Both beaten and battered, we stood up and prepared ourselves to walk outside and begin the attack. Galen’s attack had been a lot wider spread than it was focused, which meant it hadn’t done as much damage to me. Elm was a lot more hurt than me but he seemed to be holding up well, even with the burns on his chest and arms. It was another reminder that I wasn’t really a combatant in the normal sense.

“Keep that igniter. You’ll probably need it.” Elm nodded to me, his smile wide. I nodded back, holding the weapon ready in my arms, wound up as he jumped through the door and ran out into the night. On one of the wooden night towers a guard was already looking at the door, although his aim was shaky. I prepared to fire at him to see a rock fly out of the mud and into the man's forehead, out the other end.

Elm is scary.

The title of Major hadn’t fully resonated with me yet but his military prowess was clearly showing. A battle mage as experienced as him was sure to be able to overpower his enemies with sheer skill, which apparently hadn’t really gone away despite not using it for years. I turned, seeing another guard who was also beginning to take aim and turned my igniter to him. Holding my cheek next to it felt odd, but it was surprisingly easy to figure out where my shots would land even from a long range. The battle was slowly growing as more became aware.

Then, we heard the explosion. There were some sounds of combat on the other side of the camp, but it was much clearer now that Elric had completed his part of the mission. The guards on that side would likely be drawn there to spot Elina who would be living out her dreams in the heat of combat.

Really hope she doesn’t die.

Casualties were something I had prepared my mind for, but it still worried me. War was going to be brutal and a situation like this would never be entirely one sided. I turned to see some guards taking aim on foot, running towards our location. Small pieces of earth came flying upwards and directly into their bodies. Watching the life fade from them as they were bewildered by my mentor’s skill was a cathartic experience.

“Kid, head to the armory! I’ll cover!”

I nodded, running towards the armory with the igniter in hand. As beams flew around me I bobbed and weaved until I was able to pass through the door and get inside, coming to be surrounded by a beautiful array of magore weapons.

***

The slaves making their way to the armory were happy. Some were terrified, but there was a general air of positivity as they made their way towards the armory and towards me. Elm was continuing to wreck through the guards as though it was nothing, but some were giving up focus on him and instead focusing on the rest of us. I smiled as I spotted Alex at the front, bolting his way towards the door. I quickly ushered him in, getting him to cover away from the fire. The guards were still trying to hit us in the armory, but the reinforced walls and Elm’s constant retaliation kept them from hitting Alex. As soon as he got in, I quickly got to working on his cuff and removing it.

“Thanks North. You gonna join the fight soon?”

I shrugged in response.

“I’m not really a good fighter yet. Never saw the frontlines. You, on the other hand, will have a good time.” I had no idea what aptitude he had up until this point until I started to see his body be encircled in flames. For a person with a rusted appearance to have a fire attunement felt fitting.

Before he left, he also grabbed a burner as he ran outside and was quickly replaced by other slaves. I spent time unlocking their cuffs and arming them as they all made their way back outside to join in with Elm. Some of them were not removing their cuffs and instead focused on quickly arming themselves. It was a truly beautiful sight to behold. I couldn’t help but feel proud about my efforts.

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I hope I earned this.

Once the fighting near the armory started to slow down, I was able to start to move outside to watch the battle. The slaves would still come into the armory, but I could finally take some time to admire the spectacle that was our revolt. Magore fire and magic flew in the air and left a dazzling display. I could also see a few of the penal laborers running around and having the time of their life getting revenge. Although I would prefer for this event to be more closely related to saving ourselves, they needed this in order to truly feel justified. I couldn’t spot Twig, which gave me a bit of worry.

As long as Sera and Karla are safe, I’ll be fine moving forward.

***

As the final slaves went to get weapons and have their cuffs removed, I cheered to the rest of the crowd.

“LET THE MARCH BEGIN!”

A symphony of pride spread throughout the camp as we began our push forward. I could spot a few familiar faces, one of them being Nicole who had her cuff removed with a chilling smile on her lips. The next morning was going to be a dangerous one where I was going to have to battle her for control, and she knew that.

The journey was rather quick as the guards were mowed down. It hurts every time I see one of their beams hit a slave or penal laborer or spot one of the slaves on the ground, but I couldn’t deal with that. It wasn’t something I could let hamper my push forward. Our march was a proud one, as the guards looked confused and overwhelmed that those who they had abused and pushed down for years finally came and gave them what they deserved. I spotted Ian’s corpse on the ground, looking thoroughly stabbed and with his face in a perpetual look of horror.

That’s for constantly breaking your burner like a dumbass.

I took down a few guards on my path as well. The igniter was a powerful weapon which felt right in my hands. When I left the camp, I was planning on keeping it even though it was a weapon which had been used to mow down my people. Using it against the empire and against their atrocities felt like the only fitting use for the weapon. It would also be another way of getting back at Galen.

As we walked towards the mines, past our bunks, I couldn’t help but smile. I had actually done something which I had fantasized about for years. I was saving other people. A lot of the work was on them, but I had created the path for them to follow. There was no way I could let this end with a singular camp in Boralis now that I had felt this sensation. In the distance, I could hear the loud cries of joy that were very distinctly Elina’s voice as she danced with a burner in hand. She didn’t even have her cuff off but she looked like a true force to be reckoned with. They would be useful in the future if they survived, and the now shrinking number of guards gave me hope about that.

As we marched and ran towards the mine, I finally got to see the collapsed entrance. I turned behind me to spot Elm, looking around and still continuing to take down guards with his stone attunement.

I really need him or someone else to teach me combat magic.

***

The sound of death started to die down as the last few guards were killed off. They held a look of surprise in their faces as they likely wondered what sort of sins they had done to deserve this. Some of them might have known, some might have not, but it didn’t matter now.

A distinct burner shot signaled the death of the last guard. I took a moment to look around to see the slaves around me, looking energized and hopeful. They were feeling a sense of justice that they had been deprived of for so long.

I turned to them and smiled.

“WE WON!”

The collective cheer was overwhelming. The rain may have drowned out some of the noise but it was louder than I could have imagined.

I turned to the mine entrance and beckoned for Elm to come over. He stared at the blockade of stone before taking a deep breath. Slowly, the rocks that covered it began to shift out of the way leading to the entrance being opened. I gave him a smile as I slowly entered the mine…

And found Elric dead on the floor.