretty sure Earth had no web software that could translate to Izhaethyx.  That might be something they would need to keep in mind, but it could just be the gift handling it for him.  Moving a lot of this data to Celese would require changes, its natural form was just computer bits.  The gift was reliant on ideas, so maybe the gift was presenting the ideas itself, automatically understood.


    She would have to consider and apply her own ideas to this ''gift'' Khaexyn had left them.  Hacking their enemy, using their enemy''s tech against them, that was actually a wonderful idea.  Actually, she could picture how this works in principle, maybe she should really try a connection with these AI enemies in the future, and then hack them through it.  A bit of technological mind control, now that would be valuable.  In fact, as she recalled from her earth days, the internet was well known for being lax in matters of cyber security, if she was lucky Khaexyn had learned such bad examples for himself.


    With what they had, however, getting access to electrical weapons was really good, such energy weapons would be capable of a lot more than would be expected.  Most likely, Khaexyn was expecting the gift, the Celesi version.  That meant a lot of stuff that was almost primitive in its elemental structure.  Weapons that were far more scientific would be much harder to account for.  Zyuixqs should keep using the lightning spear.. as they were taking to call it.. more like a Tesla-Coil.  They should also see if they could make more of them, maybe some.. uh.. lightning rifles?  Rifles themselves might be good, from sub-machine guns to sniper rifles.  She could still remember all of her favourites from first person shooters, maybe she could figure out how to make them, with all of their records.. and maybe some help from Mhyl.


    Mhyl herself had to take a break early, her stamina training had drained her.  She practically started just meditating with a floating ball of light, trying to both rest and recover while focusing on her gift in the process.  She even went through dinner sitting in a lit room with her sphere of light following her.  No one wanted to ask questions, Mhyl looked like she was strained enough as is.  She didn''t practice with anything else, just getting her light going the entire time was good enough.  If she could build up her own stamina, she was already capable of impressive feats, she just needed to have the stamina to keep using them.


    After dinner, Qheria had her turn to take a break.  She went to the training room, practicing her gift in it''s simplicity.  She had struggled with the idea of having all her attacks generate from herself, usually to blow her enemies away.  Having more advantage as enemies were stuck in a closer area simply made a lot of the process harder, she had to jump around to get more things done.  Her enemies were being blown away from her, the wrong direction.  However, if the idea was formed as such within her head, then why not simply take the principle with the most obvious solution.  Have the entire wave pulse in the reverse direction, a force wave that dragged everything towards her.


    She tried it with a few boxes, making sure her wave was as harmless as possible.  They all flung at her, leaving her in a heap.  Well, that didn''t work as well as planned.  She considered the process and made another attempt.  This time, she lashed out at the ground, having the momentum propel her upwards along with her usual jumping technique.  Meanwhile, she had the same wave rushing inwards, and all the boxes tumbled in a heap below her.  Picturing her obvious follow up, her gift accidentally committed to it, sending her in a downward plummet with a rush of force, crushing all the boxes below her.  It wasn''t the lack of force she was expecting of herself, but it was the kind of results she was hoping to apply in the future.  She could even consider other ways to spruce up the same combo.. later.


    For now, she returned to her work.  She was insistent to make sure that the pumps in the facility would be able to endure a greater pressure, especially after all the improvements possible for them.  Increasing heat, maybe even boosting the entire system, it would have a lot of dramatic effects.. especially if something went wrong.  She had already suffered as the victim of something going wrong in such a situation, she wasn''t going to let the same mistake happen twice.  Being able to use her gift to artificially strengthen everything helped, but she was only going to depend on it in the event of an error during their reconstruction.  She didn''t want to have the entire system depend on her always being there to not break.


    All four of them worked hard on their self-assigned chores well into the evening, and made their way into the night.  They even had plans for how things would proceed the next day.  Rhyde was starting to get alarmed by everyone''s eagerness, and was considering ways he could lighten the tension at one point before they all just headed off into danger.  Giving everyone a good morale boost was part of being a leader.  In that though, he had some doubts.  He walked passed the unused instruments that were still stored away.. clearly the best ones at building morale was the four girls.  He considered making the request of Qheria, maybe holding another grand performance before they left.  In fact, that game from before.. Footsphere.. maybe that would be some good practice too.  They would have to make time for both, maybe on their final day before leaving.


    Rhyde worked out the details with Yuxzn, who took everything into account.  It certainly looked like it was a plan that could work, and it had some considerable advantages.  He would have to make sure everyone was aware of the plan though, so that they could aim to have everything done before the final event.  Perhaps having a day exactly as before, Footsphere after a good lunch, ending with a musical performance to bring everything into dinner.  However, that would also mean there would need to be time to prepare for such, he did recall that it was the musical event that had been the last step in Lwyn''s spiral of despair.  For the whole thing to bring good morale, it had to be a success.


    Sxeiva also settled into bed, after putting her mechanical parts through some maintenance.  Several of her parts were already starting to malfunction from neglect, but that was something she knew to expect.  She had tried to make use of some of the equipment found at the facility to make better repairs, but absolutely nothing compared to the equipment she had in the basement of her spire.  She took a deep breath in, returning to her original resolve.  Just a bit more, and she wouldn''t need to worry any longer.


    All of them continued working further on their projects over the next day, making their visions become more of a reality.  By morning the next day, the last day before their departure by the dawn that would follow, there was very little they had left to prepare before it was time to depart.

 57: Final Event

    Tomorrow would be the fated day they would set off on their journey, the day everything would begin.  Sxieva had predicted that this would be the end of all their preparations, and with this the true face of the war would be revealed, as Khaexyn''s conquest would spread in earnest.


    Thanrie was troubled about this return to the Rebellion once again.  It wouldn''t be the Marauders, they were going to the main host of the Rebellion, but she still didn''t have complete hope in them.  After the Marauders dismissed them for their acceptance in using technology, it was hard to have such hope.. but worse was this was going to involve Zyuixqs'' father.  She already had concerns about him, why would he have been sent to the Marauders instead of left with his family?  She hadn''t thought of that before, but it was dawning on her now.  Also, what kind of parent lets their child be exiled like that...


    Qheria was spending the last of the morning working on the Footsphere match.  There were so many disputes on team compositions last time.. she needed to make sure the teams were perfect this time.  She knew not to underestimate the elves, Mhyl was a terror in the front lines.. and it wouldn''t be fair to put Rhyde against that.  Last time they just took their original idea and just threw in everyone else, but that wasn''t exactly fair either.  Lwyn would go on her side, Thanrie would join Mhyl.  This gives them the most insane offense imaginable, but puts her team on a glory of a defense.  Leading with strengths could make things really interesting.


    Yuxzn would be put on Rhyde''s defense, since they knew each other so well, along with Zyuixqs.  It was a triple pair that had a great chemistry, which could give them an interesting defense.  Meanwhile, Chyurae would pair up with Lwyn, a stealth advantage against Mhyl''s expert moves.  This left her mother and Thanrie''s brother as their offense line, the two rivals.  This might not have been the smartest move, but Qheria saw the big picture.. they would have to work together on the roads ahead, might as well get used to it.  Of the days in passing, they really haven''t done that bad, it had been even their rivalry that had put them together so well, so she did have high hopes in that pair.


    Mhyl was focused on the musical performance, something she knew had to work out, no matter what.  The last time they had held this, it had broken Lwyn.  This time, they would make it work.  They had even done some practicing last night, she was sure everything was going to be fine.  In the lunar cycle since their last performance, Lwyn had changed a lot, she was far more self-confident, it would happen.  But.. this still had to be amazing, they were holding a performance to keep everyone''s spirits up through the trials ahead.


    To make sure everything would work out, she was out perfecting the stage area.  There was so much temptation to add the gift into the performance, make it even better.  Put Thanrie on an audio boost, her gift working like a sound amplifier.. stuff like that.  It was an interesting train of thought, but also too risky, splitting their focus during such a performance.  One day, a gifted performance might be really cool, but not today.. today, their gift would get a break.  Mhyl wasn''t even being followed by a floating light today.


    Lwyn went to visit the smith, hearing that the smith had called her in.  On arrival, she was given four identical clear crystalline pendants, a single small blossom suspended inside.. as if frozen in time.  While it wasn''t anything Thanrie did, technically they were frozen in time, the crystal itself keeping the blossom from ever changing.  It was an idea Mhyl had came up with, though she understood little how it worked.  Lwyn put one of the pendants on, carrying the other three with her.  This was to be a symbol of their friendship, a priceless artifact on their trials ahead.


    As Lwyn left the smith, she took a time to wonder.. why today?  Something wasn''t adding up, Khaexyn was expected to shift his approach very soon, but somehow that didn''t seem to match up.  She had talked with her father, she did have a general idea of his ambitions.  He was more set against the laws of the world than exactly anyone else, and yet his desperation was expected to shift into rage.  Was one of his machinations going to fail him?  She remembered dismissing his video game offer, he didn''t seemed to be one phased by that sort of thing, he was almost too stubborn to give up just because something stopped working.  After all, her father was an idiot.


    Even by lunch, this thought was left unresolved.  Lwyn decided that it was something that would require more information, something they would probably find once they reached the lakeside.  For now, she would have to keep moving forward, to focus on the present.  She met up with the others during lunch and passed off the other three pendants.  The others also put theirs on right away, appreciating the feeling of unity.  Qheria then started sharing the plan for teams right after lunch, building hype for everyone to be ready.


    Thanrie and Mhyl exchanged a glance at the news, they would be on the same team?  Would that even be fair?  Lwyn also noticed the meaning behind this, Qheria had personally chosen her for the team, she was being depended on in this.  She was thus determined to not let Qheria down.  The rest of the teams were a matter of interest as well, exactly how would this shift impact the results of their match?


    Quickly after lunch, it was time to begin.  Everyone took their place on the field, Sxeiva taking a place near Ehryinae, to watch how things pan out.  The match signal was given, and almost instantly Thanrie had the ball.  She dashed forwards, making her way past her brother, and faced the elven defense.  Instead of pushing a further offense, Thanrie backed off and passed to Mhyl.  Mhyl started forwards, took a shot on net.. and her foot met with air.  Chyurae passed the ball up to Xyithy, as Mhyl wondered what had happened.  Xyithy pressed her advantage and approached Yuxzn, who was smiling.  No surprise, he had a plan, he always did.  She moved off towards the side of the field.. and then set a long pass to Ihzyhur.


    Ihzyhur was generally surprised to be given this opportunity, but he wasn''t going to squander it.  He now had to face off against Zyuixqs, both of them sharing a dark glare.  Those two had a bit of a rivalry as well, something they had yet to overcome.  Ihzyhur pressed forwards, sidestepping Zyuixqs'' assault, and moved to make a shot.  However, Zyuixqs had cut back and snatched the ball in the same movement, his original motion was only a feint.  Zyuixqs passed the ball back up to Thanrie as Yuxzn''s grin did not fade.  Xyithy cursed her misfortune.


    Thanrie turned back to her offense.. and still wasn''t sure of the best approach.  Chyurae was just going to surprise them, like usual.  Qheria tested the heavy poles she had set up earlier for their strengths, returning to the middle as Thanrie took to the offense.  A trick shot then, she lashed out for a long range shot, aiming for the top corner of the net, a difficult move in most cases, and opposite the side Qheria had just approached from.  It was like an invitation.  As the ball approached, Lwyn dashed up the pole, vaulting down onto the ball from above with a kick that sent it flying hard, rebounding hard off of the opposite net''s pole.  Lwyn cursed her luck, clearly she had gotten too used to having her aim handled for her.  Everyone else was stunned for a moment at the cross-field shot.


    Yuxzn found he had the ball unexpectedly at that moment and tried to push the ball forwards.  Xyithy however was still present, and intercepted the ball in his confusion.  She pressed into a shot passed all defense... and again passed off to Ihzyhur, who struck instantly for a goal.  Yuxzn was at a loss, he hadn''t planned for this one at all.. last time maybe, but...  It was clear that Lwyn was making things very hard to predict.


    Thanrie once again had the ball to start the new round.  She started off with a dash again past her brother, who was getting frustrated at not even keeping up.  Once past, she kept advancing.. and then passed the ball to Mhyl.  Lwyn stopped her rush forwards once Thanrie no longer had the ball, but was startled when Mhyl instantly passed the ball right back to Thanrie.  Chyurae stumbled, his efforts wasted, and Lwyn had no time to blink as Thanrie went past.  Thanrie then took her shot, only for Qheria to block it with her leg.  Chyurae intercepted the ball at this point, only to find himself the one suddenly without the ball soon after.  Mhyl took her own shot on net, and Qheria grabbed the ball from the air.


    Thanrie was starting to catch on just how insane this defense was.  She also knew Mhyl would start to wear down soon, they had to score somehow.  Qheria passed the ball up to Lwyn.. and the ball went flying ahead.  Ihzyhur had the ball this time, and pressed his attack in the short window, making a full shot on net.  Rhyde himself was the one that had to block this one, it got past all their other defense.  Zyuixqs was given the ball, who tried to slip past Ihzyhur.. and failed.  Ihzyhur looked for an opening, seeing none he then passed to Xyithy.  She took her own shot, but was intercepted by Zyuixqs as well, with Yuxzn still standing backup.  There was no opportunity for a goal.


    Zyuixqs brought the ball up to Thanrie for another shot.  She advanced again on Lwyn, and then made for a pass, causing Lwyn to pause again.  Instead of passing, she pushed around Lwyn and kept going, breaking through.  Then, following her original goal, she made an upper corner shot again.  Lwyn was in no position to counter this time.  Qheria however barely knocked the ball aside, but Mhyl was there to take it.  With the net wide open, her shot scored.


    There were no further goals through the match, as the defense begun to set in.  Qheria''s defense was powerful, when complimented by Lwyn and Chyurae.  Both Chyurae and Mhyl started to tire from things first, but Qheria and Lwyn held their defense against Thanrie.  Eventually Lwyn and Yuxzn started to tire, which should have given Thanrie an edge, but she found her brother getting in her face instead, Xyithy only making matters worse.  As the field fell into a tired chaos, there was no chance to mount any further offenses against the towers that were Qheria and Rhyde.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    After a quick break, it was time for the musical performance.  The plan was to begin when Mhyl said she was ready, even though Mhyl was adamant that her ability to recover her stamina really wasn''t a problem.  Lwyn was getting the impression in fact that her personal ability to recover her stamina was improving beyond anyone else, as Lwyn herself was actually still a bit tired.  So instead, once Lwyn said she was recovered enough to begin, they took to their stage.


    Mhyl was physically ready, but she was still a bit tense, hoping things would work out.  She had checked everything, right?  There wasn''t... Mhyl took a deep breath, there was no point in panicking about anything at this point.  She would have to just trust things would be okay, and just do what she could if anything went wrong.  They had learned this lesson already, they always had to move forwards.  She felt the pendant bounce off her chest in reminder, everything would be okay.


    Lwyn herself closed her eyes for a moment to relax as well.  This was her chance to make amends, to prove she belonged with her friends.  Her pendant reminded her, she really did belong here.  She owed everyone the performance of their lives, and she was determined to make up for the past faults with her present success.  She just had to relax, she had this after all.


    Mhyl begun her singing again, similar to their last performance.  It was the exact same song as before, with one exceptional change.  Mhyl had found and memorized all of the Izhaethyx lyrics, and was singing that instead.  She had a bit of a soft accent in her tones, but the languages were close enough that it didn''t stand out very much.  This was what she was truthfully working on that morning, making sure she had the entire song memorized.  The other three knew of this plan, but everyone else was surprised at the outcome.  Lwyn was proud for having helped her with the words the night before.


    Thanrie was up next, her drums taking the stage once more, as Qheria stepped in to support.  The tone began to rose once more, as Lwyn stepped forwards and closed her eyes.  She took her bow to her violin and begun playing along, her violin fitting in perfectly with the flow of the melody.  The violin sounded soft and resonant in her hands, blending in evenly with the music in a rich harmony.  Mhyl took to the lead of the song, the center of the entire performance, her voice resounding through the hall amidst the others.  Their crowd started to cheer to the melody, as the volume picked up and rose.  At the strongest point of the song, with an audience full of smiles, people started clapping along to the beat.  And once it reached it''s softer ending, the room was otherwise still, fully absorbed by the impressions left by the song.


    Nearing the end of the song, Mhyl went quiet and stepped back, the lyrics concluded.  The others continued to play, building an after-melody to the song.  Mhyl really liked this feeling, for a song all about striving to impossible heights and overcoming lofty goals with a strong devotion, having a moment left afterwards to reflect on everything just felt fitting.  It was what they each had needed as well, with their own struggles to keep going.  Lwyn was the last to keep playing, bringing everything into a solemn solo for a short period.


    The applause was resounding, the experience was thrilling, smiles were everywhere.  Lwyn glanced over their audience, seeing not a single face without a smile, leaving her with a smile in turn.  She found her mother in the audience, also with a solemn smile.. and sad eyes.  Lwyn paused for a moment, this somehow alarming her.  She glanced at the others and met Thanrie''s eyes.  Thanrie suddenly had a feeling something was wrong, and Lwyn caught on instantly.


    Pouncing like a cat, Lwyn was up the wall and across the room in an instant.  Sxeiva''s eyes closed slowly, as she collapsed into Lwyn''s arms.  They carried her off into a room, so that Aelyiq could look into the matter, along with the Wardens.  Mhyl was almost ready to curse their misfortune, everything had gone so well too.  They hadn''t made a single mistake, so why had things gone wrong once more?


    Aelyiq shook his head.  "I''m sorry, I''m not sure what I can do.  Most of her body isn''t even .. living.  She''s mostly of the fortress instead of anything else.  She almost needs the smith or something more than myself."  Aelyiq''s Izhaethyx was partly lost on Mhyl, but she had learned enough to get the basic clues, and it put everything together for her in a nice pattern.  A workshop of the fortress, that''s exactly what they had left behind.  Sxeiva had told them she had done self care in the basement every day, to take care of her inorganic parts.. and they had left that behind.


    "Sxeiva needs Spire Workshop."  Mhyl tried her best to share her ideas, and it was enough for Lwyn.  "Certainly we could.. it''s just.. we could.."  Lwyn found her mother had stirred slightly and was shaking her head.  "No, there is no longer any time."  "Time!  Thanrie, you could..."  Sxeiva again shook her head, causing Lwyn to pause.  "Lwyn, I''m sorry for having put such a burden upon you.  Be careful with the path you tread going forwards, to save my life at this point you would also have to reach through the veil and change the world.  It is not even my life you would be saving, in all accounts I have really been dead for a good many years already.  If the world had not whispered about a chance to gain my freedom and watch just how much you have grown, I would have left it behind years ago.  Living in a caged shell of metal like this.. isn''t even living.  My gift was the first to leave me, but I don''t even see with my own eyes, I don''t even breath with my own lunges, nor speak with my own voice.  This torment.. needs to end..."  Sxeiva trailed off at this.


    Lwyn paused at the reference to the gift.  Lwyn had previously reflected on how much her mother''s loss of organics were haunting her, how her life had been taken away from her.  She knew how much that kind of thing could hurt, she had even considered her own death in that regards.  However, unlike Lwyn, there was no longer any way to fix this with her mother.  Her father had ensured that there was no other way, by removing all of her hope and replacing it with despair.  She was starting to clue in to her answers from before, why today was so important, and why things would change.  Khaexyn himself would know how long she could survive away from the fortress, that''s why he was so desperate.  In a few more days, her mother''s body would just fail itself from lack of maintenance, and she would perish.  As is, it seems she wouldn''t last the day in the waking world, her body would go comatose anytime now, just to try and hold on.  They could all see just how much she was suffering and struggling.. and after that, she would be gone.  There was nothing Khaexyn obsessed more over than his family, this would drive him into a fury.


    This was driving her into a fury in turn, because it was her father that had engineered this fate, being such an idiot.  How could he do this thing to...  She calmed down, recalling the story about the original injury that had almost killed Sxeiva.. both of the two incidents, actually.  Lwyn had not been ignorant to desperation from life-threatening situations, it had thrown her through some far reaches of insanity herself, and she had almost been lost to it herself, just like her father.  Blaming anyone wasn''t right, that was their lesson through all of their own torment, to keep moving onward.  But now.. what does she do now, facing a problem such as this?


    Mhyl didn''t even have words at this point, giving Lwyn a hug.  She could see how this was panning out, they all could.  To save Sxeiva, they would have to put Sxeiva in a frozen time bubble, using Thanrie''s gift.  Then, giving up on their promise to the Rebellion, they would have to head to the Fortress.  There would be no way to sneak her in, they would have to surrender Sxeiva to Khaexyn.  To prevent their death, Lwyn would have to do it alone, which would have her captive again.  With the invitation to save her mother present, Lwyn would find herself lost in her father''s work again.. and having given up everything to save her mother, she would have to give up on doing anything to stop him.  Sxeiva wouldn''t survive otherwise, not with her living requirements.  Sxeiva''s life was Khaexyn''s greatest bargaining chip for keeping his daughter devoted to his side.


    In fact, this was inevitable.  Stopping Khaexyn, stopping the fortress, it would remove everything that could save Sxeiva.. unless Lwyn took over her father''s vision for him.  Sxeiva understood what her own life was doing to her daughter, how much it was holding Lwyn back.  Surviving this was impossible, so she kept quiet about the whole matter and just enjoyed her last few days with her daughter, getting to witness just how nicely her daughter was doing.  Until this had happened, their hopes had never been higher...  Sxeiva obviously had plenty of reasons to be proud of her daughter.


    Mhyl paused in reflection of this family treatment.  It was a gift of freedom that none of them had been given freely.  They all had to fight for it.  Thanrie, Qheria, Mhyl, they all had to run away from home to get this freedom.  Sxeiva even said she had to fight for this freedom when she was little, deprived of it by her father, until suddenly found locked away by her husband too.  Clearly she understood how valuable the chance to be free was.  Even so, this fate... Mhyl wiped away her tears.  It wasn''t just Lwyn even, all four of them had started looking up to Sxeiva for guidance this whole time, and had grown close to her.  To suddenly lose her like this, it was far too unfair.  And unlike their family, Sxeiva even had a plan for when to tell everyone.. being able to predict everything so well.  Sure, it was at the last moment, but unlike many, she was actually opening up before the last moment happened.


    "My time.. my time is at an end, at last.  What I need you to do is to extract the core from me, sitting in place of what used to be my heart.  This will cut all systems, and bring an end to everything.  That core though is important, a marvel of Khaexyn''s greatest work.  He had practically ripped it from the veil itself, torn from fragments of data from earth.  Once you stop him, you will have to use it to close the veil, and bring everything to an ending.  Beyond that, the book my mother left me, I leave to you.  My father should still have it, he will know to pass it on to you.  Once again, I''m sorry.  I wish you the best in your efforts and your life going forwards...  Farewell..."  Sxeiva made it seem like Lwyn was expected to do the job herself, to end her own mother''s life.


    Lwyn sat there struggling through tears for a long while after that, her mother waiting patiently, eyes already closed and body already unmoving.  But there was no other solution, there was no other way her mother could be alive.. could be free.  To deny this would be to deny her her own freedom, it wouldn''t even be granting her life.  Lwyn fought against the fainting she felt was onset, gripped her pendant, the irony of having a blossom petrified in time as her own symbol was not lost to her in that moment.  But just like the blossom, it''s flower''s life could not be saved, but the memory of it.. of her mother.. would be preserved.. for the rest of their lives.  This was her responsibility, much greater than any responsibility she had ever faced before, and she had no choice but to bear it.  She had to.. it was the only way she could keep going forward.


    Lwyn would be found weeping for the rest of the day, clinging hard to the bloodied core that had powered her mother''s final moments.  With Sxeiva''s passing, the fate of the world had finally been chosen, in that one final event.

 58: Precious Hearts

    As planned, the entire base set off the next day for the lakeside.  The time had finally arrived, there was nothing else they could do but to keep going forward.


    Lwyn was still grasping her mother''s core, most of the red shredded already to reveal the golden mechanisms beneath.  It looked sorta like a jigsaw cube.. except it was golden and a sphere and it wasn''t moving.. at least, not anymore.. and not ever again.  She looked across the multitude of blank panels spanning the device that had lost it''s purpose.  No, no it hadn''t.. her mother had told her that she would need to find a way to set this thing into the veil itself.  This was how her mother would be here with her, helping her to achieve her goals.


    She clung once more to the core, the passing words she had managed in the end before removing the core not feeling enough.  Saying goodbye was so very hard, and it hurt so very much.  This wasn''t even the first time she had been forced to endure the death of her mother, but it still hurt so very much.  Even after the whole facility begun to move, with Zyuixqs at the helm, Lwyn kept to her room, clinging to the core.


    Mhyl had set off early, making sure to tend to the sort of stuff Lwyn typically did.  Thanrie and Qheria had decided to help out as well, considering they had a month of training with a wide assortment of chores.  It wasn''t lost upon them though who had been responsible for these lessons, who they had worked under doing these tasks originally.  In fact, somehow, that knowledge just made the whole thing even more fitting.  Thanrie was sweeping up the floor around several of the rooms and halls, while Qheria was sweeping in the storage room and Mhyl was doing the dishes left from lunch. Lwyn hadn''t even had lunch, although Mhyl still made sure something was saved for her.


    Mhyl suddenly found herself beside Chyurae, who had started helping by drying dishes.  "Will Lwyn be okay?"  "Of course she will, she''s gotten really strong.  She just.. needs some time."  Chyurae it seems was as worried as Mhyl was.  Lwyn had kept hard feelings from them before, Mhyl was worried that the old plastic smile might return once again.  Mhyl clung to her pendant, wishing that somehow things would still work out.  Maybe when she finished here, she should go check up on Lwyn, see if she had gotten hungry yet..


    Qheria was at a loss.  She was tall, but the shelves before her towered over her, and she had no way to tend to the upper shelves.  This was something Lwyn was always far better at.  Qheria was.. impressed with how much Lwyn had grown, even being their shortest.  The soccer match, her cross-field kicks were impressive.  The first had almost scored, the second was a pass that had lead to a goal.  Later, her music had improved dramatically for that performance, even after having only failed it before.  But the bravest part of it all was her having the courage to fulfill the passing request of Sxeiva.  Qheria couldn''t even imagine how rough it would be, being asked to help end one''s own mother''s life like that.  Braving death, being a sacrifice to save another, it was actually far easier than facing a life of loss.  Although, maybe it was her own sacrifice that had helped Lwyn gain this strength...


    Rhyde and Yuxzn showed up, discovering that Qheria was having a few troubles with her volunteer work.  Rhyde however explained that, with Lwyn gone to the fortress, they had already set about making a ladder for this very reason.  Qheria was shown where the ladder had been hiding, as Yuxzn took the opportunity to make his own request.  "How.. how is Lwyn doing?"  Just like Rhyde, neither of them were used to situations of sacrifice.  Rhyde had been impressed earlier, before the Fortress, by Qheria''s dramatic leadership as she sacrificing herself to save Lwyn.  Yuxzn was now impressed by Lwyn''s courage in much the same way.  He might have made choices that threatened peoples lives, made choices that had cost people''s lives... but he had never been forced to choose that someone close and important to him should just simply die, no matter what the reasons and outcomes might have been.  This was one thing he just simply could not wrap his head around.


    "She''s still coping with her decision, last I heard.  What she did, that wasn''t easy, so we''ve agreed to give her the time she needs.  She''s grown a lot, she''s gotten strong.."  "You all have, honestly.  Just let us know if you have to run off again, please."  Qheria wasn''t going to sugar-coat her thoughts like Mhyl, but she still mentioned her belief in Lwyn.  Rhyde was forced to agree, while wishing for the best.  They all had.. that wasn''t wrong.  Qheria had a lot of reason to be proud of her team, the pendant around her neck reminding her she was yet a part of that same team.  She resumed her work, intent on lifting some of Lwyn''s responsibilities.


    Thanrie was left contemplating the reality of the situation as she swept.  Sxeiva had been their caretaker for so long, but now she was gone.  Sxeiva was even attuned to the flow of the world, which had brought them a lot.  Sxeiva was someone they had started looking up to countlessly, starting to depend on countlessly.. and was now gone.  Thanrie was mostly worried that Sxeiva might have been their source of good fortune over their entire journey, the thing that had kept them safe though it all.  If she was gone, they would not be safe anymore.  Their lives were in their own care, their own responsibility.. no more miracles would just happen without warning.  They had to now be very careful, so that no one else would be lost like Sxieva was..


    Mid-sweeping, Thanrie froze.  She spotted Lwyn walking by with laundry, tending to other responsibilities as a way to keep moving forwards.  Lwyn had finally in fact decided that, like they had always called for, she had to keep going, to keep making her mother proud.  She had thus stored safely away the core she had been clinging to, the one which had been blood-soaked originally, most of the blood now staining her own hands.  Thanrie watching Lwyn go by with laundry.. her hands a horrific nightmare of blood.. Thanrie shrieked and ran to Lwyn.


    Lwyn dropped the laundry, being startled so suddenly.  Thanrie ran to her and checked Lwyn''s hands, making sure everything was alright, her panic another layer to her pale.  "Oww.. why did you do that?"  "Your hands.."  "Oh, right, I guess I should wash them first.  Maybe I should get the core wiped down too, it was such a bloody mess."  Lwyn''s ears still rung as Thanrie''s pale face shifted to a red embarrassment as she clued in to what had actually happened.  Thanrie took a moment to remind herself that Lwyn was really going to be okay, there was no reason to worry.


    As Lwyn wandered off, Qheria and Mhyl showed up at a dash, worried about what had happened.  Zyuixqs however had arrived first.  "Thanrie, are you alright?  What happened?"  "Oh, uh.. I.. Nothing!"  Zyuixqs checked to make sure Thanrie was alright, only to find himself getting snarled at suddenly.  Zyuixqs just stood there patiently.  "I was just seeing things, okay.  I thought Lwyn had hurt herself, that''s all.  She''s off cleaning her mother''s blood from her hands now though.  I''m.. I''m sorry to bother everyone."  Thanrie eventually just expressed the problem.  Mhyl and Qheria noticed the abandoned laundry, and started putting even more of the picture together.  After consoling Thanrie through her fears, they each returned to their work.


    Lwyn eventually got the blood off her hands, even though she never truly got rid of the feeling.  She still knew what responsibility she had to face, what fate her father had left for her.  All of that was setup because her father could no longer cope with the way the world worked, and was set to change it.  He was going to change things for the worse, but itself.. the need for change wasn''t wrong.  Her mother wasn''t left to face inevitable death because her father wanted to change the world, her mother was set to die because of the same hatred Khaexyn was set on eliminating.  He himself blamed the world for the whole deal.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Her own knowledge though lent her understanding.. his path was doomed to fail.  Remaking the world wouldn''t just be some magic solution that would fix everything.  There was a bit of irony in that statement, him using the gift to make things happen.  However, reflecting on the idea, she didn''t actually fully agree with the irony.  The gift wasn''t itself something as strange and unknown as magic, it was a real thing that was a part of their lives.  It was just another part of Celese, something that fit into their everyday lives.  There was nothing magical about it, not really.. it even had its own kind of science.


    Lwyn recalled Mhyl''s old quote, though she couldn''t remember that it was Clarke''s Third Law.  ''Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.''  Technically, the real magic here was the technology they were using, something that hardly made sense by the laws of Celese.  So in a way, it was her father''s magic solution after all.  The only problem was, the magic was just an illusion, lies to lend him belief in a salvation it could never bring.  Instead, she would have to not only stop her father, but also find an actual real solution to the same problem.. she had to do it for her mother too.


    Mhyl walked in at this point, again trying to offer her a lunch.  When Lwyn mentioned the still neglected laundry, Thanrie walked in carrying the load.  She was still shaking, but she was determined to face her fears and overcome them.  Lwyn had done such, certainly she could too.  Thanrie''s only defeat in her ambition was when she realized she had no idea how laundry was actually being done.  It seems Lwyn would have to share some of her knowledge, to help Thanrie to overcome her fears.  However, Mhyl was still in her way, with her lunch.  Obviously there would have to be an order to everything.


    Qheria waited outside, watching the silent exchange.  All of them really had honestly learned so much, had become capable of so many things.  Thanrie working to overcome her fears, now that was a sight to behold.  It was also obvious that Mhyl was very worried about how Lwyn was truthfully doing, the concern was printed over her face.  She wasn''t about to let Lwyn fall apart again.  Mhyl was standing strong against it, a conviction even Qheria had to respect.  Qheria though felt it was best to simply be honest and direct, it would be the best for all of them.


    Qheria entered the room as Lwyn started on her lunch, giving surrender.  "So Lwyn, honestly, you going to be alright?"  Qheria wasn''t going to sugar-coat her question either.  Mhyl was surprised to hear it being asked, and turned to Lwyn too.  "I''ll.. I''ll be fine, just need to keep going one step at a time."  Lwyn''s face didn''t have anything close to a smile, it was a stern serious expression, filled with resolution.  Mhyl was inwardly surprised, this wasn''t a typical expression Lwyn had ever worn.  There wasn''t even an ounce of artificial in her expression, it couldn''t seem any more real.. it couldn''t even be any more real than this.  Qheria nodded, going back to work.  All of them had gone so far, grown so much, even Lwyn.


    While teaching Thanrie the harmless act of laundry, using the simple mundane approach she was familiar with, Lwyn reflected upon their day.  There was so much they could have in fact done on route, and yet none of them accounted for this.  She would have been compelled to wonder why, but she already knew the answer.  Her mother had painted that last day of happiness for them, it was all too obvious.  It was like looking over a magician''s act after the performance ended, seeing behind the smoke and mirrors.  Sure, being mobile like this made some things harder, and waiting for their destination might have not panned out the best, but much of their work and progress could have waited.  It just didn''t, because they had three whole days left.


    Sxeiva had told them that she had learned all this flow prediction stuff from her mother, left unto her in a book held now by her father.  This book would now be handed down to Lwyn, giving her access to her mother''s secret.  It was almost intimidating to think about, would that mean she would start also predicting the future too, knowing important things before they came to pass?  Just how big was the legacy of her family, and how heavy was it falling upon her.  She had a responsibility with her father at this point, but she didn''t even see it ending there.  She had a responsibility with her grandfather, being heir to the Arch-Magus.  She knew she had a responsibility with her grandmother now too, being the heir of a Circle Elf.  She also had responsibilities on her father''s side, tormented by the war.. in fact she was then descendent of human nobility who were friends of both royal families.  She was part of a web of the entire world, and her mother had given her a responsibility of the world itself, with this book left to her.


    She hadn''t thought so deeply on the matter before, the extent of her responsibility.  She had always feared responsibility, it had always overwhelmed her.  However, after being overwhelmed so long, as the whole thing came together.. it just felt inevitable, so she had already accepted it.  This certainly didn''t mean it was easier or less scary, it just meant.. she would keep going.  She wasn''t alone, Mhyl had quite an elven legacy to return to, something that might reshape elven society going forwards, considering her impressions of Mhyl.  If Lwyn was going to have any association to the Circle Elves, she certainly would be there to help Mhyl out along the way.  Qheria and Thanrie, they had a division of the humans to face, and Lwyn was certain she would be there to help that too.  They were all there for each other.


    Before she knew it, Lwyn''s lesson for Thanrie was over.  Thanrie had already figured out that, whatever it was that went on at the Fortress, that wasn''t the only solution for laundry.  Khaexyn just had yet another bad solution to a problem, not something new for him in the least.  Laundry shortcuts are fine.. as long as people aren''t hurt in the process.  Khaexyn''s solutions generally seemed to involve someone getting hurt, Thanrie couldn''t help but realize this while looking upon Lwyn.  For all that Khaexyn wanted to help his family, he was actually hurting quite a lot instead.  Thanrie packed up the laundry, fully familiar with what was done to clothes at this point.


    Lwyn found herself without a task to complete, so went off to the storage area.  There, she found Qheria putting away the ladder, having finished everything.  She stood there for a moment in a daze, her plans to clean around here suddenly dashed.  Qheria waved to Lwyn as she went by once again, the ladder safely stashed away.  It was in this moment that she started regretting teaching Thanrie how to actually do laundry.  If everyone was going to start doing her work, what would be left for her to do?  She recalled Thanrie had even done sweeping, and a pretty good job of it too.  She recalled that they had been assigned to do work like this back in the Fortress, learning her work.  It wasn''t fair.


    She then set off to the kitchen.  It was almost dinner, and there was a lot of things to take care of for that!  She arrived to witness Mhyl having finished all of the dishes, and working on dinner.  Of course Mhyl knew how to cook, she had been doing that for a while now.  Lwyn thought she had an advantage there, knowing that maids didn''t do cooking in the Fortress.  Technically, all of this was also frequently handled by some of the regular staff around here, but.. usually there was always something left for her to do.


    With nothing left, she went to go look for Yuxzn.  If people were going to steal her maid chores, she would make use of some of her own lessons too from the same time.  "Yuxzn, what is the situation so far?  Are we making good progress?  Has there been any new updates?"  "Oh, we''ve made steady progress on schedule.  Moving across the river and following along it from the other side, far in the distance.. we''ve came across nothing in our travels."  "Ah, so we could arrive then late at night.  That might not be smart, starting up a lot of diplomacy without rest.  It might be smart to put shift to our progress, giving everyone a proper night''s sleep, and instead arrive early in the morning.  I''m sure they would understand the logistics behind it.  We would need a safe place to rest, so maybe drift even farther from the river, so that we could stop in the dead of the wild instead.  Looping back early in the morning shouldn''t be a problem, right?"  Lwyn presented her opinion of the situation, leaving Yuxzn to consider the logic behind it.  There might not be such a pressing need to rest before diplomacy, but being fully refreshed before walking into such a hornets nest really wasn''t a bad idea.


    As night finally approached, the facility found a decent enough location to settle for the night.  Their return to the Rebellion would occur first thing in the morning, on their own terms.

 59: Fearless Integration

    The facility came to it''s destination exactly as planned, early in the morning.  Breakfast had already been eaten, and everyone was ready to face the day ahead of them.


    Lwyn took a few extra moments spending time with her mother''s core.  She was getting the idea that it might be a good move to enshrine something better for her mother, but she knew it was best to bring those ideas back to the citadel with her.  Her mother had wanted to be free, after all, setting up anything here just didn''t seem right.  Ehryinae had ensured that her mother had been cremated, so that her remains could be brought safely and easily to the citadel.  It had been Thanrie''s idea, cremation wasn''t common in Celese for such things, but neither was having a dead body that was mostly mechanical.  In fire, her body could regain it''s purity.  The container with the ashes was safely in the possession of the Embers for now.


    Lwyn herself had only learned about it early this morning, her concerns about the fate of her mother''s body suddenly worrying her.  Divided from her mechanical nature, her more metallic parts had been left behind before they had set off, buried itself like a corpse.  While the parts might have been useful, no one wanted to taint Sxeiva in that way, it was far better to respect her in passing.  Even her mechanical side deserved that much.  Lwyn herself had missed the entire thing, due to her own grief.  She was determined to have a proper ceremony with her mother''s ashes, and to not miss that one.


    Thanrie decided to give Lwyn however much more time she might need.  There was no need for concern, Lwyn was clearly set on keep going forwards, that was obvious to everyone.  To her closest friends, they knew Lwyn was intent on moving forwards because of her mother, ever determined to not let Sxeiva down.  So instead, Thanrie turned to the obstacle before them.  They would finally be returning to the Rebellion, but held considerable concern in their limited views obstructing their potential.  She had finished making a collection of mechanical marvels, someone just needed to use them.


    Zyuixqs in this moment marched by her, not on foot.  He was already suited up in his power armor, a walking demonstration of their own prowess.  They had three more ready to go, and more beyond that still being worked on.  She had also foundered a few simple firearms, mechanical marvels that tried to reach towards the potential of Earth.  Maybe a hundred years.. possibly twice over.. behind that target, they were still a marvel over the swords otherwise common around here.  They still had little progress in any more advanced custom-made firearms, not unless someone could supplement it with a gift.


    Thanrie stepped out from the facility, watching Rhyde in conversation with someone new.  Qheria was with him already, lending a hand in Yuxzn''s absence.  "I''m, uh, terribly sorry.  We really didn''t expect you would show up so early in the morning.  We''re not completely prepared at this moment."  The young girl standing reception seemed quite flustered.  "We said we would leave on the third day, and we left at the break of dawn.  To arrive in kind to the same of the day shouldn''t come to such a surprise.  Morning waits for no one."  "Khaexyn won''t exactly be waiting either, if he shows up in the morning, he shows up in the morning.  It wasn''t like we were just given generous opportunities to deal with him so far, for our own victories."  Rhyde and Qheria were tag teaming the poor girl.


    Eventually, someone else arrived, yet another new face.  "Rhyde, my boy, I see you''ve not changed at all.  Your partner in crime however seems to have taken a new face, you two get along very well."  The newcomer laughed as Rhyde went stark red.  Qheria herself was left to hesitate as well, clearly this was someone who knew Rhyde personally.  "So, speaking of boys, where has my son been hiding?  I know I had left him in your care and safe keeping, trusting it would do him well to learn away from home, but it seems you''ve taken his lessons to a whole new level."  The man started searching as Thanrie clued in to whom they might be addressing.  This was Zyuixqs'' father, the leader of the entire rebellion.


    Thanrie then wanted some answers.  "I''m unsure how having him exiled would be a good lesson.  It looked more like you were disowning the guy."  "Ah, yes, matters of politics can be messy in that way.  While he might be like a prince to everyone here, there are still matters that can force peoples hands.  It is hard to explain, young lady, you wouldn''t understand matters of court and politics."  Thanrie was suddenly face to face with Zyuixqs''s father, staring him down from a Uyn away instead of plowing into his face.  She was tempted, but she was more interested in proving her point.


    "Right, Rhyde, you maybe have lacked in proper introductions.  I am Thanryitaeli Zyxaesteyln, crown princess of the Wyxiri, fourth child.  Beside Rhyde is my companion Qheriyaehyzeiri Aiylthhiylz, daughter of the Qiciri national hero named Xyithynaezyq Aiylthhiylz.  Her mother is also here, if you wish to speak with her, as is one of my brothers.  Our entourage does include other important individuals, such as my companion Mhylzhyine Ihrnaelzyhr, daughter of the High-Seer of the Elniri, herself chosen as the Elniri Saviour.  Most notable though is Lwynitsse Duxaeyhlit, granddaughter of the Arch-Magus, and has claim to a seat of the Circle Elves, along with certain Wyxiri and Qiciri nobility.  Matters of court and politics aren''t lost upon us, Lwynitsse most of all, as she is now forced to stand up against her father and tear his dominion down.  You might know the man, Jheiqsylkhaexyn Duxaeyhlit, also known as the Fortress Lord."  Everyone else paused as Thanrie ripped into Zyuixqs''s father with words more empowered than her punches.


    "Some family ties are discarded by fathers in the worst ways imaginable.  Why would you let such an exile fall upon Zyuixqs?"  "Simple, because I trusted him, and I trusted Rhyde.  I had learned about the incident with the Marauders, and how their shallow views were inhibiting my son''s success.  I see letting him go and discover his own path for himself had even achieved just that."  Thanrie was taken aback by the Rebellion Leader''s logic, offering freedom?  That was itself a new idea to her.  In key with the statement, a suit of power armor marched out the door and parked itself, Zyuixqs stepping out from it.


    "Father!"  "Ah, yes, clearly you''ve done me proud, my boy.  Both of you, Zyuixqs and Rhyde.  I had worried about the Marauders closed views, but clearly neither of you were going to let something like that hold you back any.  Thanryitaeli, I thank you for your effort and attention, helping my son to grow and discover such potential.  It warms my heart, knowing that there is someone among you so concerned at the well-being of my son."  Zyuixqs ran to his father, who himself passed praise to those present, Thanrie included.  Thanrie herself started to go scarlet a bit and backed off.


    Mhyl and Lwyn showed up soon after, and were introduced accordingly once again.  Zyuixqs was told to put the power armor away and then return, the demonstration already concluded.  Chyurae went to help him, as Yuxzn showed up to join Rhyde again.  Not long after, everyone found themselves in the underground domain of the Rebellion at its core, with halls that dwarfed what the Marauders had for them.  These chambers were huge, feeling closer in nature to what the Fortress itself had to offer them.  The four girls were thankful that the layout was far simpler and straightforwards when compared to the Fortress, it was just a cyclic web.


    "So I hear you four young ladies have been at core for all the commotion of late, clearly all very ambitious and talented young women.  It has shaken up much of the quiet pace we''ve been enduring with our own operations of late, we''ve even had to make a few changes of plans as a result.  I hear there will be many more to come as well, with the wrath of the Fortress Lord soon to descend upon us in full fury.  We might need to make a few changes to our own agendas, in kind."  The Rebellion Leader guided them into a nearby meeting room, to hold council for their plans going forward.  Along the way, they saw more than a few captured mechanical marvels, being worked on and adapted for new usage.  Thanrie was impressed, clearly this side of the Rebellion did not hold the same flaws as the Marauders.  She decided to withhold any further judgement, undeserving as they were of her original complaints.


    Once they entered the room, Thanrie found herself facing three familiar faces.  "All that time, wasted, and I was getting really good at the whole patrolling thing."  "Yeah, really, some of it was honest fun.  The whole attendant stuff was like gold for getting undercover information."  "Quiet you two, the time for such games is over, our true Liege returns."  All three of the staff from the Fortress that Thanrie had discovered stood before her, composing their gear for attention.  The most senior between them was the most prepared, saluting right away as they walked in.  The other two jumped when Thanrie arrived, but then resumed their proper posture.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Yes, we''ve even had to pull back some of our spies from the fortress, as Khaexyn has been so on guard now after the disappearance of his family.  I''m of the further understanding what might have occurred, Lady Lwynitsse.  Rhyde, your team really stirred up the raven''s nest this time.  Mayhap you and I should converse on the details, while we leave our crews to settle in.  They are all welcome to relax in the comforts of this domain, as far as they are able, and are free to ask if they need anything further.  My own crew is still preparing for the morning, so it might be for the best to adjurn things as they stand and work from there."  The Rebellion Leader motioned for Rhyde to follow him, leaving the others in the care of his staff, currently consisting of the three girls from the Fortress.


    Thanrie was still processing all of this in her head.  It seemed a lot less of a marvel, wandering around the Fortress as if they belonged there.. after meeting three girls who had been doing the exact same thing.  Spies, they were spies.. this knowledge could have been a thousand times helpful during the whole escapade.  However, it appears that she wasn''t the only one fooled.  "Wait, so you three are also Rebellion?  Woah, you were good."  "How much training?  How did you get past the junior phase, listening to that smug jerk?"  "Obviously, they had inside help, if Lady Yhse was on their side the entire time."  All three of them were marvelling about events, even the senior one coming to the wrong conclusion.  Thanrie decided to share her story with them.


    All three of them were stunned.  That was their first morning, the day they all met, and they had done so well.  Even the senior among them was concerned about the implications.  "You had us so fooled, woah.  So all that laundry and map stuff was.. a lie?  The whole thing was an act, everything?"  "Well, yeah, I actually never got to see the laundry there.  Not even sure why it was scary, Lwyn here showed me how it''s supposed to be done."  The three of them were endlessly shocked, both at the acting skills, and the idea of Lady Yhse doing laundry.  It was still a subject that had left them scarred, after their three years of undercover service.


    Lwyn was starting to get uncomfortable with most of the subjects.  She knew her friends had done amazingly, but she knew she really wasn''t doing much of an act through the process.  Instead, she had just been herself, first as Lady Yhseliahysse, then as just been there as if nothing had changed, while learning on the side.  Her three friends, these three girls, all of them had been undercover, but her father had known exactly who she was, and had allowed her to stay for that very reason.  The fact that the three girls were still calling her Lady Yhse was also making things a bit uncomfortable for her.  She discreetly slipped away, leaving the others to continue talking.


    Mhyl slipped out with her, making sure Lwyn was alright.  "Everything okay?"  "Uh, well, mostly.  Thanrie seems happy at least, but the current subject.. it''s kinda uncomfortable.  All that ''Lady Yhse'' stuff, I just want to leave it behind me.  I made some really bad choices there, like telling my friends to go away, it sucked.  The only good parts were with mother, but now she''s..."  Mhyl gave Lwyn a hug, kinda understanding the problem.  She really didn''t feel at home in the excited Izhaethyx conversation either, even if she had gotten better at it, and hearing how it was troubling Lwyn too, maybe they would have to find something else instead.  Mhyl guided Lwyn away from the room the others were still in, searching for for such an alternative.


    They eventually stumbled upon the kitchen, the staff rushing desperately, preparing lunch.  Lwyn instantly knew what she wanted to do, having been deprived of such needs before.  "How is lunch going, is there anything that needs help?"  Lwyn''s offer for help didn''t fall upon deaf ears, only ears concerned about including a guest.  However, they quickly found her adjusting to the current plan, already setting to dicing up foods for cooking.  Their complaints faded as they saw the talent Lwyn possessed, and this turned to her being included in their efforts.  Mhyl also stepped in, working as Lwyn''s assistant, helping to get everything done.


    Lunch itself was then prepared and served promptly, bringing everyone back together for the meal.  The Rebellion Leader was surprised to find Lwyn and Mhyl throwing themselves into the whole operation, but could not question the quality of their efforts.  Clearly, this was an example of why Rhyde''s crew was getting things done, having such ambitious and driven women making sure things were happening.  He had been especially interested in the advancements Rhyde had discovered, the weapons he had procured and developed, even the ones available.  The facility itself was an impressive sight to behold, as was the power armor.


    On that subject, once lunch concluded, he was interested in seeing more of the power armors.  Instead of seeing his son pilot one again, he wanted to gauge how easy it was to learn, and assigned his three recently reassigned spies to the role.  Unlike Zyuixqs, the three girls had trouble even turning the thing on while following directions.  The power armor instead would just stall instantly once it was activated.  They continued trying for a while, until it was decided that this might take a bit more than a little practice.  Everyone else wandered away as Zyuixqs continued his efforts in trying to teach the three woman how to pilot the armor properly.


    Thanrie then took the opportunity to introduce her firearm creations, which the Rebellion Leader took great interest in.  Taking one for himself, a quick hunting demonstration resulted in him absolutely sold on the project.  Qheria also had been offering her guidance on how to properly use such a rifle, taken from her own cadet memories.  Yuxzn had been taking watch, marvelling on how it compared to his own bow, drawing comparisons of the two, and building a tactical framework for the weapon in his mind.  Rhyde just stepped back, letting Qheria and Thanrie take the spotlight.


    Lwyn and Mhyl had gotten bored with the whole thing, and had made their own escape.  Lwyn never really liked guns and such, and had been happy having never personally seen one in her life.  Thanrie making some had broken that for her.  Mhyl just wasn''t that interested in the guns either, and otherwise was more interested in making sure Lwyn wasn''t left abandoned.  They decided thus to track down Ehryinae, to find out what else was going on in the facility over this time.


    It seemed Xyithy was out scouting once again, stealthily keeping an avid watch.  Considering they knew an attack was pending, it only made sense.  Ehryinae was in the same mindset tending to their defenses, making sure the facility itself was ready to fight in top condition.  Their long trip had made that questionable, so she wanted the chance to confirm everything was still alright.  Aelyiq was checking their supplies, ever concerned about their medical supplies situation, more so as the threat of war approached.  They had suffered a bunch of injuries recently, so making sure they had everything still in order was a grave concern.


    Ihzyhur himself was bored, as everything else was already handled.  He ran into the two girls as he was just casually walking around, restless.  "Ihzyhur relax.  Need to calm down and no worry."  "Oh, hi Mhyl.  I''m not sure how you expect me to relax, being stuck in here is just having my mind racing."  "Then why no outside?  We come to, we need relax too.  Maybe find a good place?"  Mhyl was actually holding a conversation with Ihzyhur, Lwyn was impressed.  She was going to jump in for them, but found there wasn''t any real need.


    Lwyn however did have an idea.  Everything around the facility was busy, so instead, they would relax on the facility.  She grabbed another chain and went up to the roof, setting it up so that the others could climb easily.  Mhyl actually found the climb easier than Ihzyhur, considering he still wasn''t used to such antics.  Eventually they sat upon the roof and just looked out at the scenery before them.  From this spot, just faintly hidden by a hill, they could see out to the lake, spanning an eternity before them as a beautiful shimmering blanket in the midday sun.  Mhyl knew the threat behind such a sun, but had also adjusted to it''s heat well enough.  She was taking everything much better than she had used to.


    Looking out to the lake, Mhyl could see out beyond it.  She knew what she was looking at, the Fortress.  She hadn''t yet seen it with such clarity before, this viewpoint was excellent.  No wonder the Rebellion Leader had chosen this spot for his efforts.  She knew her own sight was better than most, being elven and everything, but she expected human sight might still do well enough from this view.  However, from this vantage point, she was given a sight they knew was inevitable.  Amassing at the fortress was a growing armada, already preparing for the battles ahead.  Khaexyn was already on the move then!


    It seems their break would be suddenly interrupted, as Mhyl rushed to descend and bring the news to Rhyde.  What had concerned her the most wasn''t their presence, or even the fact the Colossal was standing with them, it was which direction they were aimed to march.

 60: War Declaration

    The fate of the world had been chosen, but such fate was not set to resolve itself so easily.  Even the night before, opposition to this fate had made moves to fight back.


    With the sun having already set, Khaexyn looked at the scene before him in dismay, his attack already foiled.  Having grown in desperation, he had set off himself with some of his greatest weapons at hand to take back his family, to rescue them from the hands of his enemy.  He had depended on the tracking tool installed in Sxeiva to find her, but that same tool had just recently gone dark.  He could only assume that her systems had been forced to power it down, that her life was that far in danger.  She rushed to where it last gave a signal, only to find nothing remained.


    He checked his tools once again, having backup plans upon backup plans.  He could faintly detect her nearby, but not any energy signal.  This only alarmed him further.  He rushed to track down the source of his signal, leading him only to a set of recently disturbed dirt.  Frantic, he set about having the dirt dug up, eventually excavating a metallic arm.  As panic heightened, he eventually dug up everything else.  He collapsed before the mechanical remains of his love, not missing the burn marks scorching the metal.


    He knew in that moment, she had been murdered.. a third attempt on her life had been set and this time had claimed its victim.  Even this far away, it seems he was still unable to save his Sxeiva from tainted murderous hands.  There wasn''t even any sign that his dear Yhse was still alright, or if she had fallen as well.  Everyone was so set on taking away everything he loved, everything he cherished.  This world, it needed to change, it needed to learn from its mistake.. and he would force that painful lesson upon it.  His research was making progress, but it seems the world would not idly wait for him to finish.


    The rebellion, even the ones who killed his love, he had no way to find them.  However, he did understand what they fought for.  He had been following the records, the elites had came across the mountain and had thrown themselves in with the Rebellion, hiding among them.  It was even those elites responsible for this catastrophe, eager to finish the death they had started.  But if they had came all the way here, who was protecting the home they had left behind?  Instead of searching for those who killed his love, he would visit upon them the same grief, and send his forces to the other side of the mountain.


    The gifted elites of society, all of them had to die, all of them had to suffer for this injustice.  He would then pick from those remaining who would be better fit for following his will, who would accept the new world due for them, and once the world lay in his grip, he would be free to complete his research.  It pained him to have to resort to such extreme measures, but once the new world laws were set, he could find his own solitude and wait out the rest of his days, his goal then finally completed.


    He returned quickly at that, and had ordered his forces to begin amassing.  After the incident with his family, he had grown to suspect that some of the people working for him might not have his own vision in truth, everyone was suspect.  He couldn''t even find any of the maids assigned to either his wife or daughter.  The two that were originally assigned to his daughter, they were executed.  Everyone was suspect, unless they were aethyrnz.  It seems the only ones he could fully trust right now were those he had made.  Maybe he should consider having the people of the world lead by aethyrnz instead, they were far more reliable.  It was for this very reason that his forces were completely aethyrnz, not a single human or elf among them.


    Khaexyn himself would have to stay behind, entrusting his aethyrnz to the task.  He had to determine for himself which of the people around him would betray or serve him.  He also needed to keep researching, finding new ways to proceed.  He was still struggling to find useful information, almost half of the data he had recovered from what Earth called ''the Internet'' was stuff such as useless pictures of various fluffy pointed-ear creatures.  Much of the information he found could be disturbing, but he expected that was only because it was as yet a culture he was not a part of.  The fact that very little was useful for matters of war just prevailed how perfect the culture actually was, even if it did make it harder to create his own weapons of war.


    By lunch, his forces had already gathered as a massive armada.  He bade everything to continue, as he returned to his own research.  While he wouldn''t get to do it himself, he took personal pride in the fact he was staging his own revenge, he would still have vengeance even while he researched.  The thought set his mind at ease, as he returned to his work.


    "Khaexyn is making a move, he''s already gathering an army.  That''s not even the worst part, he''s heading straight for the great mountain instead of wasting time on us.  Everyone back there is in danger!"  Mhyl wasn''t even resorting attempting Izhaethyx, making use of her English instead.  Lwyn, who had yet to figure out why Mhyl was suddenly panicking, froze in her understanding.  Qheria managed to pass the message on to the others instead.


    Much of the Rebellions plan was to be the enemy on the doorstep, the first obstacle to pass.  Everyone had even counted upon the idea that Khaexyn would commit to hunting them down, weakening his forces in the process, while stalling any further progress.  The plan was still for the four factions to stage a grand offensive, once they had one prepared, which would then support the Rebellion.  Together, everyone would crush the Fortress.  However, if Khaexyn was instead going straight for the mountain, they would have to instead fight to intercept him, to slow him down.


    The Rebellion Leader came to a quick conclusion.  "We''re going to have to split up from here.  We''ll work to try and slow Khaexyn down, however we can.  Rhyde, take your crew and go to their defense, bring your siege weapon across the mountain and bear it in their defense.  Your crew already has four ladies of their kingdoms, along with many others in their support, it wouldn''t be fair to keep them here any longer.  Go, as a representative of our Rebellion, and ensure they are ready for this armada.  We''ll endure as best we can, slow them as much as we are able, and meet you there.  Best of luck!"  The Rebellion then turned to find his son, who was still doing power armor training.


    Rhyde turned to Yuxzn, who was making calculations for a plan.  Their enemy was amassing forces, unknown number, unknown strength, unknown path.  They would have to proceed by...  "Thanrie, go get Zyuixqs and get him back into his driving seat, we''re leaving now.  Lwyn, what do you think the odds are, how do we cross the mountain with this giant crate?"  "Yeah, that cave won''t work twice, not with something this size.  However, the main pass would fit us, and would be a deathtrap for Khaexyn, he''s probably going to go all the way around the great mountain.  The whole thing would be over a quarter of a lunar cycle by foot, but with this thing.. two days.  Less, if Mhyl is able to do her thing at all."  "Perfect.  Mhyl, I leave to you to decide whatever advantage you can give us.  Take things easy, so that you can maximize on your own stamina."  Sharing a plan in English, Qheria worked out matters with the others after getting some advice from Lwyn.  Lwyn was still very familiar with things around the mountain.


    Qheria turned to Izhaethyx at this point.  "Rhyde, we''ve got a plan in motion already.  Can you get everyone set to go right away?  I expect we''ll be leaving some of this for the Rebellion, but otherwise we need to get everything moving.  Ihzyhur, can you go signal my mother to return?  Let her know we''re done here and leaving immediately, things have taken a turn for the worst.  Yuxzn, do you know if we''re missing anything else before we can just leave?"  "Well, the Wardens might be gathering supplies, but otherwise..."  "Good, make sure all the Wardens are recalled then, and we should be good to go."  Qheria was even taking action over Rhyde, not having the patience to wait.  Rhyde did not miss how Qheria had even made use of Yuxzn to gain what knowledge she didn''t already have.  Yuxzn still hadn''t completed calculations, and yet it seemed Lwyn had already beaten him to the punch.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Things proceeded quickly after that, as preparations began.  Zyuixqs gave a parting farewell to his father before heading to his assigned seat, the controls for driving the facility.  Thanrie watched the proceeding, unable to hear anything from her distance.  She had really underestimated Zyuixqs'' father, and felt bad for that.  As Zyuixqs left, his father turned to Thanrie and waved.  She could feel the meaning behind his message, she was to look after his son for him.  She nodded and waved back, she''d gotten good at putting Zyuixqs in his place, be that with his head against her fist, or his butt in a pilot seat.  It was much less of the first now, much more of the second, but she would see to it that he got the help he needed.


    In hardly any time after that, they were set to go.  The plan was to proceed wide of the river, in approach of the mountain.  They would have elves keep watch, scouting for any signs of their enemy''s approach.  Mhyl would be denied most of this, as she would instead be trying to apply her gift to make their path easier, Chyurae instead was the one chosen for this.  Thanrie had set to the engines and was boosting it''s performance, in an effort to help Mhyl and Zyuixqs.  Qheria and Lwyn were working on a plan as Rhyde and Yuxzn kept watch, both feeling suddenly replaced.  The moment everything shifted from this side of the mountain, it seems like Rhyde and Yuxzn had fallen out of their element.  They hadn''t even passed the mountain yet, and this had happened.


    "According to the Ehryinae, the citadel is the central point of the war efforts right now.  That''s great, because that''s where the pass is going to take us.  We should be smart though, setup a blockade behind us as we go through, make it so that they can''t even send anything that way.  It will leave both the east and west of the mountain open, both Wyxir and Qicir.  There is a chance they might try to pass through the woods, but the Elniri have that guarded so well that we would at least know if they tried.  I expect they would find it a rough way in.  That leaves us divided on only two fronts."  Lwyn went over the pictures in Mhyl''s atlas, forming a plan with Qheria in Izhaethyx.


    Qheria was very familiar with the Qicir geography, so had a fair idea how things would pan out.  "I don''t think we can bring the facility around the battlefield then, everything is a bit too cluttered for this.  We''ll have to leave it at the citadel.  With the pass blocked, I don''t think that would be a problem.  There is also the concern about bringing this in and raising alarms everywhere.  On foot, we''re probably going to have to form two divisions, one for each front we need to defend.  As I know the Qiciri side, I''ll be going there, while Thanrie will go to her family.  That''s probably true for our family too, my mother and her brother.  Family might in fact be a really good idea here, you should find your grandfather with Ehryinae, figure out what the citadel''s plans are for everything, help things out.  Mhyl should probably meet with her mother to do the same."  Qheria knew this plan was simply returning everyone to the families they had fled, but given the circumstances, that was probably the best solution.


    Lwyn also considered this plan.  Mhyl vising her mother, that would give them the knowledge of the High-Seer, who had a talent similar to her own mother.  It was actually the purest version of that talent, to converse directly with the world flow.  Considering the information they had on the subject, that would be priceless with dealing with the veil itself.  Meanwhile, confronting her grandfather would give her access to the book her mother had offered her in those dying moments.  All stuff that would be required for her to fulfill the promise she made her mother.  She had concerns about her mother''s ashes too, but there wouldn''t be any time for that right away.


    Lwyn nodded her agreement.  "Sounds like a plan.  All of us were supposed to be the super-weapons of each family, so it''s only fitting.  On that thought, we should expect a bit of struggle fitting in.  People really won''t expect how much has changed, nor what we''re capable of.  We''re going to need to be ready for some resistance in that area.  Fortunately, all four of us have family-assigned witnesses who can vouch for us.  That might be the best way to make that work, I can''t think of anything better."  Lwyn found her own insight getting a nod in return, with Qheria fully in agreement.


    "The question remains then, what of everyone else.  The people working under Rhyde.." "I''m right here, by the way.  I expect most of the staff left, considering your plan, will just remain at the facility.  There would be very little they could offer anywhere else, holding this place would be the best way forward.  With that in consideration, I expect the best solution will be to invite my staff to follow whatever cause they believe in.  Those that can fight, will probably follow one of you four off to war.  There is still plenty of weapons left from Thanrie''s efforts, I might actually care to pick one for myself.  Another of the power armor suits is almost ready, maybe I should take it for myself.  Yuxzn, you are of course free to follow your own path in the same way."  Qheria was surprised at Rhyde''s plan to not plan.  Rhyde was getting the feeling that, being out of his element, it was better to just leave matters to those with.. more expertise.


    Yuxzn watched as Rhyde commit to this statement by walking off, feeling no more compulsion to sit in the leadership role of this expedition.  Yuxzn himself though didn''t know what to do with this knowledge.  He turned back to Qheria and Lwyn, who had resumed their conversation, the plan pretty much already set.  Yuxzn was impressed with how well Lwyn had managed to figure things out, and noted upon his own weaknesses.  He had many other weaknesses too, when compared to the four girls, such as their combat talent.  They held a mixture of the gift and a talent for the mechanical, the first he had no way of having himself.  The second on the other hand, even Rhyde had calculated getting involved in.  Maybe Yuxzn himself should attempt to follow in kind.


    Yuxzn went off to find Thanrie, who was currently taking a break from her gift.  They were already well ahead of schedule, due to arrive late at night the next night if Mhyl and Thanrie could keep stuff up.  That puts the whole thing at almost half the original estimate, just over a day of travel.  Yuxzn was interested in some of the firearms Thanrie had worked with, and wanted to look into something for himself.  Thanrie considered Yuxzn''s demonstrated ability with a bow, at excessive range.  She actually had an idea for something that didn''t quite prove practical for most people, because it needed a tripod just because of the kick.  The biggest issue with it was that it was only good at excessive ranges, which itself was hard for most people to deal with.  However, not as much for an elf, considering their excessive vision.  The turret was practically a rail gun, with a punch velocity that could deny most reinforced steel its own protection.  It also wasn''t that hard to reload, although still slower than her tastes.  It also was large enough that she personally found it uncomfortable to work with, being a bit too small.  Yuxzn should have no problems with it, however.


    Yuxzn took the opportunity to adjust to the new offering, cautious enough to not actually fire it.  He had been told that it''s firing mechanism was very loud, that if he wanted subtle, he would have to use something else.  His bow was subtle enough, it was power that it lacked.  He had been told it compared to the sniper rifles he had gotten a chance to review earlier.  The range of those weapons was remarkable, the speed was incredible, and this thing was superior in both areas.  Unlike a bow, the shot fired incredibly straight, with hardly any drop to compensate for.  He might have to waste his first shot when the time came, just to bear witness to what happened, but he certainly would not waste the second.  The only regrettable part was how heavy the entire thing was, even when packed up.  It was heavier than his bow, but at least much lighter than either weapon Rhyde typically carried.


    They took a break overnight, and set off early again the next dawn.  By lunch, they had arrived at the great mountain, and had set off along the path to the other side of it.

 61: Crystalline Blossoms

    After having finished dinner, everyone stashed away the facility at a sheltered point along the wide path.  From there, it was only a short walk further to the citadel, so everyone prepared for their departure.


    The Embers and Seekers had returned in time for everyone to set out, having ruined the pass behind them.  Such destruction would take a long time clear, let alone to repair, but it would otherwise present a considerable risk for the citadel.  The Reavers had also returned from their trip, having scouted ahead just in case conflict had arrived before them.  The Wardens had been responsible for ensuring everything within the facility could manage itself for a time, although the facility staff would still have need of visiting the citadel for additional supplies.


    From here, everyone would travel forwards as their four original factions.  Even though all four groups knew the first destination was the citadel, the plan was to then split up from there to provide support as was needed.  Thanrie would be returning with her brother, acting as one of the Seekers, and Zyuixqs would be joining her in much of the same way.  Qheria would be going with her mother and the Reavers, whom Rhyde had also decided to go along with.  Mhyl would be with Chyurae as she blended in with the Wardens, still otherwise under Aelyiq''s command.  Lwyn and Yuxzn would be staying with Ehryinae''s Embers.  Everyone else would remain at the facility, to keep it staffed and maintained, with the smith himself generally in charge.


    Thanrie was still slightly disappointed, leaving the facility behind after it had been outfitted so well.  The thing was pretty much their weaponized supply vault.. which was probably a good reason to not scare everyone here with it.  They also knew there would be two fronts to fight from, picking one side and making a mess of everything along the way just wasn''t much of an option.  Still, they were leaving it in good hands, the smith was still going to remain hard at work at making further creations in their absence.  This would then end up being a sort of secret laboratory they had hidden away, making even more secret weapons.  Nothing about it was a total loss.


    Qheria travelled along side Rhyde, who was getting used to his new power armor.  Rhyde wasn''t nearly as natural at piloting the thing as Zyuixqs was, but he was stubborn enough to get the thing to listen to him eventually anyway.  Because it responded mostly to the motions of it''s pilot, Rhyde still had to do all the walking motions just to get the thing to its destination, it wasn''t like riding along was giving him the lazy way.  In fact, he was being stubborn in that regard too, making the whole trip harder by bringing the thing along, just so that he could get used to it.  Zyuixqs however had agreed with the idea simply in the principle that they had no better way to transport such heavy equipment, himself also in the armor beside Thanrie.  As long as both of them held back to not cause any undue alarm, everything would be okay.


    Yuxzn himself also had his new weapon, which it seemed could be collapsed and set to his back like a bow.  It was still much heavier than a bow, but he had already gotten used to it after their trip.  He was still waiting for a chance to test it, to confirm his own ability with it.  He took a moment as they travelled to compare it to Lwyn''s crossbow, which was also kept on her back.  The crossbow itself seemed like a blend of everything his bow and his new railgun had to offer, although being much faster to fire overall than either.  By nature, it didn''t have even half the power of the railgun, but he knew she didn''t fully depend on it''s natural ability anymore.  Her gift gave her an edge even he did not have.


    Mhyl was still worried about bringing Chyurae along, himself still without any weapons.  He still had his tools, but those would serve little purpose in the middle of a battle.  However, she herself was familiar with being left to help in a battle while having no weapon, she knew what that felt like.  She also knew he was very sneaky, which would help him look after himself if things got rough.  She suspected he would make a great scout or messenger, if nothing else.  Mostly, she wasn''t willing to underestimate him, considering how skilled and helpful he had been in the past.  She could still remember suffering against him in Footsphere.


    Eventually, all four groups arrived passed the mountains, the base of the citadel spanning out before them.  The return to this side brought them sights they had long been withheld from, though the girls saw the irony in the colors before them.  While welcoming the return to grass that was green, the passage of time had brought autumn to the citadel, the leaves of trees looking a very familiar shade of yellow.  Other than that, it almost looked like they had stepped back through time, seeing the market square spanning before them in the distance.  The four girls were still wearing outfits that had profited from their visit to that very square.


    Ehryinae motioned for all the groups to stop, herself stepping forward alone.  Out from the market square stepped her peers, the other disciples of the pillars, with the Arch-Magus himself.  "We had news that there was a large number of people crossing the pass, which had been alarming at first.  Some of the sounds we could hear out there were equally alarming.  However, when we got word you were spotted among the group, along with the other Embers, it was clear that it was no enemy passing through."  "Maybe not, but our arrival should not have brought reason to dissuade an alarm.  Given the mission we had set out for... Our return is in herald of our enemy himself, arriving in full force."  The Arch-Magus understood Ehryinae''s message, the Fortress Lord was on his way.


    The Arch-Magus looked at the veritable army standing before him, a mixture of all reaches of society.  He noticed too, standing in with such forces, were the four girls who were their original concerns, having also returned.  He could barely recognized Lwyn, and could only in passing consider the other three based upon the descriptions he had heard many times about them.  What stood out the most was how all four girls had an almost matching uniform, with only slight variations.  The part of their uniform standing out the most was the pendant they each wore, perfectly matching each other, as if an iconic representation for who they were.  A crystalline blossom, it wasn''t a bad emblem at all.


    What was alarming was some of the equipment he saw carried among them, strange things he knew nothing about.  The disciples with him were especially alarmed by the two power armors that were standing back a bit, still towering over everyone.  He could only expect that this was an example of the power demonstrated by their enemy, exactly the sort of things they were being left to fear.  He knew he would have to collect more information when possible, but first he would have to provide a way for this procession to proceed.  He invited all of them to join him in the citadel, to discuss a plan of action going forward.


    Filtering the collection of guests before him from an army to a dozen, the Arch-Magus let the others explain the current situation.  Ehryinae stood as if to begin explaining everything, but Lwyn spoke before her, standing only after the discussions had begun.  Ehryinae then sat back down, leaving the floor for Lwyn to discuss what had recently occurred.  Lwyn did not waste time with the whole story, not even starting with her mother.  She knew there wasn''t the time for it, even if she herself was still in grief over the matter.  Instead, she reflected on everything starting at the Rebellion base, once they had climbed upon the roof, making for a short report if it hadn''t also include all of the related tactical information.


    The Arch-Magus could understand the need for urgency, even late in the day, they would have to be prepared to fight a battle they should expect very soon.  Considering travel times, there wasn''t a moment to lose.  It would take two or three days to travel to the front lines, and Lwyn had estimated an attack arriving within a quarter lunar cycle from once it started to form.  With that in mind, he wouldn''t even have time to provide overnight rest for any of them.  They were here to get the information they needed while leaving word of the ensuing attack, nothing more.  With consideration to such a report, he wouldn''t be getting much rest himself for a while now.. there would be so much that needed to be done.Stolen novel; please report.


    "We''ve actually been preparing for a siege, just in case it was required.  There was more hope we could go on the offensive, but it appears we were too slow for that.  There are five known approaches our enemy could count on, four if you discount the pass you just took.  The Zyxaesteyln War Prince has the Wyxiri army at a choke-point leading into Wyxir, cut between the edge of the mountain and edge of the woods.  The particular corner of the woods is rather hazardous, with shifting and unstable rocks in place of ground making the trip dangerous for anyone.  At the other side, the Qiciri army is being organized by Miss Aiylthhiylz at their own borders, a marshland overflown from a river that has turned everything around it into a bog of a swamp.  It remains the largest border to defend, but has the most substantial natural defense, like a moat ready to consume its enemies."  The Arch-Magus described areas familiar to Thanrie and Qheria, places where they could find their siblings already hard at work.


    Lwyn had accounted for the general location of both fronts, without as much details on possible defenses.  However, she wasn''t aware of two more fronts.  "Beyond those two obvious paths, the Elniri front isn''t itself a perfect wall.  The boglands on the Qicir side, once added to the woodlands, becomes an absolute deathtrap for a large span of the land, the woods curving the flood into a churning whirlpool without end.  Anything going that way will sink for hundreds of Uyn, so it will not be a problem.  Meanwhile on the Wyxir side of the woods, there is a part where the rocky danger of the woods ends, and the trees thin.  It''s an entrance into the woods that is all too inviting, giving easy access straight into the depth of the Elniri domain, while also providing a back door into Wyxir."  The Arch-Magus was implying that there was a way into the woodlands, a fear Lwyn had tried to dismiss.  At least, they were still fine on the other side.


    However, the Arch-Magus was not finished.  "Also, while you may have addressed the pass for the citadel through the mountains, there is an even larger flatland path on the Qicir side of the mountain, which would also provide a back entrance into Qicir.  Being higher on the mountain, there is no flooding to worry about at this point, only the risk of falling rocks from the mountain towering beside it would offer any danger.  We also can not blockade the path, because any blockade could simply be pushed over the edge instead.  There would also be the danger of such falling rocks causing even further problems for the Qiciri front, such as extra flooding.  Falling rocks were the original reason for the flooding in that area, after all."  The potential issue from falling rocks presented by the Arch-Magus was also then going to be a concern in the fighting.  If they left too many stones to fall below, the Qiciri would find their environment danger more unmanageable.


    Even with four fronts, it was very clear to Lwyn where people needed to go.  The Seekers and Reavers would be defending their nations in their own front lines, joining in the existing defense.  The Wardens would have to go to the aid of the Elniri, adding to whatever forces they had already established out there in the woods.  That left only the mountain path remaining, which wouldn''t be that far from the citadel, and was otherwise far too open.  "So that would leave the Citadel to be responsible for such a flatland path.  Are you going to devote the Pillars to such a defense?  I''m certain the Embers would be willing to go for you as well."  Lwyn was even now speaking out for the Embers on Ehryinae''s behalf directly.  Ehryinae shrugged, Lwyn wasn''t wrong though.


    The Arch-Magus turned to his Disciples.  "This might be the best course of action.  I expect the other Pillars are already prepared to help out at a moments notice.  Ehryinae, can you ensure that the Embers are sent to help out the other Pillars?"  "Yes sir.  We came here expecting to do just that."  The Arch-Magus nodded to Ehryinae, still worried about preparations.  He would have to send messengers to report the oncoming threat, a threat they still hardly understood.  He turned back to Lwyn, clearly having grown so much in her departure.  They would have to catch up on a lot of things, once this matter was cleared up.. whenever he found time.  He knew he would have to come clean with some of his secrets eventually.


    Everyone cleared out of the room, except Lwyn stuck behind for a few moments more.  Once everyone else had gone away enough, Lwyn passed her own parting words.  "See you once we''re done, grandpa."  With that, Lwyn hurried after the other Embers, knowing she didn''t have time for anything more.  The Arch-Magus paused, just how much did his granddaughter figure out already?  However, he found himself relaxing, coming to terms with the stress of spilling a lifetime of secrets.  This would make everything much easier after all, he could now relax and focus on his work.  After a few more moments, the Arch-Magus was left to wonder if Lwyn had done that intentionally.


    From here, all four groups split accordingly, the Reavers and Embers going East, the Seekers and Wardens going West.  After travelling for a day, each group split in half again, the Embers turning towards the mountain to reach the flatland pass with the other Pillars, while the Wardens turned towards the woods to meet up with the Elniri.  A day later, they each reached their destinations.  The first to arrive was the Embers, though left to work to build up a defense with the Pillars from nothing at all.  The Reavers and Seekers arrived almost at the same time as the other, as if it was a race that neither of them won again.  The Wardens arrived last, having the farthest distance to cover, not helped by the wild woods they had to traverse that extended beyond their normal society.


    The four girls blended in with their four groups, no one the wiser that they had returned.  The Disciples knew that Lwyn was there, and knew that Lwyn was respected by the Arch-Magus, but they had no idea why she might be important otherwise.  The rest of the other Pillars knew even less than that, they thought she was just one of the Embers.  None of the four girls worked on standing out, nor about learning about their homes in their absence, all they worried about was the job in front of them.  However, regardless of all of this, there was rumors passing around each faction about a woman with a pendant of a crystalline blossom, who seemed to not completely fit in with the others.  The weapon carried by that woman looked like nothing they had ever seen, and those around her treated her with visible respect and admiration.  Just who was that woman?


    Rumors started leafing into reports by messengers, passing around the others, and making its way around.  Even borders did not stop such rumors, as they had started to form in the wake and passage of all four women the moment they reached the citadel.  Long before Khaexyn''s forces arrived, everyone was aware of the presence of the Crystalline Blossoms, four unknown agents sent to the front lines of the battlefield, like some kind of secret weapon that had shown up from out of no where.


    The second prince and Qheria''s sister had both heard of the Crystalline Blossoms that was sent by the Citadel, but wasn''t going to let it bother them.  They knew war, they had been faced with it for a while now, and they could do perfectly fine without some kind of agent of the Citadel.  Ihzyhur though was a welcome face along with his Seekers, the second prince could make great use of the additional soldiers.  The second prince didn''t expect his brother to keep up with matters of war, but having Ihzyhur on hand for various tactical responsibilities could still be very valuable.  Qheria''s sister was excited that her mother had returned, knowing that Xyithy could be very capable in small scale situations.  The army was still her''s to command though, so she would not be showing any signs of weakness with her mother.  It would be best to instead give Xyithy specific tasks, like a proper leader would, and worry about the casual matters once they were victorious.


    Once the Wardens had met up with the Elniri host, Aelyiq found his responsibilities heavily diminished.  He was only an assigned agent of the High-Seer, not one of the Wardens even, so his importance was negligible when put before the entire host.  The Wardens however knew that Aelyiq had been keeping up with relevant matters the whole time, being able to communicate effectively.  This gave him an advantage in knowledge, something the Wardens respected.  Overall, they put him as an assistant of their Saviour, along with Chyurae.  It was perhaps still a bit of a demotion, but it was one due to happen eventually.  He knew Mhyl was far more important anyway, and thought that maybe he should have made sure this happened sooner.


    Preparations for war continued right up to when they got words from scouts that their enemy was seen approaching from the distance.  At that point, it was time for the battle to begin in earnest, the defense of their various homelands were at stake here.

 62: Western Sabotage

    In the West, Khaexyn''s forces arrived first at the Wyxiri front, the entire armada a clockwork soldier to the last.  The spread of the armada was a fleet spanning far into the distance, numbering far beyond count.


    The second prince had gone to see the sight for himself, and was stunned in his revelation.  This was no simple army, this was like a necromantic hoard.  Clockwork soldiers moved to him like he could imagine the living dead, while the power armor looked more like a metal golem.  The destroyers were like animated weapons, as far as he could tell from where he stood.  Among them wasn''t a single normal person, neither human nor elf.  The second prince froze speechless, his face pale.


    Even from her distance, Thanrie felt empathy for her brother.  She understood the feeling of that fear, had lived it herself.  However, terror would only work to their enemy''s advantage.  Thanrie nudged Ihzyhur forwards, who caught wind of her intent.  Ihzyhur rushed to his brother and made the request personally.  "Brother, your orders?"  "That''s- .. yes, forgive me.  It seems tales of our enemy didn''t have as much fluff as I had originally expected.  This is truly some fearsome use of the gift.  Yes.. yes, anyway.. let them approach the choke-point, so we can weaken their numbers.  Our ranged forces should be ready to engage the moment they get in range, pressuring them closer.  Pin them against our shields, divide them amidst our blades."  The second prince expected that zombies would die much like soldiers did, but had no idea what to do about the larger monstrosities.


    Ihzyhur returned to Thanrie, at a loss. "Proper tactics are difficult when we haven''t even had time to present enough information.  He wants to hold the line, fetter them from afar with bows and catapults, and trust in the strength of our own metal.  Even I''ve faced one of those destroyers before, they will be within firing range soon.  We both know our brother, he''s not going to be rational about it."  "No, but it might be possible to make his plan work.  Doesn''t the catapults have the same range as their destroyers?  Have them aim in return, it will compel them to hold back a bit until our front lines fall.  Destroyers are rather fragile large targets, after all.. at least compared to some of their stuff."  Ihzyhur went back to his brother as Thanrie considered the situation.  She knew leaping into action would only alarm her brother and his soldiers, but she would have to do it eventually.  She just needed to figure out the best opportunity, possibly after the conflict had begun.


    Thanrie went back to Zyuixqs, himself already in the power armor.  Because the designs Thanrie had worked on involved such considerable customization, it looked only distantly related to the other power armors on the field, very easy to identify as one of their own.  He had been seen in the armor already, so that others had time to distinguish him, it wouldn''t do for him to be attacked on the field, after all.  Beyond Zyuixqs, it was awfully convenient that all of their enemies were mechanical and their allies were not, it made it much easier to figure out friend from foe.  The power armor had much better defense and maneuverability than destroyers, but far less range.  The shots from either were far too dangerous, but that made the wide-area blast of the destroyers much more intimidating.  She had to consider these weapons carefully.


    Ah, range!  The catapult wasn''t in range because it didn''t have enough power.  Thanrie rushed off to a catapult, Zyuixqs following her.  The catapults were still idle because nothing was nearly close enough.  She considered the ballistics, if she boosted the tension of the catapult, the boulder would go flying an unknown distance more than expected.  That would make aiming impossible.  If instead she boosted the impact force of the boulder, a collision with the ground would not be enough to stop it''s momentum.  The hard part was, playing with projectiles was far more Lwyn''s thing than her own.  However, playing with the time of the boulder, she could have it play with matters of velocity at the time it was triggered, so that it''s force of impact was compounded.  It''s not like she would be manipulating the boulder in flight, only the forces it was collected with.


    This would still however be very difficult.  She asked the catapult attendant if the siege weapon was aimed properly at an approaching destroyer.  It seems it was, just only waiting for the whole thing to get in range.  She pulled out her weapon and connected with the boulder, imparting her gift into the mechanism.  Then, she pulled the firing mechanism even to the protests of the attendant.  Nothing happened, exactly so far as she planned.  The boulder was stuck in a conflict of forces, unable to expend its energy and thus compounding upon it.  After a few moments, she returned her weapon, releasing the boulder.  The boulder had so much impact energy, it ignited the air around it, looking like a blazing inferno.  The boulder otherwise flew to exactly where it would have been estimated to land, with cratering force.  The ground sundered on impact, shaking the ground even at this distance.  Not just the bolder, but also the wave of impact and the blaze that followed crashed into their enemies, tearing through the destroyer and anything around it for hundreds of Uyns.


    The enemy realized that moving to support their slower destroyers was no longer of value, and their forces broke into waves.  Now rushing forwards ahead of the rest, mechanical soldiers rushing to face off against human ones.  The other catapults started to rain off in turn, without nearly as much effect, as both forces finally clashed.  Thanrie motioned to Zyuixqs, it was time to begin.  Thanrie activated her boots and sent her scythe lancing into the mountain, which froze itself there so that she could pull herself to it.  She landed amidst her enemies, and started tearing into them.  Zyuixqs took to the hills and started firing upon solders from the distance, his energy weapon sundering through his enemies like tin foil.


    Mhyl felt the ground shake beneath her as the cry of alarm arose through the elves.  They too had found their enemy, and were preparing for battle.  She learned that some of their enemy''s larger forces were having issues navigating the trees, especially the destroyers.  Their smaller foot-soldiers thus arrived far sooner than the rest.  Mhyl watched the conflict through her headset, which gave her a superiority to everyone else who suffered seeing through the trees.  She saw that they were clashed in a melee already, blades and arrows the core of the defense.  The wardens however were preparing to offer more, knowing that the sheer number of trees nearby gave their gift a multitude of options.


    Using the gift wasn''t a bad idea, in fact she had something similar in mind.  She knew her stamina, it had low levels, and recovered quickly.  That means, waiting for a good time to use it wasn''t the best approach.  She knew she shouldn''t just let loose with all she had, but to at least present an early advantage for the elves.  She focused upon their back-line gunners, foot soldiers who kept their distance and carried some advanced firearms, far superior to simple bows and arrows.  Being so far away, there was no one near them she would have to worry about possibly harming.


    Mhyl held up her book, and set her other hand on it, to help her to focus.  It was simple, there was a sphere of space that she felt shouldn''t exist anymore.  The fact that it did was as simple to solve as to provide it''s inversion.  It was like mathematically saying ''x-x=0''.  Mhyl used her gift to provide an anti-matter vortex in the designated location.  A ripple of darkness pulsed through that area in the span of a moment, causing a vacuum of wind.  She forgot to consider that air exists in a space as well, as everyone present on the field stumbled, and several trees fell over.  The Elniri host was alarmed at the sudden black explosion, but the Wardens knew better.  Being given an opportunity, they also unleashed their gift, causing vines to sprout from the fallen trees and lash out at their victims.  Even the clockwork soldiers fell when they had roots and vines growing through them, tearing them apart.


    The Elniri host only barely understood the principle of what happened, and pressed upon their new advantage.  The woods itself turned to their aid, compelled by the Wardens.  Mhyl however took a moment to rest, sitting aside Chyurae.  That actually took more from her than she had first expected, she should really be careful not to do that again.


    Thanrie was sweeping her way through her enemies, finding this form of sweeping to be much more exciting than the version using a broom.  She pressed her advantage so hard, she actually started to thin the pass with her blade alone.  Archers had stopped firing, realizing after the tenth failure that trying to shoot anything in her range usually has that target die before the arrow hit.  Thanrie still had a plan, she was still driven to an experiment, she just needed an opening.  Eventually, as she passed through soldiers, she found herself before a power armor.. but not an enemy.  Zyuixqs had made his way out and had joined her, the forces around her having thinned that much.  Thanrie laughed a demon''s laughter, her brother''s plan was still working wonders, it was trapping everyone in a tiny bubble, ready for her to rip them apart.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Ihzyhur was brandishing his blade, searching for his own opportunity to bring his frost to the field, when his brother tapped him on the shoulder.  Ihzyhur turned around to confront him.  "Oh, brother, would you care to join me?  Our blood was given to us for a purpose, to be brandished in times such as this.  The soldiers are holding the lines, certainly you would be interested to inspire them with your own gift?"  "Inspire?  I''m not sure I could even hold a candle before the blaze out there, my ice melting in such an inferno.  Just where did you find this so called Crystalline Blossom?"  "Brother, you jest, certainly you recognize your own sister after she would set to the stage like that."  "What?!  That''s little Thanrie?!"  Ihzyhur laughed at his brother''s incredulous look, being in fact fully aware how difficult it might be to see the little sister he used to know in this new Thanrie.


    Thanrie mowed away another bunch of foot soldiers, paving her way to more ambitious foes.  Two power armor suits stood before her.  "Zyuixqs, keep one busy, don''t kill it though."  Thanrie meanwhile rushed one herself.  Standing a short distance behind it, she tossed her blade, which sunk into its back.  A small time-stop bubble formed around her, so she focused on the connection she had formed.  It was a connection, like when you plug a computer into a network.  However, like all networks, that made the system before her open to intrusions, to hacking.  In fact, it was now hacked, it''s entire command system re-written to follow her own commands instead.  She had been waiting to try this for so long, and was eager to see her success.


    Once Thanrie broke the connection, time restored.  The power armor before her just stood there, doing nothing.  "Destroy your identical partner."  Thanrie pointed at the power armor Zyuixqs was trying to keep busy.. the same one which suddenly exploded a few moments later.  Zyuixqs stopped in surprise, Thanrie''s demonic laughter not helping his confusion.  Once she had the power armor set against the aethyrnz, she set off to look for a destroyer to test the same measure upon.  It was perfect, Khaexyn hadn''t even sent Thanrie a single enemy she couldn''t hack.  Her hacking was still slow though, she knew she wouldn''t bother hacking everything, just a few more of them.  Then maybe it would be time for something else.


    Mhyl stood in alarm as the enemy power armor broke through the trees.  She was expecting such enemies to be held back for a while longer, but it seems her previous attack had cleared the way a bit too much.  The Wardens attempted to deal with the power armor, but to no real effect.  Mhyl noticed one of the power armors breaking past their front lines, seeking to lay waste to their back lines.  Mhyl herself was in the self-same back lines.  Given no opportunity to act, she found herself suddenly in close melee with a power armor suit, it turning to fire upon her.  She picked up her book, realizing that she would be too slow to form any useful effect in what little window was left to her.


    Suddenly, the power armor fell over, it''s power core removed.  Chyurea hoped off the back of the armor, having been totally ignored in the process.  He was also previously ignored as he watched Thanrie work on them, including seeing where these things got their power from.  Breaking into the sealed container to remove it''s power source was simple for one such as Chyurae.  Mhyl couldn''t help but laugh at Chyurae having stolen the things power source so effortlessly, in the span of a moment.  Then she realized he also knew where the power source was on... everything here.  Sxieva had shown them that aethyrnz have a core where humans have hearts.  The destroyers might be something else, but he could at least break his way into one.  Mhyl had worried that Chyurae couldn''t have done much on the field.. when in fact he was basically an assassin to anything mechanical.


    "Chyurae, do you think you could do this to more of them?  The Wardens are having problems with these things, you''re our best hope at clearing things up."  Mhyl got a nod back for her inquiry, as Chyurae ran off.  Mhyl tried to find him on her headset, but lost track of him right away.  As she tried to search, suddenly she noticed one of the power armors fall over dead.  She turned to it to search, only for another near it to fall over in kind.  She quickly gave up, Chyurae clearly was not someone you tracked, an assassin in the shadows.


    Thanrie watched as a destroyer shot at another destroyer.  It was so beautiful, like she was tending to a mechanical garden that blossomed before her.  However, she looked back to see that in her absence, the mechanical armada had once again pressed hard against her brother''s forces.  A wave sequence of ice shattering rippled from their front lines, clearly things weren''t going to be a problem if Ihzyhur was lending a hand.  She took a moment to consider that her other brother might actually be there too.  Either way, there was still more work to be done, her playtime was over.


    Thanrie tossed her blade overhead of several enemies, it landing amidst them.  Instead of pulling it back though, she charged the connection with an electrical conduit.  Having mechanical enemies everyone would only mean a weakness to such conduits.  Electricity however surged along the chain, as if she was the source, rippling through enemies along the way and discharging in an electrical burst at her blade.  That was overall far more efficient than she had first expected.  Thunder rippled through the air in the wake of the electrical surge.


    Thanrie dashed to one end of her enemies, and set the blade as she dashed through them in the far opposite direction, stopping only when the chain met it''s maximum limit.  Then, she repeated the same surge, electrical current rippling everywhere through the enemy.  Zyuixqs however got a bit too close, which temporarily shut his armor down.   He himself had to evacuate, in case he got electrified.  Thanrie only then realized her mistake, she had made Zyuixqs vulnerable.


    Thanrie rushed to his defense as a mass of thunder rippled through the air.  With the electrical current gone, Zyuixqs was making rushed repairs on his armor, disconnecting the power core so that he could work safely.  Thanrie was not good at defense either, that was way more Qheria''s deal, but sometimes the best defense was just a very good offense.  She still had hacked firepower active on the field, their enemies were still going down.  She just needed to kill enemies around Zyuixqs, and everything would be fine.


    Mhyl reviewed what was left of their situation.  Chyurae had the power armor actually taken care of fairly well, although other suits were still being a problem as he only could take them out one at a time.  There was also a lot fewer foot-soldiers to worry about, their numbers gradually diminishing.  What was still a concern was the vast number of destroyers still making their way in.  Soon, they would end up a problem, one that might be very difficult to deal with.  However, she herself felt invigorated and recharged, ready for another attempt.


    Mhyl jumped in surprise as thunder resounded from the distance, ominously loud.  She was pretty certain that was Thanrie hard at work, making more sonic booms.  Actually, no, that really sounded like thunder, like the rippling force of lightning surging.. maybe even stronger than lightning.  She knew Thanrie was able to do electric currents, maybe Thanrie had just stepped up her game.  Electric currents, because of mechanical enemies.  It gave her an idea, the most scientific way.. almost science fiction way to stop a hoard of robots.


    Mhyl set her hand on her book again, focusing once more.  She focused into the thick of their enemies, an instant of an electrical pulse, in a polarized spiral.  This energy was fully self-contained in a tiny speck of space, held back by the force of her own will.  Once formed, she let it go, unleashing the electromagnetic pulse across the field.  An EMP.. iconic for shutting down anything robotic in it''s vicinity.  The destroyers would be immune, but not the aethyrnz inside it.  The pulse sparked off in a wave, ending their battle in an instant.  However, Mhyl had put a lot into this one, she blinked and stumbled, fully exhausted.  Without alternative, she found a place to lay down and rest.


    Thanrie was still holding ground when suddenly a pulse of energy surged out from the woods.  Even this battlefield was too close to Mhyl''s pulse, as every remaining aethyrnz in the Wyxiri front also shut down.  Zyuixqs finally got his power armor repaired, and got it reconnected and powered on.  Having missed the pulse, it was the only power armor present that still worked.  Thanrie knew hands-down, this was a Mhyl thing.  The girl was way too powerful sometimes, it really wasn''t fair.  There was no helping it, all that was left was just to clean up the mess and move on.


    Both the Wyxiri and the Elniri cleaned up after their battle, all their enemies effectively wiped out.  Things were safe for now, at least on the western side.

 63: Eastern Assault

    Even before the western fronts found itself under attack, Khaexyn''s forces had already begun their attack in the east.  The forces on this side were just as numerous and impressive as they were on the other.


    Qheria''s sister knew to not prepare for the obvious, to expect the unexpected.  She had paid close attention to her mother''s story of the Destroyer before, and had set to resolve a solution for dealing with metallic marvels of.. some further unknown capacity.  What mattered was that heavy metals sunk easier than most, and their battlefield was a swamp.  She had a collection of resources to bridge or ford the river, boats and mobile bridges that she could set on command.  All of them however were cleverly designed to carry specific weights, and nothing more.  Her enemy would approach with no way to cross.


    She didn''t expect this to be enough, they could very well prepare to ford the river of their own means if given enough of an opportunity.  She had lances across the coast, ready to attack any who dared to cross, and would send shields and blades to slow down their foes, as archers and catapults decimated them.  The catapults were all at the shore, while lances and archers scattered across a number of the islands.  The overall distance of swamp was actually in excess to her reports of the destroyer''s firing range, more than her catapults even.  She knew she had to be prepared.


    She got word of her enemy''s approach, and was surprised to discover that there wasn''t a single destroyer spotted in their collection.  All of their forces were either metallic people or heavy armors.  It was unexpected, but shouldn''t be more than she could handle.  She waited for her enemy to reach their coast before sending her signal, archers lit arrows on fire and let soar a volley.  The oil-scoured ground of their enemy caught blaze immediately, the flame surging through their forces.  She was however disappointed to discover far fewer of her enemies falling at this than she had first assumed, surely her enemies were weak to such flames.  Still, everything was still according to plan, she advanced her forces through the cover of smoke, and set to engage her enemy in this opportunity.


    Qheria took note of her surroundings, being thankful that Mhyl was not present for such a challenge.  The water she was dealing with was honestly more dangerous than most they had faced, herself falling in could bring an end to her life.  Mhyl and her phobia would probably have been a shaking wreck in this situation, and not without due cause.  Since she had fit herself in with the Reavers, she was set to one of the forward islands, expected to dash in through the smokescreen.  She also knew she was the most prepared for her enemy, and activated her belt from an island near shore.  It might have been crazy for a normal person, but with her tools, the shore was a short skip away.


    Qheria landed in among her enemies, herself still having issues seeing through the smoke.  She knew it was supposed to be more of a smoke curtain, but having it obscure any further than that was more to her own disadvantage.  A few more leaps inwards, she resorted to more dramatic alternatives, slamming into the ground with a torrent of force.  On impact, her enemies went flying towards her, as she herself went straight into the air.  She descended once more on a collection of enemies that has piled up below her, a force wave rushing outwards on impact, crushing into the ground anything directly below her, and sending flying anything just past that.  She had been practicing that, it really worked better than she thought.


    The wave of force was also clearing the smoke in her area, giving her a bit more visibility.  As the area cleared, she got to witness the plans of her enemy.  Many of them were actually hovering, jet-packs turned on to keep them in the air.  She couldn''t see any of the power armor, but worried that they might have some advanced equipment as well.  Khaexyn clearly was not ignorant of the geography he was working with.  As visibility started to clear, the same jetpack soldiers turned their firearms on her, leaving her to setup a barrier.  Qheria knew that even though her sister thought she was prepared, she wasn''t prepared for this.


    Lwyn was already fighting before the smokescreen showed up, her enemies having arrived well before Qheria''s.  She was herself high up on the cliff, but found her enemy''s ability to fly completely unfair.  She was thankful that their flight maximum height was limited, she was still too high for them, but them being aerial made it very hard to get a good shot.  She fired another blade into the air, it detonating in an explosion at the point she desired.  She couldn''t rely on contact explosions, she needed to actually measure distances.


    The Pillars actually did not know there were anything beyond the mechanical jetpack soldiers, the curves of the mountain concealing anything further.  As fire burned in the battle below the mountain, so too did it above, the Embers having engaged in full force.  However, by now, the other Pillars were starting to catch on to what they were dealing with, leaving the area a field of assorted elementals.  From fire followed shards of stone and ice, the Dust and Frost Pillars taking action.  The effects of the Gust Pillars were much less visible, leaving enemies crashing to the ground for no visible reason as the very air betrayed them.  Enemy firepower deflected off of stone shields, the energy weapons absorbed into shields of frost.


    To Lwyn, this was actually pretty easy.  She had to aim away from the rock-face, sure, but that just took a bit more gift.  Her own shots were even silent and soundless, further efforts to not disturb the mountain they stood beside.  Still, flying enemies were annoying, she needed to fix that.  The Gust Pillars though, they might have the right idea, having the very air betray those who depended on it.  She fired another blade, which unwound in the very air into a webbed mesh of energy, spreading over a large area.  As this connected with her enemies, it started forcing them to the ground, still growing larger and continuing towards the ground in it''s pursuit.  This had some minor collateral effect, even the Pillars on the ground were forced to their knees, but anyone in the air was crashed into the ground with much more force, the higher they were the faster they fell.  Some of them were destroyed in the crash, but many of them took to the air again, so she simply fired the same once again.


    Having been denied by anti-air support, the footsoldiers stopped using their jetpacks and simply fought from the ground.  Lwyn smiled, that was exactly what she was hoping for.  Lwyn fired an energy pulse, which detonated on contact with the ground.  Being of energy, the ground weathered the blow very well, but her enemy was not so stable.  Several of them were blown from the mountain, crashing into parts on their unfortunate landing.  Many of them simply were torn apart by the blast.  She reloaded and fired again and again, large collections of her enemies falling.  Surely things wouldn''t be this easy?


    Qheria''s sister looked across the battlefield, her smoke screen having unfortunately cut herself off from information on the front lines.  However, her provided advantage was clearing up, the smoke was fading away.  She was very interested in how her mother was fairing out there, and if she had destroyed whatever fording equipment their enemy would be preparing.  As the smoke cleared, she saw her mother at the edge of the shore, being overwhelmed by a number of soldiers... in the air!  They could fly?!  That was not something she had planned for, that would ruin everything.


    Moments later, the air erupted in a sphere of wind, throwing foes all over the place, and giving her mother an opportunity to keep pressing on.  She could see Xyithy wielding vapour itself and slicing her foes apart, lines of smoke swirling around in her wake.  Still, those massive spheres of wind.. what was causing them?  "The smoke is clearing, do we have any reports on what is going on?  Other than the flying, I can see that perfectly well, I mean where are those spheres of wind coming from?"  She sent orders for information as she pondered a solution to this dilemma.


    A soldier approached her, having hear the request, and got out of his armor.  The armor he wore was huge, similar to their enemies in some vague sense.  "Oh, yeah, that would be Qheria doing her thing again.  Lucky her, I got stuck on this side because of the stupid swamp."  "Wait, that''s my sister?  When did she.. actually how is she...  Nevermind, there is no time for that now.  Archers, fire upon the enemy, especially any in the air above the swamp.  Catapults, prepare to fire in kind."  Rhyde got back into his power armor, taking the same instructions into consideration.  This thing did have some ranged firepower, maybe he find a good shot.  Qheria''s sister didn''t bother with Rhyde, going back to giving orders.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Rhyde advanced to the shore and fired a practice shot.  As the electric volt passed over the water, the whole lake electrified in a surge from the passage of the bolt.  Rhyde armor fell backwards in response to his own attempt to do the same, that was both surprising and interesting.  Qheria''s sister however ran right up to him to personally inquire.  "What was that, how did you do that?"  "Ah, this is a weapon from Qheria''s.. friends, I still don''t completely know everything it''s capable of.  However, it seems to react very well in this situation."  Qheria''s sister watched as Rhyde fired another shot towards some of the flying enemies that had made their way into his range.  The bolt only took out one of them, but the electric surge dropped several more into the water, along with a few other clusters elsewhere over the swamp.


    Qheria''s sister revised her strategy, given this opportunity.  Rhyde would be securing the water with his storm-bolt, being the cornerstone of their defense.  With such a defense, they had need of nothing more than to attack.  She looked across at her mother and.. sister, together both laying into their enemies.  Things were looking to be progressing pretty nicely after all.


    Lwyn stumbled from the mountain as a shot nearly missed her.  She was surprised, she should be too high for.. and then noticed the arrival of enemy power armor, in the air almost as high as she was.  She quickly caught the wall, struggling to hold a grip with the non-metallic wall.  From her glove, she spawned a sphere that pulled her into the wall lightly, keeping her steady.  Meanwhile, the enemy that had shot her was falling from the sky as a very loud sound struck through the air.  Yuxzn reloaded his rail gun, very happy that his first shot being against a large target had still connected.  He didn''t hit what he wanted, but it seems hitting their flight pack would at least take them from the air.  Before he could reload, another had turned to face up to him, but that one too fell from the sky.


    Lwyn reloaded once again, her shot having successfully at least repaid the favour she had just been owed.  Yuxzn was actually seated way high over the mountain, with what would have been the best view ever.  She had seen from that location, it was possible to even see the swamp far down below, perfect for a sniper.  It would have been even better, if their enemy didn''t fly.  Sure, it was more like hover, they needed to be a distance from the ground to keep any kind of real lift, but that''s almost the same thing.


    Lwyn tried the net trick again, but to no avail.  It seems the jets of the power armor were fully capable of keeping themselves in the air regardless.  She had learn from her last battle, these things were not to be underestimated.  "Fire in the hole!"  Lwyn''s Izhaethyx still made no sense to anyone who heard, but it at least got their attention.  She spawned a sphere of energy over her glove and threw it down to her enemies.  The sphere detonated mid air, much like a grenade, sending a wave of white plasma surging from it.  She had kept it a distance from her allies, but still that same force melted the gift-given frost and even stone, the stone wall below her having melted itself.  This is to say nothing of the power armors that were engulfed by the explosion.


    As another power armor was shot down from above her, she noticed several more were approaching on the ground.  Ah, so not all of them could fly, or would fly, she had no idea which one it was.  The newcomers fired up at her, a massive beam that tore through the stone.  The entire mountain shook from the impact, sending stones falling over her.  Lwyn clung to the wall, setting another gravity well behind her.  A stone nearly fell upon her, but was blasted from the air by another railgun shot.  Lwyn was very thankful for Yuxzn''s accuracy, having been unable to deal with such a threat herself.  It seems the ground-bound forces had heavier weapons, and very long range.


    Qheria blocked a heavy cannon shot, as the enemy heavy armor started firing upon her.  Being able to block her enemy''s shots helped, but these shots were taking a lot out of her simply in order for her to hold up against.  Worse, anyone else hit by such shots perished outright.  Qheria was very worried for her mother, who couldn''t block such firepower.  As she thought to have her mother withdraw, she noticed the swamp being electrified.  While Rhyde''s defense did stop the enemy, it also made the whole thing impassable by any of them, Xyithy had no way to withdraw.


    Qheria sent a wave of photonic energy through a power armor suit, aiming at her mother.  The suit powered down before it could fire.  She was however thrown onto the defensive, as several others showed up with the same mindset.  Qheria threw up a barrier in the protection of her mother, herself not wanting to share the exact same sadness Lwyn had been forced to suffer.  One of the power armors started over the swamp, mitigating the electrical surge.  Rhyde fired upon it directly, which proved too much for it, as it sunk into the swamp.  Several more started their advance, as many gathered around Qheria''s barrier, trying to break it down.


    Lwyn descended from the cliff, left with no other option.  She had been told she needed to defend the cliff wall too, and had expected her height would have dealt with that, but it seemed she would not be so fortunate.  She threw forwards a gravity repulsion well, to slow down her descent as she took the shortest way to the ground.  Leaping from the cliff, she landed softly on her feet before all of the Pillars.  She put away the crossbow for now, long range wouldn''t do her any good in this situation.


    Lwyn faced her enemies, two white spheres forming in her hands.  Detonating plasma wouldn''t be good for her own survival at this range, so that wouldn''t work.  However, not all projectiles had to fly in straight lines.  She let go of the spheres, which moved a distance from her hands, and floated there.  She then rushed towards the power armor, smashing it with the pure energy she had floating before her with a massive uppercut.  The power armor went flying over the edge, shattering on it''s descent.  She then turned towards another power armor suit, summoning two more spheres, leaving four orbs floating around her.  She nailed it into the ground with two of them, as two more smashed through it.


    Lwyn doubled again the orbs floating around her, as enemies turned to fire upon her.  Shots passed into her spheres and vanished, fully consumed in the process, as she turned to face off against more of them.  This was way easier than she thought, she could only give commands to her projectiles while she was near them, but keeping them near just meant she had an orbital defense grid.  She had a few dozen of the orbs now around her, laying destruction in her wake.  She kept going until she found none before her remained any longer.  Yuxzn''s weapon had also finally gone silent, no longer having a target.


    Qheria was at a loss, stuck on a defense that would not hold, as her enemies started to cross the swamp.  She needed to take action, and had no idea how.  Being at a loss for a solution was infuriating for her, she was not one to take a loss sitting down.  If only she could bring her mother across the swamp.  She smashed the ground in frustration, as the world around her shifted.  When she looked up, she and anyone else hiding under her barrier found themselves exactly where she was trying to go.  She had warped across the swamp, of all things she could possibly be capable of.


    Rhyde and Qheria''s sister rushed over, surprised to find the arrive of Qheria and Xyithy so suddenly.  "Our offense isn''t holding, focus on the giant armors, they need to sink before they can cross.  Rhyde, honey, maybe your firepower would be more useful on the other side of the swamp.  Have my daughter take you back, I''ll look after things here."  Xyithy was taking Qheria''s sudden innovation like it was the most normal thing in the world, though it was just something she had came to learn.  Her daughter was just simply capable of more than she could imagine, that''s all there was to it.  Qheria''s sister however was still at a loss for what was going on, but rushed to follow her mother''s advice.


    Qheria left the other Reavers she had saved in her mother''s care as she set a barrier around her and Rhyde.  She then repeated the same process, warping back over the swamp.  Enemies now standing where the barrier formed were torn apart as they came into existence in their destination.  Qheria was marveling over the destruction as Rhyde set forth firing upon his enemies.  Hitting the ones crossing from behind was far easier, and from here he could even attack ones that were not crossing.  Rhyde was sinking the fangs of his weapon into them far faster than they could react, although one did shoot him successfully, but to little effect.  Thanrie had ensured the entire system was fully capable of discharging energy sent against it, and Qheria had even lent her gift to strengthen the material, much like her experiment with the ball.  Rhyde would not be going down anytime soon.


    Qheria herself was taking wonder to her new discovery, and warped into a few other enemies, tearing them apart and leaving them no opportunity to even try to fire upon her.  Warping around just made her impossible to track, while the same action destroyed her foes.  Quickly, she had the entire coast clear on this side, the only enemies remaining were the ones who had escaped over the marsh.  This would take another solution, she wouldn''t dare warp over the water, she could fall in.  This gave her an idea though, as she slammed her fists into the ground again, imparting her gift upon it.  At this point, gravity in a wide area magnified dramatically, pulling her flat to the ground.  Even Rhyde was pinned to the ground as a result of this.   Xyithy and Qheria''s sister though were also pinned to the ground.. the gravitation wave going out that far.  This then included all of her foes floating over the water, each pulled into the marsh and consumed by it.


    Qheria stood up and dusted herself off, looking around.  Expecting silence, she listened carefully at the sound of the ground shuddering as something else approached closer and closer, heralding that things weren''t over yet.

 64: Overwhelming Advantage

    Silence failed to cover the battlefield, as the fight was not yet over.  Soft shakes quickly resolved as thunderous crashes as another threat approached on the east side.


    Lwyn climbed up to the ledge Yuxzn was waiting at, feeling satisfied by her success.  There however, she found Yuxzn agasp with horror.  Turning to follow his sight, she quickly took to the same emotion.  Far below them, approaching the swamp quickly, was the Colossal itself.  It had been delayed behind their other forces, possibly to overwhelm the front lines after the rest of the forces had gotten enough time to swarm them.  Thanks to Qheria, that''s not how it had worked out, with the Colossal thus arriving too late to save the rest of the mechanical attackers.  However, they all knew, this was no simple threat, even the four girls together had done nothing before but knock it over with the power of a siege weapon to support them.  Now, Qheria had much less.


    Lwyn created a projectile that pulled her upwards as she jumped from the entire mountain, gliding down the entire thing.  She landed a fair distance away from the swamp still, and threw a harmless spark of light over Qheria.  Qheria noticed Lwyn in the distance and warped much closer to her, completely surprising Lwyn.  "Ah!  Really, you can teleport now too?"  "Seems so, I just figured out how at least.  Do you happen to know what is going on?"  "Easy question, that''s the Colossal."  Lwyn motioned behind her as Qheria resolved her own turn of shock and horror.


    They had no idea how to deal with the Colossal, being a much more serious threat then any of the other things they had been working with.  Qheria also realized that it was not only too tall to sink in the swamp, it could almost step over it by using the tiny spots of land as stepping stones even if there were such concerns.  She also recalled that the thing had a barrier of its own, which really put them at a loss for finding enough firepower to even dent it.  Possibly the only one who could have done anything against this thing was Mhyl, but she wasn''t anywhere nearby and even had her own things to worry about.


    For now, Qheria decided to regroup.  She went to gather Rhyde up, and warped the three of them back over the swamp.  There, she approached Xyithy with a simple report.  "The Colossal will be here soon.  We need to be ready."  Qheria waited for the dread to resolve for Rhyde and Xyithy, although her sister did not share the same expression.  Xyithy took the opportunity to take her daughter aside to explain while Rhyde turned to look over the situation.  They had only barely endured the previous scenario, this might be more then they could handle.


    "None of the Qiciri can help with this, not with only blades and lances and arrows.  Even their shields won''t do a thing, really.  They''ll need to withdraw, before they just become a liability."  Rhyde was very familiar with being a mundane liability, it was why he was thankful for the power armor he has been using.  Some of their forces were still scattered on small swamp islands, while others were even on the far opposite coast.  They all needed to withdraw, this was too much for them to contribute to.  Xyithy heard the observation and passed the information to her daughter, who reluctantly agreed.  Even the power armor they had to deal with near the end was proving futile to measure up against, something more powerful would make her forces meaningless.


    As everyone was called to retreat across the swamp, Qheria realized that she would have to step forward to defend her people, even under impossible odds.  She wasn''t alone at least, she had Rhyde at her side and Lwyn was here to help as well.  The odds still weren''t in there favour, unfortunately.  As Qheria turned to face the oncoming threat, Rhyde and Lwyn came to join her, so she warped them all across the swamp.  On arrival, they could see the Colossal was quickly approaching.  The Colossal also noticed their arrival, and readied its weaponry.  The missile bay of both shoulders opened up and fired a volley towards them.  Qheria warped the three of them passed the missiles in an effort to simply dodge, although each of them turned around to seek their target.  Lwyn shot an explosive burst, detonating the missiles in the air, only to hear more missiles spreading out behind her.


    Rhyde dashed away, firing upon missiles as he moved.  It was so far a losing battle, with each of them more concerned about being hit than being able to do anything about it.  As Lwyn and Qheria also held ground by detonating missiles mid-flight, the Colossal got close enough to use it''s other weaponry.  Along both arms, the laser batteries charged and fired, unleashing rays of destruction that cooked the ground in its wake.  Qheria set her shield to block, feeling very dizzy from the exertion after taking a single blow.  Rhyde felt the heat of his power armor rise, himself starting to cook on the inside.  Lwyn, with no way to block, made use of a gravity well to quickly dodge, crashing into the ground on her landing.  Meanwhile, the Colossal prepared to fire again.  Qheria was certain they couldn''t keep this up for very long, not the way things were going.


    The charging of the laser battery this time was interrupted, as a loud roar echoed across the valley.  Far off in the distance, Yuxzn started to reload his weapon, having gone for a significantly long range shot.  The colossal''s shield weathered the entire blow, but doing so at least interrupted the weapon.  The colossal tried to fire again, only for the same interruption.  Instead of trying for a third time, it''s hands erupted into a blaze of fire, and it rushed straight towards Qheria.  Qheria added thermal resistance to her barrier, as it came crushing down on her.  She would have warped away, but in truth she had dodged, the Colossal had instead struck her warp destination.  Rhyde rushed in to her rescue, only to get smashed away by a sweep of the same gigantic blazing fists.


    Lwyn called forth several black spheres and made her attempt to help Qheria.  As the giant struck out at her, she had one of the gravity well spheres pull her up out of the way, and then another to the side, outpacing her enemy.  Finding this gnat much harder to swat, the Colossal turned to give Lwyn it''s full attention, giving Qheria a moment to catch her breath and warp out of the way.  Lwyn kept trying to dodge, eventually finding herself hounded by more missiles.  Yuxzn''s long range shot came, taking such out in the process.


    Lwyn intercepted Qheria in her withdraw.  "We can''t just keep dodging, we need to fight back."  "Dealing with the heat it generates is hard as is, even Rhyde looks like he''s cooking in his tiny model of the Colossal.  If we could somehow knock it over, we saw before that it has problems getting back up, but we don''t have anything big enough to pressure it onto it''s back.  We would need some serious waves of force here."  Lwyn pondered Qheria idea, reviewing the situation, as they both scattered to dodge.


    Lwyn approached Qheria again with her insight.  "I might have a plan.  I can probably get it on it''s back, but I''m going to need you to do a few things for me.  First part of the plan is to get it on it''s back, which I''m going to be focused on.  Meanwhile, you need to be ready to deal with it''s shields.  Remember, it is just a giant version of the same power armor, so the best way to deal with its shields is to overcharge them.  Too bad we don''t have Thanrie for this, but you''ll have to be the one who instead supercharges it''s shield.  Once that is overloaded, we can sink some serious damage into it before it has time to recover."  Lwyn''s plan would still take a lot, but it was the only option they had.


    Overall, Lwyn''s plan was to have the Colossal lured into the swamp, but first they had to do some preparation.  Rhyde was left to keep it busy, desperately trying to simply save off attacks on his own.  Qheria discovered that her warp had some limitations in distance, as she needed to make several jumps to bring Lwyn up to where Yuxzn was hiding.  Once there, Lwyn had her rush back to save Rhyde, as she worked out her part with Yuxzn.  Qheria returned, understanding that her next goal would be to get the Colossal into the swamp.


    Qheria returned to the Colossal in an aggressive warp, attempting to take it''s place on arrival.  The shields however deflected this maneuver, sending her flying aside.  It did at least get the things attention.  Rhyde pulled off to try and cool his armor for a sec, as Qheria set to dodging the Colossal''s onslaught, bringing it closer to the swamp.  After pulling the Colossal away enough, Qheria came in to pick up Rhyde, and warped him back over the swamp.  "Rhyde, keep firing on it from here, lets use the swamp against it."  Qheria pointed back at the Colossal, which was searching for it''s targets.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Rhyde fired across the swamp again, lighting it up in a surge of electricity.  The Colossal turned to look, spotting where it''s targets had escaped to.  The giant stepped into the swamp, which absorbed it up to it''s knees.  Realizing that the swamp was slowing it dramatically, the thing stepped onto one of the islands, using it as stepping stones as Qheria had predicted.


    Yuxzn held the shell Lwyn had handed him, herself having just created it.  It was crazy loading her gift-given ammo into his weapon, but not nearly as crazy as what he was to do with it.  He didn''t have time to ponder the plan, as the Colossal was almost to the middle of the swamp.  Yuxzn set his sights on his target and fired.  The projectile soared towards the Colossal, and then skipped past it.  This was alright, he wasn''t aiming for that anyway.  Lwyn had considered the disposition of the swamp itself, having been dammed up by falling rocks.  Draining the swamp in a sudden rush would bring some considerable force.


    The projectile struck true, striking the collection of boulders outcropped at the woods, exploding in a giant sphere that consumed the rock and everything else in a fair radius.  The water was set churning to fill in the space left by the sphere, but the water did not just drain away.  Lwyn was disgruntled by this outcome, not having considered that the swamp had flooded so much that it was already going around it''s barrier.  But as the pressure of the waves settled into the space left, she found herself with a new amended plan.


    The distance was too much for her to aim, but she had been able to seek a target much farther away.  She summoned a projectile over her hand and threw it to the wind.  The projectile was given a destination, the center of the explosion of her previous projectile.  It rushed to that location in all urgency, then itself detonated.  At the center of the blast, a dark vortex formed, vacuuming in water all around it like a tiny black hole.  Air was also rushing towards the vortex, causing the Colossal to stumble from the islands and fall into the water.  The water itself pulled the Colossal towards the vortex, causing it to stumble rapidly by the water torrent.  Pulled almost the entire way to the vortex, the swamp practically dry, the Colossal teetered on an uneven balance.  Then, having been fully expended, the Vortex dissipated, unleashing all the pressure it had gathered in an instant.  The Colossal was thrown hard by the force of the waves surging against it, and sent flying back into the swamp.  Water surged over it, as it laid back-first into the muck, struggling to escape the clutches of the swamp.


    Qheria was still at a loss for her next action, though.  She needed to overwhelm it''s shields, to super-charge it.  Rhyde''s weapon could electrify the water, but that wouldn''t change much for something like the Colossal.  She pondered Lwyn''s advice, to treat it like an oversized power armor.  Her first success with such had required her to use it''s weapons against it.  She watched over it struggle as it''s hands started to bring the water to a boil.  This painted a picture for Qheria, realizing that the sight would alarm both Mhyl and Lwyn, it looked like a great reproduction of the whole scene that had almost taken Mhyl''s life.


    Then Qheria recalled, it was also the same terms she had used her gift originally, dealing with intense heat.  Thermal energy.  Rhyde''s armor was also shielded, and he had started cooking really bad.  The thing also had a missile pod on it''s shoulders, just what would happen if she redirected all of that potential energy into it''s shoulders, not only disturbing its shield, but also frying the missiles contained within.


    Qheria recalled when Yuxzn had shot it, it had to stop attacking to pull up its shield.  Of course it couldn''t do both at the same time.  That meant the most vulnerable moment was right after firing, while it''s shield was coming up.  She would need to provide it a target, get it to fire, and bring down a tempest unto it in the opening.  As usual, there was no target she would be more willing to offer than herself.  Lwyn might object, but she knew she could trust her gift to beat the heat, it was her best quality.


    Qheria took a deep breath for a moment, composing herself and gathering her energy, as she set to warp once again.  This time, it was far into the air above her opponent.  Spotting a target, the Colossal turned it''s laser battery on her and fired, exactly as predicted.  Qheria kept her barrier set and flipped upside down, having her belt boost her descent dramatically, leaving her barrier to protect her from the fall as well.  The third feature her barrier had was to collect the energy of the lasers sent towards her, and charged with this energy her barrier was set ablaze.  Right as the beam finished firing, she collided against it''s right shoulder, smashing down onto the missile pod.  Still set to feed, her shield started to surge with the thermal energy of the water it was cooking in, generating a brilliant inferno around her in the span of an instant, a moment after she made contact with the pod.  In response to the kinetic assault, the shield came to full bear against her, and she poured everything she had into the shield as it awoke.


    The rate of the shield''s activation was too much and too fast for the machine, leaving a massive excess of energy buildup in it''s shoulder.  Already, the shoulder was suffering from the heat of the water it was resting in, the excess energy just made such worse.  The metal of the shoulder started to glow and burn as this torrent of heat worsened, Qheria''s signal to retreat.  As she warped away, the energy buildup exceeded the pod''s durability, the ammunition inside passing it''s maximum tolerance for such heat and energy.  The pod itself detonated, rupturing a hole in the Colossal.  As the shields overloaded, other systems started to fail, the entire arm on that shoulder all but useless, and it''s tracking systems offline.  It could still use its other arm, but it was blind, and it''s shield had failed.


    Lwyn had returned at this point, having again glided down the mountain, settling not far from where Qheria appeared.  "Ouch, nice one Qheria.  That looked like it hurt."  "When I said we should put the pressure on it, I didn''t expect you to create a black hole.  That thing almost had me afraid I would be sucked into the abyss."  Lwyn shrugged, herself having not actually planned most of that out, everything had just kinda came together that way.  Qheria sighed, realizing she herself had been equally crazy.  There was nothing left to do but finish the thing.


    Qheria warped back onto it, smashing her fist into it''s central unit, in the middle of what would be it''s chest.  A fist came up to strike her, so she dashed into the air.  Having felt her motions, the Colossal decided to fire it''s other pod after it''s fleeing target.  Qheria warped away further, leaving the missiles to turn to seek after her.  Lwyn fired at the missiles, not intent on their destruction, but to confuse them.  The missiles spun around, trying to figure out their target.  Lwyn summoned up some more gravity wells and pulled herself onto the Colossal.  She then set a gravity well idly onto the missile pod itself, set to go off with a timer.


    The hand came up again to swat her, but Qheria showed up to save her.  Transposing the spot of the arm, now without its shield, the arm tore asunder in the force of the teleportation.  Qheria then warped Lwyn away.  "I could have done that too, I had a whole twenty seconds left to work with. ... Thanks though."  "Twenty seconds until wha-."  Lwyn guided Qheria''s vision back to the Colossal with a motion, right as time expired.  The gravity well she left behind, started to draw in everything near it, which at this point only included the missiles fluttering over it.  The missiles were pulled towards the pod, and detonated on impact, tearing what was left of the Colossal into tiny parts that sunk beneath the swamp.


    Qheria crossed her arms as she glared at Lwyn.  It might have been an efficient move, but overall she still had one complaint.  If Lwyn could have set the timer as she willed, she should have given herself much more than twenty seconds to escape such destruction.  Qheria felt much better for having pulled Lwyn from that danger personally, too much could have gone wrong in just twenty seconds.  Qheria sighed, nothing had gone wrong, so there was no point in blaming Lwyn for something that hadn''t happened.  For now, they had to report on their success, let everyone know things were going to be okay.


    As Qheria turned to go, Lwyn stumbled behind her, falling into the dirt.  Lwyn had been pushing herself to the limit, her stamina all too gone.  Lwyn had expended the last of everything she had in those passing moments.  Qheria changed her mind, Lwyn would get seriously scolded for this later.  It was all too possible that Lwyn might have ran out of stamina in her escape, and either been left in the blast, or fallen into the swamp.  As she tried to carry Lwyn back with her, she realized that she herself was also at her limits, excessively exhausted.  She had no choice, she set Lwyn down again as she also took an opportunity to relax.


    The Qiciri would rescue them shortly after, Lwyn still unconscious and Qheria rapidly fading.  The battle was over, so for now they would need to rest.

 65: Archived Inheritance

    Calm was restored at the battlefield, the siege having ended, if only for now.  However, away from the front lines, things weren''t quite as serene.


    Khaexyn watched his instruments, observing even the final moments of his Colossal.  Somehow, even his whole armada had fallen, which still felt in overall far too irrational.  The colossal alone had the firepower to wipe the floor with several elites, its weaponry far too capable against the simplistic elemental properties of the gift, and overall vastly superior to other conventional weaponry.  However, he did remember the kinds of forces that had assaulted his fortress, kidnapped his family, and murdered one if not both of their hostages.


    While being also irrational, they had also been making use of their own mechanical stronghold, visibly using weaponry even he wasn''t familiar with.  There was as yet an unknown element to this whole situation, something directly competing with him.  He had predicted they would have been left unable to deal with his assault, but they would have been the only feasible element that could have done anything about it.  From his measures, considering that all four fronts of his assault had been handled at the same time, there was more than one such person behind this, but by his calculations, there couldn''t be more than a score, maybe not even a dozen.


    His massive direct force had been faced, and had fallen as a result.  Meanwhile, none of his enemies had ever resorted to direct attacks.  He thought back to the history of deaths.  All attacks against his wife had been by an assassin, in fact there was belief that his parents had fallen because of an assassin.  Measures of force were too predictable and too easy to deal with, that was becoming far too obvious.  However, every success against him had been dealt from the shadows.  If he wanted to deal with this threat, maybe it would be time to take from it''s example.


    He had two solutions in this mentality, and both would probably be a good move.  One would take a lot more time, and still would involve some measure of force, but would be capable of no small measure of surprise.  It was a project he had been working on for a while now, and it might be about time for him to personally oversee it.  However, first he would have to make use of his other solution.  He would need to find a way to provide his own assassin, one that was a collection of the greatest elements of his life''s work, all comprised enough to sneak into their sanctuary, and bring death to them before they could react.  Fortunately, he had just the proposal for such an endeavour.


    Lwyn blinked awake to the faint light, finding Mhyl tending to herself with healing energies.  Lwyn looked up at Mhyl, both sharing an expression that still remained exhausted.  Nearby, Qheria relaxed, not looking quite as tired, but still very worn down.  Thanrie was the only one of them not present.  "Where''s Thanrie, is..." "Don''t worry, Lwyn.  Thanrie is fine, she''s just dealing to matters of.. politics."  Lwyn relaxed again, hearing from Mhyl that things were fine.  Qheria silently brought the two elf-kinds some tea, not missing how tired they both looked.  She kept some for herself as well, it could only help at this point.


    Lwyn sampled the tea provided to her, finding the flavour unfamiliar, but the scent memorable.  It was like a sample of nostalgia, this was a tea she hadn''t worked with since back at the Citadel Inn, tea she actually had never been able to try for herself.  Mhyl finished with her treatment as she also set to enjoy the tea, it being a blend she had never tried before.  She knew the elves took to trying other teas than humans, so that was probably why.  Even in her single time in the Citadel Inn, she had never taken the opportunity to try such a thing.  To her, it felt like exploring a brand new culture all over again.


    Qheria however fully remembered this tea, reminding her of where she had returned to.  They might have saved the day, but they had put themselves on a stage by doing so, their reputation soaring in hardly any time at all.  There were rumors following the battle just how powerful the Crystalline Blossoms actually were, exactly how much power they commanded.  People had already spoken of what little they had seen in the display of their actions across four battlefields, but it wasn''t like the things they did were small at all.  She could only imagine how dramatic her own actions would have looked to anyone who didn''t know the things she did, to the kind of person she used to be before this had begun.  This was much like how her mother had became a hero, just magnified several times more over.


    Thanrie took this opportunity to enter, carrying a stack of clothes.  "Good, you''re all awake, holy F~~k things have gotten out of control.  Everyone has to get changed, they are making a F~~~ing ceremony out of this."  Thanrie handed out clothes for everyone quite unlike the clothes they had worn before.  Mhyl however recognized the azure style right away.  "What''s going on?  This is a formal dress of the Elniri..."  More than Mhyl was used to in the past, the exact style was something closer to what she would have expected her mother to be found wearing.  Qheria and Lwyn looked at what they were offered, dressed they were even less familiar with, all formal.


    "So, it seems no one actually knows who the Crystalline Blossoms are, just that they have the biggest reputation in the world right now.  Politics stepped in, and there are some really important people who want to take pride in where the Crystalline Blossoms fit in society.  Brother even made sure I was thrown back into one of my dresses again, the most formal I ever owned."  Thanrie looked down at the rose dress she wore once again, one she was very thankful she hadn''t chosen when she fled initially, mostly because it would have been even worse to run around in.  However, it wasn''t like she had forgotten how to wear such a thing, everything was coming back to her once again.  In fact, the one who had pressured her into this had actually been her eldest brother, even if it was only sent through her second brother.


    Mhyl got her dress on next, not being all that unfamiliar with Elniri dresses.  "Mhyl, Aelyiq sends word that your mother had personally made sure that was sent for you to wear.  Something about being formal wear for the Saviour, and that you need to look the part and all that jazz.  You''re going to be formally presenting yourself as such, after all."  Thanrie was still surprised how well Mhyl was able to handle herself in such a dress, missing the irony that she herself also held herself very well right now, if you ignored how she was speaking at the time.  Everyone else was actually surprised how pretty Thanrie looked in that dress, it wasn''t something they could imagine her wearing this well.


    Thanrie helped Qheria with the dress, as she was drowning in the material.  She had never worn something this formal before, not even in the best of occasions.  She was however familiar with formal gatherings, the Shieldbearers and occasions with her mother had frequently put her into important celebrations.  However, this emerald dress was still far unlike anything she had been forced to wear before, it made her most glamorous occasion look far more casual in comparison.  "Qheria, you won''t believe who is supporting you.  The Qiciri crown had actually gathered together that dress for you, and made sure it was sent to you.  It seems they want to reveal their second national hero, in all of her wonder, like you''re continuing your mother''s legacy."  Thanrie shrugged, the Qiciri messenger involved having spoken with far more disdain directed at herself than she had used.  The spite between the Qiciri and Wyxiri still had yet to go away, it seems.


    Lwyn herself had still not even tried to get changed yet, staring at the dress before her in horror.  It reminded her of her time back in the Fortress, her time as Yhse.  Worse, while she had thus worn dresses this formal before, she still didn''t know how to put one on by herself.  All of her dresses had been put on with the help of her maids.  Mhyl caught on to her line of thought, and stepped in to help.  "Lwyn, don''t worry, that dress is much like our own, you''re one of us now, right?"  Mhyl smiled gently, as Lwyn conceded enough to be shown how to put it on.  She did however wordlessly insist on doing everything herself, not belittling Mhyl into the role of a maid again.


    Lwyn looked at herself after she got the dress on, even the same violet tones as the one she wore back in the Fortress.  It just wasn''t the same style, and was actually even less comfortable and more frilly.  "The Arch-Magus had been pressing for what to have you wear, and was thankful to see the dress you had taken back with you from the Fortress.  He decided that it would be a representation of your own ability, your own personal style.  Beyond that, you''re actually wearing a dress that was a lot like one your mother used to wear, according to the Arch-Magus.  It seems he feels it''s best to finally come clean about the identity of his granddaughter, the heir of the Arch-Magus."  Thanrie explained the last dress as Mhyl looked it over, herself then understanding just why this dress also seemed to have the feeling of an Elniri make to it.  It probably was a customized Elniri dress, all things considered.


    With everyone prepared, Thanrie guided everyone from the room.  Once outside, Lwyn quickly figured out they were in the Citadel itself, somewhere.  A quick glance out a passing window, she could see the Citadel Inn, far below her.  She had actually never been inside the Citadel before this, none of them had.  Fortunately, unlike the Fortress, the halls of the Citadel actually made sense, so Thanrie had no issues guiding them to their destination.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Thanrie approached Ehryinae, who was standing outside the doors of the great hall itself.  "Oh, you actually made it faster than we had expected.  Everyone is waiting inside, with plenty to talk about as is, all things considered.  The itinerary that was made had us expecting to hold out for another hour, but it might be better to not wait."  Ehryinae turned to the doors before Lwyn could voice her thoughts, herself liking the idea of holding out another hour.  Seeing things progress inevitably, she surrendered herself to her fate, there was nothing to do but to keep going with it.  She took a moment in memory of her own promise to herself, to accept herself as both Lwyn and Yhse.  That just implied that formalities like this would just become her future, as the heir of the Arch-Magus.  She wouldn''t be alone either, she had her friends there right beside her.


    Ehryinae entered the great hall, catching the attention of everyone within.  "Moving ahead of schedule, the four Crystalline Blossoms, as they have been taken to being called, have arrived.  First up, hailing from Wyxir, herself fourth from the throne, lady Thanryitaeli Zyxaesteyln.  Secondly, hailing from Qicir, leader of the Crystalline Blossoms, lady Qheriyaehyzeiri Aiylthhiylz.  Thirdly, hailing from Elnir, declared as the Elniri Saviour, lady Mhylzhyine Ihrnaelzyhr.  Finally, hailing here from the Citadel, heir to the Arch-Magus, lady Lwynitsse Duxaeyhlit."  As Ehryinae called each of their names, the four girls individually walked into the rooms, all eyes on them.  Whispers begun to echo through the room, as talk begun in earnest about this great reveal.  A small fight broke out as arguments arose surrounding which of the Qiciri and Wyxiri should have been introduced first.  Ehryinae had actually ensured to put neither above the other, by putting emphasis on Qheria''s leadership, but mentioning Thanrie first.


    The Arch-Magus interrupted the bustle with an augmented slam of his staff, bright lights flaring from it.  "Thank you, Crystalline Blossoms, for your attendance to our gathering.  I''m sure there are many questions and concerns already arisen from this great reveal.  Instead of leaving things to speculation, it may be more prudent to present an announcement.  Lady Lwyn''s heritage extends far beyond simply being my heir.  Over twenty years ago, I had taken in a young man who had parents from both the Qiciri and Wyxiri, Lord Jheiqs.  He was one of the poor unfortunate nobles who had suffered the loss of his parents during the incident at the Qiciri coronation.  I believe both royal families may be familiar with the noble couple involved."  As the Arch-Magus paused, Thanrie noticed her parents were actually in attendance to this whole thing, not just her three brothers.  Her parents were a lot older than her, so it was surprising that they had made this journey.


    Both crowns were actually present, fully aware of the events that had occurred back then.  That incident had been the spark that had lit their conflict ever since, for the reason of the self-same parents.  This however pulled at their hearts, knowing Lwyn was the granddaughter of the couple they had cared so much about.  After giving a moment for that to process, the Arch-Magus continued.  "Meanwhile, Lwyn is the daughter of my own daughter.  There might be some concern already, because I''ve never actually announced having a daughter, and I apologize for the lack of being so forthright.  However, there might be some who recall Lord Jheiqs here in the Citadel, and remember that he was one who had taken in an unknown half-elf into his care, before the both of them had fallen in death due to half-elf hatred.  The as yet unaccounted for half-elf that was thus Lwyn''s mother was also my own daughter.  After taking in and sheltering a Circle Elf, who had fled from the Elniri after failing to succeed a position as High-Seer, I had remained uncertain how to reveal this fact to the world.  Recent events however have prompted a change, Lwyn having demonstrated that she deserves in full the recognition of her own birthright."  The Arch-Magus paused once again.


    The High-Seer listened to the translation, the facts dawning on her face as everything came together.  The descendant of her long-lost friend, after several decades.  The High-Seer remembered being thrown into the role of her adult friend as naught more than a young child.  She had looked up to the woman as a role model and a form of guidance, almost like another mother.  However, soon after being given her role, her friend had vanished without a trace.  All these years later, to think that her own daughter had found the decedent of her precious friend.  The solemn silence about the fate of her friend otherwise was not missed, giving birth to a half-elf, she had probably perished.. as was the fate of any elf who bore a child for a human.  She would have complained about never being told about the matter, except for the fact of hearing that the same daughter had herself been killed for being a half-elf too.  Clearly, this announcement was putting Lwyn in danger too, exactly what the Arch-Magus would have feared all this time.


    Looking through the room, the High-Seer recalculated her assessment.  That might have been true in the past, it most likely was.  Even considering the visible protective impressions given from the two human nations, hearing how they were also friends of her grandparents, that might not have kept her safe from every common soul.  However, being one of the Crystalline Blossoms, a legend in her own weight, that changed things.  The rumors passing around how they were almost divine in their own right, immortal, there wasn''t a single commoner who would have the courage or will to even make an attempt.  Clearly, even their best attempts would fail, and then visit upon them and their family the wrath of the divine.  As someone who could converse with the flow of nature, the things she herself had learned about the Crystalline Blossoms that the flow had deigned tell her, such assumptions might not be far from the truth.


    The High-Seer''s daughter, Mhyl, she knew to be the Saviour.  That she had known for a long time.  However, it wasn''t until the past lunar cycle that she had been told that the flow of the world had been working with a chosen agent to gather the Saviour and three others.  She was never directly told who the three were, not even very much about them, only that they would be part of the matter.  The flow was considering dramatic changes to the world as they knew it, and the four of them would be central to the outcome it sought.  She had also been informed that the time had finally arrived, marked by the passing of the chosen agent of the flow.  It had been weird to converse with the flow of nature about a chosen agent who was not herself, and weirder still to never learn who it was, even after they passed away, but she had tried her best with what she was given.


    Lwyn however felt that, if we were going to be so honest, she would have to keep sharing.  It was only fair that everyone knew what threat they stood up against.  "Thank you Arch-Magus, but I feel I should provide information it seems you might not be aware of.  That night of my youth, all those years ago, neither of my parents passed away.  That was only a ruse of my father to protect my mother from her assassins.  Instead, he had fled and forsaken society, his thoughts buried deep in influence of the hatred that had surrounded him.  The hatred from the conflict between Wyxir and Qicir, the hatred of half-elves, it had robbed him of all sense of sanity as he fled.  In his insanity, it seems he had instead planned to lash out against the world that kept such hatred, to tear it down.. and the veil with it.  My father no longer goes by his old name, just as I no longer go by Yhseliahysse.  Lord Jheiqsylkhaexyn Duxaeyhlit has taken up a new name, Lord Khaexyn, the Fortress Lord."  Lwyn was forced to pause at the sudden outbreak of her audience.  Even the Arch-Magus had gone flush pale at this insight.


    Lwyn picked up a cup, using it as a focus, and generated her own type of pyrotechnics.  The air exploded in a whirl of darkness, the vortex stealing all sound in the room for a moment, returning the attention of the room to herself.  "My mother has unfortunately since perished due to my father''s insanity, his work having drained away her very essence to simply make his vision come true.  She had left me with a mission to stand up against my father, to carry her will and to stop him.  I intend to not let her down, to save the veil, to follow my fate in whatever way the flow of the world had revealed to her."  Lwyn was practically glaring at everyone, her strength of will alone lending to her divine rumors.  After everything her mother had left her, that was one thing she was certain she had to complete.  Even her friends were shocked to see this level of resolve from Lwyn, even Qheria in all of her stubbornness.


    Lwyn walked up to her grandfather.  "Lady Sxeiva had told me that you have something that had belonged to her, a book from her own mother.  She had told me that she was leaving it into my care, that I will have need of it going forward."  Lwyn paused so that the Arch-Magus could compose himself.  Oh, that book!  He had almost forgotten all about it.  "Yes, yes I can see why she might have left it to your care.  I will make sure it is recovered, so that you can take it for yourself."  The arch-magus had it still locked away, so that would have to wait until later.  He would bring her the book after things had calmed down.


    The High-Seer was again startled in her translation, elements dawning on her.  The daughter of her friend, the mother of Lwyn, this was the chosen agent she had not been told about.  Even as the translation was told to her, the flow of the world opened to confirm the truth, saying that it was time at last.  In that moment, she also learned the nature of the book Lwyn was seeking, also a gift of the world flow, a legacy of her dear friend from long ago.  Within it contained Elniri secrets, stuff that pertained to her position as High-Seer.  In that knowledge, she herself had a responsibility to get involved.  Not now, though, there were too many others around.  She would need to find another opportunity.


    The rest of the gathering passed into a diplomatic sense closer to when they had interrupted it, just with the four girls at the center of the small talk.  Many others had came to the same conclusion, that there would need to be another opportunity to go over their thoughts in a more personal setting.

 66: Courting Politics

    The gathering also included a dinner and casually proceeded into the evening.  By next morning, the four girls already had a full day lined up of extra meetings.


    Lwyn set aside her new book, which had been discreetly provided to her from the Arch-Magus late last night.  The room she awoke in was also to become her own, in an important section of the Citadel.  It had all the amenities needed for both her current and future responsibilities, including a nearby office and a separate personal library.  Lwyn had ensured that the book was secure within such spaces before setting out for the day.


    No one had came to wake her up, even though she was so important, as it wasn''t like she had personal maids for her every whim.  She really savoured that sense of freedom, it was a priceless difference.  This morning, she had even gotten her next dress on, abide not without a bit of effort.  Thankfully, it seemed this wouldn''t become the everyday either, her regular responsibilities of office would require a much simpler gown.  It still wouldn''t be as comfortable as she was used to, but it would be better than even the one she wore in the Fortress.  Then was the idea that she would also have casual trips, not every day would be days of business.


    She waved at Ehryinae who was also passing through the halls, getting some other form of work done.  Somehow, this was leaving the impression that she lived in an office tower or something.  She did take a moment to recall that, if she was comparing this to a business, she was due to be promoted to CEO one day, and take over the business after her grandfather passed it off.  She was effectively a princess, the same as Thanrie, except Lwyn was actually the one in line for this throne.  It would have been overwhelming, had she not had friends in high places herself.


    Lwyn entered the guest wing and found the rooms for the same three high-ranking executives she was happy to call her friend.  Each of them had gathered in Qheria''s room.  "I''m F~~~ing serious, yesterday was like an everyday life for me, back in the day.  That''s what things are like when you''re suddenly so important, meetings and gatherings and the like.. an every-F~~king-day thing.  ... Okay, maybe not everyday, but its still the life of the prim and proper."  Thanrie was clearly talking about the formalities they were being suddenly thrown into, being the only one heavily versed in such formalities.  Even last night, she had held herself with such an authentic presentation of experience as she blended in with such formalities, a side of her they still hadn''t gotten used to.  She herself seemed to be a bit at odds with it, a feeling Lwyn was quickly starting to understand for herself.


    Qheria and Mhyl weren''t being regarded as regal in any light, but they were being regarded as heroic nobility.  Xyithy was proud of this herself, she had only been regarded as a national hero, but it seems that Qheria''s actions had brought their family name a noble title in society, elevating them to one of the highest level of society as a whole family.  Qheria''s sister still wasn''t considered a national hero, even though she did have her own potential with the gift, but she did also get to share in this family progress and rise to nobility.  Mhyl herself was finding that the newly painted title of Saviour was getting it''s own role in elven society, after it was announced.  With her excessive exposure to human culture, she was learning she was almost to become a kind of elven ambassador, as an outlet to the rest of the world.  She wasn''t a Circle Elf, nor was she the High-Seer, but she was almost her own branch of governmental nobility, with no predecessor to learn from.


    Today, they would have to reach out to all of these branches of society, but they knew it would be best to share this experience together, instead of leaving any one of them to fend for themselves in this avalanche.  They would simply be attending council as the Crystalline Blossoms, a name they still weren''t used to.  Lwyn looked at the pendant she still wore, at this point a symbol of her role within her team across all of society.  The name was cheesy, even in Izhaethyx, but if it allowed her to keep going with her friends, she would take it proudly.  So, together they would visit both royal families, both Wyxiri and Qiciri, as well as meet with not just the High-Seer, but also the Circle Elves would be arriving today for the occasion, having caught wind of the announcement last night.  Lwyn was happy that, at the very least, it didn''t seem like her grandfather had any such major occasion planned for her.  She actually really liked how he seemed to be low-key to so many situations, a tradition she would be glad to continue.


    There was a lot of concern with whom to visit first, which of the human royalty they would be meeting first.  Qheria and Thanrie both knew, the vice between nations would cause some disputes even simply by their own decision here.  Splitting up would address that, but would also feel like abandoning each to their fates.  It left them with a massive political dilemma.  "F~~k it, can we go to Qicir first?  I like that they''re willing to make Qheria a nobility there, she deserves it.  My family has roasted me on the sidelines forever, it''s about time they got the same thing back."  Thanrie''s continued outburst pushed forwards a sudden solution through everyone''s loss, pressing with a consideration none of them had the perspective of.  They were all proud of Qheria for her accomplishments, but none of the others wanted to spurn the Wyxiri crown, only Thanrie would have had that perspective.


    With consideration that the four of them would be together for all of the meetings, it was agreed that each of their four council would come to them, rather than the other way around.  Specifically, they would be meeting in Lwyn''s new office room, a place where only Lwyn had so far actually visited.  As the four of them headed back that way, Lwyn flagged down a passing staff of the citadel.  "Please let the Qiciri Crown know that we''re ready to meet with them in my office, and have them provided with directions."  Lwyn was still uncertain about this, but she was troubled by the whole thing.  To think she would every be in the position to tell someone that a royal family was allowed to do something.  This was only the first, not only with three more to follow, but with potentially many future repeats.


    They waited only a short time in the office room, spending scant moments to look around.  The room itself was huge, with considerable desk space and a massive meeting table.  The room was mostly empty, but that probably wouldn''t be true for long, not as Lwyn grew into her new role.  The Qiciri crown entered the room, the king and queen, with three attendants.  Both the king and queen took a seat, while the three attendants stood a distance behind them.  Lwyn motioned to the seats beside her''s, urging her friends to sit along with her.  "Thank.. thank you both for coming here to speak with us.  We were excited to hear the news, that you''ve provided such a great opportunity for lady Qheria.  She''s been a valued member of our team, so we''re glad to watch her latest recognition."  Lwyn was still not used to this, trying her best to handle this like she did as Yhse.  However, she screwed up a lot as Yhse, not having cared or felt responsibility for anything.. a mistake she would not continue.


    "Yes, with such a great family history, we felt the recognition was simply due... I''m sorry for speaking so freely, but it can be uncomfortable to have a Wyxiri present for this."  "I''m sorry if my presence brings offense, I understand that my family has been at odds with your for a long time now.  However, having spoken with Qheria here, the daughter of your own hero, I''ve found myself unable to agree with the conflict, considering how easy it can be for us to get along.  I learned my family put blame on Qheria''s family for the death that had sparked the whole conflict originally, but having spoken to both Qheria and her mother, I can''t even see that being feasible.  Worse, after befriending a descendant of the actual victims themselves, I value her friendship too much to deny the act that had brought her grandparents together.  Both grandparents actually, Mhyl herself has instilled in me such profound respect for all elves.  It is with friends like these that I wonder how might we possibly still be at odds with each other, how such hatred could still exist."  The king blinked at Thanrie''s retort to his statement, the queen herself silently putting things together.


    "Dear, I think it is perfectly fine that the Crystalline Blossoms as a whole are present, it instills hope that Qheria here is in such good hands.  Yes, Lwyn, I''m terribly sorry for all that has befallen you and your family, everything you''ve had to go through.  I hope you would be eager to continue the legacy of your grandparents, and help us to end the conflict that has haunted both nations ever since I first took the crown.  Thanrie, I''m thankful for any efforts you will bring towards any peaceful resolution with your family, and look forward to such success.  Mhyl.." The Queen stopped, realizing that Mhyl, as an elf, might not understand what she was saying.


    Mhyl inclined her head at her name, like a formal seated bow.  "I hope to success in bringing elves and humans together, with friendship like these."  Mhyl indicated her friends in her statement, her rough Izhaethyx showing her efforts and intent in wanting to work with other humans.  "Yes, the Qiciri look forwards to working with you, to build up our.. friendship with the Elniri."  The queen made her reply short, understanding that Mhyl would struggle with too long of a statement.


    "Qheria, you walk forwards in your mother''s footsteps, and in that same way are we indebted to your family''s continued dedication to the protection of the Qiciri.  We understand, yes you might have an interest in all of society as a whole, maybe even all of Celesi, but please understand that you do so representing Qicir.  Even your support of other nations, you do so with the endorsement of the Qiciri."  The queen had Qheria shocked at just how much royal support she was getting, how much backing her actions had.  She inclined her head as Mhyl had, as the meeting wrapped up.  There were some quick generic comments personally for each of the four, even Thanrie found herself getting support at a quiet aside.  The queen was ever thankful for their care of the decedent of her ages-past true love.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    After the Qiciri left, it wasn''t a long wait either until the Wyxiri arrived.  They didn''t look especially impressed, being put second.  "Father, Mother, even my eldest brother is here. Welcome, everyone.  I''m terribly sorry that I''ve kept you all waiting, but I needed sufficient time before approaching such a meeting.  I know, after everything that you''ve kept from me over the years.. things that even you needed time before properly approaching me about.. that you would all understand."  Thanrie opened the invitation to her family, ensuring that any blame for being put second would rest solely on her shoulders.


    "Sister, you have changed, grown in your own, but the influence you''ve endured is questionable.  I worry that the company you''ve kept might have clouded your judgement, and with so much riding on your shoulders none the less."  "Brother, believe me when I say that Lwyn is possibly some of the best influence imaginable.  Just think of what her grandparents have achieved.  I know, you might have worries about some of what her father has done, but that''s why I''ve been doing my best to lead as an example, to share my beliefs in understanding and acceptance of others, no matter how different they are, just the same way as her grandparents had.  Isn''t that right, father?"  Thanrie''s brother held a dark expression after Thanrie had all but disregarded his remark.  He stood to speak his piece further, but his father bade him to sit again.


    "I can see you''ve found yourself an understanding I could only have dreamed of reaching for, back in my youth.  Your unique outlook might be the only way we could move forward from a disaster that should have ended before your generation.  Thanrie, thank you for your efforts to rekindle something I had long thought lost, long before even your brother here was born.  Please continue working with your brothers, in the memory of.. friends, past and present.. that the future could bring more of such bonds."  The king, Thanrie''s father, could see that Thanrie understood something that none of his sons had even learned.  She was right, he had left far too much hidden for far too long, too many things unspoken.  It was time to leave the past in the past, not to pass it onto his children.


    The king looked over his daughter''s friends, a fitting example of how much his own past had failed to influence her.  She had not only reunited with the descendent of his past love, a fine demonstration of the unity between both nations, but also an estemed noble of the self-same other nation, like a repeat of history and a chance to repair broken bonds.  Even having one of the Elniri, a nation they''ve all too much ignored.. it was even further a depiction of her own successes.  He concluded the meeting quickly after that, intent on having a discussion with his sons about such family matters.


    At this point, they got word that the Circle Elves had arrived, and were eager to attend their own opportunity.  The timing was perfect, so they let the Circle Elves go next.  This did however fill the room very quickly, with the addition of eight seated elves.  There were nine seats of the Circle Elves, which discounted both the High-Seer, and the newly appointed role of Saviour, but the Circle Elves had only been working with eight seats for a long time.  Usually, Circle Elf seats were inherited, and no one had held the heart to simply seek a replacement to fill the empty seat, not for the one that had held a history of the highest regards for a multitude of generation.


    Thanrie was at a loss, she had been eager to role model this whole process for her friends, all innocent to the proceedings of such politics.  This time, however, she had no way to communicate.  Qheria herself was also at a loss, only now realizing that she actually had been hardly given a chance to put in anything the whole time, and now she would find it even harder, as conversations shifted to Elaethyx.  Mhyl herself was intimidated, being visited by the Circle Elves.  She was really worried how all of this would apply to her new position as Saviour, and had no idea what was expected of her.


    "Hello, thank you for taking the time to come visit us, over such a long distance.  I hope that your travels had gone well, with no issues or concerns.  I''m sorry that my space as yet still lacks anything for elven accommodations, with all things considered, but please try to make yourselves comfortable."  Lwyn was mixing her Yhse mode with her Citadel Inn experience, to great effect.  Mhyl started to calm down as Lwyn took control of the situation for her.  It seemed the circle was five male elves, three female elves, and like the Crystalline Blossoms, all of the Circle Elves were equals.  However, the other seven sat back as their chosen representative leaned forward to speak on their behalf.


    "Good day, lady Lwyn, lady Mhyl.  To your friends as well, though I know not how to share such words with them.  We''ve received news of several announcements that have met with our interest, and wanted to together look into the matter.  While lady Mhyl''s new position as the Elniri Saviour is a joyous occasion for all of the Elniri, and we know it is not a matter to be belittled, we have agreed that there was a larger issue at hand, one much more specific to the Circle Elf''s responsibility.  It has been a long time that the Circle Elves have sat with only eight of their seats filled, and one left vacant.  When we received news of a direct relative for our missing seat had been found, we went to great lengths to have it proven.  Everything we have found since has simply validated this story, leaving us with no recourse but to accept it as factual."  The Circle Elf representative paused at this, collecting her thoughts, preparing her next statement.  The other Circle Elves nodded, encouraging her to continue.


    "Inevitably after this, we have a responsibility to present lady Lwyn with an offer.  Lady Lwyn, would you be willing to accept the offer to take seat with the Circle Elves, to fill our last empty seat?  We understand that your linage has complex obligations, seating yourself already as the heir to the Arch-Magus.  We would be fully willing to accommodate your dual responsibilities in due process, inevitably as the only circle elf with both elven and human responsibilities.  We understand that this puts you in two seats with two responsibilities, but feel that this would only extend your outlook in a unique way to the Circle''s benefit.  It might also do well to consider what benefits this position would offer to the seat of the Arch-Magus, opening a door for elven and human interaction."  The Circle Elf representative had a good argument for her point.  Lwyn had even known for a while now that this could be inevitable in recent discussions with her mother.  Her mother might have been given either role, but now she was gone, and the roles would both instead fall to Lwyn.


    She was ''just a half-elf'', that phase suddenly had a whole new meaning.  It implied she was both elven and human, had a place within two societies, instead of the neither she had always assumed.  Instead of being able to escape from responsibility, she was being offered two shares of it.  However, even in elven society, she wasn''t alone.  Mhyl was newly appointed as the Elven Saviour, a role she would already have to assume alone, one that would make her feel exclusionary.  If Lwyn accepted this seat, she would be in position to keep helping Mhyl as she made strides forward in Elven society.  "Thank you, I accept your offer for a seat within the Circle Elves."  It was an offer she really could not afford to refuse, so Lwyn nodded her acceptance.


    Mhyl found that, despite a quick recognition, none of this meeting actually involved her at all.  The Circle Elves, they had arrived mostly for Lwyn.  Mhyl felt exceedingly thankful for Lwyn for all of this, not only giving her a chance to relax, but she knew this way she would not be alone in her sudden rise of elven responsibilities.  As Mhyl reflected on how much the Circle Elves intimidated her, she paused in insight as she realized that her best friend was now a Circle Elf.  Clearly, she had best not let such intimidate her going forward.  Meanwhile, the Circle elves were clearing out, having finished their task here.  They would be returning to ensure that everything properly advanced in the woods, to setup Lwyn''s new space in their circle.


    Waiting outside was the High-Seer, who had just arrived as if she knew it was time.  Lwyn honestly pondered if it was a matter of simple coincidence.  The Circle Elves presented their passing greeting to her on the way out, faint sounds even the elves inside could barely hear.  Qheria and Thanrie were late to sit, not even having noticed the High-Seer''s arrival until she was within the room.  The High-Seer started by wordlessly bowing a greeting directed at both Qheria and Thanrie, knowing that she would have problems voicing her intent otherwise.  Then she moved to her seat.


    "Hello Lady Lwyn, and Mhyl.  Thank you for finding time in your busy schedule for me."  "Mom!  Why did you never let me know about any of this sooner?!  Why couldn''t you have opened up to me with.. any of this?  Knowing something, I could have done.. something, anything to prepare better for this.  Even knowing more about my gift, anything would have been better than nothing."  The High-Seer sat down as Mhyl finally got to speak her mind, after all this time since they had first learned about their gift and destiny.  With her unique position as High-Seer, she would have known more than most.


    "I''m sorry, dear.  Having similar knowledge shared with me had cost me my best friend, I didn''t want the same thing to cost me my daughter.  I''m glad that you yourself do not seem so liable to make the same mistakes, keeping your dear friends close to you.  Please know that as both your mother and as the High-Seer, I pledge to help you with your work as Saviour going forwards, in whatever way I''m capable.  Lady Lwyn, I have heard that you yourself will have need of my knowledge and abilities as well.  The book you have been given, please make sure to safeguard it as an Elniri.  If you have any questions about it, feel free to reach out to me.  To help you with this, I think I will be staying at the Citadel for a time.  The flow of nature says that this shall be my place for the next several days, so that I can help the two of you out."  The High-Seer made it clear that she was fully aware of the nature of the book Lwyn had been given, and exactly what knowledge it contained.  Lwyn suspected she would have to take up the High-Seer''s offer over, and discuss things with her.  Lwyn knew that, to resolve the issue with the veil, she would need to find a solution to the very conflict that the world suffered from.


    Their meetings came to a conclusion with this, calling forth for an occasion to eat lunch.  Things had ended a lot faster than expected, giving them plenty of opportunity to finally relax.

 67: Mind Games

    Even though the four girls were given the opportunity to relax, they were all dedicated to spending it wisely.  Qheria and Thanrie had returned to the Facility, to make sure everything was doing well with Rhyde and Zyuixqs, while Lwyn and Mhyl studied with the High-Seer.


    Mhyl however was mostly being supportive of Lwyn''s study, not actually having much to include herself into directly.  Her mother had been vague about it, but she learned from Lwyn that there was some concerns about how this would impact her future responsibilities.  The Circle elves worked in elven politics, while the High-Seer was invested into the world flow, but it was becoming clear that there would need to be someone who invested in international correspondence, especially with humans.  Mhyl at least saw it that way, and had shared such views with Lwyn.  Lwyn had been earnest to explain that such was alone a lot for one person, and her memories in international culture would be priceless for this idea.


    Lwyn was mostly getting concerned, as her studies progressed, just how much all of this would impact Mhyl as a pure elf.  She had learned that there was two ways that the flow of the world communicated with people, either through their dreams, or using the advanced depth of their elven senses.  This is why every High-Seer had been an elf, in truth, because they were the only ones with strong enough senses to be able to listen.  Even her half-elf senses weren''t enough to throw her into that spiral, but she had quickly determined that her mother''s mechanically enhanced senses might have opened that door to her.  The High-Seer had explained to Lwyn that, most likely, it would not ever be her due to listen to the world, she didn''t have the qualities for it.  However, there would be a time when the world would simply listen to her.


    Lwyn could see why this knowledge needed to be protected.  Letting just any elf learn about it could haunt their life with the flow of the world, like a voice in the shadows that felt like the edges of sanity.  However, if her father''s legacy got into the wrong hands, hands that also knew what this book told, even humans could be thrown along this dark path.  Her father didn''t have access to the flow of the world, but had instead found the veil of the world, and that alone had pushed him past the limits of his sanity.  It was obvious how there was such a ritual for picking a High-Seer, it was a serious thing that most people would have problems enduring.


    She was herself concerned about the responsibility given to her as is, the one time she will face the flow of the world, and it will listen.  She had been pondering exactly what she would say in that opportunity, what sort of answer she would give.  She knew the question already, how should the world change so that her father''s problem was solved.  She had already chosen that his solution would not work, but would then need to provide her own solution.  Though that day and much of the next, she had been left at a loss for her answer.


    Mhyl had been there trying to support Lwyn, though she was herself at a loss how to honestly be of help at all.  She had instead taken some opportunity with some of her own planning regarding her role going forward.  When Lwyn was not in discussion with the High-Seer, Mhyl had then taken an opportunity to share time with her mother.  She then learned things she had never been offered before, such as the knowledge of their family''s gift.  It seems her mother was especially skilled with purification, a branch of healing that was really good at dealing with things such as illnesses, but she could see how that would be useful in areas such as food preparation.  Her mother had admitted to being sad that Sxeiva had fallen to an advanced poison, something the High-Seer felt she might have been able to help with, if only she had been given the chance.


    Mhyl knew she would have to take stories like that into account herself, if she felt like taking agency of a cross-culture program for the elves.  The biggest reason something like this had never happened before was because of a fear of half-elves, the death behind it.  The whole problem of elves and humans producing a half-elf then killing the mother, she had no real solution for, but the fear around it otherwise, the spite on both sides forged from the lack of understanding, that was what she wanted to broach.  She would probably need Lwyn''s help with that, with the Citadel the most opportune location to connect with human society.


    As Mhyl pondered her responsibilities over her own reports, Thanrie showed up.  "Oh, hey Mhyl.  Do you know where Lwyn is?"  Thanrie was surprised to find Mhyl sitting in Lwyn''s own office, a fact Mhyl had actually forgotten until that moment.  Just because she might be working with the Citadel in the future did not mean this was her office, she should probably return to her guest room.  "Oh, Lwyn is with mother in Lwyn''s library, the next room over."  Mhyl started to pack up, so that she could leave with Thanrie.  Thanrie though was quite fast, already out the door and into the next room.


    Lwyn looked up from her book at Thanrie''s approach, the High-Seer already packing up to go.  Lwyn was seriously convinced, it was a blessing that Mhyl wasn''t always predicting the future like her mother could, it would be totally unnerving.  "Lwyn, sorry to interrupt, but I heard the most wild of tales just recently.  Something about you using your gift to throw punches into your enemies, it was sounding absolutely awesome.  Even Qheria was telling me about it, seriously sweet stuff.  It got me totally pumped, so I just had to ask...  I''ve taken a chance to spar with everyone else, even Mhyl of all people, but not you.  Your style was always more at ranged, so I wasn''t sure if that would be fair.. but this.. I seriously have to see this!  Would that be alright?"


    Lwyn set her stuff aside, resolved to go before she even had her answer.  She was already adjusting to matters, and knowing that the High-Seer was packing to go, it was clear what her decision would be in the next few seconds anyway.  Mhyl had entered for the tail end of it, hearing her name in the process.  It didn''t take her much to hear what was going on.  She quietly hid within the shadows as the conversation progressed.  "Uh, I guess.  I''m guessing sparing though would be without the gift, so I don''t know how much I''ll be capable of, but I guess that''s a fair enough reason to find out, right?"  Lwyn recalled the scenario Thanrie was talking about, smashing into enemies with projectiles she kept close to her.  She hadn''t even thought about the implications of her actions all that much, and had just moved out of necessity.  Still, if even Mhyl had worked with Thanrie on this stuff, it might be a useful experience.


    Lwyn guided Thanrie to a nearby room that would be suitable for such practice, a room otherwise fairly empty.  Mhyl kept to the shadows and followed behind from a distance, not wanting to interrupt but still wanting to support Lwyn in her own advancement.  They were fortunately dressed for the occasion, and even already without any extra gear or weaponry.  Thanrie took to her spot and adopted a ready stance, which Lwyn fumbled to share herself.  Then, Thanrie launched into her assault.  She advanced on Lwyn with a feint, only for Lwyn to jab through the feint but connect with a smart blow.. that was too slow and without any real power.  Thanrie took notice of that as she followed through, slipping behind Lwyn as she was already turning around to block her.  Her block however was neither fast nor otherwise efficient, Thanrie''s half-hearted jab knocking Lwyn over.


    Thanrie helped Lwyn up again, so that they might try again.  In all of her speed, Thanrie was picking up on Lwyn''s potential.  Lwyn lost every time, but only physically.  Lwyn had a perfect score on attempting to block when she attacked, even seeming to know where they attack would come from, and not once even tried to block any of her feints.  Lwyn''s predictive intelligence in combat was incredible, even if her physical prowess was lacking.  Thanrie considered how that applied with the gift, itself powered by mental prowess.  She was certain, if they were sparing with the gift, the score would be completely reversed.  Thanrie proceeded gently with her sparing with Lwyn, as she started turning it into a sort of physical training, but was silently herself desperate for even a single mental victory against Lwyn.


    Mhyl watched the two in action, and was able to come up with the same observations.  She however did realize something that Thanrie missed, as the time passed in their sparring and Thanrie started to get tired.  Lwyn wasn''t being lazy, she had just done that well in extending her own stamina during the sparring.  Mhyl knew that Lwyn actually had less stamina then Thanrie, but it was Thanrie who had started to tire first.  Lwyn kept relaxed through everything, even though she was losing, she just kept carefully going forwards.  Mhyl had tried to blame the difference in speed between the two, but she didn''t think she herself was much faster than Lwyn, and Lwyn had already gone on several times longer than she could have.  It was a display Mhyl was desperate to learn from as well, so that she herself could manage her own stamina even half as well as Lwyn.


    "Okay, yeah, time for a break.  Let''s try something new, something that''s more you maybe this time.  Oh, I know, what about that game Sxeiva was showing us, we should gather everyone and maybe have a rematch."  Thanrie was talking about Daezhyn, the game Lwyn had held dominion in with her own victory over them all, last time.  Thanrie knew what she was signing up for with this idea, but she really wanted to figure out a way to actually feel like she had earned a victory against Lwyn, the physical victories weren''t enough.  Mhyl''s eyes rolled hearing the news, remembering her own suffering in that game.  Doing something together again would be fun, but she wasn''t quite sure about this idea.


    "Hey Mhyl, what are you doing here?  Pretending to be like Chyurae?"  Qheria poked Mhyl''s shoulder from behind, causing her to jump out into the doorway.  Suddenly the center of attention at her presence being noticed, Mhyl''s face turned scarlet and downtrodden.  "Oh, perfect, we were just thinking of looking for you two.  Lwyn and I had decided that we should do something together again, maybe a bit of competition.  Dae-xaem?"  "Daezhyn, Thanrie, it''s called Daezhyn.  Oh for goodness sakes, fine!  Lets just get this over with then already."  Thanrie couldn''t herself quite remember what the game was called, but was alarmed at Mhyl''s sudden outburst.  Mhyl stormed off to personally get all the stuff together, as Lwyn went to clear up space in her office for the game.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "So, what did I miss?"  "You weren''t kidding, Lwyn really has.. something.  Wow.. she was good."  "So she even beat you?"  "Oh, no, I was left standing every time, like a perfect score.  She doesn''t have the physical aptitude for sparing, even Mhyl had accomplished more there.. but F~~k she''s smart.  You could honestly tell she was predicting everything I would do, before I did it, she just had no way to make use of that knowledge.  If we were using the gift at that time, I have no idea how I might have kept up."  "Ah, so that''s why we''re playing her game...  Everything is starting to make sense now."  Qheria kept discussing things with Thanrie as they slowly made their way to Lwyn''s office, trying to be supportive of Thanrie''s pursuits to improve herself.  Qheria shrugged, only mildly disappointed that the story of her own warping having been skipped in all of their conversation.


    By the time Thanrie and Qheria had finally arrived, Mhyl was resting in a chair as Lwyn was setting everything up.  Mhyl had no idea why she had done that, the drain to her own stamina causing her to be disappointed in herself.  She turned to Lwyn, busy setting things up after having moved around a lot of heavy books and boxes scattered around the room, after just doing a lot of sparring.. and still not looking tired.  Mhyl only became even further disappointed in herself, resolving to keep searching for a way to manage her own stamina like Lwyn could.


    "Okay, so, I''m fine with doing this on one condition.  I''m not sitting before Lwyn this time, she''s way too good at this game and I still suck."  "Ah, well then, I''ll sit there."  Mhyl noticed that Thanrie did not even hesitate to take up the challenge of the worst seat against Lwyn.  Mhyl was certain she wanted to sit absolutely opposite Lwyn, giving her the best chances at trying to keep up.  Qheria didn''t mind either way, taking the remaining location and becoming fully aware that she would need to be cautious of the mental state of her crew while they proceeded.


    By late-afternoon, Lwyn was still the undisputed winner, with Thanrie and Mhyl almost tied for last place.  Thanrie had became fully aware of why Mhyl did not want this seat for this game, trying to outsmart Lwyn was a losing battle at best.  Qheria had actually done fairly well working with Lwyn, even if she wasn''t able to keep up.  Thanrie was still willing to accept her failure, a resolution holding the true essence of the sparring they had ventured earlier.  However, to her it was yet another challenge she would have to overcome, something she would have to ponder going forwards.  Mhyl had felt she had at least done better than she had before, that this time she had been given the chance to learn a thing or two about how to actually play this silly game.


    Qheria measured the current state of all the others.  Lwyn was keeping her thoughts to herself, but that''s generally exactly like her.  Even in this game, reading Lwyn''s moves was a challenge at best for the same reason.  However, she had a fairly good belief that Lwyn was feeling like a brain-box, unable to physically keep up with even the team''s non-weapon user in physical prowess.  Considering how much she prided herself in her ability to do physical chores, and all of her climbing, that might sting.  Thanrie was all too obvious, especially because they had already spoken about it.  Thanrie was worried about being too mentally slow, always critical about every little fault she had.  Being mentally outplayed now twice, she was probably searching for a way to better herself.


    Mhyl was the suspicious one, Qheria could tell something was on her mind, but still couldn''t figure out what had been putting Mhyl on edge of late.  She thought back to Mhyl silently watching Thanrie and Lwyn spar, trying to hide in the shadows of the doorway unseen.  Then, all of her stress and tension as they played this game.. she couldn''t quite figure out what it was, but clearly something about Lwyn was keeping Mhyl tense like this.


    "So, I''ve noticed there has been a lot of competition thrown at Lwyn of late, but I think it might be time for a good change of pace.  It''s almost time for dinner, and I''m sure Lwyn is tired of having people make food for her.  She even would be very familiar with the sort of things around here that could be prepared, if she were to take authority over dinner, we could all learn a few things about some really new dishes.  Thanrie, you might find it a great opportunity to personally work aside her in this, support her ideas and learn from her and how she thinks.  Mhyl and I will be there too, helping out with what ever else Lwyn decides to leave for us to do."  Qheria''s idea to work on dinner, it instantly got Lwyn excited.  All of the formalities she had been thrown through, she had felt like the control over her life was slipping away.  This idea was pure genius, she was already excited.  Thanrie also caught on to the idea, getting a chance to stand beside the mastermind chef as the mechanics of her thoughts resolved, maybe she could learn the ways of great minds.  Mhyl shrugged, it sounded like a good idea at least, and went to follow suit.


    Lwyn had to pull some authority to get allowed into the kitchen, but it seemed the staff was used to the Arch-Magus making strange requests, the granddaughter making strange requests was just a matter of recourse.  Doing maid-like chores was just a lot unlike anything the Arch-Magus had been asking for before, so no one knew where to go with this.  In the end it was decided that they would simply be given some room in the kitchen to work with, to tend to a version of dinner that would be available, but that a regular dinner would be also available.  It almost looked like a waste, for anyone who didn''t know better.


    "So, lets make a Quiche!"  "Wait, a what?"  "Quiche, like a dinner pie with eggs.  It can take some time, but we should have exactly the time we need if we work together.  I figured it would be awesome because it''s something from Earth, but we make something a lot like it around here.  We can''t do the cheese, because Celese doesn''t know cheese, but you would love what kind of plant stuff we''ve got that are almost as cheesy and milky.  Mhyl, can you get the grains together that we will need for the pie, and shape it with Qheria.  I''ll give you a hand if you''re lost with it.  Thanrie, you and I will prepare the stuffing.. I really want to show you some of these plants."  Lwyn was already excited on her idea for a Celesi-styled Quiche.  Mhyl for once was completely innocent of the whole project, a dinner item she had never actually taken the time to learn about even at Earth.


    Mhyl set off with her responsibilities, letting Qheria know what they needed as she occasionally turned around to see what Lwyn was up to.  Qheria followed along, sparking conversation as they worked.  "Quiche, it''s a European food.  As I recall, it came from France or something.  Seen it a lot in Germany, though I never actually tried it myself back there.  Peer influence was pretty bad, everyone thought it was too girly of a dinner."  Qheria reflected on her experiences and knowledge, a bias that today didn''t make much sense.  She saw Lwyn dicing up some meat cutlets for the Quiche, putting her at even more loss just how come this thing was seen as girly at all.  By Celesi standards, she was more worried that the whole dish would look too tomboyish.


    Mhyl looked rather absent at this point, lost within her thoughts.  Even Qheria was familiar with the dish, though it didn''t sound too far removed from her own culture.  Mhyl had thought she had been capable of immersion all over Earth, learning about everything everywhere.  This incident was leaving her wondering how naive those thoughts might be, and in all accounts, how could less than two decades of experience account for enough of everything across an entire world.  To her, it was a bit ironic that Lwyn actually knew of a French food that even Mhyl was ignorant of, recalling how much Lwyn insisted that she couldn''t do the French thing at all.


    Qheria noticed that she was losing Mhyl more from all this, and decided to turn the conversation around, being a lot more direct, except for switching to German to communicate.  "So, I''ve noticed something has been bothering you all afternoon, maybe before that even.  Is there anything you want to share, so that I could help you out?"  "Ah, oh.  Uh.. it''s just working with her like this is making me feel so far behind her."  Qheria noticed Mhyl was silently indicating Lwyn, not wanting to name-drop in German.  "Even keeping up with mother, and her work, it''s like I''m being kept out of things.  I know, there''s some pretty good reasons for it, but it still sucks a bit.  I''ve been trying to help her out, but instead I just feel like I''m in her way, not even able to offer anything useful at all."  Mhyl was keeping her hands busy with the pie as the two of them talked.  Qheria noticed she had gone idle and stepped in to keep up.


    "All of us seem to have our own responsibilities, it wouldn''t make sense to think that any of us could just be a part of everything.  We can be supportive and around each other though all of our works, but sometimes there will be things we can''t just do with each other.  I''m sure she''s even worried about how many things she won''t be able to help you with, in all of your future responsibilities.  She''s probably just devoting herself to her work, so that you don''t have to worry about it.  That''s probably a good move for all of us, really."  Qheria''s statement was even bringing Mhyl to her current activity, making a food she didn''t even know about.  Qheria had a point, their food was enforcing it, Mhyl couldn''t expect to be everywhere and do everything, it wasn''t even rational.


    While Qheria''s plan made sense, it wasn''t Mhyl''s only concern.  "Maybe, but keeping up with her otherwise can be so rough.  We''re both elves, but I''m the only one suffering by my own stamina.  She''s smart, even.. the princess there.. is worried about that, but she''s also so good with what should be our shared weakness.  Did you see her after all that sparring, being even less exhausted than her opponent.  She did say she''s practiced with her stamina a lot over the years, but it wasn''t until then that I got to really appreciate exactly what that meant.  Meanwhile, I don''t seem to have improved much at all."  Mhyl scowled her frustration, still at loss for one of her biggest struggles with her own gift.


    "I don''t know, I think you''ve actually been doing better and better with that yourself.  You''re just rushing yourself, not giving yourself enough time.  Like you said, Lwyn spent years on this, you haven''t even given yourself even a fragment of a year yet.  I know, we''ve got a lot of responsibility thrown at us, we don''t have much time to get better with, but just do the best with what opportunity we have, and keep moving forwards, right?  Just don''t overthink things like this, you''re being too hard on yourself."  Qheria passed Mhyl a smile of encouragement, which Mhyl tried to return.  Being hard on herself, overthinking things, that sounded about right for her.  Mhyl then tried to relax, fully turning back to the task at hand, ending the conversation.


    The four of them kept working on their food contribution as the dinning hours approached.  With hardly a moment left to spare, Lwyn presented the finished products of their hard work, a half dozen large Quiches.

 68: Foreign Diplomacy

    Dinner had finally arrived at last, with a large assortment of choices to pick from.  The Citadel still had a collection of guests present, along with it''s regular staffing, it would be difficult to have there be too much food for a meal with this kind of crowd.


    Thanrie was noting just how much demand there was for the Crystalline Blossom''s dinner pie, to at least try a slice.  She had herself been eager to try the results of her own effort.  Lwyn was right, some of the plants involved in this were really interesting, building even further upon her interest in a vast selection of plants.  Pretty plants were one thing, but so many plants were just so interesting because of how useful they were.  The plants that had produced this cheesy quality, she learned they were Elniri in origin.  Clearly it was stupid for the Wyxiri and Qiciri to ignore the Elniri, if they were going to stock such wonders as this.


    In no time at all, Thanrie noticed her own portion had disappeared.  She had a feeling it was entirely of her own fault, but that didn''t make things any easier.  Looking around, she noticed that the case of the disappearing pie wasn''t only reclusive to her own plate.  Lwyn went around collecting plates as everyone had already finished up.  Thanrie was hard-pressed to ask for seconds, but knew that there was already too much demand for pie, it wouldn''t be fair.  If she was still hungry, she would have to enjoy something else.


    While Lwyn was gone, suddenly the hall was filled with a commotion.  Thanrie looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.  "We have a bunch of new guests... Oh!  The rebellion!"  Mhyl, with her sharp senses, was able to figure things out way faster than Thanrie could have.  Somehow, the Rebellion had taken this fine opportunity to arrive, which was causing a bit of a commotion.  She looked around, noticing that both Rhyde and Zyuixqs were absent.  She stood at the exact same time as Qheria, leaving Mhyl the only one still seated.


    "Mhyl, make sure that Lwyn hears about what is going on.  Considering her position here, it''s going to be important for her to be aware of everything."  Qheria then set off with Thanrie to step into the scene and calm everything down.  They quickly found Zyuixqs and Rhyde being confronted by Zyuixqs'' father, his presence also dominating against either of their efforts.  "Welcome to the Citadel, I''m glad it appears everything on your side has panned out well enough.  Might I compel you to come share a seat, so that we can talk about the events each of us have missed, and not cause such a ruckus of the Citadel''s floor?"  Qheria was taking over introductions, taking complete authority over the situation, her own stature stubbornly commanding respect of everyone present.  Thanrie was impressed, clearly all of these noble formalities was actually sinking into Qheria, she was actually doing really well.


    Lwyn returned with Mhyl in time for her to witness the resolution to the chaos.  "That does indeed sound like an epic adventure.  To have handled all four fronts with such a magnificent display, no wonder everyone here holds you four in such high regards.  Thanrie, I must apologize for not taking full account for your own political disposition around here, like a warrior princess.  Zyuixqs, my boy, you had best hurry if you wish to curry any favour, a war-maiden like this is certainly going to be the eye of every man the world across.  Rhyde too, you can''t hide it from me, I know your own heroic eye has been fixated on like qualities.  I''ve known you for far too long to miss on things like this."  The Rebellion leader himself was still very loud as he chuckled, even if he was still collected peacefully at a table.


    Thanrie was starting to catch on how Zyuixqs had developed some of his worst influence.  His father didn''t even seem aware of his own company, his own hosting.  Still, Thanrie was liking that his words were putting her own ability in high regards.  She wasn''t just some pretty face, she was a pretty deadly too when it was required.  Zyuixqs himself just looked rightfully embarrassed at all this outburst from his father.  Both Qheria and Rhyde were visibly looking for a way out of this mess, having regretted throwing themselves into it.


    At this point, Lwyn approached the table carrying offers of dinner, including some of the quiche they had made.  "I should let you know that the dinner pie we have today is actually a work of the four of us.  Due to our upbringing, we''ve had some experience with the matter, and so have taken it upon us to make our own attempt at an entree."  Lwyn indicated the Quiche in this, something the Rebellion Leader instantly set his interest in.  "Oh, now this is divine.  I''m serious boys, this is like the best of two worlds."  The Rebellion Leader paused as Thanrie slammed her fist into the table.  Thanrie was being reserved, both in her choice of targets and the degree of her strength, the table didn''t even crack much.


    Thanrie stormed off at this point, not wanting to be a part of the conversation further.  She was convinced that hearing more of this would put her fist in a very undiplomatic location.  As she wandered off, she passed by a cloaked figure who had in all intents arrived with the rest of the Rebellion.  She paused as she passed by the strange individual, feeling like this person was somehow familiar, but turned to find they had disappeared, whoever they were.  Shrugging, Thanrie kept going along to the guest area.  Meanwhile, Mhyl had rushed off after Thanrie, eager to attempt to deescalate the situation.


    "Ah, uh, I''m mighty sorry about the mess that followed in the wake of our arrival, lady Lwynitsse.  It''s been quite a trip ourselves, things might have left us a bit too exhausted to keep up with proper etiquette.  We''d been left to try and hammer the enemy along the way, and had decided the most useful thing we could do was to slow down that monster of a giant, that it might pay you some time to deal with it separately.  By the divine, that thing really was quite a monster, there was little we could do but to play at it as if we were naught but bugs.  I''m glad it seems like our efforts had paid off in the end, that you had managed to by some miracle actually taken that thing out somehow."  The Rebellion Leader paused, seriously impressed at what it would have taken to deal with that impossible threat, especially right after the previous wave of enemies.


    Qheria pondered the story, realizing that this was why the Colossal had arrived late.  She realized that she had to be very thankful for the Rebellion''s hard work, dealing with both threats together would have been far more than they could have endured.  Lwyn was even considering the same, impressed at what everything would have taken to have execute even a minor distraction.  Clearly, the Rebellion Leader was not without his own measure of battlefield talent, no wonder he was the one in charge.


    "After they slipped ahead, we took to our own efforts in finding a good way past them.  We found a nice small pass through, but it seems the whole thing was cut off.  You had a few enemies who had also been disappointed by the same fact, doubling back to find another way.  They actually didn''t make it back, was some pretty good practice for those armors you provided for us.  All three of them had been performing well enough.  It was actually the same three that had discovered a nice tunnel through the mountain, like a perfect path for a few forces like us.  I mean, not like it was harmless, we found a few bandits hiding inside like they owned the place, but they were a pushover compared to everything else we''d been working with."  The Rebellion Leader was actually reflecting upon the same tunnel the four of them had taken to flee the Citadel originally, a story that felt so far into the past with consideration to everything that happened after it.


    "So that''s how you made it here.  Wait, the cliffs there are crazy, how in the world did you bring three armors up and down the cliffs?"  "Oh, those things.  Yeah, the three girls were complaining about it too, saying it wasn''t reasonable and nonsense like that.  Giving up like that never gets things done, so I never let them give up.  It might not have been the easiest task I''ve ever given them, but I don''t tend to do the easy way.  You would be happy to know that the three of them are at your Facility making sure that their suits got some proper repairs done as we speak."  Qheria was stunned, still not sure how this answered her question.  After the details the Rebellion Leader provided, considering how Thanrie felt about the three girls, it was a blessing that she hadn''t been present to hear that tale.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "So overall, it seems like it''s good news for everyone all around."  "Ah, if you want bad news, I''ve got that too.  Around when we were clearing out the blocked pass, we got the most insane reports from our scouts.  It seems somehow we''d lost complete track of the Fortress.  I know what you''re thinking, it''s a pretty long distance from there, would be a feat to see something like that so far away.  But we had scouts that said they had been close enough to see the hole left behind by the Fortress.  Somehow, the whole thing is just gone..."  Lwyn''s optimism broke with this news, hearing from the Rebellion Leader about the disappearance of the Fortress.  Clearly, her father was still up to some kind of mischief, they had to be ready for anything.


    Lwyn personally rushed off to ensure that word got around about this new development, so that there were enough eyes watching for anything unusual.  Misplacing the entire Fortress was a pretty big deal, it was a serious problem.  Thankfully though, being so huge, having scouts deployed would make such a huge target found eventually.  Lwyn was just more worried why it had suddenly vanished, to what end.


    Qheria discovered in this moment that she was the only one left present to entertain Lwyn''s guests.  She knew there had been space provided for the Circle Elves, space that was now vacated as they had gone home.  Some of the Rebellion would probably just be staying at the Facility, where they were very easily a lot of spare room, but maybe Lwyn would accept letting the Rebellion leader get at least one night''s rest in the citadel, after all his hard work.  She guided him towards the guest suite in question, leaving him there at least aware that this wasn''t being offered in any official capacity.  The Rebellion Leader did not seem to mind in the least, understanding the chaos of the situation.


    Qheria then returned on her own back to the dining hall, realizing that everyone had abandoned that as well.  Sure, the regular staff would attend to everything as normal, but having involved herself, by her own choice and verdict, into a portion of the effort, she felt at least responsible for cleaning up after the Quiche they had worked on.  She knew to leave the rest to the staff, but made sure at least there was not extra work left as a result.


    Thanrie eventually found herself having wandered back to the facility, a choice spot with which to take her mind off things.  She slipped into their old training room, thus finding herself quietly alone.  She had again left her weapon in her room, but there was still a lot else she could do in that room.  Her sparring match with Lwyn was still a concern that sat deeply in her mind, a point she had no real solution for.  All things considered, she decided she would then do some practice using her gift.  In that moment, she realized a complication, she didn''t actually have any ideas on using her gift effectively without her weapon around.  The only thing she had done without it was boost things, she was really at a loss for anything otherwise.


    While pondering what form of practice she should give for her gift in this situation, Thanrie got a shoulder tap from behind.  Spinning around, she found her three spy friends had gathered to meet her.  This got her surprised, she had been searching around the room just in those moments, and yet they had shown up anyway just behind her.  Thanrie could swear they were all not just spies, but full fledged ninja.  After taking a moment to hear what they were doing, she was even more convinced of this.  Repairing armor after climbing the mountain in the stuff, they didn''t even have a way to climb, the armor didn''t even have qualities like hands.  How was that even possible?  Ninja, it was the only possible explanation, all three of them were Celesi ninja.


    Leaving her training for later, Thanrie turned to give the three of them a hand, having done a lot of work on those same three armor.  When she arrived, she had found they had done some pretty good work on tending to the mechanical damage.. but the structural damage left didn''t even make sense.  How exactly does one slice the internal gyro like that, there isn''t even anything that would slice it.  Climbing something impossible, she could understand it getting bent or something, but not this.  The smith who was also present had been quite at loss for all the damage as well, but the two of them set to fixing the things.  At least there wasn''t much work to be done, most of it had already been handled.


    Mhyl paused, having had lost sight of Thanrie as she had tried to follow.  She was actually still in the market square, not even at the facility yet.  Mhyl took a seat near the fountain, pondering over her own thoughts as she had been left unable to tend to anyone else''s.  Maybe Qheria had a point, trying to be everywhere at once was just leaving her with nowhere.  She dipped her finger into the water, finding it cool in the autumn chill.  The water rippled out from her contact and withdrawal.  She still needed to figure things out for herself, really.  Everyone expected her to be some kind of Saviour, but gave little on what that would include.  Sure, it came with stopping Lwyn''s father from his destructive goals, but it wouldn''t end there.  Saving the world, that''s all it was named after, that''s why it was a Saviour.


    Basically, she was an elven hero, like Qheria.  She was still in the middle of her heroics, not having done that yet, but just like Qheria.. her success would put her into a position of elven society that was completely her own to shape.  It even seemed like they would both share a noble position in society, just the same as each other.  Qheria however seemed to have an idea on how that worked, considering her mother was a hero.  Actually, did she really?  It''s not like her family was nobles, and knew where they would be going with everything.  They would be given a place in the Qiciri''s society filled with influence and responsibility, and yet.. what exactly was those responsibilities?


    Mhyl knew that human and elven society was slightly different, she shouldn''t be comparing herself too much to a human, but her experiences had shown her that there should still be some kind of common ground at least.  Even compared to Earth, and all of it''s cultures, those in upper society had a lot in common cross-culturally.  As she pondered and stressed over the matter, she realized she couldn''t actually find any answer.  She paused in this moment of insight, suddenly thinking about how Qheria was handling everything here.  Qheria wasn''t stressed about her own noble position, not beyond learning noble etiquette at least.  Mhyl started to wonder if maybe she was over thinking everything, that maybe all of her stress was caused because she was too worried about things she shouldn''t be worried about.


    She took a deep breath and tried to relax, realizing that even sitting here stressing about such thoughts was proving exhausting.  That thought alone struck an insight profound beyond measure, as Mhyl went wide-eyed at her own innovation.  Was that it?  Lwyn really was good at staying collected, even when she wasn''t actually doing so well, she just hid everything under a calm composure.  Meanwhile, Mhyl was really good at over complicating and stressing the small stuff.  She didn''t waste her own physical movements, but she wasted her thoughts repeatedly.  The gift was tied to her mental state, a mental representation of her physical state, including her physical stamina.  She thought back to the sparring Thanrie and Lwyn had done, with Thanrie visibly stressing over her mental speed, and Lwyn just seeming so relaxed.  Just as Mhyl wasted no physical movement, Lwyn wasted no mental movement, just as she was also mentally fast.


    It was almost ridiculous, considering how Lwyn could also feel so hyper and excited sometimes, but even in that it just either felt like a face or an honest exposure.  It was a routine, to reduce stress in every situation, to just resolve to facts as they came up.  Lwyn had found weakness in simply accepting things without refute, but that was because she was that unconstrained.  Mhyl was almost the opposite, being always too critical.  Actually, was it always?  She remembered exceptions, when she invested herself into the arts.  Dancing, singing, drawing, those sorts of things set her mind at peace, and she was lost in the moment.  Maybe such pursuits would have an even greater advantage, if she could practice to call upon those feelings on demand.  Thus resolved, she returned to her room, intent on practicing some of her drawing.. and whatever else came after that.. would just come after that.


    Evening had came, and dusk was quickly approaching just behind it.  The four girls were each left with little but to sort out their own thoughts, to keep moving forwards towards their ambitious goals.

 69: Warm Reprieve

    The ambitions of the four girls continued them into the next day, as they tried to settle their concerns by reaching out for progress.  Such pursuits pushed them through their morning, and continued them into the afternoon.


    Lwyn was struggling over the approach of their future, having two important tasks on her mind.  The first was to still resolve her answer for the flow of the world, for once that time came.  The second was to find the fortress, and what it was up to.  She had been hard pressed to either task, without success in either.  She neither had her answer, nor did she have even a clue as to where her father had vanished to.  While the first had a worldly importance, the existence of the second was more than a little troubling.  Something like that doesn''t just disappear, not unless something really major was going on.  She had more than a few concerns it was related to the veil, and her father''s goals to pierce through it to overwrite Celese in Earth''s image.


    Lwyn was hard at work, scouring over notes and records at her desk as she tried to figure things out.  Yuxzn at least was there with her, helping her go through all of the records in search of anything that might help.  He obviously couldn''t help her with her answer for the flow of the world, but his help was very appreciated when it came to the matters involving the Fortress.  He proved to be her second set of eyes, second opinion, second everything.  It was probably thanks to him that she was remaining composed during all of this at all.  She did realize that she was really counting on his insight in matters like this, that he was proving to be highly dependable in so many ways.  She would have to see if maybe, once everything was over, maybe she could find him a nice place at the Citadel, some sort of role that would keep him at her side even after.  She was certain, with both of their insight, the Citadel would be capable of so many things, and might even outshine it''s current status.  The world was changing, she would need someone like him to make sure that the Citadel could keep up with such changes.  For now at least, they would need to figure out how to deal with the problems of the present.


    The coming of the cold season had brought with it some chilling winds, circulating a lot of bad weather changes.  Dark clouds covered everything over the horizon, heralding the approach of a storm.  Fall and Spring were both the rainy seasons around here, so that was rather normal, but even elven eyes struggled to pierce darkness, and the lack of a midday sun was making scouting extra challenging.  She had at least ensured people were on watch, all four Nations plus the Rebellion.  There was actually a lot of chaos out on the other side of the mountain, scouts having at least reported the state of both the bandits and any elements of the Rebellion that remained behind.


    The bandits were actually in a state of panic, not only having had their best backing abandon them, but it seems Khaexyn had actually suddenly set upon them rather harshly.  Something about how the ignorant could no longer be trusted.  In that moment, the bandits found themselves abandoned and cut off from all of their resources, left to fend for themselves.  The rebellion had actually discovered this and walked in, only to find bandit hopes crushed everywhere.  Bandits surrendered all over the Hyxir, the badlands suddenly losing the only thing that had cultured them at all over the past several years.  Some bandits grew fanatic, scouring to search for the Fortress until death took them instead, while yet others turned on their own out of desperation and fell as a result.  With the sudden absence of the Fortress, the rebellion had suddenly conquered the entire Hyxir.


    Qheria was helping Rhyde in much of the resulting chaos.  Zyuixqs'' father had taken quick advantage of the situation, sending messengers along with scouts into the Hyxir badlands.  It seems, if his rebellion would suddenly find itself the conquerors of all the people in Hyxir, he was going to make something bigger of it.  It was a perfect opportunity, after all.  Working with some of the four nations, the Rebellion Leader was pushing forwards with a unification of the entire badlands, to turn Hyxir into it''s own nation.  As the leader of the Rebellion, securing the allegiance of all of Hyxir would officially make him the ruler of his newly formed Kingdom.  Qheria was surprised at how fast things were moving, clearly the Rebellion Leader was not one to let slip an opportunity.  In line with the same model as Wyxir and Qicir, they were setting up a monarchy, which would place the Rebellion Leader as the Hyxiri King.


    Qheria was especially worried about this impact on Rhyde.  Almost as if the new Hyxiri King was taking a page from the Qiciri, Rhyde was being given the title of a founding hero for their newly formed nation, a leader of a team who had ensured that their nation had a chance to even form.  Qheria knew what it felt like to suddenly get named a hero, considering she had also been given the exact same title.  She did not find herself with the struggles required to found a nation, but she had almost the same degree of a title otherwise.  Rhyde would probably be due for a noble title, once some of the rugged elements of the Hyxiri were worked out.  Under their current leadership, there were a lot of question about how rugged things would be.  Still, considering the recent war between Qicir and Wyxir, it wasn''t like even the existing nations could claim to be without their rough elements.


    "I know a rebellion means things are supposed to change, but I would never have expected this.  Making society from bandits and outlaws, even I never knew his goals were this.. surreal.  Fighting back.. it was just a way of life, I really didn''t ever get to think about what might happen if the fighting ever ended.  The greatest odds would be that I would be dead, really.  But.. suddenly forming a nation.. suddenly being a hero.. this is all new, all things I have no idea how to work with."  "Well, the place is still going to start with a lot of disorder, and need people that can keep lawlessness in check.  Before this whole journey began, I was a Shieldbearer, someone who establishes and enforces order and lawfulness in society.  If you feel changing too much might be hard, maybe you could start with something like that?"  Rhyde pondered Qheria''s idea, setting up an organization that would strive to establish and enforce order in this new kingdom.  Flush with banditry, it would be one of the most important things such a nation would need, and it wasn''t far off from the sort of things he had done regularly.  Quash disorder, promote unity, it might be a great place to start, and provide him enough room to adjust to this sudden shift in his homeland''s society.  After all, no one else was going to shift easily either.


    Still, there was a lot of differences.  The rebellion''s standard approach to people not doing what they wanted was resolved by conflict.  That itself wasn''t the most ordered solution, a lot of the basics behind this idea would still require an outlook he himself didn''t possess.  How does one enforce a law in an established society, how does one measure and calculate the right and the wrong?  He was doubting his ability in this situation not because he doubted his leadership ability as a whole, but that he doubted his expertise in this exact application of it.


    "How exactly do the Shieldbearers work, then?"  "Oh, wow, right.. even the idea would be a far outreach way out there in that kind of society.  Here, when things calm down, maybe I should take you to check out how things work there.  After becoming a bit of a hero myself, I don''t think they would just dismiss me as easily as they did before.  Maybe I can help you learn a few things about it, and you can take such lessons back with you and figure out how to apply it in Hyxir?"  Rhyde did think a small demonstration might be in order, he definitely wanted a lot more information.  To him, it was proving all too convenient having Qheria at his side, helping with all of these changes.  He was getting honestly impressed with just how easily she seemed to adapt to change.  He had even seen that Xyithy wasn''t as skilled in this area, so this would have been something Qheria had learned by her special circumstances.


    Qheria was actually pondering a similar subject.  After her days as a Shieldbearer, she could hardly grasp the entirety of how much she had changed.  She had done poorly in her days back then, hadn''t even properly applied herself to her work, only walked through the concepts as if it was self-sufficient.  It was her time leading the three girls that she had learned the skills that were missing in all of her pursuits.  While the three girls had helped her out immensely over this period, there was one specific person who had always helped her grow as a leader, to learn how to improve her own leadership ability.  It was something she would be eternally grateful to Rhyde for, an unforgettable life lesson.


    Mhyl was still drawing in her room, struggling in the concept.  She was sitting before another unfinished work, frustrated by it.  Once again, she had paused to see what she was trying to draw, and then turned to spin her thoughts around how to finish the picture.  Every-time that happened, the picture seemed more fabricated, less of a free-flow.  The goal was to not overthink everything, but even now, with nothing to focus on, her mind had failed to simply wander idle and had instead amassed upon the single idea before her, leaving her distracted.  She wasn''t able to just simply relax, not like she wanted.


    Mhyl crumpled up the paper before her and went for a new page, to start over once again.  The pile she had handy was however depleted, leaving nothing left.  Chyurae, still thus far unnoticed, handed her a small stack of blank paper, surprising her.  Since when did he...  Mhyl shrugged, keeping track of Chyurae was all too impossible.  She didn''t even know what he might have been doing before he arrived.


    "Oh, hello Chyurae.  Is there anything I can help you with?"  "No.. I''m okay.  I''m just worried about you, you''ve seemed so troubled, storming about everywhere.  I noticed you were running out of paper, so I went to get some more."  Mhyl realized this implied Chyurae had shown up at one point, probably as she was looking for more supplies, most likely the last time she ran out of ink there.  He had then noticed how fast she had ran out of paper and went to get more before she would run out.  Obviously, not being noticed in either cases.


    Chyurae picked up the latest crumpled page.  "I''m not sure why you seem so troubled, your pictures are incredible, so full of life."  Chyurae picked up a few other discarded pages and compared them.  Sometimes she had stopped before you could actually figure out what she was trying to draw, but many of them had nearly a photographic quality to them.  Many of them looked mostly scenic, areas that he had never seen before.  Some of them of pure fiction, fabricated from Mhyl''s thoughts rather than memories.  Even the ones that did not exist in this world or the other, they looked like they could have simply been made to exist if only Mhyl had finished drawing, they were so good.  Everything was also so interesting, speaking to Chyurae of places he would love to go see, even if there was no chance.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Mhyl turned to her new blank page and prepared some extra ink.  "This stuff looks like it''s a collection of stories, of endless tales never told before."  "Oh, well, I had done a lot of reading before, like two lifetimes of stories, in addition to .. well, a mixture of cultures from one."  "You read a lot of books?  I know you like books, that''s why I knew I had to make you the book you have, but I''ve not actually read books before.  I never had the chance.  What is reading like?"  Chyurae''s question left Mhyl puzzled.  How do you explain to someone what reading is like, if they have never read anything before?  "Well, it''s like seeing through the eyes of someone else, while left in a dream-like state in an endless sea of thoughts and ideas.  Because the ideas aren''t your own, you have no idea what will happen until you keep reading, leaving you to experience ideas at the same pace as the story.  At one point, you just feel like you''re part of the story, like the adventure before you is going on around you.  You can''t influence anything, but it freely influences you, and you learn from their experiences.  In the end, you just lose yourself to the story, and go along with the flow."  Mhyl paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.  She had never thought about stories like this before, considering there was nothing tangible by the immersion.. it was really just something you lost yourself in.


    Chyurae approached Mhyl as she put her pen down in that moment.  In just a handful of moments, Mhyl had a rough outline of an image that somehow stood out between it''s lines, the pattern drawn looking like a mess at first glance, but she could see the details after a second glance.  She hadn''t actually been aware she was actually drawing as she explained.  Her picture looked like a coastal view of a beach, a young girl staring out across the waves at an island in the far distance, wearing a summer dress that wavered in the breeze.  To Mhyl, the picture somehow looked familiar, but she couldn''t place it at all.  Also to her, she had no idea how random lines had suddenly resolved such a vivid and powerful image.


    "That''s a really nice view from a.. lake?  It''s weird that the ground looks like dust rather than grass, but it''s amazing how realistic you made the girl look, like there really was a wind blowing her clothes around."  Chyurae could see the entire image too, even though he had never in his life seen a beach or the ocean.  So, she wasn''t just imagining it, somehow her utter randomness had actually resulted in something so pristine.  This was exactly what she was trying to do, but she wasn''t exactly sure how she had done it.  She was kinda.. not paying attention at the time, having lost herself in the moment of her creative expression on stories and memories.


    Thanrie finally finished helping the three spies with their repairs.  She had ensured they worked with her to complete their own repairs, but would always find them struggling while being watched, and making far too much progress while she wasn''t watching.  She had tried to compare them to Chyurae, but found they were very different.  Chyurae vanished when you weren''t paying attention, the three girls could vanish while you watched them.  Chyurae was also good at getting stuff done, the three girls were instead better with their minds.  Finally, the three girls never shut up.


    "Oh wow, all that hard work.. my hands feel like they went through an inferno."  "Seriously, that stupid thing just wouldn''t let up, made it so hard.  Why is all this stupid metal so rock-solid hard?"  "Thank you, lady Thanrie, for your help.  We''ll take these out for another test from here, you had better get some rest."  Sometimes, the three of them seemed to make more use of their mouths then their minds.  Thanrie sighed, not at all oblivious as to why the metal was hard.  She did like the idea presented by their group''s leader, it was a good opportunity to take a quick break before moving on to something else.


    Thanrie made her way back to the market square, sitting at the same fountain Mhyl had lost her at earlier.  Thanrie could still remember when they had been here before, as she had diplomatically requested some new gear and equipment for everyone.  She was very lucky to have brought the price down so low, she had never shared that the same situation had in the process used up every coin she had carried at the time.  Even now, she didn''t carry any coin, but no one cared.  Even approaching the fountain, someone had just gifted her some of the fruit from their stand.  Here, like in the Fortress, she had pressed her will upon bystanders with sweet words in the past to get what she wanted, but this time she hadn''t even tried, and was given something regardless.  Much of it was her reputation, but in her case her charisma was also fueled by her appearance, she was incredibly beautiful.


    Thanrie started munching down on some of the small fruits, sweet but not otherwise something she was familiar with, like some kind of melon.  Like it, she was also hard to identify unless left as an open book.  Usually, she went around aggressively pushing her assertive nature on everything around her, like a delinquent.  In a place that furthered the ideas of an unruly society of bandits, that idea still made sense, so she had not bothered with matters of composure.  However, as formalities and modesty returned to her lifestyle, she had been toning down on her aggressiveness, furthering a sense of responsibility.  Switching back to dresses had really made such needs hard to ignore.


    To a degree, she felt like the change was betraying her nature, though it wasn''t until left there to think that she realized that... it might not be true.  She couldn''t exactly claim to be so endlessly rage-driven as she might think, that was closer to the lifestyle of her otherworldly memories.  But she herself, she was a combination of both memories, not just one.  She had never been in such a society with the combination of her memories, that had occurred only as she had fled it.  She had such an aggressive edge to her personality, but it wasn''t the whole of it, only a portion of it.


    As Thanrie sat there, pondering her own nature, Zyuixqs showed up.  "Oh, here you are.  I''ve been worried how you''ve been doing, having been gone since yesterday."  Thanrie realized that she had kinda cut herself off from everything ever since last night, another potential burst of rage that.. she hadn''t actually resolved.  It visibly worried Zyuixqs how she might thus been feeling, he was still shaking as he spoke, very nervous and uncertain.  "Oh, uh, I''ve been just keeping busy with work around here.  Sorry for leaving you hanging like that and everything."  Thanrie understood how the end of that might have caused some conflicting messages about the extent of her rage, even though she had found a way to distract herself since then.  The three girls were really good at stealing your focus in that way, being so talkative.


    "Well, you''ve missed out on some pretty big changes.  Seems Hyxir is going to finally become it''s own nation."  Zyuixqs explained to her the rapid changes his father had brought about.  "Woah, so this makes you a prince now, doesn''t it.  Congrats!"  "Yes, it means there is a lot of changes going on, my dad throwing everything at me all at once.  He.. he might have a point too.  The world really does change quickly, I don''t have time to wait.  With everything that is about to change, with all the fighting going on, I probably won''t get another chance either.  I mean.. things are going to end up official in a matter of days, and then I won''t have time for anything anymore."  Thanrie was catching on that Zyuixqs was very flustered, pondering everything that would be involved in being the prince of a newly formed nation.  She pondered just how much work was involved for her brothers in nation that had formed long before, Zyuixqs was going to have his hands full.  Still, she got the feeling that something else was troubling him as well.


    "Just relax, you''ll be fine.  Take it from someone else who is royalty, as long as you keep trying and learning, staying invested in your goals, you''ll be fine.  Seriously, there have been royalty in better positions who have done worse than you already have."  Thanrie was still troubled about her father starting a war over a stupid childhood crush, spanning into her generation.  Even getting upset, it would have been better to not invest so many innocent lives into something so.. personal.  It was insane that he would let his love affect his decision making like that, especially considering his position and his level of influence and.. honestly how much was at stake.


    "You know your fair share about this stuff, I know.  You might be right, things might be fine.  But I feel a lot of that is because you''re you.  Dad has the worst way of saying it, but you really are both a beautiful princess and skilled with some of the roughest situations, an absolute perfect combination for the sort of things we''re going to deal with.  But ignoring the politics, I think you''re an amazing woman by yourself, brave and remarkable in kind.  I mean.. you won''t ever let anything keep you down, and I know I will really regret anything I say if this is going to make you mad, but I''ll regret not saying anything too.  The time I''ve spent with you, I don''t think I will ever see a person as amazing as you.  Even behind all that brass determination, I''ve seen what seems like a gentle kindness that has looked out for people, and I''ve seriously learned to admire that.  You''re a princess that might not be your textbook princess, but instead you''re so much better a person for it.  I''ve tried hard to look up to your example, to follow in your footsteps, to learn how you do what you do, to hold the same authority and the same ability to get stuff done.  It''s why I first learned how to make such metals move, the Facility and the armors.  You''re a very difficult woman to keep up to, so.. if I don''t ask now, I''ll probably never get another chance.  Thanrie, will you marry me."  Zyuixqs went down on one knee formally, kneeling before Thanrie as he made his confession.


    Thanrie was stunned.  She was fairly certain that Zyuixqs'' father was at fault for this, it was exactly what he had told Zyuixqs to do in the first place, yesterday as she had stormed out.  However, she could also see that wasn''t the only thing on Zyuixqs'' mind, this sudden bought of royalty would have it''s own political momentum.  Really, not a thought lost to her either, her own popularity really might have thrown her down an avalanche of very similar politics.  Unlike Zyuixqs, she had just not devoted time to thinking about it, having distracted herself otherwise.  Her brothers were very eager on building upon her own accomplishments, she could only expect to be used further in those regards, even without her consent.  The politics she would return to would even be the dull ugly refined she had fled.  Zyuixqs was going to be a prince of bandits, a rugged environment learning to breach the middle between it''s rough side and the refinement expected of it.  Thanrie did not miss on the irony, a nation having been left with the same two-way split she was struggling with personally.


    Thanrie might have usually snapped at some of Zyuixqs'' comments, but she instead got a feeling of how genuine he was being, even through all of his fear.  He wasn''t mocking her, he wasn''t belittling her, he was giving his honest expression of her qualities.  Some of his statements, she didn''t even realize applied to her.  Beautiful, her?  Brave, she had some countering stories about that one.  But she certainly was no textbook princess, and damn proud of it.  She just didn''t realize how much her own actions were having an impact on Zyuixqs, that he was so invested in her pursuits in response to her actions and behaviour.  It hadn''t dawned on her at all, and the thought was making her go even further scarlet.  But she did think back to how much Zyuixqs had done, back as early as the day he saved her life, that long time ago.  She hadn''t thought about it, but she had learned to count on him too, to trust he would have her back.  She hadn''t let herself think upon the matter much at all, but she had a feeling...


    She took a deep breath with a genuine smile as she formed her reply for him.  If he was going to be this honest with how he felt about her, it was about time she was honest about how she felt about him.

 70: Cold Blooded

    It was late evening before the four girls re-converged to discuss the matters of the recent days.  With everything that had came to pass in that time, they each had a lot of things to share with each other.


    "Hold on, Zyuixqs did what?"  "He proposed.  I mean, sure, it was totally unexpected, but suddenly becoming a prince was probably just as unexpected for him.  The guy can be pretty useless sometimes, but he can really pull through when it counts, you know?  Someone like that, it wouldn''t really be such a bad thing.  And think about it, I''m still a princess, my family is going to want to send me somewhere, Hyxir is probably the best option going too.  It''s a place I could definitely take to calling home."  Mhyl was still trying to have this news process in her head.  Thanrie meanwhile was being a bit less forthright with her feelings, her eyes shining more than her words.  It had taken a while for her to form words properly for him, but she had given him her approval.  Since then, her head was lost in the clouds, still coming to terms with the implications, but without any regrets.


    "Making a nation out of that isn''t going to be easy.  Rhyde himself has been struggling over the matter as is, pondering how to make a society from that chaos.  I don''t expect anything is going to be easy about it."  "Neither of you two are accounting for what would happen if my father gets involved again.  We still have no idea where the fortress even went, and that''s a pretty big problem.  Yuxzn and I have been working hard on this, apparently while everyone else has been distracted, and we''ve came up with nothing."  Qheria found herself being scolded by Lwyn right after she tried to bring Thanrie back to reality.  Thanrie and Qheria, they might have both been lost in what was going to come after the fighting was over, forgetting that first they needed to win the upcoming battle.


    Mhyl pondered her own efforts.  She hadn''t exactly been helping with making the world turn like everyone else, instead she had been focused on just doing better herself.  She held the strange picture she had drawn earlier still in her hands, the one Chyurae had helped her with in ways she still didn''t understand, at a loss for an opportunity to bring it up.  She looked down at it, pondering the picture once more.  A mess of lines that just came together in ways that didn''t feel like it should make sense, but did.. it was a concept that had defined so much of her life as of late.  Even the gift worked that way, defying sense and yet being so simple.  Still, with everyone else doing things for other people, it felt selfish to talk about her own personal work that didn''t affect anyone else.  Mhyl set the paper upside down upon the meeting room table, leaving it to blend in with the rest of the papers on Lwyn''s desk.  They had more important things to worry about, after all.


    Lwyn contemplated everyone''s reaction and realized that she might have sounded a bit too harsh.  Maybe she was just tired, it was getting late.  "Okay, tomorrow, lets just start on this first thing in the morning then.  That way we can all work together to figure everything out after a good night''s rest.  I''ll go with everyone back to the guest area, and we can call it a night."  Lwyn got up from her chair, with everyone else following her example.  They made their way though the halls silently, half to not wake up anyone who might already be asleep, half because they were lost in thought as to what had just happened.


    Thanrie was contemplating the events much the same as Qheria was, realizing that distractions of future politics had left Lwyn carrying the burden of their present day.  It wasn''t like Lwyn was in much of a different situation either, Lwyn herself was basically a princess of the Citadel, and was already doing a pretty good job at being responsible.  Tomorrow, she would have to turn all of her efforts into giving Lwyn a hand.. possibly by making use of the three ninja girls.  They had been busy the whole time, they wouldn''t have had time for anything else either, and they were so good at spying and blending in, they could probably discover something with their bag of tricks.


    During her thoughts, Thanrie noticed a cloaked person walking through the halls, the same one as from before, making a turn far head of them in another direction.  Something about the person was familiar, she had a strange feeling about them, but the cloaked shadow was gone once she reached the same corner.  Thanrie shrugged, she had enough to worry about with herself and her friends, with little purpose in pausing at the restlessness of every passing individual.


    Mhyl however pondered if maybe her mother could help with things, if there was anything they could learn from the flow of the world that would give hints as to such important matters.  Sxeiva had given them plenty of different hints in situations like this, her mother would be in a better spot to get such information.  However, even Sxeiva was never direct with her messages, only telling information that lead to proper actions rather than spoiling the future.  Getting hints from her mother might not be as fruitful as she had first thought, they would have to figure out how to take care of things by their own ability.


    As they all arrived, Mhyl was the last to finally enter her room, her thoughts covered in her own abilities.  She hadn''t had the opportunity to talk about anything, or work out any form of discovery.  All of them discovered things on their own, so that was probably for the best, maybe that picture would just be for her own discovery.  Reminded of the picture, Mhyl remembered it was left discarded upon the desk, a desk wrought with so much other paper that it could easily be absorbed and consumed by other paperwork.  Intent on asking Lwyn to make sure that her drawing was put aside for tomorrow, Mhyl reopened her door just in time to see Lwyn collapse to the floor, a cloaked shadow standing over her.


    "Lwyn!"  Mhyl rushed from the room, screaming, and in her urgency got Qheria and Thanrie''s attention.  The cloaked shadow turned, blood dripping from an exposed blade.  Mhyl paused, aware of her own danger.  She had no weapon for herself, no way to defend herself, and faced off against a blade that could certainly go for another round.  Meanwhile, Lwyn was in danger, the blood on the same blade clear proof of her vitality quickly escaping her.  The assassin dashed towards her, so she backed away.  In the midst of the assassin''s dash, it dodged a sudden lunge from Thanrie as Thanrie burst out from her own room.


    Thanrie contemplated the situation for less than an instant to understand what was going on.  Clearly, ignoring her instincts wasn''t something that had panned out well for her, the same suspicious individual she had seen earlier was now attacking Mhyl, as Lwyn lay fallen on the ground.  Thanrie was furious, not just at the assassin, but also at herself.  She had done nothing, nothing at all.  Lwyn clearly had a point, she needed to pay more attention to what was going on around her.  She didn''t contemplate the point that she was the only one who had ever been aware of the cloaked shadow in either situation, only that she should have done more.  However, in that moment, she turned her conviction to do just that, to do more with the here and the now.


    Her regrets though prolonged past her conviction, as she realized that she was also without any weapons, just like Mhyl.  Worse, she had even left unresolved her concerns about fighting without a weapon, and now this had happened.  She still had no idea how she would fight bare handed, but as her enemy was just a simple assassin with a knife, maybe that wouldn''t matter.  Her enemy would be slow, she could handle this.  She dashed out behind the assassin, and thrust a punch towards their back.  Without turning around, the assassin dodged the attack lashed out with the knife.  Thanrie fell back, barely managing to dodge.  She came again with another attack, this one a feint so that she could try to disarm her opponent.  The assassin didn''t even try to block the attack, as if the whole thing was predicted, and instead tripped Thanrie as she wasn''t watching.  Thanrie tumbled to the floor, helpless and left wide open.


    Before the Assassin could strike down, they were left with needing to dodge as Qheria came out and tried to ambush the assassin.  Qheria however, like everyone else, had no weapon, and was unable to connect with her enemy.  Thanrie was alarmed, her opponent was far too skilled, far too aware, far too fast even.  Even outnumbering the one assassin, they were still left at a disadvantage.  Meanwhile, Mhyl was trying her best to tend to Lwyn''s injuries.  Without a focus, all that she had was her very slow healing.  She tore away some of the fabric of her dress, trying to mix her gift with some mundane measures.  She applied the fabric to the wound, and was alarmed at the color changes.  While the cloth had blotches of the obvious red, there was a strange purple to the color too.  She tried to use her gift directly upon the cloth, to identify what was going on chemically.  Her gift had a simple answer, poison, a very powerful and deadly poison.


    Lwyn was not just dying from a stab, she was also dying from a poison.  So late at night, under all these same pretenses, it reminded Mhyl of a story Sxeiva had shared about her own assassins.  The exact setup was almost identical, as if it was based upon the same story.  But why would anyone, anyone in the world, try to assassinate Lwyn?  The whole half-elf thing didn''t even make sense anymore, not with the position Lwyn was in.  Everyone locally would be terrified about the Crystalline Blossoms failing, no one would have wanted that to happen.  The Citadel had no real enemies, unless you counted Lwyn''s own father, who himself wanted his family returned to him.  Just who might this assassin actually be?


    Still, she was getting ahead of herself, she needed a solution for keeping Lwyn alive.  "Qheria, I need your help here.  Lwyn has been poisoned, we need you to provide her with resistance to it, like you did with my burns from before."  Mhyl''s request for help put Qheria''s situation at odds.  She could understand Mhyl''s idea, and certainly she could do as was asked, but that would involve leaving Thanrie to deal with this threat alone.  As is, they were still losing the fight even with her inclusion.  Mhyl was trying her best to tend to whatever healing she could muster, taking her shoes off and using her socks to provided additional care.


    Seeing an opening, the assassin dashed to Mhyl as she was left immobile taking her shoes off.  The dagger came down fast towards Mhyls back.. and Mhyl fell forward from the impact.  The assassin backed off quickly after, looking confused for about the same reason as everyone else.  Mhyl got back up soon after, feeling sore from being effectively punched in the back, but not otherwise wounded.  The assassin was likewise confused by their empty hands.  Thanrie was still following through in Mhyl''s defense, so the assassin had to dodge once more.


    "Thanrie!"  A sudden voice echoed through the hall, as someone familiar approached.  Thanrie turned to see Zyuixqs wandering down the halls, his hands cupped around something.  "Zyuixqs, watch it, we have an assassin!"   Thanrie rushed to Zyuixqs, who was still uncertain what was going on, but the assassin was faster.  Without a weapon, it still smashed hard into Zyuixqs, who went flying several Uyn into the back wall, a solid stone impact.  With one enemy left in a daze, the assassin returned to the fray, still looking for the missing dagger.  Qheria lunged once again, with still no success.


    "Zyuixqs, are you alright!?"  "Ah, I''m pretty sure your punches have been far worse."  Thanrie was startled as Zyuixqs coughed up some blood.  "Really, not sure why you''re being so nice on them."  "Stop joking around, what are you doing here anyway?"  "Oh, right, you accepted my proposal, right, but I didn''t have anything to give you.  It''s not much, but I managed to make a bracelet out of some linked fortress metal.  I didn''t have anything better, but you had always asked me to bring you some better metal.  Still plan to do better later, when there is more time, and everything is taken care of."  Zyuixqs handed over the small bracelet to Thanrie, the simple metallic band of spiralled coil metal he had been rushing to put together, hoping to deliver before Thanrie settled in for the night.


    Thanrie put the bracelet on, heartfully appreciative of the gesture, but still not lost in the moment.  "Thanks, but you need to take care of yourself now.  This assassin is looking for weaknesses, you need to find a place to hide."  Thanrie knew, the only way Zyuixqs would be able to hide is if she managed to cover for him.  Lwyn was also in danger, and Mhyl was still wide open.  Things were rapidly going out of control, and all because she had no weapon to work with.  Approaching and preparing to attack, her fists clenched to find some kind of opening, she felt the bracelet bounce on her wrist.  This lent her a moment of pause, it wasn''t a weapon, but it was an object certainly no worse than Mhyl''s book for being used as a focus.  She now herself had a focus, but no certainty in how to use it.  All of her usage had depended upon weapon design, she still needed to figure out a new idea.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Meanwhile, however, Lwyn was still in danger.  Thanrie realized she had to believe in herself before she would be able to get anything done, and letting Qheria hang back when Thanrie was the only one who had something as remotely close to a focus just didn''t feel right.  "Qheria, go, help Mhyl and Lwyn, I''ll try to hold out in the meanwhile."  Thanrie was putting a lot of burden on her own shoulders, leaving herself to single handedly deal with an enemy she had yet to even touch, while defending four people she cared about.  Certainly, she wasn''t making any of this easy on herself.  She lashed out at her enemy while pressing her mind for a solution.  She struggled to find anything that could help in all this chain of misfortune.


    Wait, chain, she had forgotten about that.  During her last battle, she had taken an opportunity not to unleash upon her enemies from the blade of her weapon, but also from it''s chain.  The chain had emitted her will from it, like a frayed electrical cord.  More so, it was as if the copper was fully exposed, inviting it''s threat upon anyone around.  The metal she now wore on her wrist, it wasn''t copper, but it was still a coil of metal, designed almost the same way.  Now there was still a matter of the principle of effect, she had an object with context, but not how an interconnected circle could apply something like a non-interconnected chain.  What exactly could she have this ring do, that she could somehow put together in her mind.


    Her enemy was not leaving her much room to consider, lashing out at her.  Thanrie took a blow to the shoulder and spun down.  Her assailant approached for another blow, which Thanrie tried to block.  She knew her blocks were futile, but she didn''t have anything left.  She was more offensive, more direct, blocking was Qheria''s thing.  She also couldn''t just call forth floating death that bent to her whims, because she was also connected to her ability.  Lwyn''s gift gave her range, Thanrie just had reach.  Her blade could cast forth, and return, she could lunge and stash at her foes from several Uyn away.  Like the stories of Earth''s Japan, she was one with her sword, and it was one with her, both an extension of each other.


    Thanrie felt a sudden surge of pain as her bracelet pierced into her wrist.  The pain was immense, but her wrist was still dry of blood.  So firmly attached, the bracelet stopped moving faintly over her wrist.  Connected to her, the bracelet then worked to extend her will.  Caught off guard by the pain, the assassin lunged at the opening and Thanrie went flying to the ground.  As she tried to get up, she found her arm had suddenly grown much heavier than normal.  Looking down at it, she noticed the long wrist blade that protruded from it.  The blade itself was not completely solid, reshaping itself rapidly in the air as if made by mercury.. or steel blood.


    Thanrie took a moment to feel for her achievement, watching the blade reshape into a crescent, then into a hook, then into a hammer.  It was perfectly malleable, submissive to her will, and very easy to weaponize.  Thanrie could feel the cost of this though, the pain did not subside, and every time she reshaped her weapon, it felt like she was bending her own bones.  If she was going to take advantage of this achievement, she would have to move before it took from her more than she had.


    The assassin also seemed alarmed by the appearance of a new weapon, suddenly opting to go on the defensive.  A threat like this clearly needed to be evaluated, rather than rushed thoughtlessly.  As Thanrie tried to press her advantage, she still found her foe to be elusive to her own movements.  However, with no room for an attack, the Assassin had been kept busy enough for Qheria to successfully tend to Lwyn.  As Qheria worked to block the effects of the poison, Mhyl struggled to ensure healing was achieved.  Eventually, she managed to get the wound itself under control, but she still had no way to deal with the poison.  Just like with the same story Sxeiva had shared about herself, poison was a problem when there was no way to purify it.  Would she be left to suffer the same hardship as her mother, unable to save her friend?


    Her mother!  It was in that moment that she recalled her mother''s story to her, randomly telling her about her gift, and almost in passing letting her know that it could have maybe saved someone poisoned like Sxeiva.  Lwyn was currently someone poisoned like Sxeiva.  "Somehow, we need to bring Lwyn to mother, but I have no idea how.  She can purify this poison, but we can''t just carry her, not like this.  At the same time, we need her poison to be resisted the whole trip too."  Mhyl had only half a plan, with no idea how to provide transport.  Qheria looked around at what she had to work with, and opted to pick up Mhyl''s discarded shoe.  She knew this would look dumb, but not all solutions were elegant.  "Mhyl, sorry to borrow your shoe like this, but there really isn''t much else.  Don''t worry, I can bring Lwyn to your mother, it just might take a few hops."  Qheria wasn''t making sense to Mhyl, how would you just jump in a short hall like...


    Qheria put one hand over Lwyn''s bandage, focusing on building resistance, as she slamed the ground with the shoe using her other hand.  A small and distorted barrier covered them both, causing Mhyl to fall backwards in surprise.  A moment later, and the two disappeared, appearing further down the hall.  In another moment, they vanished again, warping to some location even further away.  Mhyl was surprised, since when could Qheria teleport like that?  Still, it got problems out of the way, she even noticed Zyuixqs had gone into hiding.  If only she had a way to help Thanrie.


    Without warning, she suddenly noticed that Chyurae was right beside her, handing her something.  It was a blade, still dripping with blood.  Mhyl grinned at him, realizing he would have been at fault for the failed stabbing attempt.  She had no idea when he might have arrived, but she was thankful he was present at the time.  She clutched the knife, herself now the only one in the room with a natural weapon for once.  Thanrie was weaponized, but only by her own gift.  Mhyl had a weapon, and then also had her gift.  It was a new feeling, all thanks to Chyurae''s unique talent.  Actually, was it so unique, it was just stealth, being unseen, scientifically easy to explain as...


    Mhyl paused, stopping herself.  It had been her struggle the past two days, and she was determined to not mess up now.  Sure, she might be able to follow through with the idea, either vanishing or something even more dramatic, by some kind of train of thought that exceeds common sense.  In doing so, she would quickly spend her stamina, and be left vulnerable.  She looked down at the blade again, realizing that if she hesitated or was caught off guard with this weapon, it could be turned against her, and she would herself be in trouble.  She needed to relax, first off.  She also needed to keep everything simple, somehow, to come up with details for things without pressing the details of it, and just let things fill themselves out like.. she paused trying to finish her thought.  She turned back to Chyurae, his support priceless in sorting her thoughts, his innocent expression seeking no answers and just knowing she would work stuff out, knowing she would fill in all the blanks like a writer would a story.


    That was it, just like a story.  She remembered the drawing, done while describing the immersion into a story, leaving the details of the material she would experience to the world that provided it.  She didn''t need control over everything, she couldn''t be everywhere, do everything, or help everyone.  She didn''t need all of the details, things would just start to make sense if she lost herself in the moment.


    Thanrie stumbled in one of her attacks, her wild blade having caught the wall in her motion.  This gave a moment of opening, and startled even Chyurae, who turned to look at what happened.  Thanrie carried herself with the momentum, turning her blade into a pole that grew in it''s creation, shoving her away from the wall to dodge her assailant.  Seeing things had worked out, Chyurae turned back to Mhyl, only to find she was gone.  Chyurae looked around, unable to find where Mhyl had suddenly gone in the span of that moment.  Thanrie got back up on her feet, and lunged for an opening.


    The assassin started to dodge away from it, only to suddenly dodge in reverse.  Left in a crossfire, the assassin had barely managed to avoid both Thanrie''s liquid blade and Mhyl''s invisible one.  As both blades at least connected with cloth, the cloak was torn clean away from the assassin, exposing their identity as they jumped to the ceiling and stuck to it, taking account to the growing threat of the two assailants.


    Mhyl and Thanrie didn''t let their initial instincts resolved as shock.  There might have been some temptation, but not only would this be a poor time to hesitate, it was also a great moment to become enraged.  A familiar face stood before them, at least it was mostly familiar.  The mechanical parts scoured over the imitation female face still looked very realistic, even with all the organic parts removed.  Even with that, even looking almost exactly like her, the thing still did not share any of Sxeiva''s true expressions, it was all to much a mockery of her death.  This resolved all of Mhyl''s wonder, she knew that Khaexyn had put this together to be the best assassin he could think of, almost desiccating his own wife''s body to create a vision of her killer.  Sxeiva had all of his best parts, after all, she could make for the best possible assassin.  Being so mechanical, it had probably been sent to look for the four of them who had been responsible for all of his grief, sent to assassinate them.  That''s why Lwyn was stabbed, the machine didn''t even know that the daughter and the fourth target was actually the same person, it just attacked her after having her marked as a target.  Mhyl was almost thankful that it had ensured Lwyn would not bear witness to this depravity.


    Thanrie was like minded in this resolve, realizing that the uncertain feelings she had was of something so mechanical and...  She felt revolted having claimed it seemed familiar.  This ghost of a creature, this zombie born from a corpse, it was disgusting in ways horror stories could never share.  This monster needed to be wiped from existence, obliterated from the face of Celese.  This taint to Sxeiva''s restless soul deserved nothing more.  In the passing moment, consumed as if in a bloodthirsty berserk rage, Thanrie stopped being aware of the pain her gift was visiting upon her.  The pain visited upon her heart and mind overwhelmed such simple injuries.  The blade on her hand split multiple times over, bloodthirstily seeking it''s target, without any success, only enraging her further.  She had figured out, not only was this monster mimicking her form, but also stealing from her potential, trying to predict actions by the most advanced AI this world had ever seen.


    Still, this put Thanrie in a bad spot.  This was much like her sparring with Lwyn, an enemy who thought far faster than she could.  In her current state, getting clear thoughts was even harder, her rage was pushed beyond it''s limits.  How could she deal with an enemy that could predict her every move, think and plan faster than she could even imagine.  And yet, in her rage, she found it hard to care.  Why should she care, she just needed to sashimi this thing into atoms.  As this war within her mind started to fall to her loss, a single thought came to her mind to surrender her completely.  The one thing that denies order was pure chaos, that''s what she was fearing was the biggest threat to Hyxir cultivation.  Chaos itself was even Yuxzn''s greatest threat, it was full of unknowns, it was fully unpredictable.  Why plan, when the best plans will be predicted.  If she lost herself to the moment, nothing would be capable of predicting her next move.


    Mhyl realized that her stealth was doing her no good, the thing was even dodging what it could not see.  She pondered this, realizing it probably had machines for everything.  Like her original worry in the fortress, this.. thing.. really did have the best of sight imaginable.  Sticking to the ceiling, it clearly copied from so many areas, so fully intent on bringing insult as injury.  She abandoned her stealth and lost herself in the moment, driven into a rage very similar to Thanrie.  There was no room to think, only room for anger.  And in this perfect synergy of chaos, the mechanical assassin was utterly overwhelmed.


    Thanrie lunged a think rod of metal forwards, passing well behind the assassin, and forming a wall on the other side, melding with the shape of the room completely.  She moved the rod slightly, the placement of the wall shifted with it, completely melding to the room.  Keeping this form, Thanrie then suddenly ran away, causing the newly formed wall to rush forwards with her.  The assassin simply clung to the new wall, not even understanding this impressive display of futility.  However, left at the end of a dead-end, with no where to run, the assassin suddenly found itself inevitably due to connect with a vortex of nothing.


    With no amount of originality, Mhyl unleashed an anti-matter vortex at close range to everything in front of her.  The entire section of the hall vanished, leaving nothing but rubble in it''s wake.

 71: Soaring Heights

    Just as soon as the commotion had started, everything had suddenly ended.  The matter would be left till morning for further care and research.


    Qheria still was finding herself deprived of answers.  Last night, she had returned to find Thanrie unconscious and Mhyl using her gift to repair the damaged hallway.  Meanwhile, absolutely nothing on the assassin, nothing more than being told it was gone.  Qheria had been very stubborn looking for answers, and while she had grown familiar with Thanrie''s venomous looks in tense situations, she wasn''t used to getting something so similar from Mhyl.  In the end, she was forced to simply drop the subject.


    It took until morning for Mhyl to realize her own accomplishments.  She had not only used her gift to great effect, but had done so without having her stamina consumed.  She could remember using her anti-matter trick from before, a terrifying concept in it''s own right, but one that had taken her out of the fight previously right after.  This time, even Thanrie had fallen long before she had, she was still ready to go for another round.. especially if the first round wasn''t enough for a vile abomination like that.  It was a hopefully over-dramatic extent of losing herself in the moment that she will never find need to repeat, but even taking from it in example for something less.. repulsive.. that could easily have some great uses.  Being capable of standing after one of her attacks was novel itself, all things considered.


    Thanrie was starving in the morning, feeling like she had consumed all of her nutrients during her rest.  Mhyl had even let her know that she seemed to be suffering from a bit of an iron deficiency or something like that.  It was at least similar to what Earth would call an iron deficiency, there was nothing saying that it was the exact same idea with Celese.  Still, the irony of it wasn''t lost on Thanrie, she was pretty sure Mhyl had destroyed so much of the iron in her body last night in their joint attack.  Her weapon is an extension of herself, especially the way she used it last night, and that extension of herself was just consumed in an anti-matter void.  That, and the whole cost of the process, added to some berserk rage...  To her, it actually made sense why she was the one to pull a Mhyl in the end of that.  She could only hope that the experience hadn''t also taken a couple of years of her life in the process, practically being akin to blood magic.


    Lwyn had thankfully also recovered and was resting in her office.  She wasn''t told any more than Qheria about what had happened, but it was evidence of their abilities that such a calamity didn''t even have much impact on her getting a good night''s rest.  The High-Seer had purified her of poison, and Mhyl had even found the time and energy before going to bed to ensure Lwyn was completely healed.  Lwyn kinda felt bad, after complaining about everyone else not being so tuned to present issues, and then having been caught off-guard herself to an assassin she had been neglecting the whole time.  Thanrie at least let her know that the assassin had probably arrived with the Rebellion, and had been present the entire time since.  It was foolish to consider, and troubling how much else she might have been missing.


    Lost in her wonder, she picked up a stray sheet of paper from the table.  It was Mhyl''s drawing, still forgotten and neglected on the table, leaving Lwyn uncertain where the paper had came from in the first place.  She thought back, and remembered seeing Mhyl was holding a paper, had put it down.. and was sitting right around where she had found this.  This was Mhyl''s art thing?  It looked like art, but nothing close to Mhyl''s style, it looked like rough rugged uncoordinated lines in the most random of...  Lwyn paused, caught half way in thought, suddenly seeing the hidden picture.  Seeing the exact same thing as Mhyl had, Lwyn marvelled at how clear the waves were depicted, how much detail was put into the girl and her dress, how much the whole thing somehow looked like a photograph after staring at it long enough.  It was like some kind of trick of the eyes, it was pure genius.  Lwyn was amazed, wondering if Mhyl had somehow done this.


    Hidden pictures, from hidden pictures, so many things hidden from her.  However, just like this drawing, it was only because she wasn''t looking in the right places.  Lwyn chuckled for a moment, considering this as revenge for when Lwyn had stealthily escaped from the facility.  Even Mhyl wasn''t aware that people so rarely remember to look up.


    Lwyn put the page down, suddenly startled.  Never looking up.  Lwyn dashed to a window from her high view in the Citadel.  Above them was still a scour of clouds, blocking vision, but not as bad as yesterday.  Fortunately, the clouds had started to clear up, so the sky was bright again.  That wasn''t the point, she looked over the skies earnestly searching, until she spotted a subtle movement in the air.  She immediately shouted for Yuxzn, who was in her library at the time.  "Up in the air, your vision is better than mine.  Right about there, I see a small speck of something.. and this is high in the sky we''re talking about.  What do you see?"  Lwyn pointed with the window, leaving Yuxzn to figure out what Lwyn was going on about.  Once his elven eyes found the point of interest, the color drained from his face.  Lwyn didn''t even need to wait for his verbal confirmation, she was out the door.


    "Lwyn, what''s going on?  Suddenly everyone is in an uproar."  "Yeah, I''m trying to get everyone''s attention.  Go get everyone else, Thanrie, Qheria, even like our friends and family, everyone.  We have a serious problem.  The Fortress will be on our doorstep really soon, we need everything battle ready, now."  Mhyl was startled by Lwyn''s insight, and ran off as instructed.  Soon after, everyone had gathered in the great hall to hear from the Arch-Magus'' daughter.


    "So, after all of that hard work, we''ve finally found the Fortress.  That''s the good news.  The bad news is that the Fortress is heading this way, and will arrive pretty soon.  I''m guessing mid-afternoon at the latest, but earliest at late morning."  "Lwyn, where?"  Lwyn pointed up, in answer to Mhyl''s question in Izhaethyx.  "Mhyl, seriously, it''s thanks to your picture I figured it out, but yeah, it feels like my father totally stole your idea.  He figured out how to make the Fortress fly, and has taken to the skies with it.  He''s probably going to descend around the mountain, flying just over it to provide some last-minute cover, before suddenly ambushing us from above."  Lwyn got shocked concern all around, people realizing the implications of her statement.


    Mhyl was especially scowling.  Not just because she remembered she wanted the picture back, but because she had worked hard to try and figure out how to get the facility to fly, with no measures of success.  If Khaexyn also had a piano, the things she would have to do to him...  Actually, even that paled in compared to her feelings from last night.  Using her own unrealized ideas was nothing compared to what he did to Sxeiva''s ... corpse.  For that alone, she already had some strong feelings against him.  If the idiot didn''t want people hating him, he should start treating people with even a measure of sanity, and not treating people as things to be defiled like that.  She knew Thanrie was of like mind, too.  Neither of them wanted the jerk to ever touch Lwyn ever again, not if that''s how he treats his loved ones.


    Qheria considered the information Lwyn had provided.  A surprise attack by air, given how their defenses worked.. that would be really hard to counter.  In fact, their ability to deal with an enemy that was strictly in the air was negligible.  Mundane things would have no effect, even a catapult couldn''t go high enough.  She might be able to warp that far, Lwyn could shoot that far, and Mhyl''s gift could certainly cover the area, but they still had to worry about the shielding on the Fortress.  Reflecting upon their escape from the fortress, there was only one way they could find the pure power they would need for this, they needed to make use of the facility.


    Qheria recalled what she had learned about that specific scenario, when the facility''s main cannon had pierced the wall.  It had not been strictly by the potential of the cannon, even that was not enough to pierce the shield without some inside help.  They would not have access to the internal systems this time, they would need to find another way around that.  However, Lwyn making point references to Mhyl''s flight idea had Qheria wondering exactly how the Fortress was even in the air.  All of their work showed considerable vulnerabilities with each approach.  She would need more information to made an educated decision on that regards, but she really hoped it was a hot air balloon or something as stupid as that.  Germany had suffered a vast history of related problems, failing to float a variety of the same idea into an applicable war solution.  If she could bring any of that to Khaexyn, it would feel very apt.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Lwyn, Mhyl, can you try and collect information for me, anything about how the Fortress is saying in the air.  Thanrie, you and I need to make sure that the Facility is weaponized and ready to go, it''s our best bet at a siege weapon to take the Fortress down."  "Oh, yeah, I was just there yesterday.  Everything is in order, but we did sorta decommission the main cannon, saying Lwyn''s attacks were good enough."  "Right, that did happen, didn''t it.  Lucky then that we at least left everything generally in order.  See if you can get it setup in time, maybe Ehryinae could lend you a hand."  Qheria could remember the decision Thanrie was mentioning, about disregarding the value of their cannon idea for other more dramatic options.  It had been a perfectly fine approach otherwise, but they would need something more for the Fortress itself.  Additionally, it was done originally to improve the Facility''s mobility, which right now wasn''t exactly as important as the Facility itself wouldn''t be going very far.


    Remarkably, the exact location the facility was hidden would probably be the most ideal location to ambush the Fortress, with plenty of cover.  The Fortress would be making use of the mountain for the same reason, unaware of this being used against it instead.  Still, to make proper use of this, they needed to be prepared.  They needed the main weapon online at the very least, but Qheria still believed that whatever was keeping such a thing in the air was made weakest by how it depended on flying.  Flying had too many faults, too many dangers, and was something this world hadn''t even suffered the constant failures of that she could remember of German stories.  Her only real concern was how much damage the crash would cause, a viable problem as well.


    Qheria looked over the weapon system being readjusted by Thanrie again, with the smith and Zyuixqs on hand helping out.  Ehryinae was also helping with the same process, but in another room, mostly with a small heat test in the intake.  They needed this thing to not fail when it counted.  Lwyn would be provided controls for aiming, in a placement where she could make the most of her gift.  Thanrie was also making sure she could boost the process effortlessly.  Both of them however had made extra progress with their gift, and had new ways to apply it.  Lwyn had left word that she wanted a chamber for the flame to be charged, a process she would be participating in.  Qheria had no idea how they would manage to design something that could take the heat, but Thanrie seemed to have her own ideas.


    Rhyde and Yuxzn were also around, organizing staff and keeping things moving.  It seems they would be making use of all five power armors they had for this fight, as there was a viably vast estimated need for the additional power.  Cracking the egg flying over them would just spill its contents, leaving them with an army on their doorstep, but such an army would probably be coming even if the Fortress did not fall.  The Fortress also had it''s own defenses, many which might remain online after a crash landing.  Meanwhile, Yuxzn would need a good sniper spot, probably within the citadel itself, which would prove useful for long range sniping from an unseen source.  Such would help the four armies that would be sent to swarm the fallen fortress.


    Quite notably, everyone would have to be sent to the fallen fortress, even the ones who shot it down.  Qheria knew such was her role, to be on hand to mass teleport those needed for the firing process, along with maybe being a backup shield.  Mhyl might not have any roll in the firing process, but Qheria wanted her there too, also as a backup weapon.  Right now though, Mhyl was working with Chyurae and Lwyn at the highest level of the Citadel, trying to spot details to establish how the Fortress was flying.  All of their estimates had been spot on, the Fortress had actually lost a lot of altitude, as if it was trying to hide behind the mountain.  This made it very difficult to spot anything below it, the angle was just horrible.


    Lwyn was nearby, going over the book they had recovered from the Fortress, pressuring it to see if it would reveal anything on top of what they could see.  She had a lot of blank sheets of paper nearby, providing a way to take notes.  Mhyl was getting tired of this, tired of just trying to see what she needed to see, wishing she could just see it anyway.  Like that drawing she had made, the things she wanted just showing up on paper, knowing what she needed to know.  "It''s annoying that the gift can''t help with all this, we''re getting no where with the normal solution."  "I''m not sure how the gift would just hand over information, letting you know.. wait, it does.  Father is doing exactly that with his gift.  The gift can do information, we just need the right way."  Mhyl might have a good idea, leaving Lwyn to ponder the extent of her own gift.  Exactly how would she use its principle to change to an information delivery.  Throw a camera bullet that came back?  The control required for that would be stupid, and she had no idea how they would give that shape.


    Mhyl pondered the same idea, as Lwyn started playing with the assassin knife in contemplation.  Mhyl was happy that they had at least got the poison in that thing removed, it wasn''t nearly as dangerous anymore.  It was thankful that her mother could remove the poison, just as it was thankful that Qheria could protect them from it.  She herself was scared of it, unable to heal the poison itself, only the wound caused by the blade.  The most she was able to do was at least to identify...  Mhyl turned from the window back to the knife.  Wait, how did she just know it was poison?  It wasn''t until that moment that she realized she had achieved something that didn''t seem to fit with her own model of the gift.  However, if her gift was actually capable of such a thing, that could be useful.


    Mhyl turned to the book Lwyn was searching over.  That''s exactly what they needed, information like this.  Mhyl brought a blank sheet and some writing tools to the window, finding a flat area to write upon.  She pinned the sheet to the wall, both with an hand and her gift, as she focused on an unfinished drawing.  She looked out at the fortress, only the twelve spires still visible, and closed her eyes.  What did it look like below that, the walls, the gates.  She pulled from memory until she had none left, then she just kept drawing.  She did not think about what she drew, her guesses could not be trusted.  They could have done anything, used anything.


    Lwyn was watching Mhyl in wonder, no idea what she was doing, to then notice the green light that had fallen upon the Fortress.  She could see even at this distance, the shield system had turned on, not certain what was going on either.  Pulses of green energy descended upon the Fortress, passing below her sight.  All through it, Mhyl continued to draw, her eyes closed the entire time.  She didn''t even know what she was drawing at this point, making considering it very hard.  A quick stroke to the left, a small turn upwards.  She kept drawing until she felt there was nothing left to draw, that her incomplete picture was finally completed.  She opened her eyes and looked upon the drawing in front of her, bringing it also to Lwyn''s attention, who had noticed the green pulsing rings had thus ceased.


    The picture was visibly a photo-realistic view of what would be the underside of the fortress, if you were standing below it, slightly off to the side.  Lwyn hadn''t realized it at the time, but even with only the simple chocolate brown ink, the entire picture was in full color.  Her enhanced vision could spot the smallest details, something that would have been far too difficult to draw, but which was fully visible on this page somehow.  Lwyn put everything together and started to understand, Mhyl had completed a photocopy scan of the fortress, capturing it from the bottom in full color.  Which was weird, because it looked like the rings had descended, but instead...  Lwyn shrugged, realizing it probably made sense to someone, it didn''t need to be her.


    What was making sense was the photo itself.  A ring of fire under the fortress, looking like an array of rockets generating super heated force towards the ground.  Mhyl was really feeling cheated, this was so much like she wanted to do.  Pressure jets, with probably no small measure of thermal energy generating some kind of thermal-chemical reaction.  Mhyl put away the sheet angrily and stormed out the door, upset at this sheer intellectual theft.  Sure, he probably didn''t scan her mind.. not like she scanned his stuff.. but it was still her idea.  Technically, he did steal it too, from the internet.  She felt totally justified in her fury as she walked out the door, ignoring Lwyn''s concern.  Lwyn was less worried about the picture and more worried about Mhyl having just done a huge display of her gift and not even giving herself time to recover.  Mhyl hadn''t even thought about it, not actually becoming very tired in the process.


    Qheria looked upon the sheet Mhyl provided her, still at a loss exactly where this had came from, but very thankful for the information.  She was trying to hold back signs of her laughter, realizing just how many flaws this idea could hold.  Super-heating could cause a vast number of meltdowns and explosions, especially within the engine itself.  Not only had they suffered an incident like that themselves, but she knew many tales of flaws in this design.  Beyond that were even countless tales in fiction, making a mockery of this exact idea.  Being so prevalent and common, that''s probably why Khaexyn had used it.  His massive shielding could probably deal with a lot of concerns too.  However, she still remembered their escape, when Thanrie had overloaded the pipes.  She was certain they could deal with something like this.


    Lwyn then took the opportunity to rush into the room to report to bring a status update.  The Fortress had arrived at the mountain, and should be in firing range very soon.

 72: Super Weapons

    Khaexyn was thrilled to discover the time had finally arrived, the moment he had been waiting for the entire trip.  Just on the other side of the mountain, he would find all of those responsible for his losses.


    Khaexyn was still not in a good mood, especially since his tools had stopped tracking his latest weapon, last seen somewhere within the upper levels of the Citadel.  The last fragments of his deer Sxeiva were lost, even with the greatest of his plans yet.  He at least got a bit of data, snippets of details.  There were four people marked as targets, four people found at fault for these events, with a growing reputation.  It was these four who had taken both of his loved ones from him.  What bothered him the most was that he only had data on one of them, but it was worry-some data itself.  A Qiciri Hero, in fact the daughter of Lady Aiylthhiylz, the same one whom he had heard were in fact responsible for the death of his own parents.  Just how deep does the chains of betrayal go, if these assassins had themselves been part of a conspiracy to kill even his own parents?


    He was fairly certain that, like his wife, his daughter was dead at this point.  Bringers of death as they were, it certainly wouldn''t be beyond their exceptional prowess to take out someone as harmless as his little girl.  They were both powerful and cunning, that was painfully obvious by now.  However, he could be like that too, something he hopes they will suffer in realizing.  The colossal was a huge weapon, but his mightiest was still the fortress itself.  In realizing how to make it fly, he would be fast upon them, destroying them before they could do a thing about it.  He knew to make use of both cunning and power, flying too high for them to attack and using first the cover of clouds and later the cover of the mountain itself so that they wouldn''t know he was there until he was upon them, scouring the ground with everything he had.  His drop pods would support sending forces to the ground, and the fortress weapons were configured to destroy whatever was required.  The first thing that would fall would be the citadel itself.


    It was a bit disappointing, to have his home of youth and the meeting place of his love, even the birthplace of his daughter.. all needing to be turned to rubble and ruins.  The whole place had turned against him, denied everything, and embodied everything that made fault of the Celese that he needed to have change.  It''s fall would be the beginning of change, simply the first step.  He genuinely hoped his enemy was still inside, so that they would fall with it.  Khaezyn started calibrating the fortress''s main weapon to fire, ready to lay into the Citadel with the most devastating strike they would have seen ever.  However, before anything could happen, the entire Fortress shook violently.  He checked over his instruments, seeing that the shielding had weathered the blow, but that a massive thermal surge had occurred in one of the jets.  A few moments later, another shuddering and surge.  This certainly wasn''t his tools malfunctioning, something was firing upon them!


    "Woah, nice shot Lwyn.  You made it arc upwards so beautifully."  "It still wasn''t enough, stupid shields can take way more than metal should.  How much hotter can we cook this thing?"  Thanrie herself was sweating, the heat in the room making things pretty rough.  She considered Lwyn''s question, not actually certain how far she could go.  It was brilliant how Lwyn was remodeling the plasma inside a firing chamber, but the fact that they didn''t even have anything that could endure that heat just meant it was all up to Thanrie.  She bit her lip to fight off the pain, the pressure of her bracelet making her dizzy.  She had actually reinforced the chamber Lwyn was using with her new liquid metal trick, which was rapidly costing her.  Being almost as if she was part of the chamber, she felt a lot warmer than she herself physically was.


    Mhyl was on hand with Thanrie, watching Thanrie boost the flame while containing it with her gift.  Thanrie herself wasn''t doing that well, clearly suffering pain in the process, mostly in her wrist.  Mhyl was trying her best to simply constantly recover any injury Thanrie was suffering in the process.  This was really reckless, but she knew they probably couldn''t do anything more sane.  She looked towards the Fortress, visible from her position, and tried to identify if they were getting anywhere.  Instead, she found there might be a problem.  A ring of current lit up around the citadel, electrical pulses between various filaments around it, which surged into a pattern towards a middle section of the Fortress, building in brightness and intensity.  There was no way that was damage.


    "Qheria!  It''s about to fire on us!"  Mhyl''s sharp sight wasn''t even needed at this point, Qheria could see it perfectly fine.  Like a storm-cloud building up overhead, the Fortress gathered energy, static building up in the air in the process.  An electrical surge, with some very obvious voltage.  Qheria looked down at the metal she was standing on and cursed her luck.  Khaexyn might have actually picked their greatest weakness here.  If Qheria tried to block the attack, it would have a similar effect to when Rhyde fired over the swamp, and just surge electrical current over the rest of the facility.  Meanwhile, it was shooting with power that made the Colossal look like a playful kitten.


    Qheria realized the comparison might be apt, the Colossal also needed to take down it''s shield to fire.  This could end up devastating for the Fortress, but it would still fire.  "Thanrie, you and Lwyn need to fire on that weapon the moment it tries to fire, the shield has to go down to do that.  Mhyl, this won''t stop it from firing, I''m going to need your help to deal with it."  Qheria knew they would need to stop this weapon before they could deal with the fortress itself.  All electricity wanted to reach ground, that''s a principle she was fully aware of.  Being in the middle of a mountain pass, they were surrounded by ground, she just needed to find a way to have the hills block for them.


    Qheria ran outside of the Facility with Mhyl, and pointed to the ground she stood on.  "Mhyl, you made the ground lift me once, way back in the Fortress.  Do you think you could have the entire ground lift me up, like a pedestal of stone?  Make sure to back off when done though!"  "Maybe?  Yeah, probably."  Qheria braced the ground, ready for Mhyl to lift everything up.  Mhyl pulled out her book, setting her gift upon the ground Qheria stood on.  Suddenly, the ground shook and rose from up as a giant stone pillar.  Qheria held firm to her balance, knowing falling would cost them everything.  Once stable, she noticed the weapon above her shining as a bright star, her signal to block.


    Lwyn meanwhile looked upon the charging weapon while Qheria setup.  She had her own idea.  "Ehryinae, please do NOT charge the cannon.  Thanrie, come over here, I''ll need your help."  Lwyn set everything down and rushed to the intake.  Thanrie beat her to it, wondering what was going on.  Lwyn described her idea, which left Thanrie reeling.  It was both shocking and hilarious, but the hard part was just how much liquid metal this would take.  This whole idea was going to hurt, but hopefully she won''t be the one to suffer the worst of it.


    Finishing it''s preparations, the electrical coil fired, a beam surging downwards.  Qheria had already struck the ground, her black barrier already raised.  The barrier struck out the same size as the pass, nearly at each of the sides.  The current struck down on this barrier, and coursed along it unstoppably.  A lot of the energy was absorbed by the walls, but not nearly enough.  Most of it continued along, polarized by the shield itself, and surged along the stone pillar into the ground.  In the first moment, this was going fairly well, but very quickly the shield begun to crack under the sheer intensity.


    At the last moment, Qheria suddenly disappeared, appearing on the ground a distance away.  It was the best she could do, Mhyl could tell, but it wasn''t enough.  Static built above the peek of Qheria''s previous post, electrical energy surging upon it''s inverse polarity until the new energy still overwhelmed it.  Why?  Why was their best efforts not enough?  Mhyl gripped her book through that moment, frustrated at how this little spark turned to their will wouldn''t be enough to save them.  Why wasn''t it enough, when it could very well be.  Another instant of an electrical pulse, this one turned to her as a friend, helping her to defend her friends.  But itself, it was not enough, even Qheria couldn''t change that herself.  Mhyl would have to step in, to provide further shape.


    The center of the spark atop the pillar surged into itself, building upon it''s own rising power.  Qheria watched all of this, at a loss for how this was happening.  Her own actions were already bending reality as it was, but this didn''t make scientific sense at all.  She looked around, wondering what could be causing something so strange, and only noticed Mhyl focused on her book.  Certainly not Mhyl, she used scientific principles for every idea.  At a loss, Qheria jumped as a loud sound echoed from the Facility.  Qhria instead turned to see a massive projectile fire upon the still bristling weapon of the Fortress, possibly a couple moments slower than she would have expected.  The giant metallic sphere pulled behind it a massive... chain?


    Lwyn cheered as the blob struck home, instantly setting into the electrical system.  "Okay Thanrie, you''re up."  Lwyn stepped aside as Thanrie, looking connected to the firing system by a chain attached to her wrist, focused along the chain.  The entire firing point froze in time, as current was still sent into the central area regardless.  Lwyn however fell back violently as a massive explosion detonated, an electrical bomb blasting into the air.  Mhyl had unleashed her spark, an EMP that detonated right under the Fortress.  The shield flickered, weathering the blow regardless, but not without what was probably considerable cost.  The shield was never once known to simply flicker.  The electrical coils beyond the time freeze went cold, itself not protected from the burst.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Thanrie released the time freeze, as light traveled at the same moment as light.  Having reached the time freeze section first, the electrical current preluded the EMP by a fraction of an instant.  The energy surged into the blob, which reacted instantly to the energy, becoming a super corrosive rust, lighter than air.  The follow up EMP didn''t affect it at all, but did manage to make the shield shudder instantly once the corrosion started to kick in, causing corrosion to leak in past the shield.  The entire shield started to pulse rapidly, struggling to keep up with the intrusion of damage.  Thanrie''s metallic virus was spreading far too quickly for the shields to keep up.


    Lwyn looked up at everything, things really turning for the better for them.  With the shield suffering so much, they had a great ticket in.  They still needed to bring this thing down properly though.  The jets were even more of a weak point, with the shields stuttering so much.  However, if they take out too much of the engines on one side, it would dive dramatically, instead of falling softly.  They needed to hit four opposite sides of the fortress, around the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth spire, like one for each of them.  She herself wanted the sixth spire, just as a matter of spite, and knew her idea would need Mhyl on the opposite spire.  Qheria could take care of the third as Thanrie took out the ninth, almost memorably to how she had taken out that side before.  Already, they had been firing on the third and ninth spire''s jets, to build this sense of balance as they tried to deal with the shielding.


    "Qheria, shields are failing.  We need to move to the next phase."  Lwyn sat back down at the firing mechanism.  To match Mhyl''s magnitude, she was given access to use the siege weapon to cause whatever mischief she could think of, but she would be on her own.  She settled in to prepare herself, working with her ideas to figure out exactly what would work.  Not left with much time, she heard an explosion already at the third spire.  Qheria had taken advantage of the lack of shielding to simply warp in place of the engine mechanism, the same destructive warp she had marveled in before.  Thanrie mumbled something about tele-fragging in English as she tried to keep up.  She had the most trouble at this range, but used her weapon to rapidly swing up the wall.  At last, she latched onto the bottom of the Fortress with her weapon as she pulled herself in towards it, her bracelet remaining a free hand.  Liquid metal resolved around the outer surface of the jet, connecting her directly to it''s systems.  Having hacked into the unprotected engine, she forced it to overload as she jumped away to safety.


    Mhyl watched the pair of destruction with amazement, but realized she would have to keep up.  She was slower than the others with this kind of thing, but considerably more destructive.  Mhyl was already ready with her book, pursuing an idea.  She reversed electrical energy to shut down an electrical system, and in that same right, maybe she should do the same with a thermal system.  Thanrie could stop time, but all Mhyl needed to do was to put everything atomically asleep, absolute zero.  It was something people knew of at Earth, but never perfectly achieved, like approaching infinity or finding the exact value of Pi.  However, that was because they were.. limited to Terran solutions, she had something else handy.  Ice rapidly began to form around the jet she was targeting, as the heat it generated starting to result in a decline of molecular energy.  As heat continued to push a farther and farther difference in temperature, the whole thing just went colder and colder, until suddenly it just stopped at the quantum level.  The engine at that point couldn''t even produce heat, the whole system dramatically suddenly running out of fuel as a result.


    Lwyn noticed every jet suddenly sputtering as an effect of Mhyl''s powerful attack.  Shutting down the energy of the entire system at two versions of the idea was having serious impacts on how it kept going.  The Fortress started to sink down slightly and swerve, starting to lose control.  She had to act now, and she needed something big!  Hitting her side would send the Fortress rapidly drifting out past the mountain if she had enough force to provide.  That direction would be perfect, it was the field in the middle of the four nations, what used to be the main battlefield between Qicir and Wyxir.  The timing was perfect for it, but she needed something insane for an explosion.  She considered the situation, and Mhyl weaponizing even things atomically.  Lwyn took in a deep breath, she had one idea of a known explosion that could fit the concept of biggest explosion imaginable, but on a classic scale this would also be equally dangerous.  A fusion bomb, a nuclear explosion, you just did not get more power than from something like that.


    Lwyn settled and calmed her mind, as it furled through thoughts of how this was a very bad idea.  Scientifically, especially at this distance, this would be stupid.  But that''s just why she had to make sure things would not work like it would on Earth!  She needed a fusion reaction that was still contained, that burned up it''s entire reaction in a small area, and then rapidly had to resolve it''s state, maybe even violently, until the atomic factors it caused were reversed.  Like having a half-life of 3 seconds!  If most of its reaction was energy, it would also be countered by the currently ongoing absolute zero that Mhyl had caused, which would stabilize everything!  Mhyl called forth her heavy missile with her hands and set it into the chamber, building pressure for it.  She knew the cannon didn''t have the pressure to force this shot far at all, but it would be her gift that made it lift off and fly, she was just.. aiming it.


    Lwyn''s projectile shot out, then started hovering in the air, a massive burst of steam jetting out from behind it as it built up power.  The projectile started to glow a bright yellow as the intensity within started to build, and the projectile dashed right into the designated jet, into the containment area behind where it tried to build up the heated pressure.  The missile crashed into the steam vent, pressing deeper into the system as it found the internal water pipes.  Arriving at it''s destination, the missile bracketed to the wall, blocking the pipe and causing a major pressure buildup.  The piping system itself started to rupture, unable to sustain the pressure, but the missile itself wasn''t designed to take much more either.  Finally suffering more than it was designed for, the missile was crushed by the pressure, causing it''s contents to rupture onto itself violently.


    The explosion retained a large measure of safety, but still managed to sound like the original article, a nuclear explosion.  Thanrie shuddered in fear, recalling Terran legends from her related home about just how much such a weapon had yielded devastation.  Qheria was also aware of similar tales, and just stared at the results.  "I guess.. nuclear launch was detected?"  Qheria wondered if she had missed the red icon, or if Lwyn really had done nothing to warn them.  Mhyl fell over, completely losing all of her concentration, realizing to what magnitude Lwyn had gone to in her own attack.  Sure, all of them just did some pretty significant things.  Qheria had tore apart a large section of ship by just warping through it, some serious quantum-level destruction with maybe some faster-than-light movement.  Thanrie might have hacked it, but Mhyl could tell there was no actual computer or anything running that section exactly, Thanrie had probably more hacked reality itself to cause it to just.. fail explosively.  She herself had just used energy to make energy stop being energy, and all the quantum effects that came with that.  Lwyn''s attack might have actually been the most natural of them all, even if it completely redefined what a fusion explosion would mean.  Even so, as a large portion of the hull of the Fortress clattered against the mountain on one side, and the entire fortress shot wildly out of control in the other direction, to suddenly meteor into the ground at high velocity exactly where it was aimed.. Lwyn''s attack had the most impressive magnitude.


    Khaexyn clamoured back onto his feet, having no idea what in the world had just happened.  System failures everywhere, shields crumbling, then more failures in engines and then.. a major burst of the Fortress.  The entire outer area of the Sixth spire was suddenly gone, the damage was substantial.  All systems in the outer area of the Twelfth Spire were offline, nothing working at all, not even any reports of why.  Significant damage in a few other areas, from more explosions, the crash landing, and ongoing floods.  Khaexyn smashed the unit in frustration, exactly how powerful was his enemies to have done something like this to his Fortress?  There was no helping it, he had only one thing powerful enough to counter something this mighty.  He would have to bring the full might of the Veil upon this threat, and as he tore through the worst of the world itself, any foes he had would find themselves falling with it.  He wanted to be much more careful and cautious with his approach, but it seemed there was no room for caution.  Even a violent destruction of the world laws, he would have to just turn his attention afterwards in cleaning it up.


    What had bothered him the most was not the damage to his Fortress.  Khaexyn turned away from the display monitor which had failed him in the crash, his mind still rebuilding what he had seen from it.  He had seen Yhse there, staring up venomously, before turning towards the firing mechanism of such design and firing it.  Obviously he could expect his daughter to be as capable as himself, but to think his enemies had resorted to a matter of brainwashing to force her to do their bidding.  This would be his first concern.  Starting with her mind, he would remake basic principles, to return her to his side, and from that chain he would spread forth his will onto the world''s design itself.  It worked because he had already set his gift onto her before, when she was young.


    Lwyn was already tied to him as a result, as a matter of inevitability and fate.  From these chains, he would bind all of Celesi''s fate, and tear its future asunder.

 73: Flooded Plains

    Having turned the tables on the ambush, the armies of the five nations turned on the Fortress with their entire muster. The Fortress however was not without it''s own recourse, as countless enemies sprung forth from the Fortress in response.


    Having kept a distance from the Fortress, not knowing exactly where it would land, even in the time when their massive alliance started to close on the Fortress, it had already set loose a vast armada. Each of the drop pods had also opened along the outer sides, ejecting the forces it held in an expanding circle. Rushing from every exit were even more forces, swarming forth endlessly. Khaexyn''s army wasn''t small, he actually had them outnumbered with just his mechanical forces. This was why it was fortunate that not all of his forces were in the shape to fight, after the substantial damage taken by the Fortress.


    However, the four girls weren''t doing so hot at that point either. Qheria returned to where the other three were still resting, having finished warping anyone else already to the front lines. Mhyl had been pushing herself, first with healing, then with reshaping the ground, finally with her deep freeze. None of that even remained anymore, not with everyone being this worn out, the giant pillar having broken apart, and the Fortress restoring it''s normal temperature. Even so tired, she was still pushing herself, trying to heal Thanrie. Using herself to craft a chain, to fuse with a jet engine, both of those had actually harmed her in the process. This trick Thanrie had discovered didn''t just steal from her stamina, it also bled her very vitality. Mhyl had however diagnosed that Thanrie had gotten sick and had already taken care of it too.


    Between the two of them, they weren''t even in the worst of it. Lwyn was still fast asleep, having lost consciousness after her nuclear fusion.. a fusion of concepts from both Earth and Celese into a result that was in fabrication of either. Mhyl knew all the signs, there was far too many concerns and ideas invested into the weapon Lwyn had used, too many details, too many complications, and it had tried to do too much at once. She had been told that her focus would put her in advantage of Lwyn, which then only implied that Lwyn had to supplement the loss with even more fabricated details, spending even more Stamina. She knew it was a costly decision, but one which had done them really well so far. If only Lwyn could recover quick enough, they could make their next move.


    Qheria sighed, coming to her own decision. "Things are going to get rough out there, and the four of us are still the most essential of our forces. Having half is better than having none. I''ll bring you two out there, and return here to bring Lwyn when she''s back on her feet." Qheria guided Thanrie and Mhyl to a spot where she could warp from and set off quickly. Lwyn stirred momentarily in the silence, and returned to deep sleep after they were gone. Soon after, Qheria returned again and sat with Lwyn patiently, making sure first she was okay. She concluded that it might help to assemble some nutrients, and worked on getting a snack together.


    Mhyl turned on her headset, looking over the sea of enemies. The expanse before her was much like a surging tide, forces and conflict everywhere. She was startled momentarily as Thanrie dashed forth to lay into the melee. She smiled softly, taking appreciation of how Thanrie was always Thanrie like this. Thanrie wasn''t alone, she quickly found all five friendly power armor on the field, though she had no idea which was which. All five were crushing into the enemies nearby, taller than most of the other forces there around. The clashes of war dominated the sound of the field, that is until an excessively loud echo reverberated through the field, coming from the Citadel. Mhyl was impressed just how efficient Yuxzn''s weapon was, though she couldn''t even figure out which enemy had fallen as a result.


    Chyurae showed up, to stand beside her as she continued reviewing the field. Mhyl was certain Qheria and Lwyn would want information, even if this was more their area than her own. She would just do her best. The five armies mixed together completely, a blend of forces that even she couldn''t figure out. What did stand out was some of the gift usage, things she had grown familiar with. The hazy mist of Qheria''s family, the arctic chill from Thanrie''s brothers. That chill though, she might have stepped on their specialty, introducing her deep freeze from earlier. Looking further, she found it a bit harder to figure out gifts, as the Pillars had such a vibrant display of the gift through their students. The Pillar of Frost would actually be working with something similar to Thanrie''s brothers.. and actually, with just considering it elementally, she wasn''t totally sure if the Pillar of Gust couldn''t do something like Qheria''s family. Some of the Warden''s tricks in combat even seemed similar to things the Pillar of Dust did.


    What was familiar was their enemy, all of the same old tricks. Mhyl was thankful there wasn''t anything like the Colossal or even the advanced demon assassin they had to deal with. She was still furious that Sxeiva''s death had been tainted like that. In her moment of respite, she almost missed telltale signs of another threat. Atop the Fortress itself, slight red sparks were generating from numerous individual beacons, building electrical force rapidly. It still bothered her, the use of steam power to actually cause electrical buildup, there was something very wrong with that principle. Still, it was all too obvious what was about to happen, Mhyl still had no time to react.


    Massive surges of electrical energy emitted from the Fortress scoured over the field. The surges though looked highly unnatural, not bright at all, and actually seemed to darken the sky with a faint red hue. The bolts also neglected everything metallic, surging after anything organic explicitly. Mhyl scowled further at this blatant theft of ideas, it was her idea to reverse the principle of how things worked to make it work for her. Khaexyn was not allowed to reverse how electricity works just to make everything convenient for him, especially if he was hoping to default to Terran physics. You just can''t do this kind of thing with Terran physics.


    Thanrie found herself suddenly injured slightly, the dark bolts surging around her not having missed her either. That was a really nasty weapon Khaexyn had, totally unfair. She herself could tell how it functioned just by looking at the casualties around her. She had been lucky that she had been deep in power armor at the time, and thus insulated from most of the attack. She was pretty certain that only two people could deal with this situation, and she was one of them. Mhyl would be the other, but Thanrie wasn''t inclined to just depend on their mass-area expert for everything. Far too many things in this fight could be helped by Mhyl, Thanrie wasn''t of the mind to just do nothing. She was also aware how far away this was for Mhyl, trying to get clear details at this distance visually would be pretty rough, so she would either have to get a lot closer, or do something even more dramatic.


    As Mhyl watched the towers light up once again, she pondered what she would have to do to deal with the situation. It was only Thanrie and herself, and if she waited much longer, Thanrie would probably get injured in the process. She motioned towards the field to Chyurae, who nodded silently and helped Mhyl advance. Mhyl pondered a suitable way to deal with this threat, to overcome this problem. There was only one real idea she could consider, another massive EMP burst, knocking out all the machines in the area. However, there were a lot of enemies, she wanted a better vantage point. She moved forwards with Chyurae, although she had lost track of him in the mess. She suspected the power armor near her that had just failed was entirely his doing, as she dodged the other more minor attacks by her own merit.


    Getting into position, she setup another massive spark surging over the battlefield like a tiny electric sun. Moments after, the pulse unleashed, passing through everyone in the battle. The Fortress''s shield shimmered faintly in response, but everything else went down. Mhyl was mostly disappointed to notice that the Fortress''s weapon did not power down in response, but that paled compared to what happened after it fired again. This time, the shimmering pale blue bolts surged only towards anything mechanical, revitalizing every machine, including those that had fallen before her EMP as well as any that had been destroyed by the others. Mhyl was not impressed, Khaexyn playing as a mechanical necromancer like this was not sitting well with her.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Thanrie finally reached atop the Fortress as the spark shifted back to it''s previous red. She knew she had seen Mhyl''s attempt foiled, having been herself too slow. However, it had spoken deeply about what she was up against. The shield was still on, so she couldn''t hack anything here, and it was also fully capable of re-calibrating it''s own functionality to fit the situation. However, power was something she understood, that those who dance with it often find it too much for them. She continued her approach, climbing up the weapon itself as it charged. Even she knew this was crazy, but sometimes you fight fire with fire.


    She focused upon her bracelet again first, revelling herself in her blade. Instead of projecting a blade from her, the liquid metal enveloped her. This did no have much function as armor, but it did make her effectively mostly metallic. As she climbed up the weapon, she could visibly see the sparks were avoiding her, as if repelled. Perfect, exactly what she wanted. For the most part, she had been scaling the shield itself, unable to even touch the weapon behind it. Her goal was however at the very top, where the weapon discharged from. Once in range, she launched her weapon up at it, and hung from it as low as she could possibly go. Then, through the chain, she focused on the tip, which quickly started to emit a haze. It wasn''t water, it was almost infectious, a swarm cluster of bacteria in almost solid density that hovered over the weapon as a concentrated bio-weapon. The electric weapon was not affected by such a thing, unable to get sick, but that wasn''t the objective. Thanrie built up the bio-density at her target point, a massive cloud of bio-mass, with the intent it was as biological as possible.


    Fully charged, all the weapons fired. However, instead of flying out to the field, all of them surged towards the one point, a super dense biological mass attracting all of the energy into a single location instead of anywhere else on the field. The shield itself suffered the blow, but had problems dealing with such a serious degree of power all in one location. The shield at that spot went down, giving Thanrie access to it. Time froze for a moment, as Thanrie hacked into her target. All of this energy would need to go right back where it came from, it didn''t belong here. Once returned, it would have to attract energy to it, any kinds of energy, all kinds of energy. It was just a magnet for energy.


    Thanrie let go of the weapon as bolts surged in reverse, with no visible impact. The shield quickly restored it''s functionality, but Thanrie was still confident in her results. With such, it was time to go, very very quickly. Thanrie was on full speed dash right over the edge, trying to put as much distance as possible from the Fortress, just in case. Along the way, she spotted Mhyl and slowed down to guide her away at Mhyl''s pace. Right, there might be other people to warn. Thanrie tossed her weapon due straight into the air and locked the chain stiff, her weapon thus floating in the air. She focused her intent into the weapon, a microphone to loud speaker.


    "Evacuation warning, a high power explosion is about to come from the fortress! Pull back as far as possible! I repeat, evacuation warning, a high power explosion is about to come from the fortress!" The boosted sound echoed loudly across the field, louder than even the fighting. It was so loud, even Qheria heard the message clearly. As people recognized the voice and recognized the one causing it, a mass surge departed away from the Fortress in due haste. Their enemy was the only one to ignore the message, pressing in for their new advantage. Meanwhile, sparks continued to gather above the Fortress, intent on striking upon the fleeing enemy. The energy gathered in more and more density, even surpassing the amount it had typically gathered in the past.. and kept going. Red cracks gathered everywhere above the Fortress at it started to surge with more energy than it could contain, the shield going on full intensity trying to futility defend from an attack from within. Systems put everything it had into enduring the power buildup, which only allowed for even more power to be gathered in the process. A dark void begin to gather over the Fortress as the dark electricity reached a critical volume, overcame the last security measure, and detonated violently.


    Mhyl felt a moment of remorse as all twelve spires fell in reaction to the buildup of power at the top of the Fortress, remembering a couple of fond memories with two of the spires. She did feel this was probably for the best, now there was nothing to force Lwyn to return to. Across the upper section of the Fortress was serious destruction, the shield barely capable of holding on at all. However, even with the Fortress in such a bad shape, their enemies kept coming, numerous beyond count. Having pulled away to escape the blast, even with some of their enemies falling to the onslaught, they had actually lost ground overall.


    "Holy F~~k this is insane. I know Khaexyn is all ''for the swarm'', but this kind of rush is insane. I probably couldn''t make a more apt metallic flood if I filled the whole area with liquid metal." Thanrie felt almost insignificant beside this sea of metal, even her best speed made it rough to pierce through this density, and it really only got worse the closer you got. Mhyl pondered the statement herself, herself having missed the idea in marvel of Thanrie''s accomplishments. Turning the electricity against itself was wonderful, especially after it had tried to steal her way of thinking. Reversing things was her idea.. and now Thanrie''s maybe. She could share with friends. Brought back to reality though, Mhyl noticed that the flood was it''s own problem. Or.. was it the same context...


    Mhyl looked around, considering their situation. She''d always had nightmares of floods, of drowning. This situation wasn''t the same idea, but it was just as dangerous. It would actually be better if something as friendly as Thanrie''s liquid metal replaced the current hoard, and for someone so afraid of drowning, that said a lot. Such was still well beyond Thanrie, her gift took from her vitality to supply the liquid metal, the area was so large it would kill her. However, Mhyl had done wide-area moves before, it would be up to her to provide a counter-flood, a surge that would support them. In the process, she would reverse all of Khaexyn''s own reversals, just to show him up.


    Mhyl focused upon her book once again, causing Thanrie to be alarmed. She knew what this meant, there was nothing specifically nearby Mhyl would be targeting, this was going to be big again. However, she couldn''t see where Mhyl''s gift gathered, what idea Mhyl was employing. Instead, she stood guard with Chyurae, making sure Mhyl''s location remained safe. There wasn''t anyone who noticed the slight distortion of light above them, light bending slightly as it enters and exits the growing body of clear liquid forming above them. Once enough had gathered to amass an area large enough to cover the entire battlefield, she let it go. As Thanrie noticed the release, she noticed the ripples of moving light below her, and looked up as the sky fell onto her. Panicking for a moment, she quickly discovered that the water was fully breathable, did not slow down her motion, and yet she could jump much higher within. The water was also staying still, like formed jelly. Looking around further, she noticed most of the machines surging violently, suffering within the liquid they were submerged in. While looking around, she noticed her own wounds were vanishing. Mhyl had set a liquid that healed wounds while it disrupted AI systems. Even their power armor was fine, not having an AI pilot, though it wasn''t repaired either.


    Thanrie was about to set off into their now seriously debilitated enemies when a hand took her shoulder from behind. "Hold on, what''s going on, what did you both do here while we were away?" Qheria had finally caught up with Lwyn, having then missed out on all the fun. "Oh F~~k, where to even begin." "Actually, guys, maybe we should act now, talk later." Thanrie turned to Lwyn, who was trying to support Mhyl. Lwyn could tell this was Mhyl''s work, but such a formation should disperse somehow if left to it''s natural state. If everything was still here, Mhyl was sustaining this by bleeding her own stamina. Thanrie and Qheria picked up on Lwyn''s urgency and set off into the field, intent on reducing numbers with this advantage as quickly as possible. Lwyn gave Mhyl to Chyurae as she took up her own crossbow. Not more than moments after waking up, and she already had to get into action.


    Mhyl held on as long as she could, and when she felt she was at her limits, she chose to have the liquid resolve as having a boiling point equal to when water freezes, to have vapours lighter than air. All of the liquid thus faded into the air and vanished, leaving no lingering problems. Mhyl collapsed into Chyurae''s arms, taking a moment of rest as Lwyn returned. Lwyn was about to turn around and keep going, giving Mhyl time to rest, when instead Mhyl stood up. She just needed a short break, and maybe to take it easy for a bit more, but she had been working on her stamina so that she wouldn''t be caught in these situations sitting down. Lwyn was gap-jawed at Mhyl still standing after something was certainly more than even Lwyn could have stayed conscious for. As Mhyl wasn''t seeming inclined to stop, Lwyn moved to keep pace with her while keeping an eye out to locate Thanrie and Qheria.


    The way into the Fortress was clear, but none of them were deluded into thinking this trip through the Fortress would be as casual as the last. This time, they would bear witness to just how much internal security Khaexyn had actually prepared.

 74: Security Network

    The four girls made their way into the fortress, determined to press the advantage they had worked so hard for.  Somehow, they needed to bring this conflict to an end, and that would involve finding Khaexyn.


    The four girls were otherwise alone, everyone else remaining outside.  There was still a large number of enemies to deal with, leaving everything undefended would not have been a smart choice.  Sending all four of them in was still a very aggressive move, but that might draw in some of the fighting from outside.  Qheria could see the benefit of acting as an aggressive bait for everyone, to keep people safe.  That just meant that, unlike their first trip, they wouldn''t be using her mother''s approach.  This time, it was far more like Ehryinae''s method.


    Lwyn fired off a volley, clearing a path forward through the dim hallway.  Thanrie was finding the wrecked halls looking even scarier than they had while whole, but she wasn''t going to let that bother her.  She passed a hall intersection and slashed apart an enemy waiting around the corner with her scythe.  The gentle light Mhyl had watching over them made the halls bright enough she didn''t have to worry.  Qheria meanwhile crushed an enemy chasing them from behind, realizing that so far they had everything under control.


    Suddenly, within the intersection, a cross formation of shields lit up, from corner to opposite corner of the intersection.  Thanrie ran into the force-field as she turned back around after her strike.  Qheria paused before it, as did Mhyl, wondering how to advance.  Lwyn turned around quickly after noticing no one was following her, curious what had just transpired.  Qheria tried to strike the field, but the entire blow was repelled.  Instead, the intersection responded with a buildup of electrical current.  The four of them ran from the ensuing bolts, sparks flying all over the place.  As the four of them took cover a distance away, a massive explosion resulted, taking a giant portion of the roof of the hall itself down.  Getting through that wasn''t going to exactly be an option.


    Qheria was fortunate though that her position gave her visibility to the level above, so used her gift to warp up to that level, and looked around the large room she ended up in.  She couldn''t see any way back down, not even with her warp ability.  They really were separated, then.  With nothing left to do, Qheria chose to keep going.  She knew everyone else would, she would just have to meet up with them in the process.  Qheria set off along the winding halls on her own.  Left without someone to tend to her back, Qheria picked up the pace.  In long and straight halls, she would slam the ground and warp to the other side, keeping the shield up in case she was attacked.  If there was an enemy in the halls, she would warp into it, destroying it in the process.  Smaller halls however asked for something more casual, as she wasn''t going to waste her stamina in those situations.  Having dual shields helped for covering both her front and back in the process.  Overall, it wasn''t the enemies she faced that denied her, but that she had quickly became lost.


    Thanrie had quickly realized that forgetting the book that mapped out the entire fortress back at the facility might not have been the smartest of choices.  The thing was however about as much of a mess as the halls, so it might not have helped much.  The fact some of the halls were ruined didn''t help either.  Thanrie had been sorely tempted to break her way though the walls, but she knew the shielding would make that much harder than going by foot, let alone how much would be needed to break through the wall without having more roof fall on her dangerously.  She just wasn''t in the best of moods, being caught now in the darkness without Mhyl''s light.  Any bystander who did not know her would have however found her the scariest part of the scene, holding her scythe in a reaper stance with one hand, as she had manifested a vicious liquid metal demon claw over her other.  When faced with any enemy, it could find itself divided by either weapon.  Thanrie wasn''t also exactly interested in a robotic mercy for her foes, she just wanted to get through this mess.


    Mhyl realized that, for once, she was totally alone.  This would be hardest for her, considering that most of her gift abilities could drop the roof on her.  She then instead took to a lighter approach, making use of what she had on hand.  This was mostly her book, this one element not having been forgotten.  It was her prized focus through her travels, something Chyurae had made for her to defend herself.  As she came across her first enemy, the book also finally claimed its very own kill, as Mhyl wielded it telepathically to block an attack and then slash her foe in a spiral of motion.  It didn''t make for the cleanest of kills, but she had to use what she had on hand.  Another enemy showed up, which instead of getting the book thrown at it, got the previous kill spun at it instead.  This did not result in a kill, frustrating Mhyl.  Stupid things were more useless than her book was at being used like a weapon.


    Mhyl went completely invisible, advanced upon her enemy, and opened the book.  She then focused on the metal sheets acting as pages to the book.  The pages unfurled from the book as duplicates, leaving their original forms behind, and spun as a stationary whirlwind in the place of her enemy, being sliced into tiny pieces before the cyclone faded away.  She nodded at the results as she continued forwards, this would be an effective way to proceed, way better than her existing alternatives.  Just took a bit of realistic illusions, a form of conjuration summoned as a bladed trap.  Didn''t even take much from her to do this, and the results were dramatic.  Being invisible would also give her a bit of a defensive measure, but she knew to remain careful.  There was always the chance someone could find her even while invisible.


    Lwyn considered her situation, in the moment she was lost, and realized she was the last person who should ever be lost in such a situation.  She summoned a tiny orb, which floated over her hand for a moment as she gave it instructions.  It needed to find her father.  The orb flickered in the air, as if lost itself, and then vanished.  Weird, her gift couldn''t find her father either, then.  She considered the force shields set everywhere, figuring out that her father was probably likewise protected.  The shields were probably also why Mhyl had found it so hard to use her headset to travel around, itself being affected as well.  The things had a nasty habit of blocking the gift as is.  She considered creating another orb to track one of her friends, but realized that since they were all moving such a decision might be impractical.  In fact, such a choice might have worked, if only she had more information.  Instead, she would have to depend on her own natural ability.  After all, right now, there was only one direction, she could save a guide for when she had a better idea where she was trying to go.


    Lwyn however no longer had any close range support, which put her at a bit of a disadvantage.  However, she had a solution for that, and summoned plasma spheres to orbit around her, close at hand.  She advanced and fell upon an enemy.  She passed her spheres a simple instruction, to go through the enemy and return, as if like a boomerang.  This would keep her defenses at a high, and if any of them spent themselves instead of returning, she could just recreate them.  She also kept a group of dark gravity spheres on hand, ready to pull her quickly in any direction if she needed to dodge.  The biggest benefit of this would be that she could still go around carrying her readied crossbow.  If an enemy was too close for using it, she could commit a gravity sphere to provide enough distance for firing.  With such measures prepared, she wasn''t having problems keeping safe while clearing her path of enemies.


    Mhyl arrived at a signboard, providing directions for things in the immediate area.  After some quick inspections, she tossed it a firm glare.  She had figured out the glyphic system used for the bandits, but this looked way too much like it was Izhaethyx.  She had learned to speak a lot of the language, but still couldn''t read any of it.  Scoffing at the sign, she kept going regardless, and took out her frustration on the next passing enemy.  She continued until she arrived in a large and somewhat familiar room.  She looked up, seeing a familiar window in the level above her.  Right, this was that laboratory she had seen a while ago, themselves fast at work on.. something.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Mhyl searched around, looking for anything of interest.  Discarded at the side was blueprints for.. something.  The words were still meaningless to her, but eventually she figured out the pictures from familiarity alone.  Designs for a video game system, clearly discarded by lack of interest.  As with Lwyn, Mhyl herself was also familiar with the system in question, even the corporate branding was still left there from Earth for reasons that bespoke a lack of originality.  Corrupting her source of fun from Earth like this, it was insulting.  Then again, that seemed to be Khaexyn in general, always one to find ways to misuse machines that should be left to rest in peace.  Mhyl vaporized the blueprints before continuing, not wanting to remain in that room any longer.


    Thanrie kept going until the path hit a bit of a dead-end, rubble blocking the path forwards.  There was a door leading out of the hall to the side, an invitation she opted to take.  Inside, Thanrie found herself in a dark yet familiar room.  This was the change room she had hidden in before, leading to her meeting with the three girls she later found were spies.  Sitting discarded to the side was the blood-frayed outfit set for the one who would be assigned laundry duty, so far neglected as the organic staff no longer remained.  Out of curiosity, she wandered into the laundry room itself.


    The giant hand-cranked mechanism stood above her, teetering on a precarious ledge.  She only had a vague idea how it worked, but could already imagine a list of reasons why this wasn''t safe at all.  It was ludicrous, making something like this with a total disregard of humane conditions like personal safety.  This was the design of someone who wanted to re-write the laws of the world, someone who didn''t even consider elements like personal well-being.  Thanrie knew, even if they had any need of anything from Earth, it would not be without some of the saner elements such as safety mechanisms.  She pressed on, finding a second exit from the laundry room, leading passed the rubble that had blocked her path before.


    Lwyn kept wandering onwards, making her way forwards through all the loops and turns of the Fortress.  As someone whose gift helps with navigation, she could truly grasp the complexity of the network of tunnels before her, like an extra defense system within.  She did however prefer the Citadel, being a lot more inviting.  Making things harder for people by sheer design was only good if you expected to have more enemies then friends, an idea which didn''t sit very well with her.  She could totally understand though why her father disagreed, considering everything he had lived through.  He was still an idiot, though.


    Lwyn eventually entered a hall she somehow found familiar.  The passage split, leading to a ruined corridor she swore she otherwise recognized.  Looking around, she became even more certain, this was the base of her spire.  Well, Yhse''s spire, but that was close enough.  She followed the path along memory lane until it took her back to the library.  She remembered this place, finding her friends here with the plants, finding the truth of her father here.  She felt like she was generally guided to this spot, like she was supposed to be here.  It made sense, they would all recognize this spot, it would be the perfect place to meetup.


    Lwyn sat down in one of the chairs, figuring out that since she hadn''t been attacked for a while, this place might be too far removed from their enemy''s forces.  It was a great place to sit and wait for that reason as well.  Mostly though, she was suddenly getting really sleepy.  She didn''t think she had burnt that much stamina, but maybe she just hadn''t recovered enough with just her short nap at the facility.  If this place was so safe, so secure, so inviting.. maybe it would be fine if she took a quick nap here.  As footsteps approached from a back hall, Lwyn rapidly lost all consciousness.


    Qheria considered the layout of the Fortress, a spiral maze in nature.  Despite this, she had one idea pressing her thoughts, that the best place to go would be the spot that was the most important, a supervisory perch for the Fortress.  From there, she could get more information, maybe even find the actual supervisor of the Fortress himself.  They had been through two other designs like this in the past, and one prevailing rule was true in both the facility and the factory.  The supervisor perch was always in the highest central level of the main area.  The whole Fortress was split into twelve segments with an outer and inner portion.  Even as a maze, these principles gave some guiding foundation on how to proceed.  She had eventually arrived at what she was certain was the central section, and kept looking for ways up.  The spirals were all inaccessible, having been destroyed.  However, she was interested in going even more central than that, the very top middle of the entire Fortress.


    Eventually, she found a stairwell that accomplished that very goal, leading into a cluttered and otherwise abandoned work space.  The scene before her looked as of a marvel, like a modern day security room, one of them smashed to pieces.  Papers and documents scattered everywhere, while a collection of glass boxes cluttered a wall.  In closer inspection, she figured out that such devices were akin to display monitors from Earth.  She just didn''t know how they worked, not even how they turned on.  She felt overall the least qualified for this task, knowing the other three were generally faster at this sort of thing.  Thanrie had the least knack for it, but could at least use her gift to hack into it.  Qheria herself couldn''t figure out how she could apply her gift like that.


    Left without recourse, Qheria fiddled with the controls until one of the boxes came to life.  It showed nothing of interest, just a dark and empty room.  Fiddling further, it flicked to another similarly boring scene.  Qheria turned to the desk, searching over the papers left there, notes scribbled in haste for calculations of mostly nonsense.  She flipped through some of the pages, looking for anything useful, until she found a scrap page with notes of a familiar word.  Yhse.  Scanning the page further gave more disjointed words that alarmed her.  Manipulation, Veil-link, World Access Layer, Fate Controller.  Lines connected Veil-link to World Access Layer, as a line passed through the circled Fate Controller connecting Veil-Link to Yhse.  Under it was a note, ''fate + soul, heart + mind'', with an arrow pointing up to the ''Manipulation'', itself having an arrow pointing straight to Yhse.  It was like a mad scientists mental road map, putting a plan together for the next great scheme.


    Not liking her thoughts in the matter, she leaned up against another monitor, which turned on.  She jumped at it in surprise, but glanced at the picture presented.  This one was much more interesting, it was a visual of the Library.  In the picture, she saw Lwyn resting on a chair, completely out of it.  There was no sound, but she noticed the shadows shift as someone else entered the room.  Qheria dropped the page as she noticed Khaexyn cautiously approach Lwyn, a pale shimmer enveloping him.  He stopped a short distance from her, then made a quick motion towards her.  She didn''t react, being fully unconscious.  His hand, already extended, suddenly started to spark with a ghastly light, generating what looked mostly like a deep pale color but creating very little light.  The light linked to Lwyn, passing over her for a moment in her weakened and defenseless state.  Then it all faded, leaving only the original pale shimmer.  Khaexyn clapped his hands, startling Lwyn awake.  Qheria''s face went as equally pale as the colors she had witnessed as she noticed that Lwyn stood and gave her father a very respectful curtsy before leading him out of the room.


    Qheria looked back at the sheet of paper she held, the meaning dawning upon her.  Khaexyn''s manipulation would not end with just simply the loss of his wife, he had ways to manipulate his daughter too.  It reminded Qheria of Sxeiva''s story, where near the end there was the part where Khaexyn had set some kind of charm on Lwyn, to manipulate her fate.  It seems the depth of that charm extended a lot farther then they had expected, and that things might have gone really bad all of a sudden.  If Khaexyn''s gift had just charmed Lwyn, was now manipulating her, they had a new problem.  Qheria flipped through the monitors, trying to locate her other friends, but found nothing.


    With no other recourse, Qheria rushed off to locate the Library and try to track everyone from there.  She was determined to ensure that Lwyn would not be lost to them again, it was a sense of obligation she even owed Lwyn to hold fast to.

 75: Inevitable Reversal

    Lwyn left the library, her thoughts preoccupied with her new agenda, the new task she had to accomplish.  The challenge she was suddenly to face was immense, but she would not turn from it, instead she would keep moving onward, walking as if in a hypnotic trance.


    "Yhse, daughter, do be careful.  You might know more about your enemy than I do, but I know they are dangerous.  They will not be easy to deal with."  Khaexyn wasn''t wrong, she knew just how powerful the three girls she hunted were.  The three of them were friends to this Lwyn, someone she was no longer.  Her father had cleared her mind of their manipulation, had set her free from their lies.  Yhse owed him for it, and would return that debt with the death of his enemies.


    Yhse waved at her father as he went back to his work.  He was hard at work at erasing the chains of hate shackling the world, trapping it under the guise of a gift.  He would still need more time to keep going, and she would need to ensure she could buy him that time.  While outnumbered, she knew she had an advantage.  All three of them were separated, letting her deal with them individually.  Additionally, they all seemed to find value in her, still thinking she was so completely manipulated by them.  She could turn that against them, catching them completely unaware.


    Still, that wasn''t enough of a plan.  Being also separated from them, she had no idea where they even were.  Worse, she knew what they were capable of, a surprise attack might not be enough by itself, so she needed a way to invite further advantages for herself.  To do that, she needed more information.  A map would have helped, but she knew the book from the library which would typically handle such was still left at the facility, along with the veil core.  Her father was not impressed to hear such news, but was more alarmed by her dizzy spell, recalling such details.  He had warned her that she needed to be careful for that reason as well, the tampering of her mind left by the other three girls could have harsh repercussions if she let herself get too distracted by thoughts.  She needed to remain focused on her objective at hand.


    The basement levels of each Spire had their own secure rooms, with a lot of extra supplies.  The bottom of the nearby fifth spire contained a very detailed map, like a spoiler for the entire Fortress layout.  She took the news provided to her and set off for that location, following her father''s guidance.  Such guidance was only betrayed when she found the path had caved in, leaving her in a bit of a predicament.  She considered the layout, and found she wasn''t certain of any alternate path.  Instead, she summoned a sphere, passing it the instructions to find her a way forward.  The orb however simply fell from her hand and shattered.  That did not help, she got the feeling that such implied all the passages were equally blocked, or that this was the only path.


    She contemplated for a moment destroying the rubble before her, but recalled that this could bring the roof down above her.  With consideration of a roof falling, she got an even further idea, maybe she could cause the roof below her to fall instead.  She was aiming for a basement, going down was just part of the plan.  She backed off a long distance and threw forth a sphere, which coursed towards the center of the hall and crashed into the ground at high velocity.  The impact caused the ground to give way, forming as a ramp downwards.  She then tried her guidance sphere again, which this time proceeded down the makeshift ramp.  Yhse chased after it, still considering the rest of the details of her plan.


    Mhyl paused in alarm as the path before her suddenly caved in violently.  Well, that direction wasn''t an option any longer, she would have to find another path.  As she turned around, she thought she saw a faint flicker of something moving from her headset, but it was gone quickly.  She suspected it might have just been things sliding in the collapse.  Mhyl backtracked along the path, plotting out a new course.  She had found that suddenly she had ran out of enemies to fight, instead she was passing wreckage of shredded enemies.  She was pretty certain she was travelling in circles, but couldn''t see another way forward.  She had tried to back-track, but that had only lead to a caved in portion of the path.  Realizing she might be trapped, Mhyl tried to erase a bit of the rubble blocking her path.  As she could only expect, disturbing the fallen rubble simply shifted the ceiling, causing more rubble to fall nearby dangerously.  However, this time it had cleared enough of the area above her that she could go up.


    Mhyl struggled on the surfaces of the climb, wishing she was even half the climber Lwyn was.  There was nothing simple about this climb, and she couldn''t even warp it like Qheria could, or grapple up like Thanrie.  Struggling in despair, Mhyl settled back down, deep in thought.  Well, if Thanrie and Qheria used their gift, why couldn''t she?  She looked at the obstacle before her, considering her options.  Flying would be the easiest thing, if only.. actually, she made her book float through the air, why couldn''t she?  Right, because using herself as a target of her gift was dangerous at best.  But then, couldn''t she just stand on something valid?  She looked upon the book she held, too small, even as a platform.  If she didn''t have what she needed, she would have to create it.  Shimmering into the air before her was a transparent sheet of crystal, almost glass in its design, but more like plastic.  She sat upon it carefully as she used her gift to lift it up.  Surpassing her obstacle, she took a step to the ground before suddenly rethinking her move.  There was almost nothing to the design for her floating sheet, and not only did it move faster, but it took less of her stamina than all this walking.  A smile forming upon her face, she relaxed onto her accommodation as it set forth in the air along the path.


    Yhse made sure to return her father''s map to its safe confines, not wanting for even more of such things to become lost to him.  She did take a moment to consider though how much value there was in that, the Fortress was obviously a lost cause in its ruined state.  Still, it might not matter, it was better to leave things as they should be, her father would look after the rest.  It had been his life''s work, certainly she could keep order for him in such a minor gesture of appreciation.  In that light, it wasn''t even her place to envision how things would be after his work came to light, she would simply figure things out as they were presented to her.


    The map had even done it''s work, and shown her exactly what she needed.  There was a perfect room in the bottom levels of the eleventh spire, the only exit was from above and the room itself was full of wireframe bridges over a giant spanning room.  The contents of the room were all experiments, sealed in vats that worked hard to expend the growing heat from the furnaces within, glowing with the heat generated.  But, in case things got out of hand, there was a backup measure in place, to flood the room with ice water in order to deal with any disasters, which could also be drained.  Yhse couldn''t think of a more perfect room, to make use of.  However, first she would have to reach the control room, and cause a bit of chaos.  She was apologetic for misusing her father''s work like this, but there really wasn''t any better option.


    Continuing towards her destination, Yhse heard sounds echoing down the hall.  Someone was approaching.  She climbed up the ceiling and hid behind the infrastructure, much like she had done around here in the past.  The footsteps got closer, and she looked down at the one named Thanrie wandering by.  Thanrie had however paused, getting the feeling she was missing something.  She continued looking around, not sure what she could be missing in an empty hall, and just shrugged.  Not once did she look up.  Thanrie had a pretty good idea at least that she was no where close to where she should be, and that she was totally lost.  What really bothered her was that, the more she travelled around, the more she saw absolutely no signs of life anywhere.  When they were last here, the place was full of people doing all sorts of things, but now there was nothing.  She had found what was probably the kitchen earlier, completely in a state of disuse.  She had some idle hope that she could have found someone who knew their way around, that someone knew where stuff was, but she had found nothing.  At the very least, she had found no signs of death either, but things still seemed grim in that regards.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Continuing along the halls, she confronted yet another enemy.  Still faced with more aethyrnz, she sighed, getting bored.  "Halt, aethyrnz patrols are not permitted at this hour.  Curfew has passed already, please return your head to my scythe for routine rest."  Thanrie mocked her enemy as she sliced into it.  It didn''t help much, she didn''t even have her friends around to see it.  She had a feeling Lwyn would have sighed in reaction to seeing such a performance.. actually, wouldn''t she have normally laughed?  Laughing at such a thing was much more like Lwyn, Mhyl was the one who would usually sigh at her for such banter.  Didn''t matter either way, no one was here.  The way things were going, she was getting the feeling it was going to be far more important to find her friends before anything else.  They just needed to regroup, discuss their findings, and work things out.  Qheria and Lwyn usually had a plan, after all, they just needed notes.  It was sad she didn''t think she could provide many of such notes, she was generally at a loss here.


    Yhse sighed at Thanrie''s behaviour, watching her continue on her way and around the corner.  Disrespecting her father''s creations like that was pretty rude, she would need to make sure Thanrie was taught a lesson for that one.  Still, now wasn''t a good time, she needed an opportunity to get everything ready.  It was at least good to know where one of them was, even though they were going opposite directions and would be long separated by the time she was done.  Considering Thanrie''s approach, and the layout of the halls, it was obvious Thanrie would either get lost going circles in the central area, or end up at the spire she had just left.  With that information, she might want to consider targeting someone else when the time came, just out of matters of opportunity.  Maybe the best target to start with would be Mhyl, especially considering the arena she would have set up.  There was also the fact that Thanrie''s intuition often seemed far too good, setting the stage might be easier with Mhyl, especially since Mhyl had exposed herself so much more to the aspect known as Lwyn than any of the others.


    Yhse pondered the third of the group as she traveled.  Qheria might in the end prove to be the biggest problem, considering her nature.  Being so defensive made her difficult to reach, being able to teleport made her the hardest to avoid.  However, Qheria got most of her gift from being able to slam the ground, something which would become very difficult in the arena she was setting up.  As such, she was certain that she would do best by making sure Qheria was not involved at the start of the fight.  She would need to set measures to warn her if any of them were approaching, so that she could prepare accordingly.  But such measures could wait until she was ready to confront Mhyl.  Having only arrived at her destination at that moment, Yhse set about preparing the resources of her plan, making sure everything would be ready.  It wasn''t the most complicated plan, sure, but none of them would see it coming until it was too late.


    Qheria finally arrived at the library and looked around.  As soon as she stepped in, two aethyrnz exited their storage and attacked her.  So this room was guarded, huh?  Odd then that Lwyn had been in this very room, left alone, as if her stay was welcomed.  It instead honestly felt like her arrival was predicted, preordained, fated.  Qheria smashed into her enemies with all of her pent-up fury, directly smashing into one as the motion to trigger her gift, instead of using the ground at her feet.  Both enemies crushed together, smashing to pieces.  However, she could find no clues of what transpired here, or where anyone had gone.  All that she had was the evidence that Lwyn had let her father go, and her father had obviously lead her here.  It reminded Qheria of hypnosis, just with a bit of a Celesi twist maybe.  Leaving Lwyn in such a state could cause any number of problems, especially if Lwyn found either Mhyl or Thanrie before she did.


    The biggest threat was that neither of them would be prepared for the state Lwyn was in, which could put them in any kinds of danger.  But more so would be the sudden shock of what Lwyn might do without them knowing why she did it.  Qheria remembered the other''s reactions to Lwyn sending them away, it had hurt, and that was done when she was only being lightly manipulated.  This time, she might do something more dramatic, and it would tear their hearts apart in confusion.  She needed to save everyone, first by bringing this knowledge to Thanrie and Mhyl, secondly by restoring Lwyn to her senses.  To do any of that, she needed a plan.


    It was fortunate that Lwyn would not know Qheria herself was so informed, which could itself cause Lwyn to slip up to Qheria''s advantage.  However, if Lwyn was working with her father, she had the advantage of the Fortress to work with.  Lwyn would certainly not underestimate them either, she would be working on her own plan to ensure her own success, making use of whatever resources she had at her disposal.  Qheria still had no idea what kind of resources those might include, but her biggest concern was how she might get Lwyn to submit, how to remove the manipulation.  Her best bet was either a resistance gift or Mhyl''s healing, but in either case she had to have Lwyn unable to fight against it.  Meanwhile, in a worst case, Lwyn might be driven to attack them with all of her might, and Qheria was fully aware just how capable Lwyn was in this area.  Even the idea of compelling Lwyn to bleed out her stamina, that could put their lives in danger just to accomplish, with very minimal assurance of success.


    Thinking things over carefully, Lwyn was probably planning on using the fact they were all separated to try and take each of them out individually.  She would pick an initial target, the foremost probably not being herself, unfortunately.  To break Qheria''s own defenses, Lwyn would want to salvage her stamina for the big strikes.  Considering everyone''s potential, Lwyn would probably go after Thanrie before the rest of them.  Thanrie''s highly aggressive nature would make her important to secure first, and her lack of defenses would make her the easiest target.  In that light, Qheria had to make sure to find Thanrie first.  Thanrie would be navigating in two ways, either scythe grapples or dashing with her boots.  The scythe would leave subtle marks on the wall, while the boots would scatter a dust pattern from it''s wind current.  Qheria set off to locate either.


    After a while of exploring, she passed by a section of the floor that had collapsed.  Inspecting the area, she found what was clearly section of the walls that had simply vanished.  That was Mhyl''s work, she had clearly been here.  However, she wasn''t searching for Mhyl, Mhyl would come later.  There weren''t any tracks around here anyway, no sign Mhyl had came up to this level, so she was probably down below somewhere.  Qheria kept exploring until she found an aethyrnz with its head divided by a blade.  This certainly looked more like Thanrie''s work.  With a few more observations, she eventually picked up on Thanrie''s trail.


    Yhse sighed, her hard work finally completed.  Everything was going according to plan.  She summoned another orb and provided it with instructions.  It was to traverse the halls, searching for Mhyl, and to go completely invisible when in the presence or line of sight of either Qheria or Thanrie.  Once it finds her, it is to hover over her head for a few moments, and then instead start searching for Yhse herself, still with the same invisibility requirements.  This way, if the sphere returned without Mhyl, she would know they had re-converged and Yhse would need to figure out a new plan.  Maybe she could then use the halls to separate them again with yet another force field?  Maybe she could draft a story telling how her father had escaped and was now racing across the mountain, which would then at least give her father the time needed to complete his project.  Either way, such plans would have to wait for if they were even needed, and by her calculations they shouldn''t be.  Instead, she would have to keep moving, to get into position to present a fitting story for Mhyl to suffer with.


    Yhse sent the sphere on it''s way, watching it glide casually along the halls.  Meanwhile, Yhse set off towards her own destination, carefully going over all the details of the plan before everything would finally occur.

 76: Mesmerizing Betrayal

    The trap was finally set, all that remained was for all the pieces to play their part.  Khaexyn continued on his efforts, focusing on the world''s veil, as his greatest weapon ever went on the prowl.


    Mhyl found herself in yet another familiar area.  This would be the place where they had rested on the first night, narrowly escaping from capture.  Recalling such thoughts, she wasn''t very inclined to rest there, but was going over her thoughts to see if she could get her bearings.  However, at this point, she couldn''t even recall if they had made a right or left after exiting the room.  All of this had felt so long ago, the details were so fleeting for her.  The fact that things were so run down wasn''t helping jog her memory either.


    As she pondered the answer, a small sphere floated towards her.  Mhyl set to her guard out of reflex, before recognizing it.  This was one of Lwyn''s things, Lwyn did this?  It hovered over her head for a moment as she pondered its design.  Then, as programmed, it set off again.  Mhyl ran after it, knowing that Lwyn expected her to follow it.  If she was lucky, it would lead her right to Lwyn.  She carefully followed it along the halls, which had grown especially quiet.  She glanced around, wondering why there wasn''t any more defenses all of a sudden.  Easily keeping pace, she followed the sphere until it lead her to another familiar location.  This was the place they had first found Sxeiva, outside where they were basically keeping people captive.  She remembered when they had passed here, searching for Lwyn.  The sphere continued inside.


    Mhyl followed it until she found Lwyn, tied up with strange shackles in one of the cells, looking very tired.  "Lwyn!"  Mhyl''s shout alerted Lwyn, who hid her excitement at her plan coming together.  Instead, Yhse used the short smirk she couldn''t hide to bluff her excitement at being rescued.  "Mhyl!  Thank goodness that worked.  They.. took me captive.  These cuffs, they stop me from using my gift, but I managed to get that one sphere out there.  Don''t get too close to them, just drop something on the chain or something, if the chain breaks the effects will wear off."  Yhse of course was making all of this up.  The chains binding her were completely natural, she could easily break free on her own at any time if she wanted.  Mhyl however followed instructions, cautiously setting Yhse free.  Mhyl gave some idle thought just how come Lwyn might have been aware exactly how such shackles worked, but knew Lwyn was pretty smart, so that probably explained it.


    With that done, it was time for the next step.  Yhse summoned two spheres, with instructions to find the other two, follow them, and to flash brightly if it returned too close to her.  It was like setting an alarm for their approach.  After Mhyl was taken care of, she could try to restart the whole process with Thanrie, repeating the whole thing another time for Qheria as well.  She knew the spheres would prompt the two to search for her instead of her father, which would also give him the time he needed to finish his work.  Mhyl however looked at the two spheres in confusion, wondering what that was about.  Yhse caught on to the confusion, and gave an explanation.  "Oh, I''m still looking for Qheria, but I actually found Thanrie.  She''s in trouble, we have to go save her!"  Yhse built urgency to encourage Mhyl to keep going.


    Mhyl however still felt confused, something wasn''t right.  "Lwyn, what about you?  You were weakened a lot there, are you sure you''re alright?"  "Oh, I''m doing fine, don''t worry.  Lets just hurry."  Mhyl noticed the return of Lwyn''s plastic smile, that fake smile that showed she was being kept from something, which just caused her to worry even more.  Even Yhse was not aware to what degree Mhyl had grown capable of detecting this of her best friend.  She followed along anyway, keeping an eye on Lwyn the entire time.  Eventually, they arrived at a tunnel going down, a faint dark glow humming from below.


    "Thanrie and I had gone down there, when suddenly the lights went dim like this.  Thanrie had suddenly freaked out, and we got ambushed.  I had stayed behind as Thanrie had fled through the room into the area beyond it.  I heard the guards saying they were going to lock the place down, because there was no other escape.  Thanrie would be trapped in here, we have to save her!"  Yhse marvelled at how well this story worked, how inviting it was.  From here, it would only get better.  Mhyl looked down, not seeing much of anything in the darkness, not even being aware that the room was mostly flooded at this distance.  Two weaknesses in one setup, it was perfect.  When Yhse brought Thanrie here, she would just need to turn the lights back on and comment about Mhyl and the water.  Yhse could then just get the lights to fail again, putting Thanrie in this eerie darkness.


    Mhyl looked down, finding it especially weird that Lwyn wasn''t bursting ahead of her like normal.  Mhyl had grown used to needing to keep up, something here was really wrong.  Figuring out that Lwyn expected Mhyl to go first, she set off down the ladder into the darkness.  "Make sure to search down there carefully, we don''t know where an enemy might show up or something."  Yhse shouted down at her as she also descended.  Mhyl tried to scan the room with her headset, but saw a lot of nothing.  Something in the room was interfering with her headset.  Mhyl then summoned a light to help her see better, as she continued leading the way.  It became quickly obvious that the room was huge, with her light failing to pierce the darkness in all directions, the minor existing lights failing to show anything of value due to being so dim.  Mhyl also had her book ready, keeping a careful eye out for any enemies.  She noticed Lwyn also had her crossbow ready, glancing around casually.


    Having progressed far enough into the room, Yhse focused on her crossbow, taking aim on her real target.  Mhyl noticed Lwyn focusing, but could see no target anywhere.  There wasn''t anyone here but.. her.  Yhse fired, and Mhyl went invisible, dodging forwards with an aerial flip.  The bolt struck right where she used to be, unable to track her very well through her invisibility.  Mhyl did not drop the stealth, but her landing made audible noise for Yhse to pick up on.  Since Yhse herself was fighting blind, she summoned a series of spheres, so that she could engage her enemy in melee.  She hadn''t actually had time to figure out the trick to Mhyl''s stealth, so this was kinda annoying.


    Seeing the spheres summoned, Mhyl focused with her book and stepped off of the landing into thin air.  Landing upon her invisible platform, she took to the air.  Yhse found her attacks reaching nothing.  However, she knew of a slight advantage.  The room itself was very cold, the ice water cooling things down as they advanced.  Yhse and Mhyl were the warmest things in the room.  Heat-seeking shots, excluding herself as a target.  If they tracked her by heat alone, that would do it.  Yhse fired bolts into the air, which spun around and set out after their mid air target.  Mhyl narrowly dodged the bolts, but fell from her floating platform in the process.  She used her gift to decrease the impact of her fall, having fallen a couple of levels.  Descending this far, Yhse''s trap was no longer hidden by darkness.  Not far below Mhyl was an endless expanse of freezing cold water, the chill of the sight going straight up her spine as the shots Yhse sent off ended up passing into the cold water and lost their course in the cold.  This was, without a shadow of a doubt, a trap.


    "So this is what you were hiding.  Really, I should have guessed."  "Huh?  What exactly gave everything away?"  "Oh come on, really?  You''re nothing like Thanrie, you''re probably the worst liar imaginable."  Mhyl was actually only half serious, her fear hiding the other half.  She knew Lwyn was a pro at hiding her feelings, that''s probably why she was so good at that board game.  But after the time they had spent together, she had learned to spot all the signs of when Lwyn was keeping something from her.  This was probably the first time Lwyn had actually came up with such an intricate tale, direct lies clearly weren''t her strong point either.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Yhse shrugged, realizing she might have made a few miscalculations.  Maybe Thanrie would have been a better choice to start with.  Still, even if her surprise attack failed, she still had Mhyl exactly where she wanted her.  Mhyl also realized she was in trouble.  In situations like this, she would usually dodge the simple moves and obliterate her powerful enemies.  Yhse wasn''t any simple enemy, but was also someone she was seriously hesitant to simply obliterate.  This was her best friend here, firing on her for some still unknown reason.  Mhyl was doing everything she could mostly to fight back against the her tears.  The comfort was that she knew this wasn''t the Lwyn she had always known, she knew Lwyn''s feelings had been honest all that time just the same way as she could instinctively know she was being lied to now.  Something had changed, something she couldn''t figure out.


    Yhse fired off another heat seeker, which Mhyl targeted directly, erasing it while in the air.  Yhse pondered the issue, ah, the things were too slow, made them easy to pick off.  She would need attacks that flew faster against Mhyl.  "Lwyn, stop it, why are you doing this?!"  "Stop calling me Lwyn!  I''m not your F~~~ing Lwyn"  Mhyl noticed Yhse pause in fury, rejecting her very name.  But if this wasn''t Lwyn, then...  "So, you''re Yhse again, aren''t you.  Papa''s little lap dog?"  Mhyl was furious, having to fight Sxeiva was a torment, but this took the cake.  Was Lwyn really lost to them, then?  Was everything really just going to end like this?  Just how low was Khaexyn going to sink in his depravity.


    Mhyl focused on the water below her, chilling the air above it.  This chill still felt like warmth to her, her own feelings as if ice to the air itself.  As Yhse prepared another projectile, suddenly a lance of ice shot out from the water and surged towards her.  Yhse activated one of her gravity wells, pulling her safely out of the way as the lance struck the wall behind her, freezing everything there solid.  However, pulled out of the way, Yhse had a clear shot, and Mhyl had no opportunity to dodge.  Mhyl was struck in the shoulder as she fell into the water.


    Yhse was momentarily disappointed in herself and her moment of weakness.  Surely she had better aim than that, and could strike a place much more vital.  This was the healer she was fighting, any non-lethal attack could just be healed.  Still, having knocked Mhyl into the water was a victory in itself.  Yhse prepared to advance on her victim when she caught the flash of a bright flare above her.  Wait, now?  Someone else was here.


    Thanrie looked down into the dark abyss, hearing the crashing occurring below.  She knew there was fighting going on, and had the feeling someone was in trouble.  She braved herself for a closer look and descended part of the ladder.  Faintly in the dim shadows, she saw Lwyn there waiting for her.  "Oh, Lwyn, what''s going on?"  "Thanrie, just in time.  Mhyl just fell into the water, I need help rescuing her.  Do you think you can lend me a hand?"  Thanrie got one of her feelings again, this one confusing her.  Thanrie basically got the feeling that this whole thing was a trap.  But certainly she could trust Lwyn, right?  Thanrie descended the ladder, hearing everything had faded into silence.


    Yhse hid a snarl at this, having figured out Mhyl had heard the conversation and wanted to turn everything into the wrong impression.  Knowing that gasping for air would only lure Thanrie into the trap, Mhyl had instead opted to suffer the water longer.  She used her gift to bring a bubble of air under water, and used the submerged air as a place to recover in without being heard by the surface.  She tried hard to recover as quickly as possible.  Thanrie meanwhile noted the absolute silence.  The feeling that this was a trap was getting much harder to ignore, instead it was looking really convincing.


    "Lwyn, could you explain what is going on?  Nothing here is making sense, there isn''t even any sign of Mhyl.  I just heard fighting not long ago, what happened?"  "Oh, I was defending her when she got hit by one of them and uh..  Oh F~~k it!"  Thanrie managed to block the sphere that Yhse sent surging towards her, using with her metallic claw after still having kept that ready.  "Look out Thanrie, something happened to Lwyn, this whole thing is a trap."  "Mhyl, thanks, yeah.. you''re a couple moments short on that warning.  Still, I had a feeling something was wrong."  Mhyl struggled out from the water as Thanrie lunged towards Yhse.  Yhse however applied another gravity well to go upwards, then came smashing downwards with her sphere in a follow up.  Right, Lwyn could calculate this stuff, Thanrie had almost forgotten just how bad this match-up was.  She had dueled Lwyn before winning only because she was physically stronger.  This however was not just a fist fight, Lwyn was making full use of her gift in addition to her cunning intellect.  This was the exact match-up Thanrie had originally worried about.


    Still, Thanrie had endured the same situation against the mechanical assassin of Sxeiva, this was almost the same thing.  The only difference was, this was really Lwyn, she couldn''t pull out some of her best against this kind of foe, but Lwyn didn''t seem so hesitant.  "F~~k, so why are we fighting Lwyn exactly?"  "I told you, I''m not...!"  "Yhse, not Lwyn anymore.  That idiot is seriously going to pay for this."  Thanrie clued in past Yhse''s objections with Mhyl''s insight.  This was somehow Khaexyn''s fault.  Sending Sxeiva wasn''t enough for the deplorable maniac, he had to break Lwyn too.  Realizing Lwyn was lost to them, Thanrie''s rage built along with Mhyl.


    Thanrie surged into a frenzy, slashing towards Yhse ceaselessly with a chaotic swirl of claws.  Yhse dodged one, only to find another was going to that space already, to then have to dodge again.  Left with a chain of dodging, Yhse was unable to keep up, and got slamed by the claw, sending her into the far back wall with a crunch.  The sound returned Thanrie to her senses, realizing what she was doing to her friend.  Mhyl rushed over to provide healing for Yhse, only to get struck by another sphere.  Yhse struggled to her feet, determined to not let her father down.  Things weren''t going as well as she had first hoped, but she just needed to hold on as long as possible, even if it killed her.


    Yhse advanced on Mhyl, left wide open after her careless approach.  Yhse then summoned a laser blade into her hands and set it off towards Mhyl, only for Thanrie to smash into it with her scythe.  Providing time by slowing the blade''s own time, Mhyl was able to get out of the way.  Right, Thanrie could time freeze, that wasn''t convenient at all.  Thanrie was also really good at close range, but still couldn''t beat her long range dominance.  Backing off a large distance, she called forth a multitude of spheres.  Sure, at this distance, Thanrie might be able to deal with one, maybe two.  Not all of them.  She sent the entire mass forth as an ensuant surge, all coming from different directions.  Thanrie knew right away her odds of dealing with all this were slim.  However, two giant pillars of ice appeared at her sides, freezing the projectiles mid flight.  Taking advantage of the opportunity, she lashed out with a time freeze at those making a more direct course.  A few still managed to get by, some slamming into her claw, a couple caught her by the leg.


    Thanrie was starting to get a bit dizzy, her claw having taking quite a bruising so far.  While it looked useful to block with, she couldn''t forget that using it was akin to blocking with her own flesh and blood.  Her one leg was starting to tremble to the pain, having taken quite a harsh shot.  Her pride sunk in this instance too, realizing that a sharp pain to the knee really does a lot to ruin your sense of balance.  Maybe that stupid silly quote wasn''t as funny as she had always thought it was.  Mhyl rushed over to provide healing, only to suddenly have to dodge a large blast from Yhse.  The attack didn''t strike her at all, but did force her to retreat.   Yhse just knew, no matter what, she had to make sure to keep the two of them split up.  Having Thanrie healed by Mhyl would only make this whole situation worse.


    Qheria paused in her trail as a sphere of energy approached her, sitting there patiently.  Qheria knew right away where this sphere came from, and what it would represent.  This was how Lwyn would track her, which implied things had already progressed.  Qheria was falling behind, she had to find the others right away, before things got any worse.  She started pressing forwards with her warps much more carelessly, almost as if to outrun the sphere following her.  In the nearly silent warp process, she could hear conflict far off in the distance.  She headed in that direction, intent on it''s destination, already certain what she would find when she arrived.  Warping towards yet another corner, the sphere following her suddenly exploded in a brilliant flare.


    Qheria noticed the ladder going downwards at this point, hearing the conflict going on below.  Lwyn would know she arrived, she would have to play her cards very carefully.

 77: Thoughtful Intercession

    As the three girls continued their battle, a brilliant light flashed from the exit far above them.  Mhyl took advantage of the distraction to make a dash for Thanrie''s position and started provisioning some healing from her gift.


    Yhse did not like where things were going.  She knew Thanrie would be pretty injured right now, which was a good thing.  If she could have broken through her defenses, it would have left Thanrie in a weakened state, easy to finish off.  Mhyl meanwhile should be losing her stamina fairly rapidly, and would just be a matter of draining her the rest of the way before she was in the same state.  However, not only was Thanrie getting healing, but Qheria had arrived.  Yhse had to do something about this situation, before it got any worse.


    Yhse dashed up the exit, finding Qheria standing there waiting almost impatiently.  "Oh, Lwyn, nice to finally find a familiar face.  I heard some commotion going on, care to give me the story?"  "Oh, yeah, seriously outnumbered down there.  Thanrie is pretty badly hurt, Mhyl is trying to look after her.  We could use you down there too."  "Ah, I see.  That does sound like some rather rough odds.  Why don''t you and I go down there and join in on all the fun, Yhse."  Qheria smashed into Yhse''s head with the blunt side of her shield, taking Yhse completely by surprise.  In the same motion, Qheria set a barrier which she used to warp the two of them down to the platform below.  Smashing into Yhse once more with the flat of her shield against Yhse''s back, Yhse fell to the ground as Qheria warped once again closer to where Thanrie and Mhyl were.


    Yhse, in a serious daze, was completely confused how that had gone so poorly.  Absolutely nothing she sad was even wrong, she was outnumbered two to one, she had described exactly what Thanrie and Mhyl were doing too.  As injured as she still was from the fighting so far, she was certain her case would be all to believable.  Qheria also had a pretty good fighting and tactical prowess, but had figured out so much with far too little information.  Even with Thanrie and Mhyl, she had at least had enough of a chance to employ a surprise attack.  Qheria instead had surprised her ever so skillfully.  There was only one plausible explanation for her, Qheria was the one who had originally manipulated her.  With her father interrupting the control, Qheria was obviously fully aware Yhse was no longer under her control.  Of course, she should have compensated for that earlier.


    Qheria gave a quick review of the situation, seeing things generally as Yhse had described.  She had expected a very carefully woven tale, something designed to mislead her into a false pretense.  Instead she found everything exactly as Yhse had told her, which was quite a clever move.  She could always depend on Lwyn to be smart when it mattered, that''s why she couldn''t afford to waste a moment of this opportunity.  Yhse''s biggest mistake might have been to forget that Lwyn would have never left the side of Thanrie or Mhyl when they were in trouble.  "Thanrie, we need to get Yhse here under control so that we can undo this mess.  Mhyl, see if you can cure her of whatever it is that is corrupting her mind."  "Control?  You will not control me any more, I will not..."  Qheria smashed into Yhse''s head again with her shield, interrupting her.  Mhyl and Thanrie exchanged a glance, Qheria was faster to pick up on these things then they had expected.


    Thanrie pondered what she had available to her.  With Yhse unable to dodge, she could stop time to provide an opportunity to resolve the matter.  However, while time was stopped, only she could then act, Mhyl wouldn''t have any opportunity.  Instead then, Thanrie coiled Yhse with liquid chains, restricting Yhse''s movements so much she could hardly twitch.  "I saw her in the library, getting a heavy dose of mind control.  We just need to erase it."  Qheria then set about trying to apply anything with her gift that would help Lwyn in resisting the mind control.


    Mhyl blinked in a moment of confusion.  So Lwyn wasn''t lost to them?  Like Thanrie, she had all but given up on finding a way to save Lwyn, but they had been making so little progress not having the heart to make this end quickly.  Mhyl looked over Thanrie and pondered the situation.  Qheria has misjudged one thing already, just like a poison of the body, Mhyl could do nothing about a poison of the mind.  She scoured over Yhse, trying to at least identify details of what was affecting her, but came up with nothing.  Much like when Khaexyn had tried a similar check himself the last time they were in the Fortress, identifying mental problems like this just didn''t involve the same approach and thus Mhyl''s efforts yielded no results.  Qheria herself found her gift making little progress on bringing Lwyn back to normal, building resistance might have worked while Lwyn was fighting to resist such influence, but it was too late for such solutions now.


    A sudden explosion detonated the chains binding Yhse, having called forth one of her spheres to provide her with an escape.  The explosion mostly hurt Thanrie, who had only recently recovered from similar wounds to her liquid metal.  Yhse got a bit hurt in the process as well, but she had made sure the blast had mostly propelled away from her.  Overall, it provided her with a pretty decent edge, which was good because Qheria was still a huge danger.  No matter what, she needed to keep a distance from Qheria, to make sure such mind control did not visit her again.  Things were still pretty bad, she was now against all of them at once, and Qheria seemed to be doing just fine.  Yhse contemplated a martyr''s victory, utterly destroying the room just to take down her enemies with her.  It might at first seem like a really good plan, but a projectile with enough power to do that would need some time to build up the force needed, giving either Thanrie enough time to freeze time on it, or Mhyl enough time to erase it.  Overall, it just wasn''t exactly such a good plan.


    Mhyl was finding her hope receding once again, much as it was for Thanrie.  She firmly suspected the only one who had a gift that could fix this for them would be her mother, way back at the Citadel.  They simply were not prepared for a problem at this scale.  Bringing back a violent Yhse to her mother wouldn''t be anything close to an easy task, not this deep into the Fortress.  There was also the high risk of her mother being attacked in the process.  High risk of a lot of damage, Yhse was a huge threat right now in her current state, capable of devastating their forces if she chose to do so.  She really couldn''t figure out any solution that would involve saving Yhse.


    Qheria however was not going to give up that easily.  Her solution might have failed, sure, but that just meant it was time for another solution.  She didn''t exactly have another solution at the time, but she had only just arrived, she would need to gather more information first.  Yhse certainly would oblige her that much, much as Lwyn had done in the past.  Qheria struck down on the platform she was standing on, warping behind Yhse in the process while lashing out with her shield again.  Thanrie stumbled, finding the entire rafting shake under the force.  Yhse meanwhile managed to dodge away, but just barely.  Qheria was really really scary, no questions about it.


    Qheria noticed the situation in the aftermath, this really was a good choice for fighting for Yhse.  The darkness and water were fitting touches, a creepy fear that would normally have impacted both girls to Yhse''s benefit, but it was the durability of their footing that really haunted Qheria.  Her own gift would be limited here, she had to be very careful.  However, she also didn''t miss a flaw in Yhse''s estimates.  The area was designed to inspire fear in Mhyl and Thanrie, to have them act with uncertainty.  They were very obviously full of uncertainty, but it had nothing to do with the scenery.  The water might have normally chilled Mhyl, the horrifying darkness might have shaken Thanrie, but nothing scared either of them more than losing their friend.  She suspected that neither of them were even putting much thought on the other fear factors.


    Yhse needed an advantage, more than she already had.  Qheria would be limited in what she could do, but she wasn''t very hesitant or shaken at all. "You witch!  You corrupt all of your pawns, don''t you!  Oh right, that''s also your weakness, you treasure your pawns, you would sacrifice anything for..."  Yhse stumbled, a dizzy spell coming over her.  The others all paused in concern, which only provided Yhse the opening she needed.  Right, she needed to stay focused, and she had a plan.  Yhse launched another mass volley towards both Thanrie and Mhyl, a swarm of dark spheres.  Mhyl brought up some ice pillars, but the spheres devoured the ice on contact.  Qheria warped over to intercept the attack, her shield eating the entire assault.  Yhse smiled, her plan working, Qheria was vulnerable to having her friends attacked, she was afraid of them coming to harm.


    Though such, Yhse kept staggering in her latest daze.  Somehow things were proving more taxing for her, she didn''t even understand why.  Maybe it was Qheria''s influence, possibly trying to bespell her once again.  Yhse''s approach was sound, but she might need to find a way to counter Qheria''s assault against her as well.  She threw projectiles in two locations, one into the water below her, the other to the platform her enemies stood upon.  The water-bound projectile burst up a surge of water in a massive wave, splashing upwards in a violent surge as the platform they were standing on shuddered under the force delivered to it.  Qheria had no room to defend with, and the waters separated each of them.  Yhse then sent two more projectiles, darting straight towards both Mhyl and Thanrie.  It would be impossible for Qheria to block both of them, she would have to choose.


    Qheria however wasn''t given any room to even choose, left struggling to find her own ground, by the time she succeeded and warped to try to block both strikes, she ended up blocking neither of them.  Mhyl and Thanrie however were also left with no room to block, Thanrie putting all of her effort to grapple to get her footing back, as Mhyl tried to lighten her fall.  Both of them were struck from behind, Thanrie in her right thigh and Mhyl with her left shoulder.  Yhse was left aghast by her latest failure, that was such a prime opportunity, and yet she had missed once again.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Stop.. dodging!  Just die already, for F~~k sakes!"  Yhse wiped the water from her face, although not sure how she had gotten so wet from this distance.  Generally everything around her was still pretty dry.  Qheria took note of the situation, reviewing what had just transpired.  It was a very opportune shot, brilliantly executed, leaving none of them room to deal with, no ability to dodge.  Neither Mhyl nor Thanrie had dodged that attack, Yhse had just.. missed.  Against worse odds, Lwyn had always landed perfect shots, taking out her enemy in that moment with a strike to anything vital.  Lwyn''s accuracy was all too perfect, and yet this was a lack of precision she hadn''t seen since they had last left her trying to wield a longbow.


    "She''s.. crying?"  Mhyl was quietly reflecting on what happened as she tried to heal Thanrie despite her own injuries.  Qheria hadn''t noticed, not being as good at picking out Lwyn''s feelings as Mhyl had became.  Yhse lashed out with a series of shots, which Qheria blocked with her shield, the meaning behind those shots being much more devoid of her previous tact.  "I don''t know, I just get the feeling that she.. just didn''t want to hit."  Thanrie stood up and stepped towards Qheria, feeling healed enough for now.  Mhyl took some opportunity to start healing herself as well, so that she was not left behind.


    Qheria considered the situation, grasping her pendant.  Of course, even while fighting Yhse, it was not like Lwyn was lost to them.  Lwyn was still there, fighting with them.  Yhse had staggered reflecting on Qheria''s weakness, revisiting memories of when Qheria had all too much sacrificed herself to help a friend in dire circumstances.  That friend had been Lwyn herself, saved from a life-threatening danger that held considerable meaning for Lwyn.  Lwyn''s conviction was strong, and instilling on those memories only lent her more strength.  Qheria felt like cheering, a new plan coming forwards in her mind.  All they needed was to present a powerful, vivid memory to Yhse, something which would overpower herself with strong memories of her own self conviction.


    Qheria contemplated all the things they had done together, trying to figure out the one thing with the strongest feelings.  The near loss of her friends were all powerful memories, even the pendant they wore still powerful signs, but through everything they had done, it might not be the most powerful thing.  Yhse was so totally entranced into her father''s cause, the most powerful memory would be one to remind her exactly why he had to be stopped.  She quickly developed a plan, knowing only one way this could be accomplished with what they had available.  Even with that, she would have to leave for a time, but she wouldn''t need to travel far.


    "Thanrie, Mhyl, I''ll be right back.  Keep Lwyn here occupied, I won''t be long."  Qheria slammed her fist against the wall and vanished, warping a distance away.  Neither of them knew what the plan was, but trusted Qheria would figure something out.  Yhse did not like the way this was sounding, she needed to deal with this.  As Yhse dashed up to the exit, Thanrie lashed her way upwards even quicker, slamming her scythe into the wall beside her, a time freeze sphere enveloping the exit.  Yhse tried to shoot Thanrie as she just hung there, but the projectile stopped right as it reached the bubble of the time freeze.  Right, this wasn''t something she could just break through.  Thanrie herself felt proud, for once actually setting up a defense using her rather aggressive gift.  She would just need to wait until Qheria returned.


    Yhse saw only one advantage in this situation.  With Qheria gone and Thanrie occupied, the odds were suddenly far more balanced as it was herself against Mhyl once again.  Mhyl realized that she was once again left to deal with Yhse alone, even being the one with the least capable defense, in a battle where she needed to be as defensive as possible.  Thanrie however had managed, despite all odds, in all of her absolute offense.. to defend.  Mhyl would not back down, she would find her own way.. Lwyn was depending on her.


    A sphere of light enveloped Mhyl, shining upon her.  While within the sphere, the remainder of her injuries started to rapidly fade away.  Yhse prepared another shot and fired at Mhyl, Mhyl not even trying to dodge.  The shot struck her calf, tripping her to fall down to a lower level.  She crashed into that platform, her injuries already fading.  Yhse shot again, the projectile passing straight through Mhyl''s right hand, a searing burst of pain.  Mhyl tried to remain calm, as the injury also healed away.  Mhyl had confidence in Lwyn, knowing they could get through this, she just needed to hold her ground and bear through the pain.  Even with these wounds, the pain was nothing compared to the fear of losing Lwyn.


    Yhse wailed in despair, grief strickening her in a deep anguish.  Why, why could she not kill?  Her opponent wasn''t even trying, was simply enduring the blows.  Yhse threw another projectile, completing failing to connect with Mhyl at all, missing by a long distance.  Her accuracy was only getting worse, as she wiped the tears from her eyes, the pain she herself was suffering being all too unbearable.  Still, she would not give up, she would find a way, something, somehow.. to not let her father down.


    Qheria searched around desperately, knowing it was somewhere around here.  She stubbornly pressed on until she finally found what she was searching for, a fallen aethyrnz, it''s body mostly whole.  She set to work on it''s wreckage, carefully dismantling it''s torso to open up the parts contained inside.  From within, she extracted the unit''s core, itself in perfect condition.  It was a much simpler version to the core left back in the Facility, but there was no time for anything that pristine.  Even so, the whole visual did not paint as complete of a scene as it possibly could.  Qheria turned her blade upon the lenght of her own left arm and slashed it, drawing a considerable amount of blood.  She used that blood to paint a crimson picture over the core she had taken.  Mhyl might be better at art, and Thanrie was a way better actor, but it was reality that Qheria wanted to bring before Lwyn, devoid of as many illusions as possible.  Even if it was not the blood of Lwyn''s mother, she was certain this would present a very vivid memory for Lwyn.


    Trying to hold the core in her left hand, soaking it further in her own dripping blood, Qheria relied upon her right arm to warp her all the way back.  She returned, heavily exhausted due to her serious injury.  Thanrie gave room for her passage, to only then notice the severity of Qheria''s wounds.  Mhyl and Yhse stopped fighting, noticing Qheria''s return as well.  Mhyl gasped in horror at the bloody nightmare walking before her, the terrifying visage of her friend wounded so seriously.  She rushed to help Qheria, who only warped beyond her.  Qheria walked right up to Yhse, who herself was shaking in fear.


    "Don''t forget your own conviction, your own promise to your mother.  You still have a job to do."  Qheria passed Yhse the core, and then collapsed on the floor.  Yhse cradled the core, the tears flowing in full force as a torrential river, her promises to herself coming right back to her.  She had indeed made promises she needed to keep, promises to her mother and her vision, promises to her friends and their unity.. promises to Lwyn, to always share in their struggle.  It was time for her to remain true to her promises.


    Mhyl worked diligently to make sure Qheria was healed.  Thanrie stumbled forwards, her head in a spiral, realizing to what degree Qheria had gone to save Lwyn.  "I''m sorry everyone...  I''m.. very sorry for all of this.  F~~k, I can''t believe what I''ve done."  "F~~k, Lwyn, you''re back!  It''s about F~~~ing time.  Don''t worry about it, we''re just glad you''re back."  "F~~k, is Qheria going to be okay..?  Actually, is everyone else alright too?  I''m..."  Lwyn, herself once again, sniffled though her torment.


    "Okay, would you two stop with that stupid swear, it''s getting on my nerves, and I''m kinda busy right now.  Your swearing sucks, seriously."  "Huh?  But it''s not like..."  "Yes, yes, you two have been doing it forever, and it''s like ''F~~k'' this, ''F~~k'' that, ''F~~~ing things.  Bloody hell, do neither of you have even an ounce of vocabulary?  I was expecting to hear things like B~..."  Mhyl was fuming, having snapped in the tense moment herself of trying to save Qheria.  Thanrie was still slack-jawed, never hearing Mhyl talk like this before.  Worse, instead of complaining that they were swearing, it almost seemed like she was just upset that it was always the same swear, the whole time.. which in reflection that might actually be true.


    Their whole journey had mostly been full of the one awkward swear to keep them going, and even Thanrie herself, the most prized at using such foul phrasing, was finding herself feeling a bit out of place.  Somehow, it was like the one who had the best skill with such language might actually be their language expert, who had refrained from it their entire journey.  It made Thanrie seriously doubt her abilities with such context, which in hindsight might be for the best.  In a way, it was like the one thing she kept doing to try and pretend she was someone of a world she wasn''t part of.  The mixture of memories, the freedom of expression it enabled felt very empowering for her, but she really wasn''t even as skilled at it as the terran self of her memories.  Even Mhyl sounded like she could do the whole thing better, if that was something which interested her.  It was an idea she would have to keep in mind going forwards.


    Meanwhile, Mhyl had stopped her sudden speech due to being interrupted by Qheria.  "I know everyone is stressed right now, but could everyone please even try to remain level-headed.  Yes, we''re back together, and it looks like my plan to save Lwyn has worked, but maybe we''re forgetting something.  Instead of sinking into problems that have been caused, we have to keep moving onward.  There is still more to be done, Khaexyn is still out there after all.  We still don''t even know where he is."  Qheria stood up, her arm wound having closed already in the light of Mhyl''s gift.  She was still feeling the onset of some serious blood loss, but even that was recovering from Mhyl''s gift.  While this occurred, they would need to plan their next move.


    "I.. I do.  Father had told me where he was going, where I had to make sure to protect.  He''s in his main laboratory, in the basement of the Library.  It''s in a hidden doorway, I know how to open it."  Lwyn was realizing that the instructions that were left to Yhse were their key to actually finding her father through all of this mess.  The knowledge provided was almost in betrayal of her own father, feeling like how Yhse''s existence was even helping to pave the way to stopping her father.  All that was left was to make use of this knowledge, and stop him before he completed his goal.  She startled to alert, also recalling that Yhse had been trying to stall for time.  They were racing against the clock here, they didn''t have time to lose.


    "Mhyl, actually, we have to get moving.  I don''t think we have much time left, Yhse.. I was supposed to stall you guys.  Try and see if you can heal things up along the way, I''ll show you guys where we need to go."  Lwyn summoned a mass collection of gravity wells and supplied them to carry along everyone else with her, leading the way with her own gift.  She took mental note that she couldn''t consider herself as two people, Lwyn.. Yhse.. she was both of them after all.  Mhyl attempted to do as instructed, carrying out Qheria''s healing as they proceeded.


    Quickly after, the four of them arrived at the library, with Qheria''s healing finally completed.  After getting the hidden door unlocked, the four of them descended into the hidden laboratory in the levels below.

 78: Celestial Storm

    The four girls descended the short spiral staircase, which opened into the center of a magnificent and huge chamber.  The laboratory was itself huge, larger than the work space provided to Sxeiva, but still much smaller than the storage space they had been fighting in.


    Rather than what the girls would imagine a mad scientist''s laboratory would seem like, their first impressions were that they had entered a clock tower somehow.  Gears spun everywhere with an ongoing click sound at a distinct rhythm and an endless faint hum.  It was somehow still fitting, such an environment would certainly drive even the most stable person insane.  It was all too obvious that this was in fact the core of the entire Fortress, the center of its entire operation.  Lwyn could also tell by this significance, this was the root of her father''s potential, and deep within such a presence he would have the greatest ability to act upon worldly elements.. such as the world''s veil itself.


    A storm cloud had gathered straight ahead, surging into the infrastructure above a great dais of the room.  Centered below it, shimmering amidst the celestial fury, was the fortress lord himself.  Khaexyn turned to them as they approached, himself not caught unaware.  The look of disappointment at least made one thing clear, they had shown up to interrupt his diligent work, which might also mean they weren''t yet too late.  All they needed to do was to figure out how to stop him from completing his work, to whatever means that required.


    "I see you three managed to once again entrance my daughter into your cause.  I will still see to deny you your hatred, I will make sure your corruption ends here.  No more will the taint of the gifted inspire death and despair, I will ensure we have a world without such tragedy."  Khaexyn still managed to speak like he was the good guy in this whole situation, and probably honestly thought that he was.  However, the four girls were not so deluded to believe in the same statement, not completely.  Khaexyn was not himself without faults, and the means and ends to resolve the issue Khaexyn sought and end for were both a vested problem.  Lwyn still took a moment to consider his words, while the others reflected on his own faults.


    "Are you serious?  You think someone like you is going to end tragedy?  Have you seen what sort of things you leave in your own wake?  Even your staff here suffered when blindly bound to your cause, left with some of the worst conditions imaginable.  Living conditions here were a mess, safety was fully neglected, and seriously I''m all too positive you don''t even understand the value of life itself.  Entrance?  You ensnare your own loved ones and force them into your own bidding, even your own wife and child."  "Sxeiva wanted free, but you would never.  She could only suffer.. even past death had to suffer.  You couldn''t even let rest in death, had to force her unwanted shell to work even after.  Steal rest, steal resolve.. steal hopes and steal dreams.  All just steal everything from everyone.. minds, thoughts, ideas, will.  Even from Earth, can''t even think yourself, only steal."  Thanrie and Mhyl were livid, finally getting the chance to express their ongoing fury at the one who inspired it.


    Qheria and Lwyn were taken aback, totally unaware of these details.  Mhyl and Thanrie had not shared the scenes they had found within the Fortress, the broken context such was left to resolve.  Most of all, they had not shared the identity of the assassin who had tried to murder them at the Citadel.  Catching on to the blank looks from Qheria and Lwyn, Thanrie threw one more verbal jab at Khaexyn.  "I don''t even see how you could ever be the one to stop world hatred, you are almost a seed for the stuff.  Instead of letting your wife rest, you refit her mechanical parts into an assassin, and then send her to murder her own daughter.  If we hadn''t been so lucky, your daughter would have died to your own poisons!"  Thanrie snarled the last statement, casting blame to Khaexyn.  Qheria and Lwyn quickly put things together, realizing what this all implied.


    Khaexyn was tempted to call out Thanrie for her lies and deception, but the despair he saw in his daughter quickly lead him to doubt such.  Clearly, he might have overestimated the thoughtfulness of his artificial intelligence, which might have then almost made a terrible mistake.  Still, even being far from perfect, it was still far better than what the living achieved in their day-to-day hatred.  "I might have you to thank for, for returning my daughter to me.  I might even consider making a memorial out of such, for keeping my daughter safe this whole time.  However, this does not erase everything else, you still embody the will of hatred and are still intent on denying the world it''s own salvation.  For that, you will still perish."  At the ending of his statement, electrical surges filled the room by Khaexyn''s gift.  Clearly negotiations weren''t a solution here.


    Qheria set up a barrier to block the current, keeping everyone safe.  Mhyl discharged an explosive blast at Khaexyn''s position while Thanrie unleashed her Scythe in a toss.  Both strikes were deflected by Khaexyn''s own force field, shimmering much like the one covering the Fortress.  Lwyn however was not able to react, suddenly finding herself dizzy.  Why was she so tired all of a sudden, needing a nap.  Lwyn slowly collapsed towards the floor, being caught on her fall by Thanrie.  Mhyl was alarmed, not aware of what would have suddenly cost Lwyn all of her stamina, but Qheria was seeing a repeat of a previous incident.


    "Oh no, don''t let her fall asleep!  Khaexyn is trying to manipulate her again, like a form of hypnosis.  Bound in fate and soul, heart and mind, most likely because of the charm he placed on her fate when she was little."  Qheria reflected on the notes she read before, while adjusting her barrier to impart some added resistance to sleep induction.  A fate controller, reaching the world access layer through a veil-link.  Was Khaexyn really using the same resources he had for attacking the world''s veil to access Lwyn''s own personal fate?  Wait, if he was, then bringing Lwyn here might have been a bad idea, his influence over her would be at its strongest with both of them in this room at this time.


    Thanrie applied her gift to boost Lwyn''s own energy, much like a caffeine boost or an energy drink.  Cluing into what Qheria was implying, there was no way she wanted that to suddenly happen again.  Mhyl herself was alarmed, so it wasn''t just Sxeiva, but Lwyn too, manipulated by the strings of fate to dance at Khaexyn''s whims, almost in the same way.  It was all chains of fate, the same thing that had killed Sxeiva, the same thing now threatening to kill Lwyn.  Thanrie was also putting together exactly how integral the fates they had might have been, the magnitude of good and bad luck over their journey looked to have been set into Lwyn''s personal fate.


    "Wait, how did you actually learn about this?"  "Oh, while hunting around, I found some of Khaexyn''s notes in a surveillance room.  Even got to see a broadcast of the later part of the hypnosis myself.  His penmanship is atrocious, scrawling rough ideas in the most chaotic ways, connecting a World Access Layer to a Veil-Link through a Fate Controller, which itself is also bound to his daughter.. manipulated in fate and soul, heart and mind."  Mhyl pondered the answer Qheria provided, forming most of the same impression Qheria had.  However, what stood out to her was a matter of concept, the whole thing sounded like Lwyn was herself bound to the link to the world.  She considered some of Lwyn''s imparted responsibilities, the stuff presented from both of their mothers as represented by the world''s flow.  Lwyn was interconnected by everything, the center of everything, designed and assigned by her fate.


    Lwyn struggled against the need for sleep, thanks to Thanrie''s donation and Qheria''s support, but still looked a bit exhausted, caught within the fated pressure to fall asleep again.  She had, however, heard the entire explanation.  Khaexyn wanted to control her in her moment of weakness, to drive her into betraying her friends if she would let down her guard for even a moment of rest.  She refused, even the memories she had of her friends being attacked by her inspiring a dark grief, there was no way she would let that happen again.  Her father was tied into this mess, himself working to manipulate her fate, entrapping her just as he had her mother.  Her mother had endured against him all these years, she could at least endure this confrontation.


    Lwyn set a projectile into her weapon and blasted it at her father, a dark energy designed to bleed away energy.  Khaexyn''s barrier however negated the attack with little effect.  Mhyl set to help Lwyn, trying to turn the electrical energy of the storm above Khaexyn against him, but even that had no effect.  "Even if you cling to your false bonds with my daughter, your hopes are futile.  Yhse will awaken again, eventually, but that''s not all.  I know your barrier will not hold against this assault, both in lightning and in fate.  After connecting myself to this fate, the presence of the gift itself weakens in its attempts to reach me.  Soon, you will find the gift has left you, leaving you defenseless before me."  Khaexyn might not have finished his goals, but in truth he wasn''t far from it.  Very soon, the veil would be torn wide, with everything that represents Celese itself unmade.  Even now, buried so deeply in this fate, there was nothing left that could touch him.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Lwyn evaluated her resources, looking for any possible solution for this mess.  Khaexyn was effectively immune to any creations of the gift at this point, a sort of anti-gift vortex.  His shield however seemed to be empowered by this same fate, which would block anything ordinary.. and probably technical.  By measure of this fate, there was nothing that could touch him, because everything was bound by world principle.  Nothing could interfere with the fate that it was bound to, to do otherwise would be a paradox.  The fate woven was withdrawn from everything else, contained only within itself.  However, it was the principles of the gift which had caused this state, Khaexyn''s gift had applied to create this measure of fate in the first place.  Knowing how the gift worked, that means that the extent of this fate was determined by the ideas that had originally forged it.


    Lwyn''s eyes went wide, a caffeinated stare supplemented only by a bounty of insight.  Qheria had spoken of some notes regarding the mental construction of this process, connecting her father''s link to the veil as his way to access the world itself.  There was only one other element left in that web of fate, Lwyn herself.  Using that same connection to fate to try and manipulate her thus provided her a connection back, which could itself leave Khaexyn vulnerable.  However, it wasn''t like she was capable of much by herself, especially if her projectiles weren''t included in this web of fate.  How would she do anything, if all she had was herself?


    Lwyn took a deep breath, realizing there might then be one way.  "I''m going to need a hand with this.  Mhyl, can you setup a giant steel magnetic wall on the other side of Khaexyn?  Thanrie, I need you to boost the magnetic effect of my gloves.  Qheria, I''m going to need you to launch me forwards towards my father, just to provide some momentum."  Lwyn instead received looks that she herself might be going crazy.  She didn''t blame them, this whole idea seemed crazy even to her.  One of the earliest lessons they had on the gift was to never do this, Ehryinae had explicitly warned them about using their own self as a focus, but it was the only projectile she had that would work.  Even if she switched her focus to her glove like a flying punch, the context of her gift would fail once faced with the glove''s fate.  But if she was the focus, it would be a collision of her fate, which was integrated into the entire design.  There was no other alternative.


    Reading Lwyn''s determination, Mhyl nodded and focused with her book to create the requested wall.  It successfully rose up in the distance behind Khaexyn, collecting additional magnetic potential from the ongoing storm.  Thanrie sighed, holding up Lwyn''s worn glove so that she could focus on it properly.  Qheria stood there, still stubbornly trying to dissuade this idea as her barrier tried to hold.  However, everyone kept moving forwards regardless.  Qheria was mostly worried what would happen to Lwyn, worried something would go wrong, but Qheria knew there were otherwise out of options.. and it wasn''t like Qheria didn''t trust Lwyn.  Qheria ensured that she was ready to cause a repulsion force with her barrier when the time was right.


    With everything prepared, Lwyn exited the barrier with a light forward leap, landing upon it much like she would any other wall.  Lwyn activated her gloves the moment after Qheria unleashed her barrier, sending Lwyn flying.  Lwyn knew she was the projectile here, and focused upon her very self for this, her entire self as a whole.  Not just her body, but her fate and soul, heart and mind.  All of her that was her was a projectile here, being cast forward in defiance of her father''s endeavours.  His reasons were sound, but the rest was all flawed, she refused to let things go that way.  She smashed fist-first into Khaexyn''s shield, which shattered in an electrostatic burst, the shield itself unable to stand up to the fate influencing it either.  She then collided with the fate protecting her father, cancelling it in equal measure to her own.  Finally, she collided with his stomach, sending him flying into Mhyl''s wall with considerable force.  Even Thanrie cringed at the force generated by this punch, a measure she had never had reason to resort to.


    Khaexyn collapsed to the floor, his strength rapidly leaving him in such a battered and broken state.  To think it would be his own daughter who would deny him in the end like this.  "It''s.. still far too late.  Everything has been set in motion, the veil will unmake itself at this rate, I don''t even need to be part of it.  Once it''s gone, only I can put the new model in place, the world will be left a broken dying void until then.  Once I''ve recovered, I will reclaim my daughter, and we will ensure the world is finally saved."  Khaexyn was still struggling through the pain, but confident in his victory.  There was no other way things could end any differently anymore.


    Lwyn rushed to consider the context of events, watching the storm still surge above violently even without Khaexyn''s control.  She reached out with her gift, looking for anything she could do, but nothing responded to her.  She somehow just knew, the flow of the world was bound by fate, but it wasn''t directly connected to her.  Before her, there was one other person, the person who had bound this fate to the world, and still had the foremost authority over it.  She was linked, but only second in line.  Unless control was passed down to her, the world would not listen.  However, she knew that in his devoted fanaticism for Earth, he would never surrender.  Meanwhile, the clock was still ticking, the clicking sounds of the room almost tracking the passage of time, and Khaexyn was loosing consciousness.


    "Khaexyn, give up!  Earth is nothing as great as you would imagine!  We''ve seen it, in our memories, this will not save our world.  Earth, Celese, they are just their own unique places with their own differences, and should simply remain as such.  There is no solution in making two Earths, we should instead just make a better Celese!"  "Ah, so that''s the secret of your knowledge.  I had been left wondering how my enemies had found such measures of greatness.  That greatness will be imparted upon Celese, just as it has caused improvements upon each of you.  I ask instead for you all to give up, to come to accept change and the bounty it can bring.  Do so, and I don''t even care if you decide to make use of your knowledge to rule over it.  Even if I am cast unto death in my success, I will never yield."  Lwyn was desperately trying to plead hope with her father, but Khaexyn refused to surrender.  If it took his death to end the world''s hatred, sending him into the arms of his fallen love and passed the hopes of the future to his daughter, that wouldn''t be a bad ending at all.


    Lwyn''s mind was spinning at the concluding statement as well, being cast unto death.  The chain of fate was a rule of succession, willingly giving up was only one of the two possible ways for control to be passed down, the second solution requiring death.  Even despite everything he had done, Lwyn still felt a measure of love for her father.  Tears coursed down her face as she pressed her alternatives, her father already accepting death over surrender.  Leaving him to live would instead be at the cost of everything else, everyone else she cared about would then suffer her neglect.  Still, she had only recently lost her mother to this chain of fate, would she have to also lose her father to the same, even after having thought she had lost both when she was very little?  No, in fact, maybe that first loss was the real one, her parents had both been lost to her ever since, broken by their fates.  It just tore her to have this state of loss stretched out so long, compounded upon so much grief.  Worse, she realized that, exactly like her mother, there was only one person who had the responsibility to resolve this death, to close the doors in one terminal moment.


    Lwyn pulled out her crossbow, loading it with a plain metal blade, and struggled through her tears.  Mhyl was the first to realize what Lwyn was planning to do, but again could not find a way to stop the course of events.  Mhyl herself felt pain in understanding the weight of responsibility that Lwyn was being tasked to carry, it would be far too much for her to bear.  All that she could do was to be there to support Lwyn through all of this, it was all any of them could do.  She stopped Qheria and Thanrie when they were about to react, shaking her head.  Lwyn turned to Mhyl, still broken-hearted by her own fate.  Mhyl passed Lwyn her own version of a plastic smile and nodded, despite her own tears.


    Khaexyn''s final moments were quick and painless, with Lwyn not wanting to make it any more painful for anyone than already was.  At the moment of Khaexyn''s death, the storm overhead started to fade, having formally passed control of the world''s fate to another.

 79: Harmonious Resolution

    Even after all that had happened, there was still more that was needed to be done.  Celese was in need of change, and there was now only one person left in a position to instill such measures of change.


    The fighting quickly concluded after the fall of the fortress lord.  With nothing to sustain the operations of the fortress, most of it''s functions just shut down, stopping the flow of enemies.  Those still active were easy to finish off, putting an end to the conflict.  Still, despite this, Lwyn still knew there was more to be done.  She had yet to provide a conclusion to the world flow''s destiny going forward, to shape the future of Celese as a whole.  She also still need to figure out how she could locate the world''s veil, so that she could finally apply her mother''s core to it.  She also had plans to hold a funeral tomorrow, honoring her mother and father''s passing in the moment the world was saved.  First, she needed a place to escape to, somewhere she could relax with her friends.


    Lwyn opened the front doors of the Citadel Inn, leading the way for her friends.  It sorta felt like she was revisiting her childhood, which might have been intimidating given the sort of unhappy lifestyle she had been left with at the time.  Still, with everything else she had worked to overcome, she wanted to return to her roots, and relax in a peace that had ever been deprived from her.  The young girl at the front desk jumped alert at the sound of the door, and turned to greet her new customer.  Seeing Lwyn before her, the girl went stark pale.


    "Hello, long time no see.  Looks like nothing has changed, though I guess you''ve had a lot more customers than usual of late.  We''re looking for a place to stay the night, to relax after a long day of work.  I don''t suppose room 718 is available, that might be perfect.  Oh, and please pass the bill up to my account at the Citadel, I trust nothing else will be required beyond that."  Lwyn looked around after getting no reaction from the statue of a girl who was too terrified to breath.  It didn''t matter, she still remembered how stuff worked around here.  She noticed that the key for 718 was still on it''s rack, which was good news for her.


    The innkeeper''s son entered the room, now formally fully the innkeeper after his father''s official retirement.  He had heard some kind of commotion at the front, and went to investigate.  There, he found Lwyn, still waiting for her key.  The young innkeeper also went pale on recognizing the Arch-Magus'' heir, the same woman who they had on staff as an adopted member of the family, the same woman they had mistreated all of those years.  He noticed his little sister had also frozen in this situation, so rushed in to clean this mess up.


    "Ah, greetings Lady Lwyn.  We welcome you to our humble establishment.  Is there..."  "718, the key right there.  Thank you, it seems the young girl has had a long day, possibly with all the commotion going on around here.  I won''t need directions, I still remember the layout of everything around here.  We will just head to our room and make ourselves at home."  The young innkeeper passed Lwyn the key with a nod, letting Lwyn pass into the halls beyond.  Once they were passed, he started shouting instructions to staff while berating his sister for her neglect.  Lwyn shrugged, it really seemed like nothing had changed in her absence.


    As they were all getting settled into room 718, a maid rushed into their room, still shaking in fear.  "Hello, I will be attending to you this evening, making sure everything is in order.  Dinner hours have ended, but I''m certain that such esteemed guests could have an exception made for them.  Is there anything you would want provided for you?"  The maid''s lines sounded scripted enough that Lwyn knew she was told to recite them.  None of this was lost to Lwyn, she could still remember being in the girl''s shoes.  They were all very hungry, so the offer was not one they would care to dismiss.  The girl returned shortly after with food, clearly exhausted by what was being asked of her.


    "Ah, thank you for the food.  Please, sit down with us, take some time to relax.  It would be nice to hear how things have been going while we''ve been so busy."  "I would, but I uh..."  "Seriously, just tell him that room 718 has made a special request, he''ll understand, especially considering the details.  Oh, and feel free to enjoy some of the food yourself.  I happen to know what the conditions are like around here, if you''re the one they have picked to do rough jobs, you deserve the extra care.  I was doing the same thing, not all that long ago, I know how it is.  Back then, I had a customer offer to share her food, and it gave me the strength to keep going, so I just want to return the same thing in kind."  Lwyn smiled gently to the maid in her gesture of kindness, Mhyl herself remembering the story Lwyn was talking about.  It had been Mhyl who had made that gesture all that time ago, eager to help and support Lwyn against her despair.  It seemed Lwyn was inclined to pay such a gesture forward.


    Though some casual conversation, they learned that most people were generally worried about where things would go from here.  The Qicir and Wyxir war was pretty much cancelled, and suddenly there was a new nation to worry about.  Also, elves, lots of them, something most humans never have found themselves having to worry about before, even if they might have been neighbours all these years.  Change was already happening, people just needed to figure out where it might take them.  But was this really enough to pave the way for a better future?


    After dinner concluded and their attendant departed, the four settled down for the night.  Being so worn out from the day, everyone was eager to get some sleep.. everyone except for the one who was probably the most tired.  Lwyn laid in bed, still subtly worried what might happen if she fell asleep.  Would she lose control of herself again, or was she safe due to the death of her father?  Lwyn held on deep into the night as a storm begun to gather, a downpour of hail without lightning.  As the rocks started to break the silence of the night, Lwyn lost the energy to remain awake, with sleep quickly overtaking her, and in her sleep she found herself dreaming as she had before.


    Lwyn bolted out of bed, still thinking herself trying to stay awake.  Was she fine?  The room however was still and silent.  She recalled it was hailing just a moment ago, so went to look outside.  Outside she saw the falling hail, frozen in the air as if lost in a moment of time.  She tried to open the window, but it was invincible.  She went to the door, but it was also frozen.  Something about this was familiar.  Without even turning around, she took a deep breath with her eyes closed, feeling somehow aware what was going on.


    "Yhse, are you there?"  "Of course, we did promise to stay together, after all.  There is no way I would miss out on this...  I mean, this is our.. my responsibility."  Lwyn nodded, still not turning to face the Yhse in her dreams.  They did promise, and this was her responsibility.  Even more accurate was not referring to the accumulation of Yhse and Lwyn in plural, she was one person.  Knowing that though did make this whole confrontation a bit stranger.  Lwyn finally then did turn around to face Yhse, seeing her much like herself, but wearing that night-gown once again from the Fortress.  This was almost a complete reversal of the previous dream she had just like it.


    "So why am I split in two again?  Pretty sure we worked this out in a dream I had before."  "Mostly.  I mean, at this point I''m still getting a lot of blame as Yhse for everything that happened to your friends.. and I mean your friends, even they seem to not want to be Yhse''s friend.  It''s fine, all things considered...  Right, back to the point.  You know that you are both Lwyn and Yhse, maybe, but I''m a bit different in this case.  I mean.. uh.. how do I explain this?"  "Ah, the flow of the world can''t speak to me, so you''re speaking for it.  Because the flow can speak through dreams, as I remember."  "Yes!  Exactly!  That was it.  I should have trusted that I would understand."  Lwyn might have caught on, but she was still finding it weird to talk to Yhse like this.


    "So, what do we do..?  ..and yes, I mean all of us.  Everyone, really.  All the changes so far.. I know so many things are already going to change, but..."  ".. but it''s not enough, yeah.  Father actually did manage to do a lot of damage in his hard work, if things are left like they are.. things will actually get worse.  I''m going to need to come up with an answer for all this, to find a way things could get better.  Something integral to the world has to be.. remade.. before anything can start moving forwards."  Lwyn nodded, even if Yhse didn''t answer her question.  There probably wasn''t much value in vocalizing her questions, not only because she was thus basically asking herself.. but also because as an agent of the world''s flow, Yhse was not in a position to provide the answer herself.  Lwyn would basically have to tell Yhse.. to tell herself her answer, and the world would listen.Stolen novel; please report.


    Her father''s cause was fueled to spite hatred, and also in spite of hatred.  He might have thus also been consumed by such spite, but only because he had the wrong solution for the right problem.  She pondered the details of that hatred once more, with people left to struggle in their solitude.  They were bringing people together, but that might not end such struggling, such was actually in turn why everyone was afraid.  Everything was too different, everyone was afraid.  The four of them were probably the scariest of everyone, four beings of insurmountable power that no one could even dream of standing up to.  She could even remember thinking of herself so lowly, and in that moment wondered at how fair it was that things had just changed.


    She had gotten here only because she was fated to be here.  Sure, it wasn''t even a gentle journey, it was full of hardships that she had to climb along the way, but it would have been absolutely impossible for anyone else to do it because none of them were fated to do so.  It was a bridled chain of destiny, binding her to it, and binding everyone else from it.  She meanwhile had other friends who had struggled through with her, tried their hardest to contribute, and were left hard-pressed to keep up.  They just weren''t gifted, and it was impossible to defy such limits, even with the hardest of effort.  Frankly, that was probably unfair.


    Actually, that might be the entirety of it.  The world blessed a chosen few with the gift, which blossomed those select people into a form of greatness of its own design, leaving everyone else to suffer.  She had experienced life without the gift, and then life with the gift, she could see the measures on both sides.  Earth didn''t have the gift, instead it''s resources were equally available to everyone, had they just put the effort to attain it.  That root of model might be the best example to take, to not be so biased with the gift, to make the full extent available to everyone, but to challenge every single person to devote themselves to their gift in order to master it.


    It should not be easy to achieve this mastery, not even as easy as it was for them, taking a life-long process of learning.  In fact, they could even reuse other contexts, she had a book that passed on a touch of the world''s flow, why couldn''t records of study provide ways to accelerate the advancement of others?  This way, the world would be able to advance, grow, and evolve it''s own kind of science towards the future, much like Earth''s technology.  Actually, having instruments of the gift, like the cannon they had made for Ehryinae''s gift, that could provide ways for people to share their gift, to grow as a community, and to build a growing form of unity.


    "Everyone needs to have the gift, that''s the only way.  Hatred will always stir when people are forced beneath others, and never allowed to grow.  The way things are, there is no room for anything to improve.  Only by letting everyone in equal share their gift with others is there any hope for all of Celese to go forward."  "Ah, yeah, I understand.  The whole.. uh.. artifact idea sounds pretty good, letting people make instruments of the gift, can totally see Thanrie getting into that.  I wonder if Mhyl will devote herself to making tomes of the gift and fill her mother''s library with them.  Qheria.. she would..."  "Qheria obviously would be the most keen on making sure people shared everything properly.  You could totally see her taking her Shieldbearer background into a sort of gift-based law enforcement.  Meanwhile, I''m pretty sure what would be required of me in the process.  The citadel has always trained people who had the gift, making sure that people understood how to use it properly.  Clearly that won''t end, instead even more people would need such training, everything would have to be expanded upon to account for a world full of the gift.  As the Arch-Magus, I''ll need to lead such lessons into the future."  Lwyn full-well understood exactly how much responsibility she was putting on her own shoulders, but making such a decision for the entire world would only mean she would have to be responsible to bear it into its future.  Her grandfather had laid the foundations, she would see it into its future.


    Yhse nodded her approval, accepting the whole proposal not only for herself, but for the world''s flow as well.  In that instant, the laws of the gift were inexplicably changed, with the seeds of the gift sown in every living person, both human and elven.  The seeds were each small, but with the potential of immeasurable growth.  Every individual could unlock their potential, but they would first need to reach out for it, their gift remaining potentially dormant otherwise.  Those without the ambition, the hopes and dreams for a better future, would find themselves leashed by the limits they only imposed upon themselves.  This would not lead to any dramatic forms of change, it would be a slow ongoing progress lasting not just years, but generations.  This was only the foundation for a new Celesi future, one where everyone would need to work together to prosper from.


    With that, in her own dream, Lwyn started to feel tired.  She considered it a strange feeling, how does one sleep in a dream?  Regardless, she went back to her bed, Yhse already gone when she turned around.  She settled onto the bed, with sleep quickly taking her this time.  When she awoke, it was still dark, and the hail was still roaring, but she felt like she had already at least gotten a lot of sleep.  She knew then that a lot of time had passed, and morning would quickly approach.  She would then have to share her final decision with the others, and start on their futures.


    Today would be the funeral, and then they would probably have to each go their own ways.  The citadel would need a lot of changes if it was going to accommodate the new Celese, it would need to provide learning for people everywhere, not only of all three human nations, but even for elves.  Unlike her father, she knew this would not be resolved simply by expecting the elves to learn Izhaethyx, she would ensure there was opportunities to learn in Elaethyx as well, exactly as Ehryinae had long ago predicted.  Just as she was both elven and human, so too did she expect the citadel to welcome both elves and humans in equal measure.  She would need to figure what else would be needed of the citadel, how else the citadel would need to adjust to what changes would come.  She would also need to start research on the veil, to finally fulfill her last promise to her mother.


    Meanwhile, she knew the others would be busy too.  Thanrie wanted to be part of the establishment of a new nation.  They didn''t even have a capital yet, although the spot at the lakeside now vacated by the Fortress might prove to be the best place to build upon.  It would make for an excellent city, but only with a lot of time and effort.  With the Fortress''s fall, it was time for the new crown to unify that nation and build a foundation for its own future prosperity.  It would be a lot of work, but Thanrie was probably going to be alright.  She wasn''t alone, not only due to being set for marriage at some day not far over the horizon, but because she still had friends who she could count on.  Lwyn knew at least that she would make sure the Citadel would try to support Hyxir as best it could.


    She doubted she would be alone in this, with Qheria set on her own heroic path.  Somehow, Lwyn doubted Qheria would be just returning to the shieldbearers, Qheria''s interest would aspire about as far as her influence.  It wasn''t hard to see the extent of her possible ambition, working to encourage further unity between both Qicir and Wyxir.. and probably including Hyxir, especially once you involve Rhyde.  Compounded with her own estimates on how Qheria would react to the changes of the gift, you could totally see her all over the place getting work done, helping out everyone in the process and leading everyone of all nations into the future.


    Well, maybe not all of them, considering Qheria couldn''t speak Elaethyx.  Mhyl however was the prime candidate for connecting the elven and human nations in unity, considering how motivated she would be to that cause.  The biggest barrier to everything would still be caused by languages.  Mhyl still could not read Izhaethyx at all, let alone write it, and her spoken quality of Izhaethyx still had a lot of room for improvement.  Lwyn herself would have to do her own research, as the Arch-Magus she would need to actually be capable of reading and writing Elaethyx, something she still had no ability with.  She could totally see Qheria being left to endure her own Elaethyx lessons too as a result, and maybe even Thanrie would end up joining them as a form of royal study.


    In matters of language, they had to consider the future of other languages, the ones they gained from Earth.  English had been their personal staple though their adventure, but it might be time to consider sharing some of their knowledge, making records of things such as the other languages they know, so that such information would not be lost.  This might not include simply the languages they know, there was some merit in passing on other forms of knowledge, especially considering how the gift will grow to depend on both written records and with tools created and shared in its purpose.  The four of them have been left with a lot of knowledge, all things considered, and it might not be good to let all of it suddenly go to waste.


    Pondering such thoughts, sleep took its hold over Lwyn once more, leaving her to complete her slumber until morning would arrive.  As all four of them awoke once again, sunlight split the dawn of a brand new day.

 80: Vitae Memorandum

    Dear Readers,


    Thank you for reading our tale to the very end.  As the new arch-magus, I felt like it was my responsibility to keep a record of everything we had gone through to bring our world forward into the future.  I actually have other copies of these tales, but I made sure to have one written in English too, along with this letter.  It''s been a lot of work, but I''ve finally figured out how to close the veil for good.  The plan was, on the day of our twentieth birthday, we would meet up together to finally deal with the veil.  That''s only in a couple of days too, so I don''t have much time.


    My plan is to compile these stories and give it back to the world that had helped ours to grow, the same world we got our memories from, and hopefully our stories will make it to the same internet that my father had taken all of his information from.  We still have no idea what happened to the lives we felt from your world, if they had kept going on their own after our memory had ended, or if they had died in that moment and had been thus as ourselves reborn, but whichever the case thank you.. everyone who had been a part of those memories.. whoever you may be.  It was by your strength that we have made it this far, and by that strength that we can have our world keep moving forwards.


    The four of us had been working hard on these records for a while now, I actually lost track how long ago it was.  Mhyl has commented that the whole thing overall seems to feel like a Vitae, a resume in collection of all of our memories.. and yet also a Memorandum, a note and record of the duality of our lives.  I don''t actually think it was.. formal enough for something like that, but I know this record is important.  Once the veil here is sealed, the connection with Earth will be gone, and Celese will be left to continue on its own.


    These last couple of years have been going well as is, so I''m certain the future will be at least equally as bright.  The citadel keeps taking in new students all the time, people seeking to learn how to use their newly found gift, and the whole thing has grown into a really formal institution.  Grandfather passed away last year, leaving me to run the place.  I''m not exactly lonely either, not long after Thanrie was married on our eighteenth birthday, I actually got married to Yuxzn.  Yuxzn has also shown such devotion, being immeasurable help in coordinating things at the citadel and making sure things keep moving forward.


    I haven''t told the others yet, but the family might not end there, with another member of the family expected in about half a year''s time.  It will be even more responsibility, but I have the highest hopes for a promising future.  Such a child will have a lot of things to carry on into their future, but I plan to make sure I can pass off such a legacy while proud of its progress.  They might be left to continue the legacy of the arch-magus.. even to maybe inherit mother''s book, if the High-Seer doesn''t demand it back one day.. but I''m sure any such child will be fully capable to do what they must.  I even know to be proud of whatever they achieve, to share the extent of their entire legacy, because to withhold it would only do to serve the same injustice all four of us suffered.


    I know though that such a child will also be a half-elf, one of very balanced blood in fact.  They will have senses better than my own, a focus that surpasses my own, but never as much stamina.  However, that will be the beginning and the end of the matter, I will ensure that my child is left to grow in a world of acceptance for who they are, who does not fear elf, human, or half-elf.  Already, between the work Mhyl and I have done in this time, I''m pretty certain we''ll be paving the way for far less fear in the future.  It might never be none, and the fact that bringing elves and humans together has only increased the fear of casualties in birth of a half elf...  Still, it''s already improved dramatically, a future of acceptance is right around the corner.


    Even considering my own wedding, Qheria and Mhyl didn''t stay long in the dusts either actually.  Mhyl was in fact next after myself, herself getting married to Chyurae.  Qheria''s wedding got delayed because she was helping with the construction of the Hyxiri capital, but soon after that she married Rhyde.  That''s not even the whole of how much has changed, Hyxir is on the rise as being known as the center of gift instrumentation, and that''s totally been Thanrie''s fault.  Zyuixqs'' father in the end actually didn''t himself take the crown, he instantly passed it down to his son, making Thanrie now a queen.  Banditry in Hyxir declined dramatically after that, for reasons I could only guess, and many factions of the rebellion simply disbanded.  Even the Marauders had simply broken apart, having lost all sense of purpose.  Thanrie''s coronation then after was itself just over a year ago, not long after Qheria''s wedding.  It really was a lot, feeling like everything was just happening almost at once, especially since grandfather died soon after the coronation.


    The Crystalline Blossoms have become something of a legend too, one that will probably pass down through generations.  We actually held a concert for our nineteenth birthday, like the musical sessions we had before.. but this time with some serious special effects because of our gift.  Mhyl even got to perform on a piano as she handled stage lighting and vocals while Thanrie provided us with some amps and microphones.  It seriously felt like we were using real electrical instruments there, ones of Celesi design.  Qheria was using her barrier to deflect sound, so that everything sounded awesome, leaving me with throwing around smokes and sparks and such to dazzle the audience.  Thinking about it, the only problem was.. that was the same day grandfather died...  Mhyl really thinks we''re cursed in that area or something.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Footsphere at least has became an international hit, being played in tournaments everywhere.  The Crystalline Blossoms haven''t had time to compete though, we''ve all been busy with our own lives.  It''s still probably for the best, we don''t need more of a reputation than we already have.  Someone else can take up the mantle of being a champion, we''ve had enough of it for a whole lifetime.. even more than one lifetime if fate throws us for another loop.  Arch-Magus, Queen, Hero, Saviour.. all four of us have plenty to worry about as is.


    This record has kept me pretty busy in its writing, going to the others constantly to get input from them as I kept going.  Even with it''s ending, there will be a lot else to worry about.  Mhyl has herself already produced several books, volumes covering so much of Earth''s knowledge, that I''m starting to feel like I''ve fallen behind.  Her first focus was on languages, including books on learning both Celesi languages.  She herself can write fluently in both, let alone speak both.  I''ve managed to at least learn to write Elaethyx, which was important for elven records of our journey.  Qheria has actually learned to speak a bit of Elaethyx, with Thanrie having fewer opportunities for lessons but still doing her best to keep up.  One day, they might actually take up the written work too, while I''ll check to see what other languages Mhyl has records of, and maybe learn something new for myself.


    Qheria herself was also going places, starting a company that picked up the mantle of the Crystalline Blossoms that was established on the principle of what could only be called gift commerce.  This had her visiting all of them frequently, getting the latest in course development at the citadel for gift studies, while collecting information on the latest of innovation in gift instrumentation and records of any newly finished gift tomes.  The citadel itself has started counting on her company to provide us with information on any potential students, and even several of the citadel''s students come by recommendation of her company.  Meanwhile, the market treats her company as a life link to tools and books of the gift, as well as for any gift-related services.  None of us really expected this from her, we seriously thought she would do something a lot more like the Shieldbearer stuff she had done in the past, but sometimes people surprise you.


    Thanrie herself has been pretty surprising, actually settling into the regal role way better than her past would account for.  Her rugged personality back then feels like a discarded past sometimes, although you can still see it return if ever she loses her temper.  Lately, she''s instead started on making the most interesting garden in Hyxir, an assembly of plants mostly selected for their practical contribution rather than aesthetic appeal.  Oddly, much like herself, she has turned this rugged collection of practical plants into something of refined beauty.  Not even the Elniri has a cultivated garden that could compare anything close to what Thanrie has developed, in far less lush conditions.


    I know all four of us have set aside our old weapons, with the future no longer having a place for conflict.  Sure, we still make use of the old outfits frequently enough, the formal dresses getting stuffy after a while, but even our personal gadgets have been put away.  My glove itself.. I don''t think I even used it after that time I punched my father with it.  Our gift has been something we turn to frequently instead.  Thanrie usually has a coil of rope handy for anything she might need to use it on, but she is always wearing her bracelet too.  Mhyl is back to carrying normal ordinary books full time.. and isn''t using them to kill people anymore either.  Qheria and I always wears a pair of normal gloves, either silk or leather as the situation merits, so that we can do whatever needs to be done.


    I''ve especially learned to not try to use the gift again without using a focus, one reason why I always have gloves handy.  Nobody else beyond the other three girls actually found out, but for several lunar cycles afterwards, I simply wasn''t able to use the gift at all.  It really felt strange, but it awakened the feeling that I know most people had gone their everyday lives with.  It was almost restful.. to feel so normal for a while at the time.  However, instead I had to rely on others to get a lot of the work done, stuff I could no longer do for myself without the gift.  I can still remember Thanrie dashing up the Citadel''s outer wall way faster than I could naturally for my parent''s funeral, putting memorial decorations up in my stead.  Qheria herself was warping around that whole day, being productive, while Mhyl''s levitation was also really handy.  All I could do was provide instructions, never getting to help even once.


    The ruins of the Fortress still remain to this day, as if as a memorial to change.  Most people still don''t know why the world changed so much that day, many believe it was in my father''s death that the world was freed of its original chains and lead down a path of salvation, still without awareness of the choice I was forced to make.  Such would be a hard realization, that''s why I''ve ensured there was at least records about what had happened.  We will all grown after everything that happened, and we will find a way to make the future a better place as a result.


    As for my predictions of the future.. I really have no idea what that might hold.  I''m not even sure the world''s flow is certain about it''s new future, not with all of these changes.  With everyone having access to the gift, there are far too many unpredictable variables, there is no longer any guiding factor that governs and controls anyone''s fate.  The future is only what people make of it.  All that I know of for the future is the fulfillment of my mother''s final wish.  I will be putting together this report and making sure it''s ready for the big day.  We will be making a huge ceremony out of the whole process, but it will only be the four of us, giving thanks to the gift given to us from another world.  I''ll be sending all of this work through the internet, then sealing it with mother''s core.. and then that will be that.  Nothing left to do from there but to keep going forward, doing my best to strive for a better future.


    Lwynitsse (Yhseliahysse) Duxaeyhlit