The sun gradually emerged over the towering walls of the Ashen canyon casting a harsh, cold glow. Maria shifted and tossed on her bed of logs, trying to stave off the attack on her senses. A gentle hand grabbed her and pulled her into a warm embrace. She hugged the person tightly and nestled herself into what felt like a pillow.

The realization quickly hit her that she was neither home nor sharing a bed with a cheap vixen. Her eyes shot open, scanning the ash breach desperately before landing on Veronica, who was holding her like a child held a stuffed animal. She tried to pry herself free, but the soldier's grasp was ironclad.

"Veronica!" She called out in a hushed tone.

No response.

Maria tried to tickle her to loosen the grasp, but it backfired almost immediately. Veronica let out a small chuckle before rolling onto her side, taking Maria with her, and flipping her over into an even tighter cuddle. The mercenary regretted sharing the bed with her comrade.

"Damnit! I should have gotten my own logs," she grumbled.

She tried to squirm her way free, but every motion made Veronica's grip tighter. She gave up, not wanting to get crushed by the unreal strength of a trained soldier. She looked up at her captor's face. She hadn't really paid much attention the other day, but with the morning light bouncing off her skin it was a shock to see just how pale Veronica was. The Opazyr were known for being pale and fair, with Lucy being a prime example, but Veronica was white as salt. Her skin had not a hint of hue to it, save for her lips which were the palest of pinks. She noticed how her Raven-colored hair, despite being unkempt, was still relatively straight.

It was like Maria was looking at her polar opposite. The mercenary was easily the darkest woman in the entirety of Opal City. Deep ebony skin and curly hair were her trademarks that sang the song of immigration. Her mothers had traveled from a distant land where the sun was said to be both unparalleled in brightness and warmth. Maria wondered if Veronica was also a foreigner. She imagined one so pale could only come from a place devoid of sunlight.

"Screw it, I guess you are pretty warm anyways," admitted Maria. With her plans of getting to work at the crack of dawn seemingly foiled, Maria opted to go back to sleep.

She next awoke to snickers and awes. She turned her head and through grog and fog she could make out two silhouettes leaning over her. She tried to move but was still underneath Veronica's dominating grip.

"You two look so cute together!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Yes, it's strange to see such a savage woman embroiled in intimacy," chirped Anise.

Maria let out a low growl. "Shut it! I'm stuck," she rasped. There was a deeply embedded form of respect keeping her tone hushed.

Anise crossed her arms. "Come now, with a little bit of mana you could break out easily. Just admit that you're comfortable. That soldier's pretty strong. Does she make the big, bad mercenary feel safe?"

"It's Veronica," spat Maria.

Anise raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Her name is Veronica!" There was a fire in Maria's eyes. Her charcoal pupils lit up with passion. "You've been calling her 'soldier' ever since we got stuck in this place."

Lucy and Anise looked at each other in confusion.

"Well, you probably don't know, but we refer to soldiers by rank number. But she's not a part of a greater group right now, so 'soldier' is a sufficient title." Lucy scratched her head, unsure of what the issue actually was.

"That's not the-" Maria was cut off by a hand on her head. She looked over to see Veronica's eyes open, staring at the canyon wall ahead.

"Just stop, Maria. It's just the way we operate. No need to make things personal." Huffed the soldier.

Lucy's face twisted into a dissatisfied frown. "Hey, that's a member of the Opazyr you're talking to. Show some respect and acknowledge her Ladyship!"

"Of course, My lad-" Veronica found her lips scrunched and sealed between Maria's fingers.

"Call me 'Lady', and I'll tear your lips off. Got that?" She warned. She let go of her mouth and gave her a death stare.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Maria."

"Perfect." Maria relaxed with her small victory. She came close to snuggling into the soldier just as thoughts of freedom returned to her. Then came the realization that Veronica must have been awake to jump into the conversation in such a seamless manner. "Oi, how long have you been awake?"

"About fifteen minutes..."

Maria gripped her arm with irritated hands. "So why are you still holding onto me like a damned stuffed animal?"

"..."

The lack of an answer didn't make Maria any less frustrated. "What? You're acting like you've never cuddled with a woman before?"

"I haven't."

The blatant admission caught Maria like a bat in the sun. She looked to the others, who just stared with covered mouths trying to hide their shock.

"It's strangely comforting. I don't want to move." Veronica buried her face into Maria's curly head of hair.

Maria tried wrangling herself free once again. "Oi, oi, don't get all comfortable on me. Have some shame will ya? We've got two pairs of eyes on us."

Anise began to push Lucy away from the sight, dismissing the two with a flick of her wrist. "Oh, don't mind us! I just remembered what you said about there being mana crystals up ahead. We should go check those out."

Maria tried to reach out to them to stop them. "wait, we should follow you, right? It's our job and all that."

Lucy turned around and pointed a finger into the air. "Actually, I think it's criminal for any woman to die without experiencing affection. That's what separates us from Agamics. So I declare that you take all the time you need! Besides, you deserve rest after working so hard yesterday."

Maria opened her mouth to rebuttal, but nothing came to her. Lucy was correct, intimacy was very important to their species: Conjugates, or more simply known as women. It was what separated them from the Agamics, otherwise known as men. They were very similar to women in shape and appearance. But they did not know love, nor did they have the means to sexually reproduce. The two races could never get along, and so they lived on completely separate continents. If Veronica died on this mission without experiencing any sort of intimacy it would make her no different from a man.

She had been out on cherry-popping duty, and she couldn't believe it. "So, do you really want to do this?"

"The sun just came up. I don't think there's any reason to be in a hurry. Reinforcements won't come until mid-day." Veronica rolled over onto her hands and knees placing her on top of her.

There was a long strand of silence as the soldier stared longingly at the mercenary. Maria, unused to having anyone in such a dominant position over her, felt more awkward every second that no action was taken. "Something wrong? Second thoughts?"

Veronica gave a gentle negative nod. "No... You're just really beautiful."

Maria couldn't believe this was the same woman who was making passive threats in the name of her lord the other day. She had been defanged by unchecked lust. "Wooh girl... we're really starting from ground zero, aren't we?"

***

Beyond the canyon, on the cobbled path that connected it to Opal City, the sound of marching feet filled the air. A unit consisting of eighty soldiers led by a single knight; Avery Opazyr. Her silver bob cut and sharp ruby eyes were a proud declaration of her heritage. Her armor was steel, painted black. Over it was a blue banner with an ornate imprint of her family crest. With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, she walked fearlessly to save her fellow clansmen. She thought about the conversation she had with Fia she had moments before the night before.

Avery stood in Fia's throne room. Lucy's soldiers who had been left leaderless after the bridge collapsed had just returned and finished reporting the details. Fia sat in her chair, dissatisfaction twisting her entire form. From impatient tapping to her stare that was locked onto the portrait of Lucy that was hanging up amongst her many family members.

"That girl couldn't even make it into the canyon before she failed," Fia sighed.

"Do you really think she's dead?" Asked Avery.

"Most likely. The reports say she plummeted a thousand feet into raging rapids. I'd say there's a fifteen percent chance she's still alive somewhere."

"But that means there's still a chance. We should ready a rescue team at once!"

"Don't be foolish. We shouldn't waste time and resources on a knight who shouldn't have been out there in the first place."

"What about the other women with them?"

"Unimportant. One was just a member of the Hoary Church, while the other was a mercenary. The mercenary seemed rather accomplished, so it's a pity if she also died in that fall, but again it's something I'd rather not waste the resources on."

"That mercenary, I heard you inaugurated her into our house. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"It was an act to lay claim to a potentially powerful asset, but she couldn't even protect Lucy. So no, it didn't mean much at all." Fia turned to face the Knight. Her eyes glowed with a silent rage. "Are you done questioning me?"

"... I suppose I have all the information I need. I assume you want me to pick up where they left off?"

"That's right, I have faith you will not disappoint. Oh! By the way, the reports tell of a woman in blue robes with a wretched dagger. I would like her head laid at my feet."

"Of course my Lady, it shall be done post haste,"

Her words were, to put it quite frankly, a lie. Avery would find Lucy and the others first, then finish the mission. She was not going to leave one of her own out to dry. She had even sent out a secret team to scout the river's entire length. At the very least she wanted a body, she wouldn't be satisfied with anything less.

Fate had other plans, however. The cobbled path she treaded had long since begun to elevate itself from the rest of the ground. They were nearly to the Ashen Canyon, and she estimated the height between the cobbled road and the surrounding land was at least five hundred feet or so. Which would not have been a problem if the road wasn't blacked by a group of women ten-strong. Their white and purple robes distinguished them as members of the Purlikin Wizards. She analyzed the myriad of scowling faces staring back at her with confusion.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "If you ladies are conducting research, we only need to pass by." She knew how short-tempered their ilk was when it came to research, but their organization was headquartered in Opal City, so at the end of the day they answered to her family.

There was no response. Not one peep from any of the mouths before her. Avery took this as some kind of Anxiety. She assumed that encountering such a large force must have been frightening. "Excuse me, we will just be sliding past."

She motioned for her soldiers to follow her, and took a solid three steps before immediately running into a barrier. She shook her head, unwilling to come to terms with what just happened. Again she tried to walk forward, but again she bounced off the barrier. The repulsion was stronger this time, nearly throwing her off her feet.

"Ok, what is this?" she asked with a small chuckle. She raised her sword, tapping on the barrier to test its strength. "You have ten seconds to start talking, and the words that come out of your mouth better be an explanation!"

A singular Wizard stepped forward, her purple hair was long and unkempt, and her ocean-blue eyes were anxious, but determined. "The Purlikins have decided to cut ties with Opal City. Our interests no longer align and as such we cannot allow you to pass."

"So, it's treason then?" Avery stepped back from the barrier before taking a swing at it with all of her might. It crashed against the magic wall with a thunderous bang! She could feel the barrier threatening to repel her and send her flying. No matter how hard she pushed she could not break it. The Purlikins snickered and teased her, egging her on to waste her strength. But she knew better. She stopped her assault, backing up away from the barrier with her hands up in defeat.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"You see now that you can't get past us." Said the purple-haired Purlikin. "So return home, give up on the Ashen Canyon! It's ours to claim."

"Oh really? I don't think it's going to work out that way. So, tell you what. You give me your name, and I'll be sure to give you a very nice tombstone to celebrate one so bold and brave as yourself."

"It's Ingrid, and mock me all you want. I don't see a single Wizard in your entire rank. You cannot break my barrier." The wizard pounded her staff against the cobble to accent the pride and assurance in her voice.

"Alright, Ingrid, you caught me. I don't have a single Wizard within the entirety of my eighty troops. But just because we're not academic in our use of mana like you all doesn't mean we're incapable of using our brains." She raised a hand to bring her soldier's attention to herself. "Girls! Heart piercer formation on the double! Make it forty strong!"

Half her army shuffled into place within seconds. They split themselves into two columns of twenty and further divided themselves into groups of ten. The small ten-women group would interlock hands, pouring all their mana into one woman who funneled it to the group ahead. The two front rows had one woman each who stood at the inner corners of the formation, just barely out of arm's reach from each other.

A soldier outside of the formation handed Avery a standard spear and returned to her rank. The knight smirked, eyeing up the gaggle of confused wizards. She placed herself at the front of the formation, in between both columns, allowing the soldiers that bookended them to grab a hold of her shoulders.

"I see your confused Ladies. I know that mages think that they're so superior to us simple warriors, but I'm going to have to ask you to open your eyes!"

The soldiers funneled all the mana formulated by the formation into Avery. Her magical aura exploded, unable to be contained by her body. A deranged smirk burst onto her face from the depths of petty hell as she raised her spear and readied to throw it.

The Purlikins backed away from the barrier in fear. "Impossible, how can her body withstand that much mana?" Cried a Purlikin who had positioned themselves the farthest away from the barrier.

Avery let an ugly laugh claw its way free from the depths of her soul. "You Wizards spend all day working on those damn circles! Your bodies are frail, and your mana reserves are garbage. It should be obvious that dedicating your life to your body will result in a much higher mana capacity overall. Now observe!"

She let the spear fly from her fingertips with a simple, well-formed throw. It streaked through the air, singing a harsh tune of destruction as an overwhelming amount of magic infused into the bow threatened to tear it apart atom by atom. But the spear held its form. As a quality tool of the proud Opazyr it would not shatter under its burden. It slammed the barrier as sparks of electricity flew through the air and shockwaves rattled the cobbled road. One Purlikin lost their balance and had to be caught by her comrade.

The spear defied all laws as it continued to push itself into the barrier, propelled by the raw, unrefined magic hoisted upon it. Bit by bit the barrier began to break down. Each crack came with a deafening cry, forcing everyone to cover their ears.

One of Ingrid's close comrades tried to pull out her spell book to reinforce the barrier, but the deafening shockwave damaged her ears and destroyed her focus. The raging winds generated by the mana clash also made finding the right spell circle impossible, as the wind threatened to tear the pages apart.

All the wizards could do was watch as their barrier shattered like glass in a massive explosion. No sooner did it shatter did it turn to dust, and blow away with the wind. Avery picked up the spear as it rattled onto the floor. It was still sizzling hot, its wooden length burned by excessive mana. However she deemed it still usable, so she tossed it back to its original handler. She turned towards the Purlikins who were dripping with anxious sweat.

"If you surrender right now I will spare each of you. Wizards you may be, but you're outnumbered eight to one. So don't betray your intelligence with unwise actions. Give. Up." The knight took a menacing step forward. She drew her sword from its sheath, her mana dripping off the blade like drool off a tooth.

Ingrid readied her staff and spell book for battle, but it was another Purlikin who made the first move. She jumped in front of Ingrid gripping a white Mana crystal.

"To hell with you all!" She cried.

"Wait!" Ingrid tried to stop her, but it was too late.

The Purlikin crushed the crystal and let the maddening power overtake her. She held out her wooden staff and a magical circle was carved on its head. She pumped every ounce of magic given by the crystal into the circle, unleashing the full might of its spell on the Oppazyr's forces. It was a ceaseless volley high powered energy bolts that flew through the sky like birds of prey.

Avery hopped to the side, dodging the first blast that came her way. The second one came just as quickly, but she was able to bat it away with her shield. She whipped her head around to see the endless volley of mana blasts steer clear of her soldiers. They veered off the sides of the raised road, slamming the unnatural formation with one powerful concussive blow after the next from all angles. It didn't take long for the bridge to collapse, sending her entire force plummeting to their deaths.

"No!" She screamed. She had managed to be spared from the collapse, but the death of her soldiers was all she could think about. She turned to their killer in a smoldering rage, her grimace showing cracking teeth under the extreme pressure of her fury.

The rampaging Purlikin let off another blast of soaring mana from her staff, but it was weak. She had already used most of the Crystal's power in her initial attack. Avery swatted it away like a fly. The knight sprang into a full sprint, closing the distance between them within a second. With a single sword slash, she cut open the mage from hip to neck.

Ingrid stumbled back in horror as her comrade hit the floor, lifeless. The magic from the crystal sizzled off her corpse. Avery would have killed her as well if another Purlikin hadn't put up a magical barrier between them.

Avery raised her foot and bucked the barrier, instantly breaking it. Ingrid backpedaled while casting the spell ingrained on her staff, a reliable and large fireball. Her flames slammed Avery's shield. They danced around the knight trying to find something to consume, but were fought off by her magical aura.

She continued to fire orb after orb, taking advantage of the cobbled pathway's limited area. Ingrid could tell that she was only delaying the inevitable, as the knight slowly drew closer despite each fireball packing quite the physical kick. "Damn knight freak! How much mana do they have?"

The 8 remaining Purlikins rounded themselves up behind the lead Wizard, each gripping their spell books with white knuckles.

"She might be stronger than us. But..." Without finishing her sentence, one wizard slapped her hand onto the page she had opened. She pumped her mana into the page, and lifted a spell circle from its surface traced from her own mana. She cast the spell, causing a magical box to shoot from her fingertips. It hit Avery, bouncing off her shield and instantly growing to surround her.

Another Purlikin took to the skies. Magical circles etched into her boots allowed her to levitate above the action where she used her staff to rain down red blades of energy onto the sealed box from every angle. Avery had nearly broken free from her bindings when she felt the sharp pain of magic piercing her body. The blades stabbed through the barrier, pinning her like a rabid porcupine.

The knight let out a feral screech, and with a reckless outpour of energy, she broke through the barrier. The swords of mana were destroyed in the show of brute force as they were unable to hold their shape when overexposed to her powerful aura.

Ingrid pulled out another spell as Avery came within arms reach with a deadly thrust of her blade. She stabbed through her spell book, grazing the wizard who avoided death with a desperate pivot. She stuck out her hand at her waist, launching a raging tempest from shaking hands. The powerful gust blew Avery off her feet, sending her completely airborne.

Another Purlikin saw the opportunity and cast a powerful spell from her book. An enormous spectral hand shot from her spell circle, hitting the knight with hundreds of newtons of impact force. She was helpless as she jettisoned away from the cobbled platform. She was sent flying over the collapsed area. hitting the other side with a meaty thud. Avery groaned in agony as her body slammed the stones with bone-breaking force. She bounced off the rocks, sword still tightly gripped as she fell to the bottom.

The Purlikins scrambled to the ledge to watch her demise. It was a long fall, surely the knight would die on impact. Unfortunately for them, the fall was too long, at 500 feet, the five seconds it took to make contact with the earth was just enough time for the knight to employ a hair-brained scheme for survival.

Avery knew that without Wizardry her magical function was limited, but she still had options. She funneled her magic into her blade and pointed it at the ledge. Mana shot from her sword's edge, extending its length just long enough to stab the wall of the very ledge the Purlikins stood on. She kept pouring her mana into the blade, which extended its length and pushed her back into the cobble. She had managed to use both ends of the collapsed road to slow her fall, coming to a rough, but livable landing. She fell to her knees, exhausted and injured.

The floating Purlikin was not inclined to let her escape. She sent down another round of raining blades to blanket the ground below, but Avery defended herself with her Shield and the minor amounts of mana she could conjure up.

"Damnit? How did she defend against that?!" cried the wizard.

"You can't spread your spell so thinly," answered Ingrid. "Focus on just one or two blades."

The Purlikin followed her advice, shooting down two blades that were more mana-dense than her previous spraying, but Avery rolled out of the way, scampering around the corner of the raised road for a moment's reprieve.

"Damnit. Why won't she die?" Growled the Purlikin. She hovered over the road's edge. Ingrid followed her to the best of her grounded ability, getting as close to the corner as possible without falling off herself. She could see the knight against the wall. At this distance, she was as small as an ant, but that didn't stop her from reaching her staff to fire on her.

She held her hand to her chest plate and smiled. "The best part about traitors is that they always forget that they were once your allies." She pumped her chest plate with a weak stream of mana, and the faint glow of a magical circle escaped its gaps. She exhaled away the last of her pain, keeping her mouth open as her cracked teeth slowly began to heal. She stood up, one hand clutching her blade, and the other hand glued to her chest keeping up her healing. She would have to abandon her shield for the time being. A fireball flew by, slamming into the bodies of one of her fallen soldiers. Then a mana blade stabbed the earth inches from her toes.

Avery craned her neck upwards and got a good look at her assailants. The fact that the floating Purlikin didn't come closer to increase her accuracy meant that they feared direct confrontation. In Avery's mind they were right to do so. She reckoned that dedicated wizards such as them only had a tenth of the mana as a fully trained knight.

Despite the disparity in strength, she had to admit that the unique ways in which they used what little mana they had secured them the victory. And as much as she hated running, she still desired to save her clansmen. So she ran, sprinting off into the open fields of blood soaked pebbles. Her survival banked on them not giving chase, as she thought that the floating wizard would wear her down with enough determination. While those women had geared their spells towards battle. She doubted they were actually experienced in fights. They were far too panicked to have faced a knight before. So she hoped her little rampage would properly deter them.

"She's getting away!" Howled the aggravated Purlikin. She darted after the knight, but the translucent mage hand of her comrade caught her and reeled her back in.

"We're not chasing her. We need to head to the canyon," Ingrid declared. She checked the body of the fallen wizard just to be safe, but there was no helping her. Her innards painted the cobblestone beneath her.

"Let me go! She killed Dara! I'm gonna finish her off!"

"No!" Snapped Ingrid. "listen to me, Naesha! If she has the strength to run like that, that means she probably has the strength to kill you in single combat. You saw how she just blew through everything we had, didn't you?"

"Then give me a crystal! You can't seriously think I'd lose with that kind of power."

"Dara did, so what makes you think you're any better? With how you are right now the crystal would probably drive you completely mad and you'd end up killing us all. We need to get in that canyon so we can work on figuring out a way to reduce it's frenzying effects." Ingrid was practically pleading now. She choked back the tears as she tried to speak with authority in her voice. She was the one who brought the white crystals back to the city. When everyone grew emboldened by their potential and wanted to make a play for power, she reluctantly agreed to lead the treasonous expedition. But now one of her friends lay dead at her feet, and she would not condone the death of another.

The Purlikin holding Naesha in place with the magical hand pulled her in. She lowered both of their hoods to force direct eye contact.

"What Belor? Why are you looking at me like that?" Naesha hissed.

The Purlikin Belor was a stern faced, older woman. Her wrinkles only accented her displeasure. "You know why. You aren't using that head of yours! We need every woman in this party. It's bad enough that Dara is gone! We can't afford to take anymore risks. We were lucky to take out the Oppazyr's forces. That should buy us a full day before they come back with even more troops."

"That's why you should have let me go after her!"

"No! it's why we will put everything into perfecting the usage of crystal the while in the canyon. We'll use that power, along with the advantageous terrain to crush whatever they send our way!"

"She's right," Ingrid said. "Even with the crystals, if we challenged the entire Opazyr force to open combat we'd most likely die. Waging war from those canyons is our best bet. We might even be able to form an alliance with the strange women there."

Naesha groaned. "You mean those freaks who ran you out the first time? Are you delusional?"

Ingrid shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows, when we refine these crystals we'll have some real negotiating power. Anything is possible."

A stoic Purlikin walked up to Naesha and Belor and placed a finger on the spectral hand. She forcefully injected her own magic into it, destabilizing the entire spell. It crumbled away, dropping Naesha on her rear. "We don't have time to argue," she spat. Her voice was monotonous, but her eyes were sparking with impatience. "We need to get moving. We made everyone in the guild evacuate under the cover of night for this mission. I'll kill anyone who doesn't take it seriously." She glared at Naesha, gripping her staff with murderous intent.

A few awkward glances were exchanged before feet started shuffling. One after the other they began to move towards their destination, but Naesha didn't move an inch. "Wait! What about Dara's body? We're not going to just leave her here, right?!"

Ingrid looked back at the lifeless body with a heavy heart. "It's not like there's anything we can do. We don't have time to bury her properly."

"Grab her spell book," commanded the stoic wizard.

Naesha was quick to follow the order. She grabbed the corpses book, and struggled not to look back as she ran to catch up with her comrades. "I got it. But her body..."

The stoic Purlikin opened her own spell book, flipping through innumerable pages, only slowing down when she realized she overshot her intended mark. She placed her hand on one of the many finely printed transmogrifying circles and gently raised a magical tracing of it. The casting was violent in comparison, with a wind shearing shockwave and a vibrant green light bursting from the spell circle.

Her magic enveloped her fallen comrade, twisting and compacting her body into a small seed. It flew into her hand, and she held it up for the others to see. "when we return to the city we'll plant the seed in the throne room of that wretched lord. It will grow into a tree, immortalizing her over the ruins of the Opazyr."

Belor cocked an eyebrow. "Katelyn your spells are as weird as ever. What I wouldn't give to study that noggin of yours."

Naesha groaned in frustration as her eyes scanned over Dara's book. "I've never tried it before, but it's actually true. You really can't read another Wizards spell book. Her circles make no sense to me."

The stoic Katelyn walked over and forcibly closed Dara's book right in Naesha's hands before handing her the fallen woman's sapling. "Like I've told you before. Everyone's mana is unique, and spells are made specifically to transform their energy alone. Another person could never cast a spell that someone else created unless the designer wizard specifically crafted it for them."

Naesha tucked the book away in her satchel, squeezing it in to fit with her own book. "Well with the way everyone keeps their spell books so close to their chest I assumed that was just some kind of propaganda to keep us younger members from trying to piggy back off our seniors."

Ingrid shook her head, "nope, it's the truth. We weren't just being old fashioned or selfish. Wizardry and spell crafting cannot be taught. Each individual has to start from scratch."

"So when a Wizard dies, they take their spells with them..." Naesha gawked at the sapling that held Dara's essence with a quivering lip and teary eyes.

Ingrid walked up and took her hand, pulling her into a steady stroll to catch up to the others who were already starting to walk again. "We'll make sure she's not forgotten. For now, we just need to focus. We'll surely overthrow those Opazyr. Our ancestors didn't have the money nor the power when that white haired cult took over three hundred years ago."

Katelyn gripped her staff tightly, causing it to groan for relief. "Damned red eyes. They haven't done a damned thing for this city since they got here. I'll return the greenery to the land once their gone."

Ingrid could feel the growing determination in her comrades. They would learn the secrets of the crystal and take back their city, even if they had to fill the canyon depths with blood.