“Al,” Hiral said slowly, his eyes still locked on that section of map. He hadn’t imagined it. No way. “If that dot was Olimpas, could he have switched sides? Walked over to the other faction’s territory?”

“No, it wouldn’t be possible,” Al said, and Hiral started to breathe out in relief. “Unless…?” Al continued quietly.

“Unless… what?” Seena asked.

“The fog itself was more a deterrent than a physical barrier,” Al said. “The magic would’ve redirected anybody back out, but a perfect series of coincidences or lucky guesses could – in theory – get somebody several feet deeper into the other side without being turned back. The odds are nearly one-in-a-million though.”

“Let’s say – just for a minute – those odds lined up in somebody’s favor,” Hiral pushed.

“If it’s as you say, and the person was far enough into the other side’s territory before the actual barrier raised itself, then, yes, they could find themselves in the enemy’s land,” the Triclops explained. Even his three-eyed face seemed a little disbelieving at the possibility.

“And,” Hiral went on. “What if they weren’t an actual enemy? I mean, what if they’ve been allies before the Cradle pitted us against them. Would it force them to fight?”

“The Cradle’s goal is to create one victor, not allies,” Al said. “It will push for one faction to gain absolute victory over the other.”

“One faction,” Ilrolik said. “Not one individual. Betrayal is not an uncommon tactic when it comes to battle.”

“Or politics,” Elezad added. “Did Olimpas just switch sides on us? Is he going to use information on our strengths and weaknesses to buy his way in?”

“Considering we think he’s carrying the Urn of Ur’Thul, it could be worse than just a bit of espionage,” Seena said.

“Worse than even that, I think,” Hiral said.

“What did you figure out?” Nivian asked him.

“The timing of it is all too suspicious,” Hiral said. “Let’s continue assuming that dot was Olimpas for all this.”

“Oh, I’m way past assuming,” Seena said.

“Perfect. Then, how did he know exactly when to be standing at the fog wall?” Hiral asked. “Since he was a member of the Trust, he knew the functions of the War Table. He’d know Dad could track him down when somebody realized he was missing. Which meant he left when he did for the specific reason to getting through the wall.”

“He would’ve needed to know when the wall was coming down…” Seena started, her eyes widening as she spoke and caught on to the same thing Hiral was thinking. “Oh hell. Seeyela is going to kill us. Literally, murder us.”

“What does your angry sister have to do with this?” Sera asked.

“My rightfully angry sister,” Seena corrected.

“Olimpas must have been in contact with Vorinal this whole time,” Hiral explained. “Probably since they were both up on Fallen Reach.”

“The Voice of the Island,” Ilrolik cursed. “Olimpas heard it too, but kept it secret?”

“It’s very possible,” Hiral said.

“That doesn’t explain why your rightfully angry sister would be involved,” Sera said.

“Because it means that was probably, actually Olimpas down on the surface torturing and trying to murder her,” Seena said. “And we stopped her from killing Olimpas. If we’d let her, we wouldn’t be in this mess now.

“She’s going to give me such an ‘I-told-you-so’ before she kills us,” Seena dropped her face into her hands. Somehow, her sister being right was worse than everything else going on.

“Nothing we can do about it now,” Hiral said. “And beating ourselves up about not agreeing to casual murder isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“Just soften us up before Seeyela gets her hands on us,” Nivian said.

“Doesn’t make me feel any better,” Seena deadpanned.

“Not supposed to,” Hiral said, though he did walk over to put an arm gently around her shoulder. “Right now, we need to figure out what our next steps are. Al, this barrier, any way through it?”

“Not unless you can overcome Tomorrow’s might,” Al said.

“Your Rune of Eclipse?” Nivian asked.

“All depends on how much power Tomorrow put into the barrier,” Hiral said, but he was already shaking his head. “She was expecting A-Ranks by the time the barrier went up, which means it has to be at least a tier stronger. Even with the rune, I bet I can’t get through it. Besides, even if we left now, it would take us hours to get there with the interspatial shenanigans.”

“How ready are we for the barrier when it comes down?” Ilrolik asked, the question directed at Elezad.

“We were only halfway to meeting the requirements to bring down the fog wall,” Elezad said gravely. “And I thought we were moving fast. Reckless, even. But, they did twice as much as we did.”

“Which means twice as many trials completed,” Grandmother said. “Twice as many achievements and rewards.”

“That has the potential for a large gap between their strength and ours,” Sera said. “On the other hand, we have outside assistance in the form of Seena’s Brass Cannons and Tomorrow’s Sentinels patrolling our keep.”

“They won’t be enough to stand up to a B or A-Rank group,” Seena said. “And they have to have at least one of the latter. They must’ve cleared their Playhouse as well.”

“Their A-Rank trial would’ve been different than yours,” Al said.

“But still A-Rank,” Seena said, and Al couldn’t argue the point.

“Left, Right, would you two mind going to fetch the rest of the Trust?” Elezad asked, Sera having moved to stand beside her husband while he stared at the map. “We’re going to need them for any major decisions.”

“Be back soon,” Right said, and the two doubles jogged out of the room.

“Al,” Elezad continued when the two had left. “How’s this going to work when the barrier comes down? Are they going to rush straight at our keep?”

“Luckily, or unluckily, no,” Al said. “Due to the Rank-restricted zones you’ve found throughout the Cradle, there will be lanes through which the opposing faction may attack. It will start with the towers on each side, then move deeper into the two territories from there.”

“How is this lucky or unlucky for us?” Sera asked.

“You’ve already discovered contested trials,” Al explained. “Trials – that upon first completion – say it can’t be completed again until the other faction presents a team to compete against.”

“We did a couple of those,” Hiral said with a nod to confirm to his father. He’d likely heard it already, but it didn’t hurt to make it clear now.

“These trials will act as minor roadblocks for any groups looking to rush through their lanes,” Al continued. “Groups won’t be able to pass them without completing them. More so, now that the fog wall has come down, each of the trials will have set times when they start, holding groups in place, to allow opposing groups to arrive.

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“The design is – once again – to produce a clear winner.”

“The trials we did,” Seena said, head tilted back like she was thinking. “They had… tricks… in them, that seemed like it would make it more difficult to kill or be killed. Lots of ways to move around or escape quickly.”

“Yes,” Al said. “The contested trials aren’t meant to be slaughterhouses. Sufficient skill or power on one side may allow that, but not the design of the competition itself. These are another opportunity to forge warriors in the heat of battle. While the monsters of the Cradle – even with the Chimeric… improvement – are dangerous and good learning material, there is something to be said about a contest to the death with another creature capable of complex thought. Strategy.”

“Why do I feel like that old goat we fought in The Playhouse would say the same thing?” Hiral asked Seena.

“He would be very wise if he did,” Al said with a smile.

“Let me make sure I understand this,” Elezad said. “Since every minute we talk, is one less minute we have to prepare. Now that the fog wall is gone, this new barrier will come down in eight hours. At that point, either side – ours or theirs – can begin their campaign of marching on the opposing keep?”

“Correct so far,” Al said.

“Because of the way the Cradle is set up, and the solar poisoning, this will create lanes that the different Ranks will need to follow to get from the border to the keep. Within those lanes, there are contested trials that will act as hard stops to groups…”

“The outside groups,” Al clarified. “If somebody from your faction has cleared the trial at least once, your people will be able to pass it without entering. If, however, it remains unbeaten when the barrier falls, it will also act as a hard stop to you.”

“Another benefit of clearing as many trials as possible,” Elezad reasoned. “The first of the contested trials that either side will likely face are the towers, since they are right on the border?”

“Yes, though these trials differ from the other contested trials in two small – but important – ways. First, these trials will actively try to kill the opposing faction when they get within a certain range.”

“The artillery we faced,” Hiral said. “Will the towers also have those Spectral guards?”

“Only some,” Al said. “Each tower will be guarded by soldiers, but there are different kinds to give them variety.”

“And we can put some of our own people within these towers to defend them?” Elezad asked.

“It’s one strategy,” Al said. “The second difference is that these trials can be skipped. If the group can pass without getting destroyed by the tower’s weapons and defenders, they can continue in their lane. It leaves an enemy at their back, and reduces their odds of retreat, but can allow them to move deeper without fighting an opposing group.”

“Strategy,” Elezad said. “We could fill all the towers with our groups, to give them a defensive advantage against the other faction. And then the other faction could simply pass the towers by without ever fighting them.”

“Do we want our groups going up against the other faction directly?” Grandmother asked. “They’ve cleared more trials. They’re going to be stronger.” She looked at Hiral and Seena. “In general, at least.

“We could keep everybody here at the fortress. Defend it when the other side arrives.”

“We can’t stay around and wait for them to get here,” Hiral said. “My raid group, I mean. We need to go after the Urn. It’s too dangerous to let Vorinal get his hands on it.”

“Do you even know why he wants it?” Grandmother asked. “Or if it’s him over there?”

Hiral shook his head. “No, but it’s not a risk we can take. Trust us on this. The Urn is bad news.”

“It has the power to cause catastrophe for the living,” Li’l Ur said. “And for my Mistress. Unfortunately.”

“It’s okay, Ur,” Seena said. “This isn’t your fault.”

“And it’s not just Hiral’s group,” Elezad said. “The other faction clearing the contested trials unmolested will get them more achievements and more strength. It will just compound their advantages.”

“You are correct,” Al said. “But, if your faction puts opposition within those trials, the rewards will increase for the winner. If your people can overcome the handicap of starting weaker, they can come out stronger.”

“Assuming they survive,” Grandmother said. “It sounds like it’s going to be a meat grinder.”

“We always knew it would be,” Elezad said. “Clearing and capturing the Cradle was going to come at a cost.”

“One I’m not sure I’m willing to pay anymore,” Grandmother said. “Not with the lives of our young ones. People like your children.”

Elezad’s hand tightened in Sera’s as the two of them looked hard at the War Table.

“If we could shoulder this entire battle,” Ilrolik said, placing her big hands on the edge of the table and leaning over it. “I’d love to say we would. But, we shouldn’t. What happened on Fallen Reach was eye opening to all of us, the young ones included. None of us want to feel that powerless again.

“Everybody knew the risks when they came down here,” Ilrolik continued. “And, yes, they just got a little higher, but it doesn’t change what our goal is. We can give people the opportunity to leave if they want to, nobody is going to make them throw their lives away, but it needs to be their choice. Those who stay, we’ll find a way to finish what we started.”

“The Cradle is too good an opportunity to let go of,” Hiral agreed. “If we ever want the hope of taking our world – Genesis – back from the squids, we need this place.”

“I know,” Grandmother said quietly. “Just hate the thought of watching the little ones die. All while I have to stay here, safe and sound in this fortress.”

“You won’t be so safe,” Al said. “While the fortress will confer certain protections and advantages to you – especially with the upgrades you’ve found for it – you will also be the opposing faction’s primary target. Your death or surrender results in your faction’s loss.”

“What does that mean?” Elezad asked.

“The Cradle itself will turn on you,” Al said. “Your own keep will become enemy territory, and powerful debuffs will suppress you, making your easier targets to be hunted by the other faction. You can attempt to flee back outside the Cradle, but it will not be easy.”

“Speaking of fleeing,” Seena said. “What about those contested trials. If our people are losing inside – if there’s no way they can win – can they run away?”

“Depending on the nature of the trial,” Al said. “It may be possible. Avoiding death at the enemy party’s hands until the trial is won through the built-in mechanics is one option. In fact, nobody needs to die for a trial to be won.”

“Those mechanics you mentioned,” Hiral said. “Play by the trials rules, and you win?”

“Correct,” Al said.

“What if you wipe out the other group?” Seena said. “Does that automatically win for you?”

“No,” Al said. “Though it would make achieving the trial’s goal far easier, which will lead to victory.”

“We need to put groups in these trials,” Elezad said. “Trials we think we can win, so our people get stronger. Al, if our group wins without killing everybody from the other group, can the other faction pass the trial then? Or do they still need to complete it?”

“The trials need to be completed – other than the towers – to pass them,” Al said. “Losing is not considered completion. However, once one group from the faction has cleared the trial, any group from the faction can skip it.”

“Which means if we can hold at least one trial in each lane,” Sera said, looking at the map with her husband. “We can keep the enemy from reaching our keep.”

“While at the same time, one of our raid groups makes a beeline for their keep and their General,” Elezad said. Then he turned and looked at Hiral and Seena. “One guess who that group is going to be.”

“The A-Rank group,” Hiral said. “We’re going to Rank-up before we go. Uh, that won’t cause any problems, will it, Al? There is an A-Rank lane for us to take…?”

“There is, and it is the most direct,” Al said. “Unless Tomorrow made changes I am not aware of to the progression of the Cradle, there will only be one contested trial beyond the towers and the fortresses on each side. They do, however, have a longer queue before they start. There will also likely be a high density of B-Rank monsters in the lane enjoying the more refined energy.”

“Not worried about the B-Rank monsters – I can’t believe I just said that,” Seena said with a shake of her head. “It’s the A-Rank group that’s going to be dangerous.”

“They’re going to be the Infested,” Nivian said.

“They definitely are,” Seena agreed. “And probably a whole raid party of them. Could be our toughest fight yet.”

“That’s not even including if that Fallen – Vorinal – is with them,” Ilrolik said.

“We’ll find a way,” Hiral said. “That’s our role in this. Deal with the A-Rank group and the Fallen. Dad, do you think you and the Trust can figure out the rest?”

“I don’t know what the rest includes,” a new voice said as the door opened and Fyre walked in. “But, yeah, see, figuring shit out is what we do. Elezad, what are we figuring out this time?”

“How to win a war against a stronger enemy,” Elezad said. “And not lose many of our people in the process.”

“That all? Yeah, see, we got this,” Fyre said.

“Then I guess we’ll get to our part of it,” Hiral said.

“Ranking up and advanced classes,” Seena said.

“Which reminds me.” Hiral looked at his father. “Are Nat and Milly in the area? We’ve got six people who are about to get advanced classes, and anybody around when it happens is bound to get an achievement from it. If it’s like the one we got for two people, it’s definitely worth getting.”

“If you give us a little time – an hour, give us an hour – we can gather everybody up,” Elezad said. “With what’s coming, we’ll take whatever boost we can get.”

“I think we can wait that long,” Hiral said. “We’ll do advanced classes, then our Rank evolutions for people to hopefully get the bonuses from them. I’ve got a project I want to finish up after I hit A-Rank, then we’ll head out. I want to be at the tower when the barrier comes down and go from there.”

“We’ll get as many parties back for the achievement as we can,” Elezad said. “Then send them right back out to prepare for what’s coming. A few hours will have to be enough to plan.”

“You’ll make it work,” Sera said. “You always do.”

“Thank you,” Elezad said. “Go check on the girls before all this starts. Their raid group won’t be held back.”

“I know,” Sera said, glancing in Hiral’s direction. “All our children are far too determined to throw themselves in harm’s way for the benefit of others. It’s hard being a parent sometimes.”

“Hard not to be proud,” Elezad said and turned to Hiral with the very clear I’m-going-to-hug-you-until-you-can’t-breathe-look on his face.

“And that’s our cue to go,” Hiral said.

It was time to finally hit A-Rank.