Chapter 40 - Hold the Line

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Hold the Line
*Moonless Age chapter*

Main characters
* Ariel
* Faen
* Kau
* Shala
* Shinae

Related factions
* Siyah'khorshed
* Val'Sarghress
* Val'Sullisin'rune
* Vel'Sharen

The Sarghress makes a push towards the district where the Sharen holds conscripted commoners.

## Summary

### Hold The Line

#### The District Battle

As Ariel thinks about how the Sharen clan crumbles, she goes over the plan to take the enemy district as the plan unfolds. Golems piloted by the likes of Relon'tar and Kau to break enemy lines. Sealers like Shala and Zan'nah to clear the way of ethereal demons. Empaths from the Sulissin'rune like Abi'reo to seek out Sharen summoners. Fallen Legion assassins like Tabel, Reka and Nul'indra to kill the summoners. Wolf riders like Tur'geis and tiger riders like Laj'vati to flank Sharen dragon riders like Kery'awa and Oiloss'lin. And finally, the ground troops which includes herself, Xtka'en, Skai, Durlyn, Kev'ren and Sorin to kill any enemies left and take and hold positions.

However, the plan isn't perfect as Abi'reo and Nu'indra were attacked by demons in two separate instances, while Tabel has to deal with a massive summon. Additionally, many of the ground troops suffered injuries.

Infiltrating a fortified building, a squad consisting of Jak'iaah, Sen'gil, Mek'kel and Zair'cysparvin encounter a trap placed by Malag'nafein. They attempt to bypass the trap by opening one of walls but encounter another Siyah'khorshed, K'sava. They defeat her and the building is captured.

#### Lull From Battle

In the captured building, Min'issya finds the food storage and Reka and Mek'Kel are tended to, while the soldiers all relax. However, things take a turn for the worse when Sorin kills a prisoner, while Ariel asks Tur'geis' to release the slave he has. As the troops argue among themselves over the Sorin's actions as well as looting, Ariel resolves the situation by asking the slave herself and offering her a choice, continue as a slave or fight for the Sarghress. The slave answers she'll fight and Ariel takes other slaves willing to fight to Commander Sang, who was discussing the war situation with Cair'deirene.

Meanwhile, Nivali discovers the building was booby-trapped.

On the Sharen side, as Feli'cia complains about her situation, Oiloss'lin tends to Kery'awa's wounds. She also criticises Felicia's idea to take on Quain'tana herself. They then learn the building the Sarghress captured has exploded as a result of the booby-traps.

#### Prisoners

The captured Sarghress-Sullisin'rune prisoners, including seemingly Faen, are escorted by Oiloss'lin and Balushizar to the Slaver district. As they arrived, Shinae and Nona'brail also arrived and are greeted by Nidek'nil. In their cell, the other prisoners realise that Faen is out of her chains.

Shinae and Nihi'liir talk but Nihi'liir mocks Shinae and is unwilling to listen and act on Shinae's message. Balushizar meanwhiles patrols the cells and is shocked to find K'sava in one of the cells being beaten up by the prisoners. She lets her out after confirming her identity, but K'sava quickly chokes her, since she was actually Ariel.

Shinae talks with one of the Siyah'khorshed, Farahang, with whom she had a history. Shinae tells him that Zala'ess is returning from Nuqrah'shareh with allies and Farahang admits that his people have grown weary of the Sharen's abuses of them and his people plans to abandon the Sharen though will not say when. They then hear the alarm that the prisoners have escaped.

#### Break-Out

Upon learning of the breakout, Nihi'liir becomes angry and gives the order to kill all the escapees upon her signal. Before she could give the signal however, Ariel, disguised as Balushizar, decapitates her. Witnessing this, Shinae tells Farahang to take his people and escape to Sharen lines while she deals with Ariel. She catches up to Ariel and defeats her, but was unable to kill her before Sarghress reinforcements arrived. Faen was among the reinforcements and immediately rushes to Ariel's aid, while Ariel hopes she made Quain'tana proud with what she did.

#### Machike

Meanwhile, at Machike, Nei'kalsa and Kel'noz greets Quain'tana and her legions who had arrived at the colony.

### Tale of Colonies - Part I

#### The Citizens of Chel

On a date, two commoners, Sama'ki and Jens, are on a date. As Jens leaves after inviting her to Kyo'nne's next concert., Sama'ki returns home to find the Siyah'khorshed kidnapping her family for the slave army and the colony of Dari'yako. She tries calling for help but the kidnappers knock her out.

#### Machike

While enjoying the day with her two children Kenro and Esuni, Vaelia is informed by Ilmssyn of a mission for which Vaelia was selected specifically for. After dropping her children of with a neighbour, Vaelia packs her equipment and gets Skwerk to join her for the mission.

As the Highland Raiders travel for their mission, being the disruption of the slave colony of Dari'yako, Vaelia is placed on a squad alongside Ilmssyn, Nacht and Syrak with Suren as their leader.

#### Dari'yako

After scouting out Dari'yako, Suren's squad volunteers to be one of the squads to infiltrate the colony. However, while getting close, a Siyah'khorshed patrol comes close by. They find Ilmssyn, and move to find for other intruders but Ilmssyn stops them and they taker her prisoner for the administrator of the colony.

Suren takes advantage of them leaving, and though he understand his squad's concerns about Ilmssyn's situation, he says they can't afford to get captured themselves. They find a tunnel and a slave cleaning it, Sami'ka.