Xaphon Zessen brings urgent news

[suib0m]

The news spreads quickly...

Suibom listens the increasing murmur of the background as he walks through Yrkanis. The people don't know what to make of the news that has filtered down from the land of the desert. A call to all homins means that this is not likely to be part of the religious wars that have been pushing back and forth since he arrived in Yrkanis. However, this is a declaration of a government official and they cannot be trusted, not by Sui anyway. It would be good to see all homins working together again, but what is the underlying motivation for a call to all, without the selective picking of loyal guilds?

A thought rises above the distrust, rearing itself up above the feeling that the government sects are trying to play puppetmaster again, rearing itself high as a silhouette covered in a shell of death's armor. A silhouette that haunts the nightmares of all homins. A silhouette that utterly destroyed the refugee camp villages that he grew up in...

Kitin

“Well, my good friend,” Sui pats his mektoub mount on the shoulder as they walk through the city streets, “I think it may be time for me to end my seclusion.”

He looks around at the homins as they walk through the city, mostly Matis with clusters of other races here and there, all with an expression of dulled apprehension on their faces. He remembers fighting in camaraderie with previous guilds he was part of, homins of all races banded together to champion a cause.

“It is time to find a guild to call home again.” He changes course and begins making his way to a Matis friend he knew could help him remember his combat skills. “I'm not sure what this threat is, but if it is what I fear, we will all need to work together.”

Sui's gaze trails off to the sky. “The war between the armies of Jena and Ma-Duk will no doubt tear us all apart again, eventually...”

Resoluteness hardens his face as he looks back down to the path in front of him, “But for now.. for now I hope we can work together.”

to be continued...

[suib0m]

Generally speaking...

Suibom entered the gates of Pyr somewhat hesitant. He had been here before but that was long ago and in the company of guildmates that knew these lands and these people. As a child he was taught that the Fyros were foolish and barbaric, often leading to destruction of some sort or another when they gathered together. He had known some Fyros, and knew this was not entirely true, but it is never easy to fully shed the preconceptions pushed onto a person by the elders they grew up respecting and trusting.

The city gates did not help him shake off his prejudices. Columns of ethereal fire rose from the ground, controlled by Fyrosian magic, protecting the city entrances. In a display of the Fyros mastery over fire, homin could pass these pillars of flame without being consumed. A Tryker elder once told him the story of this city, told of the Fyros emerging from their exodus and laying claim to the desert lands. While exploring, they came upon a natural pyre at the base of a massive, hollow tendril skeleton. They held the place in such reverence that they cremated their embalmed leader, Cerakos II, on the natural pyre so that his vessel could be burned away and his soul released. The Fyros people then began to lay the foundation of their city within the immense bark skeleton.

As he walked through the city gates and began to search for the Agora stage, the location where General Decalion requested all homin meet, a familiar feeling began to wash over him. The sky continually blinked in and out of existence behind city walls and roofs. The massive Imperial tower and the tendril shell that loomed high over the city devoured most of the sky. This place was very different than the forests that he called home. Throngs of Fyros flowed through the enclosed city streets like a chaotic river. Ebbs and eddies of homin were interacting with each other, causing the main flow to shift wildly to and fro as it coursed along the streets, making his head start to spin. He felt like the city was collapsing in on itself, ready to crush him at any moment.

After what felt like hours of wandering through the claustrophobic city streets, he managed to spill out onto a wide open area, nearly stumbling into a group of Fyros soldiers in the process. He stepped aside and took a moment to look around, catch his breath and clear his head, thankful for the distance between walls. He recognized this place as the Imperial Hall Square, with the massive fire pit at one end of the square. The Agora stage was near. The din of voices and rustling from the gathering could be faintly heard even from this distance. He started to push his way through the thick crowds again, forcing himself closer to the stage.

The winding pathways finally opened up into another large area. Before him towered the renowned Agora stage. Agora's massive, curved backdrop rose majestically into the air, amplifying every sounds from the stage – which was currently empty. Decalion and his men had not yet made their appearance - a fact that was emphasized by the increasingly stirring crowd. Most of the homin were huddled into their own groups, either by guild or by race. An occasional fight broke out in the intermingling crowd, but each scuffle was quickly quelled in respect for the magnitude of this gathering. It had been many moons since all homin had been gathered into one place, and it was never a good sign.

A spike in the volume of the crowd began to ripple outwards from the direction of one of Agora entrances. Sui tried to make his way through the crowd to an area where he could see the stage, and hopefully a familiar face or two. He still felt disheveled from his journey through the streets and was beginning to feel agitated by amount of homin in this area that, once so wide open, seemed to be closing in again. He could briefly make out the figure of Decalion walking towards the stage through the bobbing heads and bodies of other homin clamoring for a view. Decalion was accompanied by other Fyrosians, some were obviously military and some not.

“What on Atys is goin on out there, I caint see no blody thing.” The high pitched voice of a Tryker rose above the chatter.

“Decalion is taking the stage”, said the softer voice of a responding Zorai, stooping down so the Tryker could hear him. “He is accompanied by the Fyros scientist, Daeronn.”

“Bloody inconsiderate..” The Tryker shouted out loudly at the bodies in front of him, hopping up and down, trying to get a look over their shoulders. They didn't seem to notice, fixed intently on Decalion and the others.

Sui made his way past the grumpy Tryker, walking towards the side of the stage where he could make out an empty area. From his new vantage point he had a clear view of the stage and the group of Fyros walking towards it. The one that he believed to be Daeronn stepped to the front of the stage, followed by Decalion.

“Greetings! Greetings all!” Daeronn shouted across the exuberant crowd, trying to get their attention. The crowd erupted with roar of return greetings. The sound was deafening.

“Thank you all for coming today. It's a pleasure to see so many of you here. Fyros, Matis, Tryker and Zorai!” Daeronn continued.

“Why do the Fyros call out to all homins? What is this news?” Sui shouted back over the boisterous crowd, the levels of his agitation rising. His voice was drowned out against so many others.

“Homins! Please, quiet yourselves and be seated.” Decalion shouted out. He waited for a brief moment before continuing. The volume of the crowd slowly diminished.

“It is nice to see Xap managed to gather so many homins brave enough...” Decalion scanned the crowd, seeming to look into the eyes of every homin present.

“Brave enough for what?” Sui heard a hushed voice whispered between a group of homin somewhere behind him. He looked at his surroundings as the crowd began to seat themselves. He saw Meagon and some of the other Aedan Artisans nearby and caught glimpse of Rahia and Ripset further into the core of the crowd. He was glad to see familiar faces and began to feel more at ease.

“Indeed, it is reassuring to see all of you.” Daeronn stated. He was able to speak at a more comfortable level now that the crowd volume had dropped to an undertoned murmur. “I walked past the boards earlier today. I saw his post. I'm sure many of you are confused and possibly even scared at what was written.”

“I guess it doesnt help the Decalion's writing was far too scribbled.” Daeronn added in with a broad smile, glancing at Decalion out of the corner of his eyes.

“Yes, it was confusing.” Meagon's voice floated out into the crowd. Sui heard several grunts of agreement.

“It sure did look dangerous i can tell you. A Soldier is meant to fight, not write!” Decalion scoffed at Daeronn's jab but a disgruntled brow marred his forehead.

Sui noted the conflict between the two Fyrosians and felt a moment of unease about this meeting. “Fyros have not been known to openly foster good faith with my people,” he muttered to no one in particular, thinking about the fluctuating discord between the races.

Daeronn appeared to not notice Decalion's protest. “There is, of course, a more serious reason why we called you here. Other than to discuss handwriting...”

Decalion addressed the crowd again, “Much more serious indeed.”

“Then let us hear it!” someone shout out from a group in the crowd. Several other homin in the group loudly signaled their agreement.

Elsewhere in the crowd, another voice challenged the first, “Quiet, homins, and listen.”

“Recently there has been... movement...” Daeronn hesitated as he spoke, waves of apprehension from the could be heard in response to the hesitation. Sui nodded to himself, this was it, he felt it was coming. “Movement from the Kitin.”

The volume of the crowd spiked again, filled with fear, agitation, anger, and many other emotions all mixed in a tumult of sound. Everyone was well aware of what this meant. Decalion pushed his arms down with palms out to signal for silence again. Daeronn waited for the crowd to calm, then continued speaking.

“At first it we didnt think much of it.” Sui couldn't help but to wonder why Daeronn sounded so calm about this news. “But further investigation has led us to call this gathering.”

“Kitin always seem on the move, but this was different...” Decalion followed. “Down in the roots we found increased activity. And even worse...” Now it was Decalion's turn to hesitate, the stir in the crowed was markedly more pronounced. “We found the largest Kizarak ever encountered.” For once the crowd was stunned to silence. The gravity of this news slammed into many of the veterans. The more green warriors, like Sui, could only take cue from the more seasoned. One homin fell to the ground, fainting at the news. Sui saw that Rahia had rushed to her aid.

“This creature,” Decalion broke the silence, “will no doubt be more dangerous than any us Homins have ever encountered.”

Sui looked around at the crowd. Every homin was captivated by this news. Homin from every race and religion, here because they believed in protecting hominity as a whole. No racial boundaries existed at that moment, no religious hatreds. All the veils of distrust fell away.

“I pledge my ax and sword to all homins, if we are to face Kitin masses again!” Sui shouted out. This was the time to bind together and become one force. Many were declaring similar pledges and others were cheering out their support. One cheering voice was familiar to Sui, he turned to see Inifuss shouting out. He was glad to see Ini, she was a strong leader. The unity was a growing force that could be felt washing across the gathering.

Decalion signaled for silence again. When it came, he continued. “This creature has a name,” he said, “Virhe.”

Daeronn stepped forward. “We have called you all here to help eradicate Virhe from Atys,” he said. He paused for a moment to emphasize his next statement. “But It wont be easy...”

“He hid himself in the most impenetrable of places.” Decalion continued.

“Where can we find Virhe?” someone shouted. The energy of the gathering was picking up again.

Decalion stared into the crowd, face tense and eyes hard. Every homin vibrated with anticipation of his next words.

“Demon's Lap.”

To be continued...

[suib0m]

Demon's Lap

Demon's Lap... Once again the gathered crowd was stunned to silence. Many glanced at each other and then looked around the room, wide eyes and slack jawed, trying to confirm that they were not the only ones shocked by the information. The Demon's Lap was situated deep within Prime Roots in an area referred to as the Forbidden Depths. A Fyros explorer was once quoted to have said that traveling to the Forbidden Depths was akin to sliding down a pole of jagged blades; you tend to move very fast, sometimes you get stuck, and, by the time you've reached your destination, you've been ripped to shreds. Others have claimed that hidden deep within the Demon's Lap is a gateway to hell itself, guarded by the Dragon's children.

“Please, we need every Homins to meet us there,” Daeronn broke the silence. “However, for some of you. this means a journey on foot. We ask of one Homin present to guide the other who need to get there. Will any of you be brave enough to lead?”

“The Zoraï Guardians are at your command Daeronn!” A tall Zorai shouted from the back where he and other Zorai towered over the crowd. Daeronn continued to scan the crowd, seeming not to have heard the Zorai. “Allort!” the name rang out from several other homins in unison. Sui noticed that Ripset was one of the homins calling for Allort to lead.

“Allort?” Daeronn called out. “Will you step forward?”

A figure encased in blood-red armor began to make his way to Daeronn. The crowd parted before him, providing a path to the stage. Daeronn intently watched the figure approach.

“Can we, the less experienced fighters, help on this somehow?” A soft voice from the crowd questioned as they watched Allort pass by.

“Together we can all help!” Sui replied, remembering the strength of groups from battles past.

“I'm going to need my amps, and a pint of firewine,” stated another voice from the crowd, sounding ready for a brawl.

“Are you man enough for the job?” Daeronn said to the figure of Allort as he stepped up to the stage. “Remove you helmet so we can see your face!”

Allort pulled the helmet from his head. At that moment Sui understood why Daeronn passed over the Zorai.

“A truly brave Fyros face,” Daeronn said, looking upon Allort. ”You agree Decalion?”

“Hrmph, a pretty boy,” said one of the Fyros soldiers, holding an aggressive stance on the stage, looking like he needed to prove something to somebody.

“I think he looks brave enough,” said the second Fyros soldier, who had approached the stage with Decalion.

The first soldier seemed to relax his stance a little as he deferred to the second. “He could have what it takes...” he said.

Sui turned away from the stage and looked around at the crowd again. “Here we all are”, he thought to himself, “together and ready to die, if necessary, to protect our people.” He looked at the group of Zorai looming over the crowd, at the Fyros on the stage, at the impulsive Trykers buzzing with energy, at the haughty Matis with their suspicions, and at the guilds converged into their individual pockets of the crowd. “But still we are separated by rifts of history, politics, race, and the gods that guide us.”

Decalion turned and faced the crowd. “Tonight Homins,” he said with determination, “tonight will be a night you earn some extra scars to attest to your bravery.”

The crowd burst into a cheer, loud and raucous and sounding like a river that had breached a dam. Arms and armaments were raised high in support of Decalion and Allort. They cheered in unison, one loud voice of camaraderie and kinship.

The haughty Matis with their suspicions... Sui realized that he was really thinking about himself. He had not grown as much as he had hoped. He began to realize that he didn't trust the Fyros and didn't understand the Zorai. Recently, even his trust of his own people was fading. And the Trykers, well, they were unpredictable. He shook his head and looked at the ground. Let those feelings shed off, it's not the time to let such prejudices continue to take root and grow. He looked back up at the stage, a new perspective guiding him. He raised his hands into the air and cheered loudly with the rest - all together, all as one voice.

Daeronn signaled the crowd for silence and turned his attention back to Allort. “Allort!” he said, his voice carried across the crowd, “I charge you with the task of leading your fellow Homins to Demons Lap!”

“I accept,” Allort returned, “on the condition that some rules are followed...”

“Feel free to state them now,” Daeronn said, nodding his head slightly. Allort, Daeronn, and Decalion huddled together to discuss the terms of their agreement. The volume in the area began to rise again as the excitement grew.

“If it is war we must go, then so be it,” a voice called out from the crowd. “We stand together, steadfast, against any who may oppose us. We WILL succeed in this fight!” The crowd burst out into cheering again in response.

“Silence homins,” one of Decalion's soldiers shouted out. The noise quickly abated.

“They sound most reasonable, Allort,” Daeronn could be heard saying as they all turned to address the crowd again.

“Those people partial to the stinga rum, especialy those who have had a lot tonight, can be at the front,” Allort said to the crowd with a large grin. “All those that like having a laugh come along.” Several members of the crowd, mostly Fyros, broke out in raucous laughter and more cheering at this statement. Fyros had a strange sense of humor and a strange timing for telling jokes, Sui thought to himself. Allort continued, “lets go now from here.”

“Let us go then,” Decalion said. “Dypharius, Centon, Daeronn and me will be close behind Allort.”

The Fyros on the stage made their way to the Agora exit. The crowd of homins began to form their groups and follow along. Each of them mentally preparing for the battles they would soon face.

Allort stopped just before passing the Agora exit. He turned and faced the massing crowd. “There is still time to back out... honestly...” he shouted out so all could hear. “Some of you will not complete this mission without consequence.”

“Otherwise, lets go.” The crowed burst into deafening cheers again as they filed their way out of the Agora stage area, onto the main streets of Pyr, then out into the wilds of the Desert. The hunt was on.

To be continued...

[suib0m]

Passage to the Roots

As the massive group passed through the gates of Pyr, they began to cluster into smaller teams. Allort and Daeronn lead the pack with the Fyros guards close by. The teeming river of homins crashed out onto the Imperial Dunes, snakelike in their formation, undulating past the dunes and dangerous creatures. A mighty, unstoppable force - any one of them would have said so.

Sui stumbled a few times as he ran with the crowd, still unfamiliar with the desert floor. Each step was a little different; sometimes the sand was hard under his feet and other times it shifted freely beneath his weight. He could hear the granules of sand begin to grind between the joints of his armor and he could feel them begin to breach the armor barrier. The sun beat down on him like a massive hammer, crushing his energy with each step. As he pulled off his helm he gained more respect for the Fyrosians who call this unforgiving landscape their home. His hair was matted, his face was drenched in sweat and sand was collecting and caking on his wet Matis skin. This is no place for a forest dweller, he thought.

“You're looking pretty beat, you sure you're up for this?”

Slightly disoriented from the heat and exertion, he looked around for the voice that spoke. No one appeared to be talking to him and he couldn't figure out where the voice had come from. It sounded familiar though.

“We have some room in our team, you game?”

He realized why he couldn't figure out where the voice was. He looked down. Running at his side was Inifuss. As with all Trykers, Inifuss was diminutive in size. He noted, with a bite of envy, that she didn't look affected by the desert sun at all.

“Here,” she handed him an extra water sack. “You'll probably need that later on.”

“Thank you,” He said, slightly winded, as they ran along. “I'm.. not used to the desert.”

Inifuss smiled. “Push through it. You'll get used to it soon enough.” She extended her hand out. Something was in her palm and she was offering it to him. “Here,” she said, “you'll need this as well.”

Sui took the item from her tiny hand. It was a small piece of technology like he'd never seen, but appeared to be of Matis creation.

“Put it in your ear. It's for communication. You tap on it once to turn it off, twice for channel one and three times for channel two,” she said, tapping at her ear in example. “Channel one is for guild communication, which won't work for you. Channel two is for our team. Put it on, have a listen.”

He put the thing in his ear. It seemed to conform to his ear structure and, after a brief strangeness, began to feel comfortable. There was a subtle static from the piece that made him feel like a very small whirlybug was flying just inside his ear opening.

“If rumors are to be believed,” Ini said as they ran along, “one of your scientists somehow got an original piece from the Karavan. He figured out how it worked.” He understood that she meant a Matis scientist. The crowd passed over another towering dune and Ini nodded her head to the south. In the distance he could make out the hovering scanner that was a telltale sign of a Karavan encampment. “He figured out how to make a new one. Soon after, these things were all over the place. They are very common in guilds. It helps us to keep in communication with each other over long distances.”

He tapped the piece as Ini had shown him. The static changed slightly, but it was still a constant hum. He tapped it three times.

“Okay, got the gear. Are they still hanging out at the stage?” The voice came into his head from nowhere. He recognized it as Periwinkle, another Tryker that had helped him in the past.

“Just left Pyr,” Ini said in response. The sound came in from the device louder than she had spoken it. It felt bizarre to hear the disembodied voices floating into his ear, but it was not overwhelmingly distracting. As he caught himself from almost slipping on another soft area of sand, he was glad the distraction wasn't too great.

“Okay, where am I headed?” asked Peri.

“We just passed the Pyr Karavan teleport camp,” Ini responded.

Sui looked over his shoulder at the Karavan encampment again, the hovering disc was constantly beaming a stream of light down on the area. It slowly disappeared from sight as the makeshift army continued to make their way through the desert, heading west then south. He tried to push through the exhaustion as Ini said, but it didn't seem to be working very well.

“First to Outlaw Canyon,” a voice came loud from the head of the mass of homins. It was Allort, describing the path they would be taking. “Then the Scorched Corridor.”

“Come on guys, little help here,” Peri said through the device in his ear. “I'm at Karavan camp. Don't see you.”

“Come south,” replied Ini. “To the road at the end, takes you past bridges.. and into Outlaw Canyon.”

The Karavan encampment was far behind now. They were heading south along the top of a massive cliff face. Below them was the immense fissure that spanned across the Burning Desert, containing the Outlaw Canyon and Scorched Corridor. He had been here before. Like then he was reminded how tiny he, and his role on Atys, truly were. Could even this imposing group of homins make any difference against the kitin hordes? But they were not going after hordes, the goal was to remove a singular threat, right?

Allort, Daeronn, and the Fyros guards lead the homins into large crack in the cliff wall. It formed a natural ramp down into the fractured surface. As they descended into the fissure the walls around them stretched far above their heads, blocking out most of the sky and closing the tight corridor in around them. If there was ever a good place for an ambush, Sui thought as he looked around at the confined space, this was it. The group eventually broke from the soaring walls as the ramp opened to the massive rent in the Burning Desert. The river of homins spilled out into the Outlaw Canyon. Allort and the Fyros guards quickly secured the area with the help of homins on the periphery of the mass.

Other than the Ploderos that trampled the ground nearby, the area was hauntingly deserted. The emptiness added to the size of the place. The Plod's thick, thunderous movements echoed through the canyon, mixing with the disturbing sounds of unseen creatures and a constant howling of wind. The ground was hard and rolling, as though the land had been turned molten and then left to cool. Small thorny brambles reached out, grasping for life from any drops of rain that might reach the canyon floor.

“Ok, pausing here,” Allort said to the crowd. They took the chance to rest and regroup. Many discussed strategies for the battles they would soon encounter and some changed gear to better suit the task at hand. Allort made his way through the pool of homins, checking on the status of the ragtag army.

“Thank you for leading us, Allort.” Sui said as he passed by. The Fyrosian turned his helmeted head and nodded at Sui, then continued on.

“Find us, G and Peri?” Ini said in the undertoned voice that carried through clearly into his ear from the device.

“No, we have aggro and are gonna get killed trying to get to you guys,” said Peri, her increased stress levels changing the pitch in her voice.

“There is no aggro,” Ini said. She looked over her team, then up in the direction of the Karavan encampment, calculating.

“For those of us who don't know the area and are lost, I guess this isn't gonna be working,” Peri said in frustration.

“Will come get ya.. give me a moment,” said Ini, decisively. She seemed to convey her thoughts to her group with subtle body language as she prepared to head back out of the canyon. Somehow, Sui understood that they would be continuing on with Allort while Ini rushed to meet up with Peri and the remainder of the separated group.

“Ok, we're off,” Allort said. The homins were beginning to get restless. Sui was amazed at the cooperation being displayed in a gathering this large by the different races. He hadn't heard a single insult or offhanded remark, as he would have expected by now. The entire group was focused and set on taking on the kitin leader.

“Nasty ploderous, get off me foot,” Centon shouted as one of the massive creatures lumbered through the crowd, knocking many of the homins aside in the process. Others laughed at the process, mostly Trykers and Fyros. It was a welcome release of tension.

“Quit playing with the Plods,” barked another guard. “Let's move.”

The river of homins began to flow again, this time dwarfed by the size of the canyon. They headed west, further into the heart of the fissure. Other creatures started popping into view in the distance; a timari was being hunted by a cuttler, zerx were prowling, a patch of yelk were huddled together near the canyon wall for protection.

“Where are you at, guys?” Sui heard Ini's voice in his ear. By the pattern of her breathing he imagined she was running hard.

“On a bridge,” Peri responded. Her breathing rapid as well, though not from running, it was still tinged with stress.

“Come back towards Pyr,” Ini said, “no bridge.” It became apparent that Peri had gone the wrong direction from the Karavan encampment, crossing over the top of the canyon and into kitin territory.

“Talking helps, a lot please.” Peri's breathing had softened a little.

“Waiting on Pyr side of bridge,” Ini said. “Gotcha..”

Sui was relieved, the separated team members would be on their way to catching up soon. Running with the crowd, he had been so wrapped up in the conversation in his ear that he failed to notice a huge zerx bearing down on the crowd.

“Incoming!” shouted a Zorai. More zerx were behind the first. Sui watched as a giant paw slapped down into the crowd, sending a Fyros male flying. Soon each of the zerx had torn into the mass of homins, razor teeth gnashing and heavy paws crushing. Sui crumpled when a ball of noxious bile spewed at him from one of the creatures. A massive axe ripped through the air above his head as a Zorai female in heavy armor forced the weapon through the thick hide of the beast. Zerx blood poured from the wound but the beast didn't seem to notice, it immediately brought its immense jaws down around her shoulder. Sui could smell ozonated air and heard the crackling of energy as a bolt of electricity flew from the fingers of a Tryker mage. Pulling himself from the ground he felt a surge of energy flow over. A female Matis had begun to heal those in need. When Sui looked around he saw that the homins had descended onto the zerx in full force. Elemental magic flew and weapons pummeled into the zerx while healing waves rained onto the homins. As quickly as it had started, the battle was over. The pack of zerx lay dead on the canyon floor.

“These creatures are barely worth our time,” Decalion's voice rang out over the army, “we're after larger game.” His statement was straightforward, there was no room for digression. They must move on. The river began to flow again.

“Heavy arms,” Allort shouted from the front, “when we have more than one attacker, make sure each has a warrior on it. Do not let the attackers get to the casters. Mages and healers, drop back in battle. We cannot afford any losses. Keep moving, we will rest at the portal.”

“Almost to the group,” Ini's voice came in through the device. Sui could hear the relief in it.

The army began to slow its movement forward. He could make out some of the homins disappearing into the cliff face. “Everyone down into the cave,” Allort called out. Several homins had taken up guard positions in front of the cave entrance, protecting the army's passage. The first leg of the journey had been achieved.

Almost.

“We are down...” Peri's voice came in faintly through the device, “all down over here.” Her voice was weak, they had been attacked.

“Where at, Peri?” Sui tried to use the device to speak to them, a frantic feeling taking hold of him.

“I got three down in team!” Amnesia shouted out, letting Allort and the others know of the situation with the separated group. “Where you guys at?” She said into the device as she took off running back the way they had come. “Location!!” she called to them.

“I'm not sure.” Peri's weak voice was almost a whisper. “Ini isn't responding.”

Sui raced after Amnesia. 'What the hell am I doing?' he thought to himself as he ran after her, 'I don't know this place.. need to get to our teammates though. This is stupid of me, but what choice is there?'

“We seem to be near Varynx Haunt.” Peri's faint voice came through again.

Sui's heart sank. Too far, this place is too dangerous. “I'm on the way with Amnesia,” he said. “She's running ahead. I don't think I can make it that far.”

“Found you.” Sui heard Amnesia through the device. He let his inertia fade and came to a halt on heavy legs. Relief washed away the adrenaline, leaving him shaky. A jarring impact smashed into him from behind, sending him off his feet and flying to the side. Instinctively he rolled into a crouching position. Barely able to keep composed he quickly scanned the area, confused by what just happened. The cuttler was already pouncing. The maw of the beast snapped shut around his arm, thrashing back and forth and almost ripping it from the socket. The force sent him flying again, like a rag doll. This time he wasn't able to find purchase when he landed and he felt his body buckle as it collided with the ground. The cuttler was on top of him before he could react. A searing pain tore through his spine as the cuttler's torso spike ripped through his armor and pierced his side. The beast clamped its jaw around his leg and he felt the cuttler's teeth passing through the armor joint at the knee. His vision glared white as the cuttler shredded the back of his leg, then faded to red as something snapped near his hip and finally tunneled to black as the pain, and everything else, disappeared. Just the blackness.

“Taking a nap?” Sui heard through a haze as feeling began to creep back through his body. “No time for resting.”

Sui's eyes snapped open and he convulsed as breath returned to his lungs. After a small fit of coughing he was able to look around. Ini released a flash of healing energy above him and he welcomed the warmth as it washed over. The group was standing around him and he saw the cuttler dead a few meters away.

“I'm up,” he said, gingerly raising himself off the ground. “Everyone make it?”

“Yes,” said Peri, helping him up.

“Got them, good to go,” Amnesia said as she started heading back to the cave.

The rest of the group followed. “Thanks Amnesia and Sui,” Ini said as they approached the army passing into the cave opening. Sui smiled at Ini, but knew she was being overly generous. He realized that his time isolated in the forest left him unable to cope with situations like this. His encounter with the cuttler cost more than his help.

“Enjoy being fashionably late?” Centon welcomed the tardy homins with Fyrosian sarcasm.

“We must try to keep moving,” said Daeronn, actively ushering everyone into the cave.

“I had to go back and get Gy and Peri,” Ini smirked her response.

“We have another group incoming. They've hit a light hitch, but nothing some constructive fire can't solve,” Allort reported.

“they better hurry,” Decalion said dryly as he looked over the army disappearing into the cave. “A Fyros general is not used to waiting for troops.”

“Then I'm surprised you had any troops left to fight with,” Allort jabbed at Decalion. More Fyrosian humor.

“Back in those days I had a large regiment of trained soldiers.” Decalion shot back in a mostly flat tone.

“I remember those days well, my General,” Centon joined Decalion and Allort's conversation. Sui couldn't really tell if there was tension between the Fyrosians, or if this really was just their humor. He caught glimpse of Amnesia taking a swig of what smelled like stinga rum.

“Amnesia,” said Sui, turning to her with a big smile, “it's times like this that I will beg for a swig from another homin. May I?”

“It's Special Brew Stinga Rum,” she handed him the bottle. “Pass it around.” He took the bottle and downed a hefty pull. The stinging warmth felt very welcome as it rolled down his throat. He passed the bottle on, thankful for Amnesia's kindness, and continued to listen to the Fyros.

“We're a large mess,” Allort said, “I work with what i am given.” He turned away from the guards and made his way into the cave.

“Unfortunately the battle of Pyr cost me many troops,” Decalion stated gravely, watching the homins. He paid no attention to Allort's departure.

Dypharius joined Decalion and Centon. “They were proud and glorious days, General,” he said.

“These homins have no discipline,” spat Centon, looking out over the canyon. “Running around like idiots. No clue where they're going.” Dypharius nodded his agreement. Sui noticed that a group of homins had broken away from the pack and were dangerously exploring the canyon.

“As long as they keep the general goal in mind,” Decalion said, sounding like he had lost interest. “Like Allort said, work with what we got.”

“Yes, sir!” Centon grumbled.

“I wonder if this improvised army is ready for what we found down there...” Decalion said offhandedly as he made his way into the cave. Sui followed the other homins in. They travelled down through a tunnel system that broke out into a large room. Allort stood near the portal.

“Excellent,” Allort said. “Right, everyone into the portal.”

“Let's go, Burning Faces,” Decalion ordered his guards into the portal.

“Exciting, isn't it?” A Tryker said to Sui just before passing through the portal. “You haven't seen nothin yet!”

Sui stepped through.

To be continued....