Fortia stared at the images ing through the s. A table before her, but she hadn’t paid attention to the strategi at least an hour. It didn’t matter. Essa had unleashed Worldbreaking and…

  And now that cloud was retreating. The satellite was catg it all, the burning e clouds had ged colours into pale greys and whites, and Kirinyaan news was rep heavy rains beginning and to prepare for flooding. She stared at that s in disbelief. Even with Fer and Anassa and Kassandora there, once Essa began… How did someone just stop Essa like that?

  It had to be that Essa had won. It had to be. It simply had to be. There was no option that she would be defeated. Fortia would not accept it. Worldbreaking was not simply ‘stopped’ o had begun. Essa had just killed Kassandora, Anassa and Fer. All three of them, but how did one Divied both Fer and Anassa… that was the issue. Fer and Anassa were a duo that only Alsaria owerful enough to take on. They matched each other with speed and fighting style. No matter how much Fortia tried to vince herself of it, she simply… her mind would not accept it. There was something wrong. Maybe it was the fact they were fighting Kassandora arickery, maybe she was only growing paranoid. But…

  But she had a tremendous anvil of dread and doubt weighing down her heart. Ohat rung every time her heart beat against it. And that ringing was the sound of the worst thing to have happened.

  A guardian rushed into the tent, out of his armour, he held his arms out and smashed into the table, knog around maps and ters and strings and pencils and erasers. Fortia didn’t even give him permission to speak, he began shouting immediately. “OLYMPIADA! OLYMPIADA IS UTACK!”

  Iliyal spun around a er. Olonia by his side. The vanguard ahead, the quickly-shrinking rear-guard behind him. He rushed around a er as the air got colder. It was obvious they were heading the right way, they must be. There was a slow ine of the corridor down, mi tracks had been id down here, most likely to funnel back the treasures of Arascus’ Divine Armoury back to the surface.

  Olonia suddenly screamed and Iliyal turo g the Goddess. A crossbow bolt had pierced the weakened part of the armour, where she had taken the heavy blow from Waramunt, and now she was a leaving a thin trail of red as they raced down. “ yee?” Iliyal shouted.

  “What?” She shouted bad the elf rolled his eyes. Whatever, it didn’t matter. When they survived, she could be trained.

  “Leave it in then!” He shouted back, pulling it out would let the blood flow and if she couldn’t regee, then she’d merely drain herself of power. A roar of fire fmes came from behind and Iliyal slowed down as winds rushed past him, then back again as the fires went out. He caught a gnce. Mages in red and blue. Pyromancers and hydromancers. And minor Divines. Four more of them. her of them mattered. They had to get to the Armoury at this point. He turned his head back, ignored his own bleeding finger a on running.

  They ran past another bend, and another, all in the same dire, as if the corridor was a slow spiral downwards. Down and down, as the gunfire behind them started to fail and grow quiet, to be repced by the sounds of fmes and g of id heavy thuds of Divines in full armour. They had to be going the right way, they simply had to be, if they weren’t, why were they being chased? Much better to not waste energy and y siege to them iunnels of the fortress.

  And they turned again. Iliyal heard Stalker’s voice. “SIR! THERE’S…” He trailed off as Iliyal turhe er. Two dozen men had slowed down and were aiming their rifles, in bck shirts and shorts, gleaming guns ready to fire with fingers h over triggers. Most of them had taken up positions to cover the rear, but five were looking through a hole that had been carved out in a dark wall. Bsted through may have beeter word, a perfectly round hole, the edges smooth and rge enough for two Olonias to fit through even if they were standing on top of one another. Alsaria’s work, Iliyal knew what sort of damage her beams of light made.

  “THROUGH IT! GO GO GO!” Iliyal shouted as he upped his paow that the end was in sight, it only fuelled him, as if a sed Legion had e to assist his during a battle. The men started to pick themselves back up, some let out a burst of gunshots as the defenders of Drayim Fortress, and the reinforts, hurried onwards.

  Iliyal leapt off his feet, his undamaged hand trailing along the surface of that hole. Alsaria’s work definitely, it was so smooth there was no fri there even though he was dragging his fingers around stone bricks interlined with a mortar. He nded in that hole, his boots lost their grip, and he slid the whole way, only pig up speed as the air ged from merely cold to almost freezing. “GO!” He shouted, eaaking a mist of air from his mouth.

  And Iliyal slid the entire way, he felt the sharp edge oher side and dropped into a roll. His feet touched stoiles, he tasted the air and saw lights appear as men turheir fshlights on. Stalker and Baker were sliding through, then Olonia, and the rest of the men. At the end of the corridor, the Padins tasked with proteg this pce came to a stop as they looked at the whole. The four different Divines all stopped. Only the mages rushed forwards, two of Iliyal’s men were ied on the spot. Another lit by a stagmite that rose from ground. A few shot back. Some of the Padins dropped, the mages raised barriers, bullets simply bounced off the thick armour of the Divines.

  But that didn’t matter now. Iliyal’s ripped a fshlight out of a man’s hand and used it to s the room. There were podiums, statues should have been pced on those podiums, but not anymore. They were a defenders a long time ago, but he supposed that when the Pantheon had got here first, they cleared out a good amount of the traps. The ceiling arced high enough for a barn to fit in here, and the middle of the floor had a hole in it, ohat looked as if it had been blowhe walls were stone blocks, the ceiling was carved with inscriptions and symbols used by Arascus’ various Divines. A sword was embedded deeply into the stone of a wall. A loose shield y in the er.

  It almost smelled like home. The air was cold and bitter, fresh wind had not travelled here for obviously a while, but… Iliyal took a step and the roar of fme woke him up from his tra raced through that bread. “DIVE!” Iliyal shouted and everyone dived to the ground. Out of the hundred he had brought, twenty had made it here. The stream of fire raced overheads for a few seds, then finally burned out. Two of the soldiers immediately took a position by the hole, rifles leaning on that smooth surface, aurwo bursts of gunfire.

  “Out of ammo!” One of the men shouted. Someohrew a magazine from their vest.

  “Last one! Don’t waste it.” Iliyal stood up and got all the thoughts of returning to the Divine Armoury out of his head. This was no time to get seal, there was a job to do. This wasn’t the mairahey had ehrough the side. Whie though? One of the training rooms, the gap in the middle would have been one of Anassa’s or Irinika’s mihat had been activated. Maybe Olephia’s, but then Iliyal assumed there wouldn’t be a room left. He quickly moved his fshlight around and found the door oher side.

  “AROUND THE HOLE! GET TO IT! AROUND!” And so the men ran, Iliyal took the lead of the right side, Stalker took it on the left. Iliyal had a man by his side, then as the floor between the hole and the wall got thihe man slowed down to let Iliyal pass on first.

  And Iliyal did, he raced across that thin slither of floor which remained, he turned and saw the two men at the end still holding the breach, firing off a shot every now and then, serving ammo. His own pistol had ran out, most of the men were on their final magazi this point. He saw Olonia almost slip and fall into that ground hole, she’d probably survive it, but from the smoothness of the edges, no one would pull her out. Iliyal turo the door, it didn’t matter, nothing of it mattered. They were here.

  He ran to that door and pushed it open.

  His eyes turned down one a long corridor, tall and wide enough for Fer and Arascus to walk straight-backed and side-by-side. There were no paintings on the walls, no swords hanging off gleaming hooks. Those were now rusted. The grand deliers that held up Anassa’s mps were missing, left behind only a single that had been ear the rounded ceiling. No more of those glorious scarlet carpets, the same colour as Kassandora’s eyes.

  But as Iliyal looked left and right, as the fshlight explored more of it, as Olonia and a dozen men caught up to him, he wao cry tears of joy. It was all old and dusty, but it was exactly the same pce that he had. The map of it appeared in his head immediately, they were by one of the training rooms in the western part. He turned right. “Follow me.” He said, setting off at a brisk jog.

  There wasn’t ao run now. He turned left at the first jun. A meeting of four corridors. Right was Fer’s se, that would be empty or rotted, the Goddess of Beasthood kept little for treasure. Straight ahead would be the long corridor to Baalka’s domai of that was Anassa’s. They weren’t going to visit either of them today. Left. To Arascus’ se.

  Iliyal ran and ran until he came to a spot he knew, one where the corridor seemingly ended in a wall of darkness. Irinika and Anassa had built this ohe Divine Armoury was as much a testing grounds for eiques as it was a safe haven for Arascus’ followers back then. “Shoes off!” Iliyal bent down and started ung his boots. He turo his men, a few had responded immediately. Olonia and several others were simply looking at him in fusion. “TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF!” He shouted and woke up them. “SOCKS TOO! IT’S BAREFOOT ONLY!”

  It was a simple trap. An endless hole, truly an endless one. Anassa had somehow joiwo mirrors together, one in the ceiling and one on the floor. Once you started falling, you did not stop unless someone caught you. Iliyal had been thrown into it twice. He stood up, bck boots with his socks stuffed inside and took an easy step into that nothingness.

  Darkness from all sides enveloped him, the only slivers of light came from the ends at each corridor. His feet touched a yer of bck darkness, and he kept on moving. Kassandora had oold him to not worry about what the material was, that she didn’t care herself. So her would Iliyal, he raced down that corridor and jumped to the other side, then turned around to see his men still standing at the other side, in awe as to how he had just ran through nothing.

  “RUN! RUN!” Iliyal’s voied an order. “I WILL NOT WAIT FOR FOOLS AND COWARDS! IF I TELL YOU TO RUN OFF A CLIFF, I EXPECT YOU TO BE FALLING BY THE TIME I FINISH!” That got them moving. One man took a step, Olonia’s blue eyes monitored him as he plunged a toe onto the darkness. His foot fouance, he put his weight on it, the man took a heavy breath, closed his eyes, and stepped.

  And that unleashed the floodgates, the whole team of two dozen were suddenly running through the darkness as Iliyal finished g his boots. That was the only trap of this kind here, it could be avoided by taking another route, but the fact it had been activated in the first pce meant the base had been scouted out. He assumed the Padins would know the trick, if they didn’t, they’d have a few minutes of advantage over them.

  Olonia yelped at the end and jumped into the rge stone corridor. It was empty here. Rusty hooks on walls, marble and ste tiles on the ground, some were cracked. Thick blocks made up the walls. This part had been looted too. Iliyal started to walk off as his men finished g up their boots. He turned left at the first bend, then immediately right. Ahead six skeletons lying on the ground. “Do not go there.” He sho the light at the small ine in the floor, a mere dip, it would be hard to notice if the edges of the stone blocks weren’t there.

  “Why not?” Olonia asked. She had caught up and shone her own torch at the skeletons.

  “Heavier than air poison, don’t touch it, it pierces skin.” He turned and walked off. Up in Drayim, it was a race to not get caught. Now though, it would be better to take things slow, he khis pce, but the men and Olonia did not. The men could be lost, but the death of a national Divine… Well, Kassandora would expect better of him frankly. “Turn around.” He stopped and shohe light on Olonia. She merely looked at him, blue eyes curious, then turned around. The crossbow bolt was still stu her back, it was red but the bleeding had stopped. “You don’t know if yee or not?” Iliyal asked.

  “I think I do?” She said nervously. “But…” She trailed off. “To your standards, I don’t know.”

  “You do.” Iliyal said. “Not as strongly as Fer does, but yee, most nationals do.” She had to, otherwise she would still be bleeding by now. “Hands on the wall.” Olonia did as instructed. Iliyal grabbed the bolt and pulled it out in one smooth movement. He had never been a fan of tdowns, Olonia’s scream as the bolt pulled and tore strands of muscle. The blood started to flow again, but Iliyal saw her skin start trow. She was fast too, faster than he had expected. “You’re loud, grit your teeth ime.” Iliyal said, it was his mistake, he wouldn’t beat her over the head with it. Most likely the Padins would have heard her, the Divines definitely did, but he should have known she would scream.

  “I…” She swayed from side to side as the wound closed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, you ’t un-scream.” Iliyal said and turned. “Just don’t do it ime.”

  “Thank you.” Olonia said as Iliyal set off, frankly, he didn’t know what she was thanking him for. He merely whipped his hand through the air to get her blood off.

  This corridor led to the prison and Arascus’ se. If the corridor had been looted, so would the God of Pride’s private quarters, and they weren’t for keeping anyone iook a breath, gripped his sheathed sword, and took careful steps forwards.

  And it was for nothing. There should be defenders, a moving statues infused with souls by Neneria, but they were missing. The only trace of their existence were the mists of breath. Iliyal walked down the corridor, turned around and saw a fsh of light in the distance. A padin torch, they were faster than he had expected. “I don’t like this pce.” Olonia said quietly, her eyes downcast and looking down at the feet as if she was afraid to explore it with her vision.

  “This pce is the safest p Arda when I’m here.” Iliyal ented a few of the men chuckled.

  “Ooh-rah to that.” Baker said in his gruff voice from behind. Iliyal merely smiled as he reached the door at the end. It slid open without aance. Dwarves knew how to make hinges. He took a breath and held it open, thehe men travel through. A lone Padin appeared at the end of the corridor, out of breath and almost falling over.

  “THEY’RE HE-“ A bullet to the head from one of the silenced him. The man who shot pressed the trigger again. It merely clicked.

  “I’m out.”

  “Just get inside.” Iliyal ted the men as they walked past him. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty owenty one and Olonia. He himself made twenty two. He let the door swing shut as his torches traversed the various cages and cell doors. There had bee beasts kept here too. Hydras and snakes and basilisks for testing purposes. Not anymore, he supposed. He heard footsteps from behind the door, the heavy thuds of Divines in their armour.

  But Iliyal did not care. From ihere was movement. A pale hand, a moving bck image of a bde embedded in the skin, waved from within. “Who is it?” A pleasant voice, haughty and mighty, but pleasant he less. Although from the expressions oroops, maybe it was only pleasant to Iliyal.

  “It’s me.” Iliyal said, his voice echoed throughout the cells. The door smmed. It would only open to those allowed, but after a thousand years, Iliyal wasn’t willing to test if Anassa’s entments still held their strength.

  The hareated and stopped waving. “Tremali?” The woman from within asked.

  A man’s voice sounded from the cell o hers. “It’s him, I’d remember him.” Iliyal remembered him too.

  “Long time.” Another woman, high-pitched this time.

  “So?” The first cell asked as Iliyal walked past the cages. “We’re back?” Upon hearing those words, awo of the cells burst out in ughter. The whole prison started to shriek in joyous mirth as faces appeared at the cell doors. Iliyal stopped in the middle.

  “Ladies alemen.” Iliyal shouted as he sed those faces. Nostalgia. It was a delicious cake dripping with nostalgia. The door pounded again. More Divirying to break through. They should have brought Alsaria. They should have brought Maisara. Or Fortia. Or anyone frankly. But petty fortress Divines? Iions? A few mages? That cake was being served with a side of victory. “We are indeed, ever so back.”

  He had po use explosives as first to bust one of the cells at first, thehat to break the others. But then, pns were worthless, pns ged as soon as operations began. He bowed to his men and to Olonia, both arms exteo one of the doors.

  “Olonia, the honours are yours.”

  To think the Pantheon had locked them all away in one spot.

  With only twenty two mortals…

  They had more than enough for one each.