This Will Be the Day

"This Will Be the Day" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread started on [IRL DATE] and finished on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
[Write a summary of the thread's events here, including spoilers and important plot details. Check the Order of Threads to see if the thread you are placing already has a summary, to make less work for yourself.]
==Full Text==
Things were falling apart around her. Their super weapon was scrambling up the wall for God knows why, two teams of people had been lost underground and she had to send a third, and on top of all of that, their forward momentum had stalled. They needed to get moving.
She reached out to the network to one of the riders. Despite Vox's claim that he had lost the beacon the strength of the web had not been diminished. Now was not the time to consider that though. She ordered the rider to fly above the city and to look down. With that she began to plan. She ordered her troops to circle around to the second gate so that they might pin the forces between them and have a stronger foothold from which to press forward.
Apr 13
The Rebellion's forces were all too happy to move away from the chaos unfolding in the east side of the city. They had already driven High Central down the wall and forced them to retreat to the last wall between the city's suburbs and the towers. It was lower than the thickest outer wall, but higher than the one the Rebellion had taken, and each end of the wall was taking some ballista fire from the guard towers stationed along the city's last line of defense. They bunched up closer to the center, and efforts were made to rescue anyone trapped on the east section of wall that was cut off by the collapsing stone. Healers found the wounded and began to ferry them back towards the southeast end of the outer city, where temporary emergency medical sites were being set up and humans, half-breeds and beyond were all being triaged and treated.
Darien was hovering with the tower team near Lila, taking the moment of pausing and planning to sit on the steps of a house and unroll a few scrolls, double-checking information against the current state of the battlefield. His prosthetic splayed out awkwardly into the gutter. "I'm concerned about the state of the sewers," he said to Lila without looking up. The shadows of the small flameless lamp hanging off his shoulder pack made him look incredibly old and worried. "I know that was one of our initial plans to get to the towers. However, between the Construct firing underground and all of the cracks in the foundation of the city...it's a risk we could take, but I don't know if it outweighs the risk of brute-forcing our way overland."
Apr 13
Lila mulls it over for a few seconds before shaking her head. "It's not a risk I am willing to take again. We've lost most of the teams I've sent down there, I'm not eager to send more unless we have to. For now, let's focus on clearing out this District and securing a foothold before moving further into the city."
Apr 13
"Li--Commander." Now Darien did look up. "I...I really think our group should find a way to the towers as soon as possible. I really believe whatever runs this network, whatever's giving orders, it's up there."
Apr 13
She frowns as she looks at him intently, examining his posture, his mannerisms, his breathing, his pulse. It were as if she were looking through him, into him, searching for any signs of deceptions. Signs he might know more than he should. She began to loom over him intimidatingly. "Darien... Is there something I should know? Something you're not telling me?"
Apr 13
The group had been in place for more than a few minutes as Lila had been directing her troops, and it was a cool night--Darien should not have had a fresh sheen of sweat across his forehead. His desire to enter the towers as quickly as possible had been voiced several times during planning, but his attitude had always been deferential to Lila up until this point. Something was off. He hastily ducked away from her searching gaze, looking between the others in the party.
"I didn't mean anything by it," he said in a rush. "I just want this to be over with..."
Apr 13
Her jaw clenched and she quickly grabbed his wrists and hoisted him up before pinning his hands against the wall. He was old and feeble, but a mage's strength was never of body, but of their mind. He was a master mage in his prime, that kind of knowledge and skill didn't just go away. She knew that most mages required some use of their hands in order to cast most spells therefore his hands were secured for now.
Apr 13
Neither Grey, Brandt, nor Shadow said anything as Lila and Darien discussed their plans. The Chief and her husband looked at each other in confusion as they heard the nervousness in Darien's voice. Grey attempted to say something before Lila turned to look at him with that intimidating look...but Brandt gently stopped her silently telling her to let Lila handle it for the moment. Grey reluctantly relented. She studied the Commander, and she couldn't help but remember the times Lila looked at her with that look...when she did something without consulting with her...when she discharged her from the Rebellion after Ai's interrogation.
The Chief was jolted out of her thoughts when Lila suddenly pinned Darien's hands behind his back and up against a wall. She and Brandt wasted no time in standing beside Lila and readying their swords in case Darien tried anything. It was clear he was hiding something. She and the Commander might have been at odds right now, but they were still family. She would always be there to protect her niece if she needed it...just as Greg would've protected her kids. Shadow growled beside her, and she and Brandt glared at Darien.
"You better start talking, Darien," Grey seethed.
Apr 13
"S-stop!" Darien gasped against the wall, glasses at an awkward angle. "Stop, stop, wait, please--I'm on your side, I swear it on this mission, this war, I swear it--!" A vague mental hum shivered around them, and he choked on his words, eyes wide. "It's not me--!"
Apr 13
"You swear on things that could mean very little to you old man." She growls. "You're hiding something now what is it!" She demands as she slams him up against wall, careful not to break him.
Apr 13
"Answer her, Darien!" Brandt said through clenched teeth.
Grey glared at Darien harder. "And you better stick to the truth...the whole truth," the Chief said with anger dripping in her voice.
Shadow stood beside her sister and her sister's husband growling at the mage as her eyes narrowed into slits.
Apr 13
"I've given you no reason to doubt me," he panted. He was sagging in place, making no attempt to break free of Lila's grip. "If you need to bind me to trust me, do it, but we need to get to the towers, I promise, what's in there is going to help us win--please, I don't want even more half-breeds to die at my hands--"
A slight whisper caught at the edges of the Commander's and the Chief's thoughts, but it was gone before it could form a full sentence.
"...traitor..."
Apr 13
Her grip slackened at his offer. She knew him. She knew his history. It was the history of the dungeon. She had studied it well. He knew the consequences of breaking such a deal. For him to willingly submit to one now... She released him and let out a groan as she put a hand to her brow. "Something... something's in my head." She groaned.
Apr 13
Right as Lila released Darien and groaned...Grey suddenly felt a slight pang in her head as well and groaned hissing in pain.
Brandt and Shadow relaxed and looked at both Grey and Lila utterly confused. Both the Chief's husband and Night Fury felt nothing.
"Grey?" Brandt said placing a hand on his wife's shoulder as Shadow nudged her arm in concern.
"Something's in...in my head, too..." Grey said groaning in pain. "Could it be we're feeling the same thing?"
Lila groans and tries to shut the voice out. "Don't listen to it. Whatever you do do NOT let it in." She insists. She didn't know what this thing was but in her studies she found that unknown forces whispering in your mind typically were not to be trusted. At least not until more information was gathered. Akkey's dealings with Hemlock had taught her that. She looks up at Darien, hoping she won't regret this. "If you truly are on our side and wish to help us, protect us from this."
Apr 13
"Protect you from what!?" Darien was sweating even harder, afraid to make a move in case someone would run him through. "What are you hearing?"
"He knows of what you speak." The voice was still quiet and whispery, but it held a slight amusement. They could tell it was speaking through the same mental network as the rest of their army. "Both of you are far too intelligent to let this man outsmart you. Better to keep him away from his old haunts, wouldn't you say?"
Apr 13
"It's a voice. It's saying... That you can't be trusted." Her eyes snap open and she gasps. "It's in the network." The missing beacon...
Apr 13
"How can that be?" Brandt asked. "Shadow, Darien, and I can't hear anything."
Grey grunted as the pain continued. She was tempted to ask the voice to identify itself, but could it be trusted? "Lila, if it's in the network..." she said opening one of her eyes, "it must be near one of the beacons, but how is it only reaching us?"
Apr 13
"Anyone in the network can reach anyone else in the network. It doesn't have to be a wideband message." She explained as she had many times before.
Apr 13
Darien sat back down heavily, trying to catch his shallow breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't think this would happen...whatever you do, please don't listen, we don't have time--"
"No, please, listen to him instead. You should ask him when he last heard my voice. What his plan is when he gets to the tower."
Apr 14
Grey felt the pain in her head as the voice echoed in her thoughts, but she rubbed her temple wishing she had one of her ice blocks. There was no time though. They needed to get to the bottom of this. She managed to glare at the mage. "Oh, we've got plenty of time," she said. "Start talking. Who is it talking to me and the Commander? What do they want? And what does it have to do with you and whatever you're hiding?"
"Whatever this is, Darien," Brandt said coming up so that he was next to Grey, "you have a chance to make it right. Answer the questions."
Apr 14
Lila holds up a hand and shakes her head. "No, we don't have time for this. That's what... This thing wants. For us to waste time." She says. She reaches out to everyone. "Attention. Our communications have been compromised. Accept and issue no orders through the network until the beacon has been recovered." Turning back to her group she gives Darien a firm, warning look. "You said we should go through the sewers?
Apr 14
"I-I don't know." Darien had whiplash from what was going on right in front of him. His heart was beating a marathon in his chest. "I feel like it may be compromised, but if we could find our way through, it may be faster than waiting for the suburbs and the final gate to be clear."
The voice, while still pleasant, started to press into their minds a little harder with a frigidty like ice itself. "You truly don't understand what he's doing, do you? What he's already done? I doubt you'll want to keep a hold of him when you find out." The rebels that they were in sight of looked around in confusion and alarm--they were now also hearing the voice. They heeded Lila's words, but they were growing nervous.
Apr 14
Brandt and Shadow looked around curiously as the voice now echoed in their heads as well. They then looked at each other and then back at Lila and Grey.
“I think this mystery person started to reach out to the rest of the Rebellion,” Brandt said.
Grey eyed Darien. It was really hard to tell if he was telling truth, but like Lila said, this voice was probably trying to get them to waste time. She listened to the mage as he offered an alternative. Sneaking through the sewers to get to the towers might be a better option, but then again…two teams were already missing down there. Her and Brandt’s children were already down there rescuing them. Was it truly worth the risk? Then again, was it more risky to fight their way through the city?
“I know my opinion probably doesn’t matter, Commander,” she said, “but…” She stopped when she realized something. This voice…whoever it was…somehow had access to the missing beacon, which meant there was a good chance that it was listening in on their conversations based on how it was taunting them about Darien. It could hear them. Then she had an idea. She quickly reached into her saddlebag taking out a notebook and a quill.
“What are you doing, sweetheart?” Brandt asked.
“Trying to avoid someone eavesdropping,” Grey replied. She wrote as fast as she could her idea.
“Just in case this person can hear us…opinion may not matter, but let’s take him with us…and keep him under a close eye. Take advantage of the sewers like he suggested. Give them a false sense of security…trick them into thinking we’ve retreated and that we don’t trust Darien.”
She then grabbed the note showing it to Lila and placing a finger over her lips to remind her to be quiet…just in case.
Apr 14
She nods and gestures for Darien to follow as she heads to the sewers.
Apr 15
He held back, still looking between the three of them and hugging one of the journals close to his chest, shivering slightly. "You nearly killed me," he said weakly, in a way that asked the leaders to refute it, to assure him that it wasn't the case.
Apr 15
She turns and shakes her head. "I did not. If you had tried to fight back I would have." She replies nonchalantly as she turns and heads towards the sewers.
Apr 15
The Chief and her husband looked at him shrugging. “Only if you gave us a reason to,” Grey said simply.
Before they continued on, Brandt simply put a hand on his wife’s shoulder to stop her. She turned to look at him, and he smiled motioning for the notebook. Grey eyed him with confusion as she handed it to him. He wrote down what he needed to say and gave it to her.
“See?” he wrote simply. “Two good ideas in one night. You’ve still got this.”
Grey smiled at him as Shadow nuzzled her cheek. “I guess I do,” she wrote back chuckling. “But the night is still young.
Apr 16
Darien's typical nervous babble was reduced to almost nothing as he guided them to the sewer entrance, eyes fixed forward, mouth in a tight line.
For the rest of the troops, seeding themselves into the once-posh neighborhoods with Central proved to be a slow success, as those wielding firearms could be easily ambushed around corners and down narrow alleys. The breach of the second gate was causing further panic behind enemy lines as the left third of the inner city started to get cut off from everyone else. Many of them were backed up against a gorge that dissected the west slums north to south, and many of them moved north to escape certain defeat. A flock of heavily-armored Stormcutters could be seen scaring the rest of High Central down from where all three of the city's walls met in the northeast--toruses of fire bloomed and dissipated into huge rings of smoke as the huge dragons harried their flanks. Some of the ballistae on the wall rotated to face these dragons, giving the forces attacking from the south a breather from the threat of heavy projectiles.
Apr 16
Grey said nothing as she, Brandt, and Shadow followed Lila and Darien into the sewers. She prayed...prayed that this would work and that they weren't walking into a trap. There wasn't much from that mysterious voice, but it still left a lot of questions for the Chief. However, the Commander was right. There was no time for questions. They needed to move quickly.
As things began to move Jari continued to hop from rooftop to rooftop. Pooka were born in the dark. This night was no different than day to her and the others of the warren. A trait their enemies did not share and she was more than willing to capitalize on that.
Looking across the battlefield she could see that the Central forces were starting to split. And, in a way, so we're the rebellions. They had to divide their focus between two fronts of combat. Working like that would make their line weaker, so she decided to try and solve that issue.
She began to move behind enemy lines with some other pooka engineers she had trained and began setting off explosions, using guerilla hit and run tactics to try and force them towards the center and cut a path for the rebels to box them in and take them out.
Apr 17
Whether out of pressure from an invisible leader, pure stubbornness, stupidity, or a combination of all three, High Central refused to cross the main street. Many began to hole up inside buildings, barricading doors and shooting through windows, waiting to ambush any rebels that wished to uproot them from their entrenched position. Anything to avoid the derelict flagstones leading to the main gate.
The tower team heard this chaos above their heads as they began their journey through the sewers. Cascades of cold water ran through a channel in the center of the low-ceiling passage as they hurried along, catching themselves from slipping on slick patches of moss, breathing heavily through the stale, rank odor. The ex-Triumvirate man who had become their informant continued to be terse, to the point of appearing incredibly distracted.
The sound of rushing waters grew louder, to the point where it was clear there was a waterfall ahead. They reached a point where the narrower sewer line opened up into a junction in the sewers where the four channels ended and poured into a deep circular well in the center nearly a hundred feet across. The stonework of the room had cracked and crumbled in such a way that there was no surefooted way to continue using the raised walkways running alongside the sewer waters; they would have to figure out another way to cross.
"Should be fine," Darien muttered. "Should be fine..."
Apr 17
The Chief scanned the scene in front of them and looked down below. It was so dark she couldn't even see the bottom below, and she looked ahead seeing the walkway was completely destroyed definitely sensing Darien's apprehension. However, she smiled as she turned to her beloved Night Fury, who seemed to be thinking the same thing she was. After years of growing up together and the Midgardsormr trial, Grey and Shadow hardly ever needed to verbally communicate. All they needed was a look, a finger movement, or even a movement of the head to communicate.
Grey and Shadow smiled at each other. It was clear what they could do next.
Brandt quickly caught onto the silent conversation between his wife and her dragon. "You think this is big enough for the wingspan?" he asked.
"No doubt about it," Grey said with a smirk. Lila had been on rides with her, Shadow, her parents, Asha, and their respective dragons, so Grey looked to Darien. "So...Darien...have you ever ridden a dragon before?"
Shadow looked at Darien and crooned happily.
Apr 17
He moved his gaze away from the Chief as she looked at him, avoiding meeting her eyes. "I'll be fine." His answer was stilted.
Apr 17
"Lets get moving then." Lila says. She gets a running start and jumps. As she starts to arc downwards, blue flames erupt from the soles of her feet and the palms of her hands as she starts to fly across.
Apr 17
Grey and Brandt couldn't help but nod feeling very impressed by their niece's skills in her fire magic. Grey couldn't help but think about just how proud Greg and Warren would be of their children, but she shook it off. Now was not the time for nostalgia, and she took a deep breath before turning to Brandt.
"Why don't you take Shadow and fly Darien across?" Grey asked. "That way, Shadow can come back for me, and Darien doesn't have to fly alone."
Brandt smiled and nodded. Despite not having a dragon of his own, Grey managed to teach Brandt during their courtship and the early years of their marriage how to fly Shadow, and it obviously turned out to have come in handy especially if for some reason, Grey wasn't able to fly Shadow. He mounted Shadow and looked to Darien holding out his hand to help him up on Shadow's back.
Apr 18
Darien mutely clasped Brandt's forearm, but didn't yet pull himself up. He looked Brandt in the eye, and their minds interlocked.
Think, please don't speak aloud, Brandt heard in his head. What do those two plan to do with me?
Apr 18
Brandt’s face fell hearing Darien’s thoughts in his head. He looked briefly at his wife, who seemed none the wiser. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to use the network when it was clearly compromised, but it seemed to be quiet for now.
“Absolutely nothing, Darien,” Brandt thought. “I promise, they’re not going to do anything to you. Trust me.”
Grey furrowed her eyebrows together as she watched her husband and Darien seem to pause and look at each other. “Brandt…are you okay?” she asked aloud.
“I’m fine, sweetheart,” Brandt replied smiling at Grey.
“Please…trust us,” he said in his head to Darien. “You’re safe with us.”
Apr 18
Darien owed it to his decades of learning the mind inside and out--he truly, fully believed Brandt. He swallowed, his throat choking up, and his face finally flickered with emotion: a gratified but pained half-smile.
"I know," he said out loud, quietly.
As the delay continued, Grey heard a soft chuckle. "He's got you three right where he wants you, and you don't even realize it. I know exactly how to keep him from destroying all of you where you stand. Are you sure you won't hear me out?"
Apr 18
Grey felt her heart begin to pound as she watched the scene between Darien and Brandt. The voice spoke again causing her to start breathing heavily. She completely conflicted as to what to do…should they be trusting Darien? But…never in her right mind should she trust a disembodied voice. Like Lila said, the voice clearly was trying to get them to waste time…to turn them against each other.
Then again…she watched Darien, and then her eyes widened. He wasn’t getting on Shadow. Something felt very wrong. She looked at Shadow, who looked back at her sharing the same look of concern.
“Ummm…y-you know what, Brandt,” Grey said as she came between the gentlemen, “why don’t you fly over with Shadow, and I’ll wait here with Darien?”
Brandt eyed his wife, and he could see that she was nervous about something. He had to admit that he was feeling a little uneasy with how long it was taking for Darien to get on.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure,” Grey said with a smile. “I just think it’ll be easier this way.”
While she said that, she used the network to get in touch with Lila. She knew the network was compromised, but Lila needed to know what was happening. “Something is wrong,” she thought to herself. “Darien is acting strange. The voice is back.”
Apr 18
She scowled and flew back. Landing near Grey she whispered. "We'll deal with whatever comes of it when it comes. For now, ignore the voice, and stop using the network." She hissed.
Apr 18
Grey felt the rage burn inside her as Lila admonished her. She clenched her jaw and her fist…to the point where it shook.
“And if I didn’t tell you,” Grey thought to herself, “you would’ve been angry too.” She closed her eyes lowly growling under her breath.
She stopped shaking when Brandt placed a hand on her shoulder grounding her. She managed to open her eyes slowly and felt much better knowing that Shadow and Brandt were with her, and she took a deep breath. Now was not the time to be angry. She needed to focus and to remember why she was there. She refused to let Lila or anyone else get in her and her family’s way of that. She steeled herself and calmed herself. “You’re right, Commander,” she said glancing at Lila. “I apologize. Let’s keep moving.”
Apr 18
She nods. "Let's keep moving. Darien, mount up. We need to keep moving." She insists.
"Oh, don't bother with her," Grey heard, the voice maintaining its aloof amusement. "She's never listened to you, anyways. If you survive this, you can ask my dear Magistrate yourself if he told me about the beacons."
Darien met Lila's gaze, opening his mouth to speak, when all four of the waterfalls stopped abruptly, water flow dripping into nothingness unnaturally quickly.
"Or you can ask him while you're fighting. I do love a dramatic scene of betrayal." She faded from Grey's head completely.
Darien held up a trembling hand, bidding them to heed him. "Listen, I--they're coming for me, not you. Please take this one chance--take my notes, my maps, everything--leave me behind. I don't want to see any of you killed, you're the only chance the Rebellion has." His voice was shaking in the eerie quiet.
Apr 18
Grey hissed as the voice echoed in her head and rubbed her temple. The Chief looked at her husband, her dragon, the Commander, and the mage, and all of them seemed blissfully unaware of the voice taunting her. She couldn’t help but think back on all the times she and Lila disagreed…how Lila was upset with her for making decisions without consulting her…how Lila essentially pushed her out of the Rebellion…robbing her of the choice to leave…disagreed with her on what to do with Ai…discharged her from the Rebellion…and now… And Darien…were they right to trust him? Was he leading them to certain death? What was happening with him? Was he trying to make things worse? Grey suddenly stopped and shook her head.
“No…no…I can’t listen to the voice…” Grey thought to herself steeling herself. “I can’t. I won’t.”
She was jolted out of her thoughts when Darien started talking… She listened, and her eyes widened. “Wait…what?!” Grey suddenly said. “That’s crazy, Darien. We’re not leaving you here.”
Brandt eyed his wife questioningly. He didn’t miss her suddenly growing quiet and rubbing her head, but she turned her attention to Darien before he could say anything.
Apr 18
"We have to." She says. "If they are coming, we can't afford to waste time fighting, especially not when there are so few of us." She holds out her hand for the notes. "Can you give me what I need to know?" She asks as she taps her temple with her other hand.
Apr 18
Grey could only stare at Lila, and she couldn’t help but think about the voice…that awful voice.
Brandt dismounted Shadow and wrapped an arm around his wife holding her close. He was really worried about her, but that had to wait for the time being. “Lila, are you sure?” he asked. “If we leave now with Darien, we might be able to—“
Apr 18
The crackle of ice echoed from the sewer they had just left, and the walls quickly began to freeze over, greedily overtaking stone and sending a chill wind down the tunnel. Darien fumbled his bags over to Lila, pressing them into her arms, and as they made contact, it was like Lila had become Darien for a brief moment. Their minds meshed, and like the rumble of an angry crowd, she heard a stream of other voices in the background of his thoughts--one she recognized, the rest she didn't, all demonic in cadence. The same voice that she'd heard before, only her tone was colder, crueler, and yet just as pleased. He'd been suppressing it all from everyone, behind mental walls of steel.
"--because that's what traitors get, don't they? Come to me, sweetheart. We have so much lost time to make up. Just like you promised. It's the least you could do."
Darien shunted past the voice, temporarily blocking it out of their minds, and Lila's brain burned as the man before her seared it with the path to his tower, and despite his insistence that they were to get to the top, he instead showed her how to get down into the levels below ground. While he did so, the mind mage's thoughts flowed straight into hers, more efficient than speaking.
Ever since my imprisonment on Haligan, I have asked of you one impossible favor after another, and you acquiesced with such overflowing trust--logic, yes, but also with utmost faith in me. I am properly ashamed of it...because I've been using it to lie to you. Lila was confronted with a barrage of events: Darien's satisfaction at being moved from Haligan to the Jaw to the front lines, buttering up a curious visiting Yun with compliments before badgering him with Darien's own queries, guiding their plan of attack to his own tower, a scrawled map of the massive tunnels that spread across the entire continent of Aidorin, private mental conversations with Vidar in the days before his execution, the schematics of the beacons created out of frustration on the night the Seidr Fields became active, because they blocked off his communication with--
The Grand Illuminar. I knew she was under High Central because she has been speaking with me ever since my capture. I blocked her out, until... The deafening blast of a shotgun, the horrific pain of his destroyed leg. I tried so hard not to, but I became bitter. I was seduced by the idea of falling to revenge. I helped the Rebellion, but at the same time, I ensured I had backup plans for my backup plans. I... He hesitated. I didn't know what the right thing to do was until this very moment. I intended to carry out my plan either way...the timing would change based on who I thought deserved to die. I can't believe I ever thought it was the Rebellion. I will not let Kezia continue to lie to me. She is jealous; she will ensure I suffer for my betrayal of her. 
Please, on my life, follow through with my plan. I don't know exactly what she means to do, but I have maneuvered both you and Kezia exactly where she needs to be for it to succeed. Please don't let this be in vain. You are a brilliant Commander, a force to be reckoned with. You have every right to doubt me, to kill me where I stand. But please, I make one more request of you: let me now bait that monster into staying in place a little longer by giving her what she wants. Me. 
Darien began to step back, breaking the connection, looking to Grey. "Thank you, Chief. But you can't save everyone." His momentum did not stop; he was going to walk backwards into the well.
Apr 18
The Chief stared at Darien in absolute shock as he walked backwards. His words were like a punch to the gut. She couldn't everyone... She managed to save people in her life...She saved Sven when he was kidnapped by Rhenco. She saved Kari from the Night Fury attack. She protected Warren and Asha multiple times. But...there were people who she couldn't save...and those memories flashed through her mind as she breathed heavily.
Leif...her friend...
"No, no, no, Leif, get up! Get up! Come on!"
"G-Grey...I-I--"
Her father...
"Dad! Please, this isn't funny! Come on, Daddy! Please wake up!"
Her brother, Greg...
"Greg...please...wake up...Greg...You were supposed to wait...I said I would come back for you..."
Her friend and boss, King Haddock...
"I promise, Sir! We will get you back! I promise!"
She couldn't save her island when they were conquered by Ai and the pirates...She couldn't save her husband from being whipped. What if she really was a failure?
Grey breathed heavily, and she began to run towards Darien. She refused to let another person she knew die. She couldn't let it happen. She just couldn't. "DARIEN! PLEASE!" Grey shouted as she ran...only to be held back by Brandt.
Brandt quickly wrapped his arms around his wife's middle holding her back. "Grey, we need to move NOW!" he said pulling her back towards Shadow.
"NO! NO!" Grey shouted. "Brandt, let me go! I have to go after him! I can help him!"
"Grey, it's too late!" Brandt said firmly. "We need to move on! He's gone! We have to move on!"
Apr 18
Lila was, to say the least, overwhelmed. So many thoughts and emotions. It was difficult to parse out which belonged to who. There was anger, fear, resentment, hope, acceptance, betrayal, all of it swirling around in her mind. She watched as he stepped back into the well and she reached out, as if to catch him, but he was already gone. "
Thank you." She said simply as tears pricked her eyes. This sorrow was all her own.
She barely had a second to compose herself. Shove these feelings down. There would be time to feel these things later. But for now they had to go. They could not let his sacrifice be in vain.
She walked over to Grey and held her by the front of her breastplate. "We have to go, otherwise his death will be for nothing." Her voice was hoarse and it was very clear she was holding back her own tears and sobs. "There'll be time to mourn but we have to go." With that she released her Aunt and started heading across the well as quick as she could manage.
Apr 18
[brenna remember to adjust here]
As soon as they had all touched down on the opposite walkway, the sewers rumbled, and began gushing with water again. Directly across from them, a short, dark figure came into view, bare feet sliding across the moving water until he magically stopped himself at the precipice. Dank water splashed around his knees as he considered the drop, and a feral growl echoed across the huge pit. Grey didn't have long to consider whether or not she knew the haunted, corrupted man before he, too, leaped into the darkness.
On the surface, progress had slowed with people trying their best not to use the networks. They resorted to the more classic communications of battle--shouting, signals, flags, sometimes even distant cannon fire. Rounding the corner to the main street was fairly intimidating, as the bulk of High Central's forces were knotted directly in front of the gates and prepared to fire on anyone brave enough to step out of cover.
Apr 18
As soon as they're all on the other side Lila pushes forward, not even looking back at well, focused on the mission. On the map that was burnt into her brain. They had to find somewhere safe so she could look over the notes.
Meanwhile, up above, Jari had begun bounding through the city, warning people to stay off the main roads. They had hunkered down where they could and tried to take ground where it was available. But with opposing forces dug in as they were, poised to strike at the smallest opportunity, it was slow going to say the least.
Apr 18
It was all a blur for Grey after Lila and Brandt told her that they needed to keep moving. Brandt knew his wife was in no shape to handle the reigns, so he gathered Grey into his arms before mounting Shadow allowing his wife to grip onto him. Neither of them said a word as they took off on Shadow with Lila to the other side. Once they were all safely across, Grey barely registered the dark figure who seemed to growl...and then jumped into the well.
No one dared to say a word as Lila led them without so much as looking back. Grey however did, but only for a brief moment before Brandt and Shadow gently guided her with Brandt holding her close. She sighed as she continued on with them. She knew they were right. They had to focus on the mission at hand. They couldn't let Darien's sacrifice be in vain, but that still didn't stop the overwhelming guilt and shame that swirled in the Chief's mind.
——
Meanwhile, the Heir of Haligan Island rode on his Monstrous Nightmare with Tree and a few half-breeds up back toward the surface. "We're almost there, Aunt Tree," he said. "Once I get everyone up here, we'll get you some help."
"I'm old with a head bump, not elderly. Don't worry about me, put me down with the healers and get where you're supposed to be."
They flew through several columns of smoke, although with the large amount of water and ice being used as weaponry, there was less than expected, and most of the time it seemed that when one fire sprung up, it was eventually doused, until another one sprouted in a different location. Progress was quickly being made on the wall, faster than it was on the ground, where some tough fighting was happening in the neighborhoods of High Central. The elevation of the buildings were highest at the center of the inner city, and as the boroughs spread from east to west, From dragonback, she could almost imagine the picturesque place this must have been--well-kept, maintained, manicured. Streets full of people, shops, markets, churches, libraries, polished guards. A sparkling facade over a rotting infrastructure. For a moment, it was a little bit sad, the war that was breaking out over it, ruining it.
But what was she kidding? It was already ruined from the start.
Pyro landed on the street nearest to the medic setup, after being recognized by those circling overhead to keep High Central from rallying and making the lowest of blows--attacking the wounded. Treepelt refused help getting down, but she definitely stumbled as her boots hit the street, and she immediately turned around and helped the other rebel soldiers down from the dragon's back.
3d ago
“Yes, ma’am,” Sven said quickly as he continued to direct Pyro to the medic setup. “Let’s keep flying, buddy.”
Pyro crooned in response as he continued to fly his rider and the rest of the rebels who were trapped down to the medic tents. Once he and Sven were recognized, the Monstrous Nightmare landed allowing Sven to disembark to help get the other rebels off. Treepelt refused assistance, but she did help him get the others off dragonback. However, he didn’t miss Treepelt stumbling when she got off. Although, he wasn’t going to jump to conclusions just yet.
“Come on,” he said as he helped the next rebel off Pyro’s back. “The healers are just over there.”
The rebel nodded and thanked him before walking off.
3d ago
Kendra and Hunter were hovering over Kettil, who was having his arm bound and set by the older man, and Kendra appeared to be in heated discussion with them while trying to take the beacon from Kettil's side. Tree approached Kendra and aggressively tried to defuse the situation, pushing the egg away from her daughter, which rolled a little bit and rested by Kettil again.
"Your brother is already in leagues of trouble and I won't have you doing the same." The tortoiseshell half-breed sat heavily, reaching for her canteen of water. "Let it be and go find Jin."
The beacon is a target while it sits here, Kendra argued back, and there's no way we can have Kettil going back out while he's like this--
"That's not your call to make!"
3d ago
He waved to get Kendra's attention before speaking and signing as best he can with one hand. "I can handle myself." He replies. "True I may not be one hundred percent, but I'm not helpless." As he says that a very strong gust of wind shook the building they were in as his eyes glowed faintly green. "I'm fit enough to guard this, and to treat those with minor injuries." He says as the wind calms and his eyes return to normal.
2d ago
Kendra sighed nervously, then bent down to hug him around the neck, careful of his injury. She was high-strung, jittery with the battle nerves that had caught up to her now that she'd taken a moment to rest. I trust you. I just don't trust High Central. She touched her forehead to his temple before getting up, dusting herself off.
2d ago
He smiles and hugs her back as best he can with one arm, letting out a sigh. "I understand. But we both have a job to do. But I promise we'll both be there on the other side." He smiles and holds out a pinky to seal the deal.
2d ago
Kendra wrapped her pinky tightly around his, dead serious. Call if you need help. Mom, should I go find Liam?
Tree hesitated, staring at the ground, as though she could watch Liam through the earth. "Vox is down there. They'll be okay." Kendra's jaw locked in thought, but she didn't respond. "Sven, you should probably head back for the others."
2d ago
Sven nodded. “You got it, Aunt Tree,” he said with a small smile. “I’ll bring them back here.” Then he mounted his dragon Pyro again. “Come on, boy, we still have to get the other rebels.”
Pyro roared in reply and took off into the sky back toward the entrance to the cavern.
2d ago
Ellis nursed at his elbow, thankful he was in better shape than Kettil. The two had only met once before in passing - but much like the other healers in the Rebellion, his heart was good.
"Blair." The fox knelt, putting himself just below the ferret. "What do you want to do?"
"Dunno." Blair's ego was slightly bruised; he had intended on successfully carrying out his duty of beacon bearer, and without it, there was uncertainty as to their place in the fold. "Healer kid is down, we don't 'ave a dragon to take us around... s'pose we stick with te' group 'ere?"
"No objections here. Wait, hold on." Ellis licked the side of his paw before wiping it under Blair's left eye. "Think you're bleeding a bit."
"Ye', that's te' problem." The mustelid chuckled, placing his own paw atop Ellis'. "Ye' worry too much."
2d ago
"I can help with that if you like." Kettil offers as the Arnasons allowed him to get back to work. He had a few of his supplies floating on a gentle breeze around him.
2d ago
Pyro flapped his wings above the city through the smoke and dust that rolled through the air. Thankfully, it didn't take long for him and Sven to find the entrance they used to get into the cavern. The Heir's Monstrous Nightmare dove in through the entrance until they were back in the cavern. Sven couldn't help but notice that there was still no sign of his little sisters anywhere, and he also remembered that he didn't see any sign of his parents when they were back on the surface. He sighed hoping that they were all okay. He wanted to reach out to them through the network, but they couldn't use it since Lila mentioned that it was compromised.
So he focused on his mission as he and Pyro flew down to the tunnel he last saw Vox, Tree, Blair, and Ellis to find the refugees. Once he founded them, he brought Pyro closer to the edge of the tunnel. "Come on, guys, let's get you out of here," he said.
The rebels each took their time mounting Pyro.
15h ago
-
To Lila, knowing exactly how to navigate beneath High Central without ever having stepped foot in the city was very disorienting. Not only that, but they had reached the part of the sewers that led underneath the final wall, and she already knew that the wall extended down below the street. Anywhere that water flowed, there were extremely thick grates sandwiching fast-spinning water wheels made of steel. To get through them, Akkey would help them to--
The memories scribbled themselves out, edited barely a few minutes before being received by Lila. They either had to call down the help of a nix, risking the teleportation being scrambled, or--
They had a Night Fury, they could try and just plasma blast away the wheels, but that was additionally dangerous because of the mines that would be planted in the streets above--
Mines!? The revelation was thunderous, shocking, but Darien's memories could not apologize for themselves; they simply provided information, the onslaught of which was becoming mentally overwhelming, and still did not provide any knowledge on what they were racing to the tower to do.
4h ago
She shakes her head trying to focus. There was a lot in her head right now and it was hard to keep her head on straight and parse out the information. She ran through the various plans and her eyes widened as she discovered there were mines above them. She definitely couldn't risk blowing up them up, lest they start a chain reaction. She took a second to think through their options.
"Grey, we have to melt out way through." She says as she gestures to the center point. "Focus your plasma there. It should fall apart and the blades should fall away."
With that she starts blasting fire at it to start the process.
Grey looked up when Lila started talking to her, and she looked to her husband, who still had his arm wrapped around her shoulders holding her close. Brandt looked at her smiling encouragingly and nodded. Then she looked back at the Commander, who was firing at the center of the water wheel, and she took a deep breath. She failed to save Darien. She failed other things, but...she couldn't possibly mess this up. She walked over so that she was standing next to Lila and fired her plasma blast at the center.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see that it was Brandt again. "I'm here with you," he said gently.
The Chief gave a small smile and continued to focus her plasma on the center of the wheel.
May 1
The fire warmed the grate, but the plasma helped to dismantle it, and began melting and warping the center mechanism, slowly but surely. Even with the small change to its structure, they could already see the water wheel beginning to spin off-center, blades chipping at their holdings, scraping against the other side of the grate, sending sparks flying. But they managed to stand clear of any flying debris, with Shadow occasionally stretching out a wing to block a shower of hot shrapnel from harming them.
The Rebellion was still milling with little strategy. Without being allowed on the streets, some of the groups were taking it upon themselves to just climb to the ramparts and try and hold off High Central long enough for the Construct to get a hold of itself and come and help them take down the gate, or at least its forces, from a longer distance.
May 1
Lila was unmoved as the sparks started flying. Her armor protected her well. Once it became safe enough to pass through she took the first steps. "Come on, we have to hurry." She says.
Meanwhile up above Jari was struck with an idea. They had brought siege ladders in the event that they needed to scale any of the wall but they were just as effective for crossing large gaps such as the street. She figured if she could take a small contingent of rebels with her, they could invade their back lines and attack from there. And with the streets being a clear no go, they would have nowhere to retreat. She started moving, gathering people who were skilled enough to go. Nixes, engineer, rangers, whoever could be spared.
May 1
Grey nodded and looked to Brandt and Shadow, who silently nudged her forward to go after Lila through the tunnel.
“Lead the way, Commander,” Grey simply said as she followed. There was no sign of the voice anymore, but her body still felt like lead clouded with shame and guilt.
Brandt followed his wife in with a look of determination on his face. Now it was time to make sure Darien’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Shadow followed him closely but not before taking one last look over her shoulder to make sure no one was following them.
——
Meanwhile, as much as Sven wanted to find his parents or to go back into the cavern to find his sisters, he knew that that just wasn’t possible at the moment…not with a war happening. The Felman family had their duties. There would be time for a reunion later. He flew over the city with Pyro as his Monstrous Nightmare burned any High Central soldiers they could find. It wasn’t long before he found one of his cousins, Jari gathering people.
“Jari!” Sven shouted as Pyro landed nearby. “I’m here! What can I do to help?”
Jari turned as her name was called. "Sven, do you think you'd be good for ground combat?"
May 2
The Heir of Haligan Island smiled as he hopped down so that he was at eye level with his cousin. “Absolutely,” he said as he readied his sword. “Pyro can cover us with fire power.”
May 2
She shakes her head. "I'm trying to keep the dragons out of this one. It's tight quarters and I don't think a destroyed city serves us well."
May 2
“Oh…” Sven said dejectedly. However, he perked up again and nodded with determination. He already volunteered to help his cousin, so that’s what he was going to do. Besides, he already knew exactly where to send Pyro. However, that wouldn’t make the separation easy. He turned to the Monstrous Nightmare, who sadly crooned nuzzling him. “Sorry, buddy, but we’re going to have to split up for this one. You should go find Indigo. He’ll keep you safe.”
Pyro crooned again clearly agreeing with his rider before nuzzling him again.
“I know, I’ll miss you too,” Sven said. “But I promise, I’ll come find you after okay?”
The dragon crooned again before taking off to find Indigo.
May 3
Jari nods as she gathers up the rest of the volunteers. "Remember, we are outnumbered and outmatched in a straight fight. The best we can do is take out or small groups of fighters. Or cause a big enough spectacle that it causes them to retreat. You're all smart, you're all capable, I expect you to be smart enough not to be a hero. Look after each other and we'll get through this now let's do it."
With that, she heads up a nearby building. Once everyone is up she begins pulling a siege ladder up with help from some of the others and laying it across the gap that is the main road.
May 3
Sven helped Jari lay the siege ladder across the gap in the main road. “Is this really going to hold us?” he asked his cousin.
May 3
"They were meant to hold us." She whispers with a grin. "It's solid steel, we'll be fine, I did the math." As she speaks several other groups start setting up other ladders. "I'll go first, you stick close behind." She says before starting to cross.
May 3
Sven grinned brightly at his cousin. He should’ve known better than to question Jari. She was always the smartest one out of all the Boomerang Squad’s kids. He nodded when she told him to stick close behind as they crossed.
“Lead the way,” he said. As soon as Jari started to cross, he got ready to cross behind her.
May 3
She and the rest of the group make it across without an issue, bringing up the ladder with them as they sneak their way into the back line. Once they're far enough back she looks at everyone and whispers. "We all ready?"
May 3
Sven smirked at Jari and then at the other rebels before looking back at his cousin again. “Let’s go kick some High Central butts,” he said.
May 3
She smirks. "You heard him. Go give em hel." With that everyone descended and scattered to go harass central forces.
May 3
The small task force that Jari had gathered began to break down doors, windows, even fragile walls, to try and unhook Central's claws from inside the buildings, but keeping away from mass destruction as she had ordered.
Below the streets, the water wheel finally fell in, blades splashing down into the dank water, and the trio plus dragon had to fly into the makeshift hole and down the tunnel behind, until there were walkways once more. These parts of the sewers strangely had elaborate carvings, taller ceilings and even artificial lighting. Darien's memories showed the path through these sewers as well, about a quarter miles' worth of travel, but it led to a set of stairs leading up to a locked cellar door in a nearby administrative building, which Darien had predicted would be crawling with more High Central guards. They had to get from the inside of that building to the front door of his tower.
May 3
"This isn't gonna be easy." She told the pair as they moved. "We'll have to go outside once we get upstairs so we can get to Darien's tower. There's probably a great deal of soldiers there."
May 4
Brandt nodded as they followed Lila, and then he looked at his wife to see if she was going to acknowledge what their niece said.
Grey hadn’t said much once they got moving again, but as they flew through the tunnel and made their way to the cellar dollar listening to Lila’s plan, she realized that this was not the time to be downtrodden. They couldn’t afford it in the middle of a battle against High Central…not when they were so close to winning. She had always managed to push through her negative feelings and move onto the next right thing, and she could do it again. Besides, perhaps, she could redeem herself in some way…to erase this shame and guilt. The voice hadn’t returned, so she felt the headache slowly easing away. There was more room to think. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath remembering what her father’s spirit told her that night in the dream.
“I am Grey Bergman-Felman…Lady of the United Revolutionaries…Chief of the Haligan Tribe…daughter of Sven and Ingrid Bergman,” she thought to herself. “I can do this…I will do this.”
She opened her eyes again allowing them to see her newfound determination…to finish what she and Haddock started…to redeem herself…to finish what she, her family, and the rest of the Rebellion were here to do…to make sure Darien’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain…to bring down High Central once and for all for Leif and all the other half-breeds…ran through her body. There would be time to be sad later. They needed to finish this. It was what a rebel would do…what a Chief would do.
Brandt smiled as he watched his wife. “That’s my girl,” he thought to himself.
“Since when is anything ever easy for us, Commander?” Grey asked with a small smirk as the confidence in herself slowly returned.
May 4
She lets out a laugh. "Not for a long time." She replies, letting out a sigh.
May 4
Grey and Brandt both softened their faces and looked at each other. Brandt nodded towards her as they both had a feeling that that was not a sign from laughing. That was a sigh from a leader, who was likely tired, and Grey knew that sigh anywhere. She herself had moments like that over the years, especially recently, where she felt so tired. She took another deep breath as she took a step toward Lila closing the gap between them…gently putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Listen…I know…I know things between us have been rough, especially lately after…you know…” Grey began gently, “but you’re doing great. And I haven’t told you that enough, and I’m sorry for not.”
May 4
She gives her a smile. "Thanks Grey, I appreciate that. Maybe after all this we can talk some more. For now though we should focus."
May 4
The Chief smiled and nodded squeezing her shoulder once more before letting her go. “I agree, Commander,” she said. “We’ll talk more later. Let’s kick some High Central asses first.”
May 6
She nods. Now that they had time and were in a less precarious situation she pulled out Darien's notes and started to go through them, wanting to make sure they were as prepared as possible for what was to come.
Without Darien’s bank of memories, Lila would have an impossible time discerning what his liberal use of shorthand meant. Acronyms and code words and even ciphers all ensured a very secretive, functionally unreadable pack of leaflets and journals. Everything was written on double-pressed parchment, treated with wax after each page was filled with carefully inscribed ink. Lila could remember her wrists stiff and swollen and flared up, back aching and eyes exhausted as she labored over several drafts of each note, gaze wandering to a much shorter, but more traitorous, stack of paper at her side, but deciding against bringing it along, tossing them into the fire only a few hours before the mobilization of the Rebellion to High Central.
The content of the notes themselves mostly involved Darien’s tower, what he remembered of it while he lived there, and predictions about what had happened to it since Kezia’s death–or rather, disappearance. It was heavily guarded and trapped, and with power still being generated by the water wheels like the one they had just passed, those defenses were surely still active. If Darien himself left the tower, all entrances and exits of the tower were primed to magically activate with what he simply called a fear trap if he did not return after ten years. It was impossible to disarm; Darien would have been able to shield them from its effects, but he was gone. There was also a complicated psychic lock to the main front doors, but Lila already knew the mental key like the back of her hand.
There were a few more secure passages that spiraled down into the basement of the tower, which was about three floors underneath the main street. In it, Darien explained, a power supply for the whole tower–a power supply that if it were properly charged, could be triggered to create an unbelievably powerful explosion. Staring down at the diagrams, Lila felt her own rationale clash with Darien’s–to him, it made perfect sense, the final simple step in a complex plan developed almost a year ago. Surely the blast of metric tons of earth, stone, water, and settlement would be enough to stop–the Rebellion–?
No, no. Kezia. Always Kezia. His full trust was with the rebels now. At any cost.
She went over the notes over and over to make sure nothing was missing. That couldn’t be it. His plan was to destroy the city, or at least a large part of it. How were the rebels underground to escape? What about those above? And what if the explosion triggered the mines apparently in the main street. If that happened there would be no escape for any of them. And if they did decide to go this route there was no way to warn her people. With the beacons compromised any messages she sent regarding their plans would be heard by the enemy rendering the effort wasted.
She began to comb through her memories, Darien’s memories for more information. How to protect themselves from the trap. The full effects of the explosion, the blast radius, any calculations he used regarding his plan. Anything to help her form a new plan.
The combination of information from the two of them began to form pathways and ideas the two separated hadn’t thought of. Though Kezia seemed to be listening in, there were other beings that could speak with their minds–namely, Indigo and the demons, amongst a handful of others trained to speak with their thoughts. And although Lila had been receiving reports of teleportation malfunctioning, they matched up perfectly with what Darien knew of one of Kezia’s pet half-demons–Tezzeret, a former rebel turned laboratory experiment, a man with a long-distance ability to shut down nix portals. Darien’s logic callously suggested killing Tezz on-sight when possible, but it conceded that sending him out of the city would also suffice. This would enable the nixes to transport everyone out of the range of the blast, which should only encompass the city and the ground around it. The moat would act as a dampening buffer and prevent a full collapse of the entire area. The damage of the mines would be a cough in the full explosion, though currently they were most dangerous if directly stepped on, and could cause a sewer cave-in.
For the trap, it was meant to ward away those who sought to ransack the tower for goods. It could be passed by those with great mental fortitude, if they were willing to confront their own darkest terrors. It was a small shock to see that Darien had full confidence in any of the rebels to pass this trap, even with him knowing how strong it was.
She pursed her lips and decided to put that as plan C, with the first plan being to kill Kezia. "Just so you all know. Darien's tower is protected by, essentially a fear trap. We'll be able to bypass it. But we have to face our worst fears." She said gravely.
May 6
That didn't sound good at all. Grey and Brandt looked at each other and then back at Lila. Even Shadow looked concerned as her ear flaps flattened against her head. The idea of facing their worst fears...was bone-chilling to say the least, but they couldn't turn back now. Not when they were so close.
Grey sighed pinched the bridge of her nose not liking the sound of facing her greatest fears. "Now I understand why Haddock hated magic," she muttered to herself. She then took a deep breath. "Okay, then, we will do what we need to do,” she said aloud with a small smile.
“Did Darien specify what we need to look for once we get inside?” Brandt asked.
May 7
"He said... He said there was an energy source that we could use to cause the city to collapse. Its... Not my ideal choice. I'm keeping it as plan C."
May 7
Grey felt her blood run cold at the mention of what Darien wanted them to do. He wanted them to destroy High Central from the inside. She definitely understood where he was coming from. After all the pain and grief they had caused…the dungeons…erasing prisoners’ memories…separating families…Lief…Greg, surely this would be an option to eradicate them, but…what about the civilians? What about the Rebellion…Brandt…Shadow…her kids…their dragons…her nieces and nephew? Would they be able to get out in time? Did Darien realize how big of a risk this was?
Plus…she snuck a glance at Lila. Lila was of course clearly against causing such a huge explosion that could destroy the city. She didn’t want to be like High Central. It was what led them to leaving Ai Kauri alive. Grey didn’t want to think about the consequences that could come from that. She looked at Brandt and saw that he was clearly thinking the same thing as he looked at her with the same concern.
“He didn’t want to just stop High Central,” Brandt said aloud. “He wanted us to destroy it.”
Grey nodded before turning back to Lila. “Let’s not worry about that right now,” she said. “Like you said, let’s leave it as a Plan C. For now, let’s focus on getting through this trap and getting inside. One thing at a time.”
May 8
She nods and they continue to fly until they reach the stairs. As they land and climb to the top she turns to the rest of them. "You guys ready?'
May 8
Grey and Brandt looked at each other and then at Shadow before turning to look at Lila. They all smirked with determination. There was no doubt that there was going to be a fight before they could get to Darien’s tower, but that didn’t scare them one bit.
“We’re ready, Commander,” Grey said as she and Brandt readied their swords. Grey clenched her left fist briefly allowing Lila to see the purple fire.
Shadow crouched down growling as her pupils narrowed into slits.
May 8
"Just remember as soon as we get in there. Worst fears." She reminds them, taking a moment to prepare herself mentally before continuing.
May 8
“Right…” Brandt and Grey said in unison.
Shadow growled to confirm that she understood as well.
This was not going to be easy, but they could do it. Grey believed in them. They crouched down behind Lila allowing her to go first. The Chief snuck a glance at her sword eying the reflection, and she took a deep breath preparing herself to be as quiet and stealthy as she could. They couldn’t afford to rush into a fight. They needed to be stealthy and make it to Darien’s tower undetected, so she looked to her husband and dragon placing a finger to her lips reminding them both to be quiet.