<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 125%; line-height: 116%;">Soluunar</span></span><br/><br/>Barth heard the sound of Ausan's shield deflecting a spear headed right for him; not even reacting to her saving his life, he glimpsed movement in his peripheral vision and thrusted his blade up in time to skewer the neck of the next Tutar, even as on his other side another demon fell to the ground, each eye pierced by an arrow courtesy of Verana's longbow.<br/><br/>Around him he glimpsed the others fighting; the Knights of Lebidan were holding their own, and in some cases doing more than that- the tall son of Lord Shalerin was fighting with a savagery that belied his calm demeanor, and the robotic silent Knight he'd noticed at the meeting earlier was dismantling their foes with deadly precision.<br/><br/>There was another Lebi, not a Knight, fighting with two swords and incredible speed. He was wearing leather armor, that would have seemed suicidal against such foes except the Tutar seemed to be unable to land a strike on him.<br/><br/>His attention was abruptly returned to his own immediate vicinity, as one of the largest Tutari beasts he'd ever seen reared up before him; Barth and Ausan moved forward as one, even as Verana covered their flank with a barrage of arrows that forced back the opportunists seeking to hack at them from behind.<br/><br/>With a savage shout he stomped down with all of the weight of his body and armor onto the beast's leg just above the knee, shattering it and forcing it down to a more manageable height even as Ausan's blade sliced through it's neck from one side while his own did the same from the other.<br/><br/>After a moment, once he'd withdrawn his bloodied blade from the neck of the demon, Barth realized it was over.<br/><br/>Behind them came a stampede of hooves as a large detachment of Lebi soldiers rode up, reinforcing them even as the remaining Tutar fled, their evident leader being covered in his retreat by the others. They had been beaten back by the ferocity of the defense, and had been denied their hopes of easy spoils. Barth saw Verana hoist herself up onto her horse and begin trotting after the large, dark shapes as they plunged into the southward forests, and called her back.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"No! Do not pursue." </span><br/><br/>She stopped her steed and turned to stare at him, and the others who looked to have been in the process of joining her watched him as well.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"We do not have the manpower to waste on them. That is their land, and there is no telling what ambushes await. The threat has been dealt with, and now we focus on our people,"</span>he finished, already turning to look in the direction of the battered citizen's guard, replacing his longsword on his back.<br/><br/>Many of them were badly injured, and there were more corpses than he'd have liked to see- but they were still mostly intact. Their determination, their will, was the only reason any of the civilians still lived. Overwhelmed as they were, they had not broken rank. Good soldiers, every last one of them. Barth stared regretfully at the fallen, as he walked past them, until finally reaching the survivors.<br/><br/>"Prince… we knew you would come. We would not have lasted much longer- we prayed Kelmin would reach you in time," said one of the defenders, a woman whose name Barth did not know. There was a large gash running across her brow, and half of her face was covered in blood, but she appeared to be healthy nonetheless. She slapped her gauntlet against her chest in the Linden salute, displaying little in the way of serious injury. Many of those around her were much worse for wear.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"Kelmin lives on,"</span>Barth said simply, and the woman lowered her gaze for a moment, hearing of the passing of her brother-in-arms.<span style="color: #FFFF00"> "But he held on long enough to pass on his message. He died a hero."</span><br/><br/>The female soldier's eyes did not rise up from the ground, but Barth had a question for her, even as the newly arrived reinforcements began dismounting from their horses, attending to the wounded.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"Where is Fendanak?"</span><br/><br/>She stared up at him, a muscle in her bloodstained face twitching as he asked of their leader, the one who had failed them.<br/><br/>"He lives on."<br/><br/>Barth stared at her for a moment, then spat onto the ground between them.<span style="color: #FFFF00">"He is out of my reach, then,"</span>he said as his eyes swept over the bodies of his countrymen.<span style="color: #FFFF00"> "Their blood is on his hands." </span><br/><br/>"Prince Krinwulf."<br/><br/>He turned to see Resuran standing there watching him. His formerly gleaming armor now had some dents in it and was splattered in places with liberal amounts of blood. Additionally, there was a hardness in his eyes that had been missing before. A man who'd had his first taste of the Tutar- Barth could see the change over some of the others as well. Many Lebis had fallen, but those who had survived the confrontation had a similar look about them. They were different, already, and they'd only had a taste.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"Lord Resuran. Your men have aided us greatly." </span><br/><br/>"Tis the men of<span style="font-style: italic">my father's</span>house you speak of, Krinwulf," Borim Garth spat as he moved within earshot, cutting off what his fellow Lord Knight was about to say. "Men who gave their lives for your ragged kin."<br/><br/>Barth took a deep breath, struggling to quell his rage, but luckily Resuran stepped forward with an apologetic sideways glance at the bald Knight. "Prince Krinwulf, the men who have newly arrived will help bring your injured to camp. The citizens are being tended to as well- we have another detachment of men that shall reinforce the other two groups moving from Linden."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"You have my thanks,"</span>Barth replied as he inclined his head. Resuran nodded and turned to confer with his men; Barth began moving over to the section of battleground where the bodies were most plentiful, where the attack had undoubtedly first occurred.<br/><br/>There were numerous Tutari corpses there, scattered amongst the bodies of the wives and children that had been slain. Here and there were the bodies of an elderly man or woman, not fighters, not armed or armored, who had faced savage foes who knew nothing of mercy. He located a huddle of bodies that stood out to him; it was impossible to discern the individuals, as they were facing downward, yet he already knew what he would find before he turned them over.<br/><br/>A woman, middle-aged, staring vacantly up at the sky above; in her arms, a small child, also dead, with the same blank emptiness in his eyes. The Prince knelt down on the earth beside them, slowly removing the gauntlet from his right hand. Around him he could hear the others murmuring the words, the same words that flowed over every battlefield they had fought on since the beginning of the end.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"Rune's hand guide you. Eyes forward, forget the torment. You shall live on," </span>he whispered as he gently pushed the woman's eyelids down. The child in her arms couldn't have been older than 5. Had Fendanak done as he was ordered, they would not have met such an end.<br/><br/>He gently moved the small boy from the arms of the caregiver that had spent her final moments attempting to shield him, the pointlessness of her efforts not mattering in the face of their impending doom. He had had a little brother who'd fallen from a horse while learning to ride, around the same age. Barth, just two years Garrin's senior, had been there when it happened; he'd watched as his only brother broke his neck upon impact.<br/><br/>This boy even resembled his brother as he remembered him. The sharp jawline, light brown eyes, the dark tousled hair that covered up his ears on either side...<br/><br/>Barth's hand trembled slightly as he eased the tiny eyelids down, covering up the glazed over pupils.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"Rune's hand guide you. Eyes forward. Forget… forget…"</span><br/><br/>He closed his own eyes, unable to go on. He wondered how much more would be lost before this war was over.<br/><br/><br/>_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_<br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 125%; line-height: 116%;">Upper Regions</span></span><br/><br/>"My Lady."<br/><br/>Naiya opened her eyes and turned to see Tamin and Kilkren standing in front of the doorway, their gazes lowered deferentially.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Yes?" </span><br/><br/>"You are watching Soluunar. We have heard there is bloodshed, below."<br/><br/>She smiled, her green eyes narrowing slightly on the duo.<span style="color: #FF0000">"You have, now? From whom?" </span><br/><br/>"It is on the lips of everyone, My Lady," answered Tamin, who had been the initial speaker. He was the most soft-spoken and calm of her Demigods, and he was also the largest and most heavyset. He was extremely powerful, the knotted muscles of his body visible through the robes he wore in place of the armor he donned whenever he was permitted to venture to Soluunar. "Rolyn Skyhand has called another Conclave."<br/><br/>Naiya grunted, unsurprised. The Mortals of Linden prayed to Rune whenever lives were lost on the battlefield. Skyhand had heard more prayers than anyone else since the start of this war, and he would hear many more before the end.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Your assumption,"</span>she began with a sharp glance at Tamin who now looked slightly ashamed,<span style="color: #FF0000"> "was correct. I was indeed watching, but it is now over. It was a small engagement. A relatively small force of Tutar seeking easy spoils, attacked a large group of civilians. But they were beaten back." </span><br/><br/>A muscle in Kilkren's face twitched; Naiya knew he hated being away from the action. He was darker, slimmer and shorter than the other, but much less calm- in many ways he embodied the fire that was her area of dominion. Where Tamin's hair was kept very short and neat, his was scraggly and unkempt. More than Tamin, he savored battle and he missed it dearly. Naiya, as an open supporter of Malinar, had forbidden them from getting involved in the ongoing conflict below. Kilkren did not seek to disobey her orders, but he still made no secret of his distaste for them.<br/><br/>"A trio of Demigods would not make such a difference, My Lady," he said, attempting to keep his tone light in spite of his obvious agitation. "There are others on Soluunar, yet the Circle cares not for their presence there."<br/><br/>She stood up and moved towards the two of them, mindful of the missing third.<span style="color: #FF0000">"The ones on Soluunar have not taken part in this war. And some of them are Fallen and cannot return, even if they had the intention of doing so. You know this, Kilkren."</span><br/><br/>He grunted and bowed in acceptance of her logic, though he still looked distinctly unhappy; she turned to the other, venturing a question she'd been waiting to ask since first seeing the both of them.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"And where is Piedal?" </span><br/><br/>Tamin offered a rueful smile.<br/><br/>"He is training with Kahz, My Lady."<br/><br/>Naiya was unsurprised; although the only missing Demigod did not share in Kilkren's all encompassing love for battle, the man was only happy when he was training for it. He was nothing shy of obsessive about perfecting himself as a soldier, preparing himself with a fervor that suggested he expected the Upper Regions themselves to come under attack at any moment. But one thing made no sense.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Training with him?"</span>she asked doubtfully, and Tamin's smile widened somewhat.<br/><br/>"Well, he said he would try to agitate the old man into actually fighting with him."<br/><br/>Naiya shook her head and walked past them; with Malinar entrenched in yet another struggle with Skyhand she elected to see what Piedal was up to.<span style="color: #FF0000"> "I am surprised you didn't join him, Kilkren,"</span>she said as she exited her dwelling.<br/><br/>The dark man snorted, following behind her as she strode out into the light. "To what end? Kahz says we are centuries of training away from being worth his time. And that's with the three of us together. It is bad enough he keeps sending us away, but there are only so many times I will be insulted in such a manner."<br/><br/>She nodded; yes, it made sense. Tamin was content with whatever happened, Kilkren was proud, too proud to go there only to be belittled and refused, and Piedal was determined enough to leave his ego behind and try his luck alone, hopeless as the endeavor might seem.<br/><br/><br/>She had only made the trek to Kahz's place once, before- it was not very far away, but the man wanted his seclusion and the inhabitants of the Upper Regions respected his wishes. If he asked for one to leave, they left and without hesitation, even the Gods of the Circle. As for Naiya, the Demigod was many thousands of years her elder, and although they had seldom spoken, she was always somewhat uncomfortable around him. Silly as the notion was, it was as if the man knew things about her that she didn't want him to know.<br/><br/>They reached the clearing, emerging from the shadow of the forest's enormous trees to see Piedal standing very still on one side of a small campfire, across from a man with long, tangled grey hair and a scraggly beard to match it. The old Demigod was seated cross-legged in front of his small wooden hut with his eyes closed.<br/><br/>Naiya stopped and watched curiously, being careful not to make a sound.<br/><br/>"Your Goddess is here now, child," came the gruff voice of the old Demigod, his eyes still shut. "You have stood there staring at me for several hours now, for fear of being sent away- I would normally do just that, but since you now have an audience, I will give you a chance."<br/><br/>Piedal's face brightened immediately, and Naiya heard a soft sound of disappointment from next to her as Kilkren's expression darkened. She knew the man regretted not joining his comrade on his seemingly misguided mission, but whether or not it would yield any positive results for the young Demigod was yet to be seen.<br/><br/>"Yes, Master Kahz. What must I do?"<br/><br/>"Lay a single finger on me, before I can rise to my feet," replied the older man, still unmoving, eyes still closed, "and I will spar with you to your heart's content."<br/><br/>Piedal stared in shock at the man who was still perfectly still, seated flat on the ground. "What? But-"<br/><br/>"Well, what are you waiting for, fool?"<br/><br/>Naiya watched as Piedal immediately leaped over the fire, lunging towards Kahz with both hands outstretched and a look of triumph on his face.<br/><br/>A moment later he was sprawled out on the ground, skidding forward in the dirt as Kahz straightened up beside the fire, several yards away from where he had been sitting a split second earlier. He had moved so quickly she failed to even see it.<br/><br/>Naiya could only look on in shock- next to her, the other two stared with just as much surprise.<br/><br/>Demigods liked to exchange tales of slaying Tutar, or mighty warriors, or standing firm against entire armies- Seagan Kahz, however, was a man who had slain Gods. Kahz looked over to her, a knowing look in his eyes that made her shift uncomfortably in spite of herself, before turning to regard Piedal as the slim, pale man with the dirty blond hair sullenly pushed himself up to his feet, brushing dirt off of his clothes.<br/><br/>"Be gone, now. You and your brethren. I would speak to the Goddess for a moment."<br/><br/>Naiya approached the wooden hut as the trio of men moved past her, back into the forest, each of them glancing back at her and Kahz but none of them willing to linger given their dismissal. As she moved towards the fire she felt curiosity overpower her misgivings, of which there were many. She had heard many stories of the man, of what he had endured after the passing of his beloved Galaia- a tragic tale, of that there was no doubt- yet seeing him before her was very different. He was no knight in a fairytale. Rather, he was a blunt old man who had little taste for formalities, and even less patience for whose who did.<br/><br/>He moved around the fire, watching her with that same look in his eyes.<br/><br/>"I have a message for you to pass on."<br/><br/>She blinked; it was nothing short of bizarre, to be told something like that by a Demigod, regardless of his reputation. She was an Elder Goddess, after all.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"I-I'm sorry?" </span><br/><br/>His eyes narrowed. "A message. For you. To pass on."<br/><br/>His curt tone made her raise an eyebrow, but she stifled her irritation- once again, curiosity held dominion over her senses.<span style="color: #FF0000">"For Malinar?" </span><br/><br/>He snorted softly, shaking his grey head. "No, not him. For Skyhand."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"I don't understand. With the ongoing Conclaves I support Mali-"</span><br/><br/>"I don't care who you support, Goddess. The Circle is the Circle. They sit around and debate and deduce and manipulate, all while men slay men and worlds burn and the good die and the wicked linger. Until they die too, because everyone dies," he said, suddenly looking very different. Naiya could only stare at him, wondering at the change that had come over him so abruptly. "Everyone. The good, the bad… there is no such thing as immortality, whether you call this place home or not."<br/><br/>Seagan turned and stared into the depths of the fire, as if searching for something Naiya could not see. "Skyhand came to me and he asked me for something," he said without looking up, "and now I'm going to tell you what he wants to know. If you pass it on to him, if you don't, it makes no difference to me."<br/><br/>Finally he looked back up at her, his eyes shining with emotion. "I don't care, but I'm doing my part now because it's what she would have wanted. She could forgive anyone. She forgave me, even, and if I must be merciful as well, then it shall come in the form of a message that may never reach its intended recipient. It is more than I've managed thus far and it's all I see myself doing, in any case."<br/><br/>He stared off into the distance, seemingly at nothing in particular, before taking a deep breath and turning back to Naiya once more.<br/><br/>"She would say to find a way, because there is always a way. She would say that a law guides intentions but it does not govern wills. She would say that idle hands are idle minds, and that change comes whether or not we would move to bring it about. For good or for bad, the<span style="font-style: italic">type</span>of change is up to us."<br/><br/>With that Seagan Kahz turned, and without a backward glance he walked into the hut and shut the door behind him.