In a single second, Dan\u2019s gloves unleashed countless pulses of energy. They all sped outwards, shaking the very air in the building with their power. They struck the bars of the cell. The iron rattled, vibrated, bent and twisted, and then finally exploded, shards of metal flying outwards. The bars were wrenched from the floors and ceilings, and the blast of energy continued on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It struck Takuya next. He was picked up and slammed against the stone wall. He was held there for a moment, his mouth open and locked in a terrible scream. Dan could see his every bone shaking, almost jumping in place as the pulses struck them. The wall began to shudder, but it still held. Then Takuya exploded, just as the metal bars had done. Dan briefly looked away as red filled his vision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the wall flew apart. The stones making it up separated, and those which remained split apart, the fragments flying away as daylight flooded the building. The flying stones caught a few surprised orcs who were nearby, punching gaping holes straight through them before finally falling to the dusty ground, their energy spent. Only when the hole in the wall was as wide as three of the cells put together, did Dan finally lower his gloves. All trace of Takuya had been obliterated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan leapt out of his cell and turned to the others. \u201cI\u2019m sorry about that, if any of you were considering taking Takuya\u2019s offer,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re welcome to stay if you want and wait for the vampires. But Jaseff is right: we can<\/em> still win this. Einar still lives, and right now it\u2019s our duty to do everything we can to help him stay that way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n A rousing \u2013 if hoarse \u2013 cheer met Dan\u2019s words. The blast from his gloves had damaged the cells next to his own as well, wrenching them apart at the corners, and Jaseff now squeezed free and ran to Dan, quickly healing his arms, which were bleeding freely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ll need to use the transporter,\u201d Gideon said, coming up. \u201cIt\u2019s the only way we\u2019ll get to Liesic in time. I never took the time to learn how it worked, though,\u201d he added. \u201cThere was always a kyrie on the outside who took care of that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan turned to the prisoners, many of whom were still trapped in their cells. \u201cDoes anyone know how to work the transporter?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one spoke. Then, still in Dan\u2019s cell, Caela stood. \u201cI do,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She had changed. Dan could see caution in her face now, like she was afraid to believe she was free. But she was<\/em> free, both from the cell and from the dark place she had been moments ago, and Dan had done that. That knowledge gave him a curious feeling. He was making a difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n His arms healed, Dan leapt over the fallen stones to the still-closed cells. Using his metal gloves, he punched the locks in, one by one, until all the cells were open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Caela stepped forward, picking her way over the rubble. \u201cEinar\u2019s protocol in case of attack is to leave his transporter open to all friendly routes. As long as he doesn\u2019t know Hyleran has been taken, we should be able to use it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat about the orcs?\u201d Gideon asked. \u201cDan might have scared them, but I doubt they\u2019ll let us just walk to the transporter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll take care of them,\u201d Jaseff said, a hint of anger in his voice. \u201cNo one drags a mage like a sack of potatoes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut,\u201d Gideon said, \u201cif you could deal with them, why didn\u2019t you do it before?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaseff grinned. \u201cI didn\u2019t know they were going to use magic before. I didn\u2019t have time to react. As long as everyone stays close to me, they won\u2019t be able to touch you. Not with their magic, at least. While they\u2019re trying to figure out what\u2019s wrong, kill them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It sounded too simple to be true, but it worked. Once everyone from the cells was freed, totaling at least a hundred kyrie, samurai, and ninjas, plus Dan, Gideon, Laelia, Jaseff, Francois, and Caela, they all clustered around Jaseff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He closed his eyes for a moment. At first Dan thought nothing was happening, but then a strange feeling began to steal over him. It felt like something was tugging at his mind, like something was pulling at what made him\u2026 him. It made Dan\u2019s head spin. He shook it, trying to clear the feeling, but it persisted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaseff opened his eyes. \u201cWalk,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you see an orc, wait for it to attack. The magic will pass right through you. Then kill it. Never break from the group.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n So they walked. As one giant group, they slowly moved down the street, directed by Caela. Almost immediately, two orcs stepped in front of them. Dan braced himself as they raised their palms and red lightning shot from them, but Jaseff had been right: the magic hit Dan, he felt a momentary tightness in his muscles, and then it left. Glancing behind him, he saw the magic travel straight through the group to the center, where Jaseff stood, his hands outstretched at his sides as if he were performing some bizarre ritual. The magic dissipated the moment it touched him. Dan suddenly remembered that Ana had done the same thing when they were fighting Caius. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Confused, the orcs tried again, but with the same result. Dan unholstered his pistol, calmly aimed, and shot one of them dead. The second orc fled. The process was repeated a few more times, but after that, the orcs knew to leave them alone. Soon, they arrived at the transporter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The top of the structure was white with fallen ash, but it looked undamaged. Dan and the others crowded into it, barely all squeezing in. Caela remained outside for a moment, turning dials and pulling levers on the side of the machine, then she quickly ran through the doorway and pulled the heavy metal door shut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt will take a little under an hour for the transporter to get us there,\u201d she whispered in the darkness. Dan remembered the last time he had used the transporter, how he had spent mere seconds in it, but had emerged two hours later. It would still be early morning when they arrived in Liesic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The walls of the transporter began to rumble. Dan could hear something massive turning over their heads, slowly spinning around them, first above them, then to their side, then deep below, then back up the other wall\u2026 Faster and faster it spun, the rumbling and shaking becoming almost unbearable. There was a brief flash of bright light, a moment of pure silence, and then the rumbling returned, now slowing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the shaking and groaning of the structure was now punctuated by other sounds: muted clangs and sharp reports as if something was striking the walls of the transporter. The transporter finally rumbled into silence, a nearby samurai pulled open the heavy door, and they all streamed out\u2026 into a full-scale battle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The transporter of Liesic was situated in a giant dome, massive bricks, the color of golden sand, making up the arcing ceiling. Or at least, it had been. A chunk of the ceiling and a good portion of wall had been blasted apart, allowing deeply red sunlight to stream through, rendering the air full of motes of swirling dust, punctuated by thick sheets of falling ash. The sky overhead was thick with dark clouds, allowing only occasional glimpses of the blood-red sun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dragons flew by overhead, their massive frames blocking out the light completely for the seconds they were visible. Looking beyond the ruined wall, Dan could see Liesic spread out before him, smoke hanging over it like a smothering blanket. Flames burst from buildings at random, dust choked the street, hanging in swirling clouds, bound by some unseen magic, and all the while, ash fell steadily from the sky, dusting everything in unending white. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The walls of Liesic had clearly been breached. The sounds of battle smote Dan\u2019s ears, and he had to cover them with his hands as he exited the transporter. Soldiers were yelling, orcs were screaming, dragons roaring, beasts bellowing, and through it all came the clash of metal on metal. The blaze of flame drowned out portions of the other sounds, as its roar grew and dimmed, though the fire itself was somewhere beyond Dan\u2019s view, hidden by walls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Smoke flew in Dan\u2019s face, making him cough, and filling his lungs with the taste of ash and burnt flesh. The metallic taste of blood hung in the air, stinging Dan\u2019s nose and making his eyes water. Every breath he took was full of ash, causing him to cough and splutter as he staggered from the transporter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The room they entered was a scene of chaos: Imperium of Einar were arrayed in a line in front of the transporter, valiantly keeping it from a horde of orcs which pressed against them. Dan quickly saw that these were the same orcs they had faced in Hyleran: red lightning shot from their palms, felling kyrie several at a time. Only a few strategically placed mages, some absorbing the orcs\u2019 attacks as Jaseff had done, some removing the effects and helping their comrades back into combat, were keeping the orcs from trampling the Imperium into the dust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaseff quickly joined the mages. Gideon and Laelia ran to assist the kyrie, along with the majority of the others. Dan, however, quickly ran to the side of the room, to the head of the line of kyrie, found his footing, and pushed his gloves outwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From the wall, all the orcs were lined up for him. The energy streamed from his gloves, knocking them aside like so much dead grass. He was careful to keep the energy far from the Imperium, instead directing it behind the line of attacking orcs, picking off the stragglers. The orcs in the front, seeing what Dan was doing, became panicked. They paid for their distraction with their lives, as the Imperium swiftly cut them down where they stood. In a matter of seconds, every last orc was dead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou!\u201d An Imperium called, running over to Dan. \u201cYou serve Vydar?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Dan said quickly. \u201cNot after his betrayal. We\u2019re here to help.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Imperium nodded. \u201cI believe you,\u201d he said, casting his eye over the orcs Dan had slain. \u201cYou\u2019ll want to get rid of Vydar\u2019s emblem then,\u201d he added, nodding to Dan\u2019s armor. Glancing down, Dan saw that his shoulder bore the sign of Vydar. \u201cHere,\u201d the Imperium said, offering Dan a strip of cloth with Einar\u2019s symbol on it. \u201cUse it to cover Vydar\u2019s symbol. Otherwise we\u2019ll cut you down on sight.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Dan said, tying the cloth around his shoulder so that Einar\u2019s symbol showed clearly. \u201cWhat happened? Does Utgar have the city?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d the Imperium replied, as Gideon came running up. \u201cHe\u2019s summoned demons. They blasted right through our walls like they weren\u2019t even there. We lost a lot of good men that way.\u201d He took a breath. \u201cOrcs are running through the streets below, hunting for anyone who didn\u2019t make it: civilians and wounded soldiers mainly. Those who can still fight retreated to the keep.\u201d The Imperium pointed to a gleaming building a good distance away, sitting on the top of a cliff high above the city. \u201cThat\u2019s where Utgar and his demons are now, trying to claim Einar\u2019s wellspring. We were tasked with guarding the transporter, in case any foes came through it. So far, none have.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDisconnect it from Hyleran,\u201d Gideon said. \u201cVampires are due there any minute.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Imperium turned and ordered some swift commands in Kyrien. Several Imperium ran to the transporter and began turning dials. \u201cIf you\u2019re here to help,\u201d he said, turning back to Dan and Gideon, \u201cthen make for the keep. A distraction behind the lines is what Einar needs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan nodded. \u201cWe\u2019ll do it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gideon nodded his agreement. Then he turned to the hundred or so kyrie and humans who had come with them. \u201cAny of you who want to help Einar defeat Utgar, follow me!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearly all of them yelled warcries in reply \u2013 all of them mixed of course, coming from nearly twenty different cultures. Gideon ran for what had once been the door \u2013 now only half of the doorway was standing \u2013 and as one, the others followed him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan couldn\u2019t keep a grin from slipping onto his face. This was it. He was fighting for his horizon. He was fighting for the alliance\u2019s horizon. Somehow, they felt one and the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He paused, allowing Jaseff to run up and quickly heal his arms, and then they both charged after Gideon. Heat and ash smote Dan in the face as he left the domed building. The cries of battle seemed to grow louder as he descended narrow steps, leading to the city below. They would have to fight their way up to the keep, through the orcs roaming the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReady?\u201d Dan asked Jaseff as they paused before the apocalyptic scene which was the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaseff took a breath. \u201cIf not now, then I\u2019ll never be,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan nodded, and then they both plunged into the burning city after Gideon and the others. In a single second, Dan\u2019s gloves unleashed countless pulses of energy. They all sped outwards, shaking the very air in the building with their power. They struck the bars of the cell. The iron rattled, vibrated, bent and twisted, and then finally exploded, shards of metal flying outwards. The bars were wrenched from the floors … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Six – Liesic<\/span>
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