Not that far away, other members of the Rebellion were also hard at work. The Rebellion operated as a large organization, it fortunately didn't depend on the victory of a half dozen people.

Commander Rhyde was reading through some of his reports. He was well aware of the operation Zyuixqs had set out for. He didn't think highly of their successes, but it wasn't any of his business. Zyuixqs' father would probably do something, after all. What was his business was the sabotage of enemy resources. His Marauders have had considerable experience dealing with the enemy's advanced weaponry, and it was their experience that would matter in the conflict.

The siege weapons being tested were designated 'Destroyer' class armored platforms. Still powerful enough to get a siege designation, but it was still a roughly mass-produced weapon. They had dealt with a number of them already. Catching them unmanned has been the leading solution, but it wasn't the most reliable one. They had learned that muffling the main weapon generally resulted in it's self-destruction. Getting the opportunity to muffle the weapon was still the hardest part.

Rhyde checked the map he had prepared, collecting the results of the reports. It seems everything lined up. The nearby hills had concealed no less than a dozen Destroyers, but there was only enough supply to operate half of them. Storming the grounds with the intent of putting priority on the idle ones would be foolhardy, they had to deal with the armed ones first. In counter, they had almost 3 times as many tar barrels, a substance which has proven dramatically effective at muffling the weapon. However, they only had 3 catapults and 7 slingers, which weren't the most mobile. The alternative was close range application by hand, which was both dangerous before and after success. If things got too dangerous, they would withdraw, though that would give their enemy more weapons to make use of later.

The plan he had before him involved setting up a chock-point to anticipate the weapon's approach. In most cases, Destroyers were found to be hardest to control the soonest after activation, so they needed to get as close as possible. Catapults had the best long range viability, though they were also really large targets, so they were placed quite a distance away. Slingers were placed effectively around the first corner in both directions, one being left near the catapults in case the backup was required. Each position had at least 13 barrels, with additional placed in storage underground safely nearby. After taking out the active bunch, they would get to move to the easier part.

"Commander, it appears our scouts have reported activity in the den. The Destroyers are being activated." "Ah, Yuxzn, glad you could join me. Do you see anything that was missed?" "No sir, by my calculations our preparations should be more than sufficient for 6 Destroyers. There is suitable odds as well that were all 13 to be activated, all of them could still be dealt with. Our spare tar would need to be applied in that case, of course. Enemy bandit capabilities are, as usual, negligible in this scenario." Rhyde was glad to have his elven strategist at his side, Yuxzn had always proven to be highly capable.

Not all of Yuxzn's news was good, however. "I've just been concerned about reports sighting Khaexyn's personal presence in the area. That man has been a wildcard in any encounter, we still don't fully understand exactly how much he's capable of." "Khaexyn?!" Rhyde did not like hearing that the Fortress Lord himself might possibly make an appearance. "With him in the area, put a greater priority in ensuring a proper escape route. We should ensure we can abort the whole operation in the event that something unexpected happens." "Of course."

Rhyde trusted Yuxzn to his task, and himself moved into position. Getting things taken care of before Khaexyn arrived would be ideal. He went in position near the middle Catapult, and got a report from a scout. "Sir, our scout has spotted a large group moving in this direction from our backs. They do not appear to be bandits, but they are not otherwise identified. We suspect they are a platoon of Hyenzaelni." More unwelcomed strangers? Zyuixqs had already recently found four, but this was getting ridiculous. They could also affect the whole operation! He returned his orders. "Send word to Yuxzn, tell him that I need him to hurry and return to me. Report your same findings to him, he will understand." The scout saluted and departed.

Rhyde turned to search for their guests. Eventually, he spotted their company approach. They proudly bore the flag of Wyxir. Rather than castaways, they looked official. More problems. He still proceeded professionally. "Good day, Commander Rhyde. Could I ask what your team is doing here? This region is currently high threat." In response to Rhyde's introduction, prince Ihzyhur stepped forward. "Much of what we've found here has been a surprise, but our mission is still urgent. We've been seeking a high priority individual into the area, with urgent needs to secure and return her. We would ask for your cooperation." Rhyde wasn't quite sure what part of 'high threat' wasn't clear. "I'm terribly sorry, but I don't have time for this right now." The seekers all drew weapons at his command. "I'm terribly sorry as well, but I insist. If you are as busy as you say, we shouldn't take much of your time, but it would be unfortunate to lose such a good opportunity."

Wyxir was always known for being quick for threats. He really didn't have time for this. "If you plan to do anything rash, you will only get us all killed. Our enemy is about to deploy some rather heavy weaponry .." "Female, age 17, 7 and 6 Uyn tall, orange hair, hazel eyes, composed build. Has a very calm and collected personality, and maidenly disposition. Goes by the name Thanryitaeli Zyxaesteyln, or any iteration." Ihzyhur interrupted Rhyde with a summary description, running out of patience. His attitude was getting expressively cold again, like a Dark Ihzyhur variant. In this way, he was like his sister. For reference, 8 and 0 Uyn was just under 5 and a half feet, or about 165 centimeters.

"Ah, I was wondering what the Wyxir Royal Guard and the Third Royal Prince were doing way out here. It seems the princess herself has gone missing. So her dear brother has gone searching for her?" Xyithy all but melded from the shadows, her Reavers standing with her, weapons also drawn. Ihzyhur turned to Xyithy with contempt. "So the Qiciri have been stalking us! You will not have my sister!" Really, Rhyde wished they would all just go away, maybe fight each other somewhere else. If he was lucky, they might kill each other. Xyithy however had her own agenda. "While the absence of your sister is certainly fascinating, I have more important things to worry about. I'm looking for someone else myself." "Really, I need to be getting back to.." "If you have time for this Wyxiri scum, you can wait a few more moments!" He didn't actually, pointing back at the catapults. Xyithy didn't even give him enough time to be interrupted. "I could care less of whatever you happen to be otherwise busy with, my daughter WILL be found!"

This time, Ihzyhur was impressed. "Oh! So the hero's daughter has.." "Female, age 17, 7 and 8 Uyn, black hair, blue eyes, slightly muscular build, at least better than that shrill of a princess. Timid and hesitant, but determined and does everything by the book. Qheriyaehyzeiri Aiylthhiylz." Xyithy was even willing to speak over Ihzyhur, an authority that might have been the original cause of Qheria's shyness. Using the same descriptive model Ihzyhur had used. "Really, later would be better, first I need.." Rhyde begun again as he turned around.

Standing behind him it appears was a group of elves now. He didn't even notice them until that moment. "This is not the most appropriate way to ask questions, I would have expected better from Qicir and Wyxir. Certainly this is not how you plan to conduct yourselves before the Elniri, is it?" At Aelyiq' commentary, weapons were put away. With this under control finally, Rhyde started on his way back, only to be blocked by the elves. "Female, elven, age 17, 8 and 1 Uyn, blue hair, green eyes, incredibly slender. Gentle in her nature but not used to being around people. Mhylzhyine Ihrnaelzyhr." Aelyiq matched the same template used by the others, before crossing his arms to also include one more remark. "The High-Sage expects her daughter returned to her, and trusts that the positive relations Elnir has with her neighbours will warrant their cooperation, even in these trying times."

A loud alarm was sounded off in the distance. Rhyde had ran out of time. "Look, I'm sorry, but this place is about to become a war zone, like.. right now. That sound means the fighting has started, and if you don't leave, you will all be caught in it." Rhyde forced his way through the elves, making sure everything was still going according to plan.

Returning back to the catapult, Rhyde found an unfamiliar woman inspecting its design. Ehryinae's robbed escort of Embers were close by. "Fascinating using a catapult to hurl.. what appears to be Tar. I would question the relevance of such in war, but I'm no strategist. Yes, yes, please make sure to pass some instructions to your men. Please hurry, there are other matters for us to discuss." They were honestly popping out of the hills. Rhyde however was very inclined to pass off his orders, and coordinated the initial strike. "Weird, I can't discern the nature of your enemy either. Very strange. But yes, to matters at hand, I know you're already familiar with the request of the others. Female, age 17, 7 and 3 Uyn, blonde hair, violet eyes, very agile build. She's known to be rather pragmatic, slight case of depression, and if she is anything like her grandfather, probably impulsively curious about things she doesn't understand. Lwynitsse Qtehlatys."

Ehryinae turned to note the arrival of the other three parties. "What they might not have told you was that all four women were travelling together. They would have arrived mutually as a party of four, travelling together ever since their still unexplained meetup at the Citadel Inn." Part of her explanation was to pass off information to the other three groups, who were still unaware of this. This caused conversation to form between the other three, as the three people in question working together made no sense at all.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

The inclusion of the part saying that all four women were travelling together run a bell for Rhyde. He recalled Zyuixqs had reported upon working with four Hyenzaelni women. It was very likely related. However, it was still in no way related to his current situation. "I might be able to get you some information, but I have a job to do first. Our enemies won't dispose of themselves." "Maybe, but that's not exactly our problem is it. More importantly.." Rhyde had tried to be nice, but even Ehryinae was becoming insufferable. "No, more importantly, Khaexyn's Siege Weapons must be stopped! We're throwing our necks on the line here, and it's quite insulting for you to claim you have no place in this. Those 'Destroyers', as they are called, are being prepared to attack YOUR homeland. So if you're just going to bicker, get out of our way!" Rhyde still kept a professional tone, but a resolute one, one with an undertone bearing strength. The undertone of his message likewise bore strength.

"Wait, siege weapons? What are we dealing with?" Ehryinae shifted her focus, this was highly unexpected. The Arch-Magus was going to want to hear about this. The others also stopped relenting, their concerns mounting.

At the battlefield, bandits had engaged their ground troops on patrol. It wasn't unexpected that they would have a leading foot troop to check for trouble. The lines were held carefully so that there was no scout report by the enemy about the tarlines prepared, so that the enemy would be lured without knowledge. But at this very moment, the first Destroyer had broken into the line of fire, setting loose an explosive round that sent rocks scattering with its main weapon. The catapults fired first, striking the firing barrel true. The Destroyer attempted to fire another round, only to explode itself.

"Ah, so that's how the tar works. Though, looks harder to use if your enemy actually knows your there." As if to prove Ehryinae's point, the right catapult exploded, as a Destroyer fired upon it. Yuxzn finally caught up. "So, am I to assume all of this is the guests that was in the scout's report?" Rhyde put his hand on his forehead in frustration. "Yes, and they have me rather occupied. As everyone is hopefully clear right now, I have a lot of work to do in order to hold our advantage. So if you will excuse me.."

Ehryinae motioned to the Embers. "Actually, you have me convinced. Embers, we're moving to assist. Our target is the armored mobile platforms. It appears they are highly susceptible to explosive force within their main weapon." Ihzyhur was still in awe of the force that took out the catapult. If this was used in his homeland... "Seekers, we're joining as well. Join the vanguard, lets show them what it means to make an enemy of the Wyxiri." Xyithy would not be outmatched by the Wyxir, she too motioned her orders, not needing to say a word. The Wardens were left, who were communicating with Aelyiq in Elaethyx. They too decided to join in.

"Sir, are you sure about this?" Yuxzn expressed the same doubts Rhyde had, but it was too late. Rhyde hoped that maybe they would at least provide suitable distractions. As he was about to shout new orders, four Destroyers exploded. It appears their guests had secrets of their own.

A new guest appeared in the middle of the field, shimmering with lightning around him. A passing attack glanced off the barrier, with no affect. Khaexyn had taken front stage. "What's this? Suddenly I find soldiers within my lands. They aren't even simple soldiers either, elites from the four corners of their lands. This won't do! This won't do! It is still far, far too soon! Send out more Destroyers, all of them! Use the spare supplies, I don't care. They will all die!"

Yuxzn had gone pale. "This isn't good, 8 Destroyers with commands to rush. I mean, our supplies could take it... but there are far too many variables now." "Relax, friend. While still uncertain elements of the plan can make things difficult, our guests have already spared us most of our supplies. If they are somehow taking out Destroyers on their own.. " Rhyde tried to calm down Yuxzn, as another four Destroyers exploded as to prove the point.

Khaexyn didn't look pleased. "Why? Why are you elites so infuriating. I must squash you like the bugs that you are. Deploy the Colossal!" Rhyde now took his turn to go pale, this was not a word they have heard before. A siege weapon they had no information upon. A large whirl was heard in the distance, followed by the destruction of four more Destroyers. The sound continued to build, like a loud siren. The four teams returned.

Ehryinae made sure to inquire on their next steps. "So, Colossal, what's that and how do we kill it?" She then saw Rhyde's expression, as he shock his head. "This is something new, and it won't be good. We have to be ready to leave." He motioned that last part to Yuxzn as an order. Moments later, the whirl sound echoed a pop, followed by a huge crash and the entire area filling in dust. When the dust cleared, they looked towards the Destroyer encampment. Towering well above it at an immeasurable height was a steel giant, similar in design to a soldier in full plate armor. An artifical stormcloud was surging overhead above where Khaexyn used to be, a fact of which Ehryinae was sure to make a mental note of.

All four of Rhyde's guests moved to engage it, but quickly returned. Xyithy made the report "That thing is certainly not going down anytime soon. I guess it really is time to leave." Everyone agreed. Yuxzn, competent as he is in even the worst of situations, managed to secure a path for everyone's escape. Rhyde wondered if this really might be the worst of situations.

Once safe, Aelyiq was the first to speak. "If that thing is going to be brought to bear against the Elniri and her neighbours, there isn't a moment to lose! We must find the Saviour! Where is Mhylzhyine!?" Aelyiq was considering the High-Seers words, this great threat could very seriously be the danger the High-Seer had warned about. If so, their Saviour needed to return right now. Rhyde contemplated that he probably couldn't delay this any longer. He signaled to Yuxzn. "Yuxzn, bring the report that Zyuixqs had submitted earlier."

Yuxzn brought the report and handed it to Rhyde. Rhyde took the papers and found what he was looking for. "So, according to this, one of our own had taken under his care four girls, who came from your land. Also included is his description of them. Let me know if this is the same people." Rhyde begun reading from the paper. "A woman of 7 and 8 Uyn with black hair and blue eyes. Her physical strength was only matched by her strength of will, acting as the groups assumed leader and taking charge of each situation. Has became known for her very impractical usage of a shield. Is known within the group as Qheria." Rhyde paused and found the next entry. ".. woman of 7 and 6 Uyn, flame-color hair and brown eyes. Her gentle stature is but a bluff, for she is quick to anger and strikes with the ferocity of a beast. She acts as their other front-line assailant, carrying a mighty and fearsome weapon. Is known within the group as Thanrie."

At this point, Ihzyur and Xyithy were getting a bit concerned. Some of the details matched, but this couldn't be the girl they knew, could it? They caught each other's perplexity, and realized there were no further answers to be had. Rhyde continued. ".. woman of 7 and 3 Uyn, golden hair with purple eyes. Lithe stature, complimenting her hyperactive optimism, which she shares with her friends to build team morale from the back-lines. Is known within the group as Lwyn." Ehryinae was momentarily concerned she got the wrong report. But the Arch-Magus would never do that. Something wasn't right here. The four person group was correct, as was too many of the details, but not all of them.

Rhyde completed the last entry. ".. woman of 8 and 1 Uyn, blue hair, green eyes, with a very light build. Gets along impressively well with humans, despite a weak grasp of Izhaethyx, which has probably came from years of interactions and experience. Takes a support non-combat role in the back lines. Is known within the group as Mhyl." Aelyiq in particular remembered her unfamiliarity of anything remotely human, she had never met one before. But.. the other women were all humans? How in the world did that work?

Ehryinae motioned to see the same report, and confirmed that it did describe exactly what was explained. She shared it with the others while contemplating it's meaning. In every case, the physical description was almost exact, and the names used were exactly the short forms of each girl. The differences were exclusively psychological. Definitely something to look into. "So, where are they right now?"

Rhyde was tired of working with bad news, so Yuxzn reported for him. "The four women in question had last reported themselves on route to deal with the same Destroyers we had successfully taken out. Our watchmen had found indication of their failure and captivity by the enemy. Khaexyn has them now, the leader of the group we saw earlier." The same Khaexyn that had that Colossal at call, which was then going to be a problem.

"We should mount a rescue team to.." "We need to send a messenger to.." Xyithy and Ihzyhur had opposite ideas again, but with the same intent. Ehryinae brought their intent together. "We need to do both, mount a rescue team, take out that Colossal, send back a Messenger." Yuxzn was shaking his head, clarifying the situation. "Unfortunately, most of that is going to be a problem. Without taking out the Colossal, we can't pinpoint their location effectively. However, as you've seen, we don't even have the capability to take it down. Most likely, that weapon is being saved for attacking your own homelands, so if we wait, we might get an opportunity. However, while waiting, the danger to your homeland grows. Meanwhile, any messenger you send won't make it, Khaexyn has established orders to have any such messengers killed when they pass through. The only way you're going to get a messenger through is with enough numbers to back them up."

Rhyde brought everything finally under control. "Unfortunately, you will have to pick which is more important, saving your homeland or rescuing your lost kin. Keep in mind, one of our own is there too, the Rebellion as a whole will be probably be looking into finding a solution. But sadly, there isn't anyone here who can send a messenger for you. What I would recommend is taking your groups and breaking the wall of silence Khaexyn has created. This will secure both a route for respective messengers AND give us a direction to send your four kin towards. I can't promise anything, but the Marauders will certainly at least try to send them your concerns. If that's not enough, you should come back with enough forces to take down that monster. Certainly, if you can do that, everything else will just sort itself out. Of course, if you plan to take out Khaexyn, you'll have the support of the entire Rebellion."

Backing down like that wasn't exactly what any of them wanted to do, but they could still see Rhyde's point. Not having learned anything, the aforementioned 'wall of silence' was effectively a weapon against all of their homes. Being used to hide things such as the Colossal, along with who knows what else, it was all but a declaration of war, especially having witnessed how Khaexyn had phrased things. Things were getting out of control, they would need reinforcements in order to save their kinfolk, the four girls. There was no other way, they would just have to make haste with the plan brought to them.

All four teams set out immediately, traveling together for once, if but by a small truce. They shared a plan of action together, the second unification of the four different factions seen in years.