Masked soldiers rushed through the halls of the airship, their boots tramping on the metal floor. Though the shoes were very well polished, the outfits were clean for one in battle. Spearbutt was raised a foot off the ground. The medical bays were likewise pristine, and healers were at work. Very soon, the wounded were up and about in an impressive display. Sahshir remained where he was on the ceiling, watching them go by. Then, when they were behind him, he dropped down silently.

"Something is wrong?" he said to Kushina as he stalked through the halls.

"What, exactly?" said Kushina.

"I don't know," admitted Sahshir, not liking the admission. "But the patterns of the crew have been changing. I believe they are alerted to my presence." He stalked around a hall and saw several people carrying away unconscious guards. "Yes, they are alert."

"Then why aren't they hunting you?" asked Kushina.

Sahshir slipped through the halls as quickly as he could. No greater levels of security presented themselves. "I do not know. But I may learn the truth in the bridge."

On he went. The doors in this place were opened by setting a hand to red crystals and finding fewer people around him. Eventually, he came to the doors of the bridge. They were unguarded, and the gates were unlocked.

Entering, he saw a table where a map may have been put. But it was empty. Many chairs were abandoned, and at the far end was a window. It peered out over a strange sky of shifting colors, and Sahshir could see a city in the distance.

Zigilus.

It was built upon a high plateau at the base of a jagged mountain. The city was surrounded by walls four times the size of his own home. Around that were endless grass fields, unbroken by farmland for some distance. You could see settlements distant from it, made of the same style with farmsteads around them. There were many trees as well, but these had a strange shape, and something about them was off.

In the shadow of the city was a vast encampment. A massive army had been arrayed before it, bearing the banner of Dinis. A great snake coiled around a fist. Sahshir attempted to count out their numbers by the tents he saw below. Then, he noted the standard, the symbol of a legion. There was only one of them, so they numbered roughly five thousand. That was how many men were in a Dinisian legion, after all.

Then there were others, less well-armored and bearing bows and spears. Auxiliaries, Sahshir guessed, seemed to number around half the legion. Two thousand to three thousand, he supposed.

Great siege machines were hurling flaming stones against the city. Arrows and stones surged down onto the attackers. They lodged themselves in portable shields that covered the engineers. One was struck in the throat and fell dead to the ground, healers going to him too late. The stones of the legion auxiliaries battered against the wall on the plateau. But they struck an invisible barrier and shattered. What was happening here? Why would Zigilus send such a host against them when they were threatened at home?

And why were they heading toward the army?

Then, the doors opened behind him. Sahshir quickly took a position behind the map table. Drawing the Sword of Order, he eyed the reflection and saw a gigantic figure enter through the doors. It was a monster nearly three meters high, with long fangs. It had tan skin beneath its armor, and on the one hand, were many metal whips coiled.

"Are you sure about this?" asked a familiar female voice.

A fair-skinned, blonde girl around his age walked into the room beside him. Sahshir noted she was wearing a very impractical outfit. An axe was slung over one shoulder. With her was an identical girl, but with shorter hair.

"Yes, I am." said the giant. "I always forget something when I have to leave in a hurry, and I mean to double-check this time." He drew near and bent down by the table, opening a drawer. "Ah, there it is. The maps."

"What maps?" asked the girl.

"I had the pass scouted while we were stalemating Asim," said Grakus. "Landscapes change, and you want to keep your maps updated. So come, let's get to the other ships."

They turned and departed.

"So they are evacuating, are they?" murmured Sahshir. "But why?"

"Whatever the reason," said Kushina, "you must find a way off quickly. They would unlikely abandon such a vessel unless they intended it to be destroyed."

"You're right," said Sahshir.

Quickly moving up to the controls, he tried to move them. But they ignored his efforts, and all his attempts did not sway it from its path. Gradually, the ship was going lower. The other vessels in the fleet were veering off, taking an alternate route.

"I believe they intend to crash this vessel into the legions of Dinis," said Sahshir. "But why is such a war happening?"

"I have some idea," said Kushina, "however, it is not presently relevant.

"There may be another way to stop this ship. It must have some means of staying in the air. If you sabotage it so it descends gradually, you could make a controlled landing."

"A controlled landing?" asked Sahshir. "I can't steer."

"Well, a landing that doesn't involve a fiery death." amended Kushina.

"I think I need a new plan," said Sahshir. Seeing a drawer, he opened it and found several manuals. One of them was in Kalthakian, and he quickly scanned through it. "It says here that the engine room is in the back. The engine is, uh... I think it's the thing that keeps this ship running."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Worth a try.

Sahshir turned and rushed back through the airship. As he did, he found nothing and no one to oppose him. Soon, he came to the door to the engine room; he set his hand on the gem. Nothing happened.

Sahshir drew out the Sword of Order and brought it down. The door bent and buckled beneath the stroke. Another blow saw it shatter. He stopped over the broken remnants of the door. Within this place, he found many strange devices topped with crystal orbs.

These orbs were pulsing with magic.

"Now let's see, to deactivate the engine," said Sahshir. "I don't understand how to disable these."

"It is written: When you do not understand something, brute force can destroy it," said Kushina. Kushina was right. He could try to disable them carefully, but that would take too long. He could smash them, but that could cause an explosion. So he drew out his Ghost Sword and stabbed it through one of the crystals.

The spells clashed against one another. Instantly, a reaction began as the disruption spread. Sahshir turned around and ran for his life, wishing he hadn't broken the door on his way out. He got halfway down the hall when there was a shuddering. He was thrown forward from the force and narrowly got around a corner before a wave of flame shot by. Then, there was the rushing of air. Glancing back, he saw the open landscape below. It was a landscape that was getting closer by the moment.

Sahshir paused. Blowing up the engines to prevent the airship from crashing was not his best idea. Of course, he'd die on his terms instead of his enemy. But he'd be dead all the same.

"Well, I'm descending now," noted Sahshir.

"So what's the problem?" asked Kushina.

"I'm descending more quickly than I'd like," admitted Sahshir.

"How quickly?" asked Kushina.

"...If I'm at the bottom of this ship when it crashes, I'm going to die," decided Sahshir.

"Then get to the top," said Kushina.

"Right," said Sahshir.

Rising up, he sprinted through the halls of the airship and up the various stairs. If he got high enough on the vessel, the force might not be sufficient to kill him.

At last, he reached the deck and found it empty. All but one of the airships were veering off, and he saw figures scaling into the last one. Going to the edge, he saw the ship descending towards the Dinis legions' rear.

Looking up at the balloon, he grabbed the rigging and began to scale it up. Pulling himself higher and higher, he reached the top and halted, balancing.

Above him, he saw the enemy airship bring up its last soldier. And there, looking down, was the giant.

He motioned to his guards. Then, he leaped downward toward the airship. The giant landed before Sahshir, and the airship shuddered beneath his weight. As he raised his hand, the metal whips came loose and slashed at the air like snakes. He smiled.

Sahshir drew the Sword of Order.

"I'll deal with you myself," said the giant.

"Who are you?" asked Sahshir.

"Grakus the Strong. Chief of the Enforcers." said the giant. "Prepare to die."

The giant Tuor had spoken of?

And then he was upon Sahshir. His whips slashed and struck like a hydra, and it was all he could do to evade it. Unfortunately, his footing was terrible. Sahshir nearly slid off the edge as he backed away. Dropping to one knee, Sahshir rolled aside as Grakus lunged. Vaulting over the giant, he stabbed down with the Sword of Order. But Grakus moved aside with surprising grace and brought around a fist. Sahshir twisted in midair to dodge it and brought around his blade.

They passed each other and landed.

And then the airship hit the ground. There was a shuddering, and both were thrown off it. Grakus and Sahshir hurtled through the air. Behind them, the vessel exploded into a ball of the purest flame, crashing through the armies of Dinis. Men fled before it as the fire consumed the area.

Sahshir turned himself in midair and remembered his training. Summoning his will, he slowed his fall as he descended. So it was that as he landed, he did not break every bone in his body. However, he hit the ground at a roll and landed hard. For a moment, he remained there, lying with aching muscles.

Then, he became aware of an armored man over them, raising a spear.

On reflex, Sahshir rolled away and snatched up the Sword of Order. Bringing it up, he cleaved through armor and cut the man in half. Others were around him for a moment. He dodged and weaved around their weapons, hacking and slashing. Several heads fell around him as the airship exploded.

Then, the gates of Zigilus opened.

From them came massive hairless dogs. They had horns like those of deer and red skin and fangs like those of a lion. They tore down into the chaos of the camp and fell upon the army. Then, over the walls came many winged women with claws and spears. They swooped down to attack the legion, and soon, the battle was joined.

Sahshir saw all this as he waved and hacked around him. His training was at work, and dozens had fallen to him. But he felt a blade nearly strike his eye and realized he would be overwhelmed. So, vaulting over a soldier, he spun through the air and landed behind. Then he made a run for it, fleeing toward Zigilus.

Absolute chaos had overtaken the camp. The legionnaires were fighting with the dogs. Auxiliaries hurled spears or retreated for distance with trained practice. He saw one of them cut the head from a dog before cleaving another one across the skull. Then, he shielded a comrade from the spear of a winged woman. Archers came forward and shot down several of the winged women. They were succubi, or so Sahshir guessed.

The succubi flew higher and began to hurl flames into the midst of the ranks. They mainly targeted siege equipment.

And then came airships, smaller than those Sahshir had come here on. They sped overhead and opened their bellies. And from them came a rain of boiling oil that scorched them. Men screamed, clawing at their burning flesh. Tents burst into new flame. But warriors in white robes and masks came forward. They sent spheres of fire toward the airships. Some were caught and fell, blasted to pieces by the power. Then Grakus appeared, falling among the sorcerers. He tore through them with his whips. They scattered, and warriors came to bar his path.

Sahshir decided he'd had enough of this. Slipping away from the conflict, he made his way up the path toward the gate, keeping to the shadows. As he did, he glanced back occasionally to see the combat continuing.

The legion was regaining its momentum. They had rallied and were driving back the demons, with more being claimed every moment. Sahshir suspected that the monsters would soon be wiped out, or they would withdraw.

As he came to the gate's shadow, Sahshir saw it was the latter.

Grakus was last in the retreat, fighting back against the legion. He was undoubtedly a formidable warrior. Soon, the remaining legionnaires dared not pursue him and instead reestablished their defenses. Yet they were a mere fraction of what they had been before. Their siege engines were annihilated, and their tents and stores were destroyed.

Yet even as the demons drew back their hand, Sahshir saw something. More legions were coming in the distance. Many more in number than those from before. He had never in his life seen such a host as this. The ground trembled, and the reflections of their shining helms were blinding.

Their baggage train was truly massive as well.

The army that had been decimated was but a vanguard. Zigilus had only given its master a bloody nose.

The gates opened, and the armies of Zigilus surged back through them. As they did, Sahshir stayed in the shadow of one of the towers. He saw Grakus march through last with a slight limp. Then, as he walked through, Sahshir slipped in after him into Zigilus.

Somewhere in this city were Garacel and the Blade of Chaos.

Sahshir would find both. Then, he would worry about escaping.