Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “You’re telling them to be patient?! Time is not on our side, Kaija!” Ruth said.

  “God is on our side. That is what truly matters,” Kaija said.

  “You’re going to need an army on your side, if you want to win,” Colonel Lodokus said.

  “I hope it’s an army that can see whoever this enemy is. I can’t,” Lieutenant Mazavida said.

  “God sees all and rules all,” Kaija said.

  “Which is why we’re caught up in this disaster!” Sophie said.

  “We need more than religion and prayer,” Ruth said.

  The Chronicler Ximenez recorded all of this conversation into his book, including the report of the battle. He could only record what was spoken, not what actually happened, because he was not witness to it. The volcanic ash made the air dirty enough that unassisted vision was not sufficient to see it.

  The Chronicler Alonso did the same, recording the verbal description of the battle into his book. His eyes were no better, so he could not see the distant battle in any detail.

  ~~~

  On board the Marshland Wolf, a scout watched the battle from the distance. “My lord, one of the other robber barons and his army of five thousand (5000) have been slaughtered by an unseen force,” he said.

  “He is no ally, because we have no allies. Who killed him? Focus your powers,” Prince Istvan said.

  “The opposing army is not hidden by darkness, my lord. Perhaps they are cloaked in false light, which I cannot see through,” the scout said.

  “Gilroy, go out there and investigate. We need to be aware of all potential threats,” Prince Istvan said.

  “Yes, my lord,” Gilroy said. He drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power of darkness. He exerted this power to cloak himself and then exited the ship to investigate what had just occurred, even though he did not see it occur.

  “Count Nemanja may not survive this battle, my lord. Even if he does, his forces will be greatly diminished. This could be your chance to leave the valley and seize his territory,” Colonel Abirad said.

  “If I see Count Nemanja die in this battle – whether he is slain by us or by another enemy – then we will do exactly that, Colonel Abirad. Not before then,” Prince Istvan said.

  ~~~

  While waiting on board the Creeping Leopard, Leocadio sensed the deaths of thousands nearby. “My lord, a battle has been fought and five thousand (5000) soldiers and their leader were slain. I sense that the spirits of Baron Vizakrid and his army have parted ways with their flesh,” he said.

  Baron Amidio turned to his guards and said: “I want to know who attacked! Send three (3) scouts to investigate and report back immediately!” Three (3) of his scouts drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from their vials and were energized with the powers of darkness. They exerted these powers to cloak themselves and then departed the ship.

  The Chronicler Caemgen recorded what he heard and saw into his book, although he did not see the actual battle. His ordinary vision could not penetrate the air that was made dirty by windswept volcanic ash. He could only record the fact that the conversation took place.

  ~~~

  Under the cover of false light, Derek stood on the deck of the Creeping Leopard and watched the slaughter take place only one (1) mile to the north. He could not see who attacked, because they were not hidden in the darkness. He could only surmise that the attacker was concealed by the power of false light. He counted the slain at five thousand (5000) soldiers plus their leader and his henchman.

  ~~~

  On board the Riches of the Albatross, Lovise watched the battle and said: “My lord, five thousand (5000) soldiers have been slain, along with their leader, Baron Vizakrid, and his henchman. The attacker is not hiding in the darkness. I cannot see who it was. They may be concealed in false light.”

  “Keep watchful, Lovise. We need to see the enemy if we are to defend ourselves,” Duke Rhys said.

  “My lord, that’s just what I cannot do. I see no sign of the enemy’s movement,” Lovise said.

  “We cannot remain here and wait to be attacked!” Duchess Siana said.

  “We have an obligation to the central bank, my lady,” Quianna said.

  “To do what? Fight a hidden enemy?” Duchess Siana asked.

  “Lovise cannot see the attackers, so we cannot direct our soldiers effectively,” Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael said.

  “My lord, my lady, please hear me! We must stay here! The central bank insisted that this was an urgent matter of the greatest importance!” Quianna said.

  “How can we accomplish anything by staying here, Quianna?” Duchess Siana asked.

  “She is correct, Quianna. We can provide better service to the central bank by managing and acquiring land using our uniquely effective methods. We should leave at once,” Duke Rhys said.

  “I will contact the central bank and inform them of the situation. They can send reinforcements,” Quianna said.

  “That will take too long! The enemy is here already! I can’t see them, but they’re here!” Lovise said.

  “Yrian, chart a course to exit the valley and return to our territory,” Duchess Siana said.

  “Please! The central bank is the authority! They ordered us to come here! If we leave, they’ll be angry and punish us!” Quianna said.

  “Chart the course to go home, Yrian,” Duchess Siana said.

  “Yes, my lady,” Yrian said. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. He concentrated to learn their paths and positions and used the information to learn their paths and positions.

  “My lady, I insist!” Quianna said.

  “Know your place, Quianna!” Duchess Siana said.

  “You are wrong, my lady! The central bank will put you in your place!” Quianna said.

  “Duke Rhys, you need to discipline this servant!” Duchess Siana said.

  “Quianna! Settle down! You are out of line!” Duke Rhys said.

  ~~~

  Lavakara moved through the region of the spirit world corresponding to Cinder Valley and watched the battle unfold quickly from start to finish. He could not see the attacker, which was not altogether surprising to him, because the spirit powers could not penetrate the deep darkness created by the Ikkith Tar Ocean’s waters. He suspected that the opposing army was cloaked by that shadowy energy. If false light in any form were used to conceal their presence – whether by illusion serving as camouflage or by the bending of light around the soldiers to prevent direct observation – then he would have been able to locate the warriors from this vantage point.

  He admired the attacker’s effectiveness, but he would admire it more if he knew its size to be small. He had no direct means to measure just how many concealed soldiers were in this unit.

  ~~~

  Nandru Bazavador and Yarina Bazavador both stood on the deck of the Yield Adjuster Twenty-Seven and watched as Captain Nicomedes directed his soldiers to fire the cannons, reload them and fire again. The variable gems pierced the mountains forming the perimeter of Cinder Valley.

  “A battle is being fought below. I sense the spirit of thousands of slain soldiers,” Yarina said.

  “That is not our concern. Soon the mountain walls will erupt, and everyone in the valley below will be drowned and burned in a sea of lava,” Nandru said.

  Inside the wheelhouse, Sunniva continued steering the ship through the air and around the valley, following its mountainous perimeter.

  ~~~

  While still under the cover of darkness provided by Vadim, Zoe spotted an airborne ship approaching from the south. The vessel was following the perimeter of the circular valley. She saw it firing its cannons at the mountain walls bordering Cinder Valley. Then, she watched as the walls ruptured and lava began spewing from the vents.

  Fenella learned from Zoe’s thoughts and warned the others – Rexana, Vadim and Brant. They ag
reed to move to a recessed section of the mountain wall, even though this meant moving closer to the gathered armies. They found an alcove where they could hide, so that they could at least be close to the valley’s border and not out in the open on the battlefield. The main advantage of this new location was that they would not be directly exposed to a falling lava stream if the attacking ship came any closer and repeated its assault using its cannons.

  “We’re only two (2) miles away from the battle,” Rexana whispered.

  “We need to watch it. We need to know how this goes, and be close enough to get involved if we have to fight,” Zoe whispered.

  Fenella telepathically transmitted a message to all of them: “Stay quiet. We can’t get involved. We’re outnumbered. Just keep watching. And keep hoping this doesn’t get worse.”

  ~~~

  On board the Greatest Future, Nikon sensed the spirits of the fallen warriors and their leaders. “A battle has been fought nearby. Five thousand (5000) soldiers and their leaders were slain. I can sense their spirits parting ways with their flesh. It was Baron Vizakrid and his army. They were directed by the central bank to help defend this valley,” he said.

  “That means the enemy has arrived,” Arisha said.

  “Perikles, we should create the defensive wall with the constructor. I though that’s what the central bank wanted you to do,” Klemens said.

  “Yes. And now we can trap the enemy here,” Perikles said.

  “I don’t understand. We want them away from us, outside of the valley, don’t we?” Fotini asked.

  “She’s right, Perikles. The wall should have been constructed sooner, so as to prevent the enemy’s arrival in this valley,” Klemens said.

  “We can’t stay and fight this enemy,” Nikon said.

  “We’re not going to fight them,” Perikles said.

  “This plan is dangerous, Perikles. We were ordered to provide defense, not offense,” Klemens said.

  “Fotini, elevate the ship to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude,” Perikles said.

  “Yes! Right away!” Fotini said. She pulled levers to elevate the Greatest Future to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude above the valley floor.

  “Perikles, be careful. Do not take risks without first discussing them with us and coming to an agreement. The more I probe your thoughts, the more worried I am becoming. How will you control it?” Klemens asked.

  “Control what?” Fotini asked.

  “The poison!” Klemens said.

  “What do you mean by controlling poison?” Nikon asked.

  “It’s both defense and offense,” Perikles said. He drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to manipulate crystals and stones. He then removed a sapphire from his coat pocket and made slight alterations to its low-level structure to release the control signal. A beam of blue light emanated from it toward the sapphires at the tips of the thirty-four (34) constructor pillars that were spread across thirty-four (34) of the three hundred eighty-four (384) Jeshirinko warships docked on the valley floor nearby. Those thirty-four (34) sapphires atop the constructor pillars all lit up and then each of them emanated a beam of blue light toward the others, forming all five hundred twenty-seven (527) geometric diagonals. The beams began to rotate and then the mists of the gray-blue poison lake waters were drawn up into the air and began swirling around. These poisonous waters were sprayed through the air and rained down onto the valley below.

  “I can see the poison lake waters going everywhere! This is madness, Perikles!” Klemens said.

  “The enemy won’t survive,” Perikles said.

  “Neither will many of our allies! Those who do will become our enemies!” Klemens said.

  “This is much too dangerous! Why would you take that kind of chance?” Nikon asked.

  “We are not an army, yet we were sent to do the work of an army and defend a large territory. I had to devise an innovative solution. That is why the central bank hired me and sent me here. They trust my abilities,” Perikles said.

  “You may be clever, Perikles, but you are imperfect and you do not possess all powers! You have never attempted such a thing before!” Klemens said.

  “What’s this poison going to do? You were afraid to sail the ship in it. That means it’s worse than any poison I’ve ever slipped to anyone. How powerful is it?” Arisha asked.

  “It can melt bedrock,” Perikles said.

  “That’s more than just poison! Even I know that!” Arisha said.

  “Perikles, talk to me! Tell me what you’re thinking! Tell me you have this under control. Should I move the ship? Please, tell me!” Fotini asked, clearly panicked.

  “The poison is no danger to us up here. I altered the control crystal to signal the constructor so it would send the toxin away from the ship, outward and downward,” Perikles said.

  ~~~

  The gray-blue caustic liquid that was drawn up from the poison lake by the constructor began to fall down onto the Cypress Advantage. The ship was melted away. Lieutenant Plamen and his soldiers were instantly burned to death by the corrosive substance. Captain Ibriy and his sailors met the same fate.

  ~~~

  The same corrosive fluid fell down upon the Forthright. Baron Waldahr, Hekuba Lieutenant Colonel Primoz and their soldiers were instantly burned to death by the liquid. The ship dissolved around them.

  ~~~

  Judith walked along the valley floor near the Cypress Advantage and watched as the repairs to the damaged vessel came to an abrupt halt. She observed the very ship melt away under the sudden downpour of gray-blue liquid. The same caustic fluid fell like rain all around her and the ground itself burned and tore open as it was struck by the torrent. She drew sketches of these images into her book and feared that this event could prove to be more tragic than even the tempests. Judith remained faithful to her duties as a Chronicler of the Oath and continued her trek through Cinder Valley. She witnessed and recorded the treacherous events, including the panic, death and destruction as the gathered armies ran for cover and many of their ships were dissolved by the acidic rain.

  ~~~

  From the spirit world, the Guardian Angel Ondothel watched over Judith and protected her from the storm of caustic gray-blue liquid. No part of her body or clothing was touched by the corrosive torrent. Even her book and her pen were shielded from the perilous downpour, which grew larger and more intense, spreading across Cinder Valley.

  ~~~

  Count Nemanja held his pair of dark-bladed swords high over his head and swung the weapons in circular motions. The gray-blue acidic rain fell nowhere near him. In fact, it stopped, mid-air, as he walked by. His twenty thousand six hundred fifty (20650) soldiers across five (5) brigades – as well as the five (5) colonels commanding them – each carried a single dark-bladed short sword. They swung these weapons in curved paths above their own heads, halting the downpour of caustic liquid in their path.

  “The ground is melting around us!” Colonel Crina said.

  “Not all of it. I see a clear path ahead,” Colonel Ghenadie said.

  “Since you’re so confident, Colonel Ghenadie, then you should hold your sword high and advance quickly while the ground ahead is still reachable, and lead the rest of us,” Colonel Iulan said.

  “Yes, Colonel Iulan, I will lead the way, and you can follow…as always,” Colonel Ghenadie said.

  “Don’t lead us into more problems, Colonel Ghenadie. Your eyes may be sharper, but your soldiers have the same weapons and training,” Colonel Crina said.

  “My eyes are sharp enough to see farther, and my mind is sharp enough to think clearly and not take advice from you, Colonel Crina,” Colonel Ghenadie said.

  “I sense tremendous fear in you, Colonel Crina. Nothing can happen to you or your pretty face,” Colonel Iulan said.

  “This is not your first battle, Colonel Crina. In past conflicts, great stones and burning logs have been sent to strike us and we avoided them all. Y
ou know how to make a clear path if there isn’t one,” Colonel Dumitru said.

  “You hide in the darkness, Colonel Dumitru. The enemy can never see where you stand, so they strike at the rest of us,” Colonel Crina said.

  “Just be careful where you walk, Colonel Crina. You wouldn’t want to fall and miscarry yet another child that no one needs or cares for,” Colonel Sorina said.

  “Says the woman no man is willing to play with, Colonel Sorina. Just like your face and personality, this rain is worse than poison. Even the lava isn’t burning through everything. Ships are being destroyed by this downpour,” Colonel Crina said.

  “No, Colonel Crina. The rain is better than poison. Soon, it will melt away the enemy and Cinder Valley will be under my command. Then, the central bank will owe me a great debt for protecting it,” Count Nemanja said.

  ~~~

  The spirits of Baron Vizakrid and his five thousand (5000) soldiers and Climaco, along with the spirits of Captain Ibriy and his fifty-nine (59) sailors and Lieutenant Plamen and his two hundred twenty-six (226) soldiers and sixty-nine (69) archers, in addition to the spirits of Baron Waldahr, Hekuba, Lieutenant Colonel Primoz and their nine hundred eighty-seven (987) soldiers, all found themselves confined in a strange realm that was a deep shade of blue. They were weak and restful, having none of their former strength, speed, wit or purpose. Their energy nearly completely left them, and they did not have any understanding of what this meant.

  ~~~

  From within the maze of caves high up in Mount Rurik, Talmai Hathus watched through his telescope as the battle unfolded in the eastern quadrant of the valley floor below. The unseen army slaying its enemies, the splatter of gray-blue acidic lake waters and the magma being released from the sides of the surrounding mountains all distressed him greatly. He did not know where Anena Hathus was and did not believe that her Gradaken waterbinding would afford her any protection from these perils if she was nearby.

  ~~~

  High up in the mountains surrounding Cinder Valley – three hundred ninety-two (392) feet above the valley floor – Nov’Talod hid within a deep cave. In his right hand he held a staff, on the tip of which was mounted a lapis lazuli. The gem glowed bright from the radiance of the many spirits it contained. In his left hand was a pearl, which pulsed light and dark as each new spirit in the valley floor below ascended and was captured. Every departed soul was reflected by the surface of the pearl and sent toward the lapis lazuli.