Snow set upon a great army making ready. More airships had tripled the number of soldiers. The front comprised humans, dragons, and other races. Swords and various blades of every shape and size were polished; staffs and wands infused with signature energy; armor donned; and machanakun weapons of war assembled piece by piece.

The machanakun were forged in the image of beasts, standing on legs, not wheels or treads, and some carved of wood or stone in addition to metal. Signature automated golems. They had bladed claws and mounted weapons to spew fire, lightning, or any element necessary. The ever-important shield generators looked like crabs with six legs and a prism of jewels across their wide backs. All were powered by glowing signature crystals. The airships had retreated to avoid damage.

Sayth noted Magilike held great respect to sway an army this size on words alone. The threat of the Heart of Crystal orders must be immense as well. At least the battlefield was as isolated and remote as they come. No civilian casualties. The ice was stained in streaks of color but soon would be charred and red of blood as well.

Then he saw it off to one side, Sylver Five: the hive! The sylver weapon appeared as a building-sized geodesic, bladed sphere. It housed warp gates that would line endless waves of drones instantly to its location, the key to harvesting atmosphere and materials from First Drako. Currently, it rested dormant on the ground, embedded in the ice by stinger blades.

Sayth flew in with Azalyske, formed into a sword. A man jumped high in the air and caught the blade in his bare hands. His fingers streamed sylver and grew long like knives. Five more eyes opened and glowed red, three on either side of his face and one centered for seven total. His skin flowed sylver, elongated, and grew sharp blades. He shed his humanity and took on a tall, robotic appearance with talons for feet and blades protruding from either side of his head, shoulders, knees, and elbows, and running down his spine. All with a mirror-like coating and glowing orange with heat.

Sayth recognized him as Seven, a fierce fighter able to mimic other lifeforms like Six. This one, however, was never set upon Drako, perhaps to act as a personal guard for Veronica Starlight. Indeed, she stood shivering on the ice below.

Sayth kicked him away with sylver-spiked boots and slammed Azalyske down as a hammer. Seven was sent plummeting into the ice. He sprung from it with long fingers growing longer and sharper. Sayth lunged.

“Stop!” Nighmarika ran towards them. “What folly are you doing, dragon?”

“They’re the enemy!” Sayth landed.

“They are our secret weapon! This woman has shown to me the capabilities of her machanakun and agreed aid to us in battle! I will not tolerate infighting among my ranks. Stand down,” she ordered. Seven stood up and crossed his arms but didn’t attack. Sayth began to step forward, but Spiral put her hand on his shoulder.

“Damn it! The storm may pass, but dark clouds loom on the horizon. This isn’t over, Starlight,” Sayth proclaimed. He and Spiral walked away.

“To pursue attack would only bring of ruin in this trying time,” Spiral said. “I can talk with Magilike and explain their treachery to her.”

“No, that was the hive; if Starlight wanted to, she could wipe out this entire army with a whisper. She’s working for Rhyme. He’s behind this, I know it, but why would he go against Sellaya? Is this a battle for control of the sylver weapons?” Sayth pondered.

“What of this development do we make?” Spiral asked.

“If Starlight really is helping the legions, it could very well win them an unwinnable war. I don’t know what Rhyme is scheming, but for now, we must focus on fighting the Heart of Crystal order. You helped me on Earth, and now it’s my turn to help you. I have to disappear, but I’ll be waiting to kill Shekanna, make no mistake.

“Spiral, be careful. I couldn’t bear to lose you. Not now,” Sayth said.

“You needn’t for worry me but to you as well,” she replied. They kissed, and Sayth disappeared into the shadows of the night.

 

No time passed: not to dream, not to dread, and certainly not enough to fully prepare.

“They come!” Magilike yelled in a voice that bellowed across the battlefield.

On the Northern horizon, illuminated clouds, a tangle of multicolored thread rolled over the land and sky. The shield generators powered on and projected a bright signature force field over the legion. Mages cast spells of various signatures to strengthen it. The ribbons threw themselves against it, hundreds of thousands with no end in sight. Like a bonfire, the shield crackled and fizzed with each that came in contact with it. Energy from Five, hovering in the air, seemed to be all that kept it up. Should the straining shields fail, death would flood over them all, devouring the sky, ice, and sea.

As the bombardment boomed on, the ground shook, and great crevices in the ice creaked apart. Giant machanakun fish with stony grey scales broke through, and from their mouths poured Bryz’s army. The first line of attack was mutated monsters, meters tall, bulging with overgrown muscles, and burning of decay. Reeking of rotten flesh, surrealities protruded from their bodies, their hearts replaced with crystal. They once were humans and dragons, wild animals, or any other species the order could get their hands on, but now mere puppets. The weapons and namesake of Bryz’s order. Behind them followed his loyal soldiers in black armor with violet capes and banners.

The legion engaged them in a rush of sweat and blood, knights locking swords and machanakun tearing each other apart. One crystal monstrosity could easily match several legion soldiers and didn’t falter with the loss of a limb or broken bones. They thrashed and bit and pounded the ice with mighty clubs. The arrows of fire had little effect as they quickly forced close-rank combat.

Some machanakun fired cannons of elemental energy, and others clawed the enemy like vicious beasts. Bladed tails slashed at joints, cat-like weapons of the legion bounded across the battlefield, and parts flew. Bryz’s army piloted stony scorpions, firing energy from their stingers. Both sides knew to puncture the crystals powering them would result in great explosions and marked their targets. They were few and precious but of unmatched power.

The din of war rang out: screams, metal clashing on metal and stone, the buzz of the straining shield and cracking of ice sending soldiers to their watery graves. The once-dark field was illuminated in the light of a thousand spells. A festival of magic and carnage.

From outside the shield, Firstlight drifted forth, her yellow glow casting mask-shaped shadows from the three rings that orbited her. She raised a hand to the colorful wall of light and passed straight through it. Legion troops attempted to confront her but were met with waves of immeasurable sadness and despair from the emotion helik. Some threw themselves against their own blades. Firstlight giggled gleefully and drank deep the rage of war. None seemed able to face her.

Dusk flew in, riding sidesaddle on her staff with the lantern dangling from the end. “Stop of this foolishness, sister. Such is as no other war. Shekanna is using Bryz and means to destroy all TriCora! No time is this to play both sides as you like.”

“Yes, isn’t it fun? Oh, little sister, born late as the light left the sky. Have you witnessed the power Shekanna wields? It’s crazy! I am not playing both sides; I have joined the side of victory. Enjoy yourself! The banquet of war, robust and glory full. Delicious. A thing of beauty.

“The legions soon shall fall, and this world will end, but it will be a feast like none you have ever seen!” Firstlight twirled in place.

“This is madness, sister. Stop at once!” Dusk hopped off her staff and held it ready in both hands. The lantern erupted into a ball of sparks and flames.

“Foolish sister; you’ve chosen a fate which I must now realize.” Firstlight covered her face with a sad-looking mask. The orbiting rings of masks broke apart and swiftly spun around her arms. She wielded them like saw blades and sent one out to behead Dusk.

Dusk ran and slid under it. The world around them seemed to darken, blotting out the immense light of the battle, and her eyes burnt bright green. She released balls of flame from her lantern, which weaved across the air at Firstlight. The masks levitated into a shield blocking them.

Firstlight retaliated by sending individual masks like razor disks at Dusk. They flew with wicked sharp-toothed smiles and circled around her. Dusk repelled them with a blast of force, and Firstlight answered by unleashing a beam of yellow light from her hand.

Soldiers on both sides warily kept their distance from the two heliks battling, and rightfully so. The immediate area around them had grown black as night, with Firstlight shining like a star. Fire and waves of energy and emotions were tossed around like an erupting volcano. The strain sent long cracks through the ice.

They fought fiercely until a mask managed to shatter Dusk’s lantern. It burst in a fountain of fire that ate through the ice and sputtered out in the water far below. Dusk was knocked to the ground from the explosion. Firstlight hovered over her with each of the many masks smiling.

“Fare thee well, sister,” she said as the masks closed in with sharp-toothed mouths open, but she was blasted aside. Spiral approached.

“Hello, little dragon. What are you planning to do? Use your sad magic and claws against me?” Firstlight laughed.

Spiral drew the casket of light’s end and opened it toward her. With a shriek, a great suction emerged from it, and nearby soldiers were pulled screaming into the tiny box. Firstlight tried to fly away, but the howling vortex ripped her back. Her masks broke orbit and were consumed, each with expressions of sheer terror. Yellow light bled from her body until she herself was swallowed whole. Spiral closed the box, leaving a large cone-shaped crater in front of her.

“Thank you, Spiral.” Dusk panted and levitated to her feet, but there was no time to rest as the battle raged on around them.

Spiral sliced past Bryz’s army in dragon form with Lumoneve as a sword in her hand. No armor could protect against sylver shaped as a literal two-dimensional blade. She dove through the ice and into the ocean. There she proceeded to destroy the machanakun fish carrying troops before they could deploy.

On the far side of the fray, Nighmarika battled in silver-bladed armor. Her black cape and hair flowed together as a single piece in the wind. She wielded a burning greatsword in one hand and a necromancer’s blade in the other. All around her, the dead of both sides rose to rejoin the battle. She cut a swath through the enemy monsters, shattering crystal and bone.

Bryz confidently confronted her. “Admiral Nighmarika, remember me? I spent some time in that pretty head of yours.”

“Your corpse will be my puppet!” She furiously swung at him.

Bryz levitated a massive gold saber encrusted in violet gems and blocked. He fought with his mind while idly holding the surreality in both hands. Spinning, he thrust the saber at her like a drill, but she blocked it with one sword and countered with the other, slicing his wing.

In a howl of pain, Bryz unleashed a glittering stream of violet magic, but Nighmarika’s swords were enchanted to repel. She ferociously advanced, forcing him back. He called for his soldiers to attack, and she was assaulted on all sides but hurled them away with unparalleled strength.

Bryz slashed, but it was parried, and Nighmarika thrust her burning blade through his chest. He writhed in pain and dropped to his knees but smiled. His saber levitated behind her and shot through her back. She fell. They both collapsed in an ever-growing pool of blood. Bryz’s eyes faded pale and lifeless as the crown rolled off his head.

But it didn’t stop rolling. It continued to move across the battlefield until Magilike saw and, with a snap of her fingers, melted it in a plume of fire and molten silver, finally ending the tyrant’s reign once and for all.

The battle roared all around, but the shield strained and stuttered against the unending onslaught. It creaked, and cracks of white light ran through it. Finally able to hold no longer, it shattered like a glass bottle against bricks as a monsoon of ribbons came down. Casters and the hive unleashed bolts of elemental energy to snipe them but were quickly overwhelmed. The ribbons burned through both armor and flesh as a torch does paper. Legion soldiers and machanakun fell by the hundreds as the ravenous bands descended.

Magilike was quick to recognize the crisis. “Retreat!” she commanded and called forth a typhoon to sweep the order’s forces back.

Airships flew in and landed to pick up the remaining troops, projecting their own shields. The ship from Sypter had been joined by several others from Luvega. Spiral flew up and met Magilike in the bridge.

“The shields are risking of immediate failure. What do we do?” a technician asked.

Magilike grimaced. “Take off south, full speed. Divert all energy resources to the engine and shields!”

The ships lifted into the air leaving unfortunate stragglers to their fates. They bolted away, accumulating more and more damage. The unrelenting clouds of ribbons set upon them, capable of devouring the whole world and most certainly their shields.

Spiral thought hard, “Ravenessence! Set a course of Ravenessence!”

“The cursed city?” the pilot asked.

“Do it!” Magilike ordered.

The fleet sped over the ice and open sea. One of the back ship’s shields failed, and it was consumed before it could hit the water. They flew furiously with mages on deck, hopelessly trying to snipe ribbons out of the infinite swarm. If not for unending streams of elemental energy from Five, they all would surely be dead.

The ocean seemed to stretch on forever, and they were running out of time. Finally, thick black storm clouds appeared on the horizon, illuminated in rain. The few remaining ships flew in as their shields failed.

Colored rain, the signature essences of the universe, beat upon them. Ribbons of the same color were erased, but the ship had taken critical damage. The entire backside was eaten away, and it crashed into the ghostly buildings. Black stone and wood lay strewn over a wide strip as it came to rest. The other ships fell close behind.

Spiral gripped the floor with her dragon feet, and Magilike levitated, but the crew was thrown against the walls from the impact. They pulled painfully upright.

“Everyone, this heavy rain shall slow the ribbons, but it cannot stop them all. Abandon ship. Spread out and search for a breakpoint; we must retreat to Une Sailanse. Mages, hold off the ribbons and protect the scouts. Go!” Magilike’s voice rang throughout the fleet.

The crew scrambled to abandon ship. It had capsized upon landing, and rope ladders were released so they could climb out the windows and holes.

It was dark and wet, and the rain stung their wounds but to give up now meant death. Some ribbons slipped between cracks in the rain and pursued them. They ran the murky streets of the dead city, barely illuminated by twinkling drops of colors.

Shekanna looked down from atop the tallest tower. One by one, her endless ribbons picked off the remaining soldiers. She felt no joy nor sorrow for the slaughter. She was an instrument of Sellaya’s will and nothing more. In truth, she had died the day her husband did. He was possessed by unnatural blood so that his veins glowed through his skin, forcing someone unnamed to strike him down. From that day, she obsessively dedicated her life to purging the vile blood through any means and formed the second Heart of Crystal order.

Without word or sigh, Sayth appeared from the darkness and beheaded her with a cleave of his scythe tail blade. Her head rolled, but body remained standing, animated by the surrealities growing from her abdomen. A river of flying ribbons swooped at Sayth, but he dodged to the side and erased Shekanna’s body in a blast of white energy from his glove. All the ribbons everywhere abandoned their courses and scatted chaotically into the night.

 

Mr. Rhyme watched the ribbons dissipate from the dunes outside the city. Veronica Starlight and her sylver weapons were beside him.

“Splendid, the evolving sylver responds to you over Sellaya as I predicted. Sylver is truly a beautiful phenomenon. It achieved the overturning of Sellaya’s will against rather lopsided odds. Ironic, the prize she was willing to devour an entire world to destroy was already unearthed by Phallun’s thorns. Your edge is dulling Sellaya.

“Ah, Phallun. Do you know what he would say were he here, Veronica? He’d tell me deceit is in your blood. You murdered your father and all the scientists working with you on the sylver project. Now you mean to betray me. But you won’t, will you? Because you know I hold a far greater threat than the dragon who hunts you ever could. Isn’t that right, Veronica?” Mr. Rhyme held her cheeks with one hand; she nodded nervously. Seven, in his human disguise, elongated his sharp fingers and stepped forward but held off in response to Starlight’s open palm waving him back.

“Much work awaits us. Come,” Mr. Rhyme said and opened a portal to where the sky glows of unhallowed light.

 

Back in Ravenessence, the legion was regrouping and tending to their wounds. Casualties were heavy, but the battle was won. Sayth flew down to where Spiral and Magilike rested. He dropped Shekanna’s head in front of them.

“It is done; you have saved us.” Spiral picked up her head and sorrowfully found a patch of sand where the cobblestone had been upset to bury it.

“You were friends once,” Sayth observed.

“The story is too long for this day. Magilike, I am sorry but have other matters to tend; will you fare should I take my leave?” Spiral asked, wiping the wet black sand from her dress.

“Yes, I believe so. The airships are beyond salvaging, but I shall gather the legion and make our way back to Sypter through Une Sailanse.

“I must thank you, Sayth; your extraordinary actions won the day, but I fear your true work is still ahead of you. Make haste. Worry not for us; I will settle this and that in TriCora,” Magilike said and shook Sayth’s hand.

“It’s what I do. If you’re ready, Spiral, we should find Alouve and Mayne. Alouve mentioned to me she may be able to interact with Prysm technology. It’s time to get to the bottom of this.” Sayth brushed the rain off his shoulders.

“Indeed.” Spiral wrapped her arms around him, and they lined away.

 

 

 

 

 

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