II-38 Planning

—Confidential—

[Ambient Mana Recognized — Incoming Message from Inquisitor-Master Sijik]

Oldsmith, if you are receiving hold your position, tell my acolytes to hold as well. Stay out of danger.

I am deploying a specialist to ensure that Gate Lord Confriga understands where he stands in this arrangement. Do you understand? Impress this upon him. Impress upon him that someone is coming to speak with him.

Tell him that the Inquisition itself will come to talk and tan his mongrel hide if he does not open the gateways. Use your powers of persuasion for once in your life. And you’ve been tardy writing back to me. Do not be tardy again.

I want to know everything that’s happening inside the gate. Everything. Up to the second. We will exchange messages thrice a day now, morning, afternoon, and evening. Do not keep me waiting again.

I trust that you would rather talk to me than the Educator. Oh yes, Oldsmith. It is the Educator who is arriving. She has just been freed of a certain matter over in Lone Star. Eliminating some loose‐to‐lips and far‐flung traitors to the Republic and heretics to the good name of the Ascendants.

This is not a threat, but you know what her temperament is like. Make sure you do not cross her, and you can do that by having her received properly by the Gate Lord—that he is prepared to receive Her Heroic Mistress.

I look forward to hearing back from you, and I hope that your Master‐Tiered tongue can finally work some good.

In other matters, City-Lord Stormhalt’s daughter remains missing. She is in Blackedge. This has been confirmed. The damned mercenaries failed to snatch her, to deliver her unsafe and intact. So, you can imagine how frustrated and stressed I am. One delicate matter after another.

You can help me by doing your fair, fucking share, you piece of walking furniture.

…

I apologize for my prejudice. And not anything else.

-Spell Sealed Sync-Letter from Inquisitor Szjik of the Twilight Republic

II-38

Planning

Practical Metabiology > 23

The Chef Unwavering > 55

After enjoying some great food and even better company, they began preparing once more. Adam never lost sight of his true goal, which was saving Blackedge. And now, empowered, equipped, and well-supported, the group regarded Gate Theborn no longer as a treacherous mountain to climb, but an obstacle to smash through. They had the means to close in on the gate quickly now. They had the power, the strength, and they had the opportunity to bring things to a swift end: to secure Gate Theborn, bring down the Gate Lord, take the Animancy Core, free the slaves, and get access to the surface.

But before that, the Young Lord made sure to do one thing. 

“I’m going to need some bloody magical resistance for this armor,” he said. “My father said I was to only gain new enchantments when I performed a deed worthy of merit. Shiv…” Adam licked his lips. “I would say that my recent deeds have been worthy. Right?”

Shiv grunted a laugh. “Adam, you were worthy since Harkness. You completed that quest too.”

The Young Lord shifted his shoulders and smirked with pride. “You’re right. I did do that.”

And to make sure Adam didn’t get too big of a head, Shiv provided the man with a bit of humility as well. “Yeah, almost makes up for you getting stomped by the Jealousy.”

“Shut up, Shiv.”

Thanks to Adam’s connections with the Arachnae Order—and the newly evolved Hero-Sister Uva personally—his Master-Tier Magical Resistance enchantment was rushed through. And now the Young Lord was slightly more implacable magically, as he was nearly indestructible physically. Well, the armor was. Adam was still rather vulnerable on the inside. But if things went well, no one would ever come close enough to touch Adam.

“So let’s go over the very simple plan once more,” Adam said. He stood in front of a large chalkboard set up within the Elaboration. On it, a map of Gate Theborn’s surroundings was drawn, and on a nearby table, several more maps detailing the insides of the gate based on Shiv’s memories lay partially composed. “We’re going to emerge approximately two kilometers away from the Abyssal gateway. It should be far enough to avoid immediate notice and secure an exterior operating position. I’ve spent some time with Heather, and she showed me the spatial frequencies for the gateway. Even if they change, however, I think I will be able to force our way in.” He held his Vambrace of the Corroded Domain. “Perhaps more than one way in. But I’d rather not use such extreme means. We’ll be noticed very quickly.”

“Once we arrive and secure our initial forward operating position, I will take over,” Uva said, “I will target everyone without significant Magical Resistance and perform psionic surveillance. After marking and listing out critical weakness, I will find a viable body, take them, and cause a series of escalating distractions. Afterward, as the outside falls to chaos, we move on the gate itself.”

Palbon, Uva’s team Pyromancer pointed to several icons on the board. “The Shadow Cells report more patrols and even additional bands of mercenaries being hired to hold a larger stretch of space. We’ll have to find a nice and hidden position if we want to remain in the area without being noticed.

Adam smirked slightly, and his eyes glowed with mana. “I don’t think that will be a problem, but if they do respond, Ikki and the rest of Uva’s team will set up a series of diversionary strikes that will be supported by Still Water.” Then, Adam looked to the Weaveress and her team. “Stillwater, I must thank you and your team for responding so promptly. You have been an invaluable help for the past few weeks.”

“Just part of my duties,” Still Water said, “glad to be doing a sneaking mission again, though.”

“Then, we get over to the gate and I remove all the remaining problems,” Shiv said. “After we pass through the gate, I’ll break off with Can Hu while Uva, Adam, Valor, and Siggy move to seek out Guardshead Leu. I’ll break as much stuff and kill as many guards as I can find to pull their attention and keep them from noticing the Graven Cage.” Shiv spun the Rememberer in his right hand. The kukri practically thrummed in excitement between his fingers.

Uva narrowed her eyes as she looked at the major enemy concentrations depicted around the gateway. “I’ll keep everyone connected through my mana strands, and also track the Gate Lord and other major threats when they appear.”

“I’ll leave a few more of my bodies again while I go,” Shiv said. “Make it seem like Aviary is setting up a major operation. I’ll head for the central tower leading off into the Vulteg dimension to see what I can find there too if I get a chance. My raid will double as reconnaissance.”

“Just make damned sure you don’t end up crossing over,” Adam said, glaring at Shiv. “We all know how you get carried away, Shiv, but I don’t think anyone here is capable of facing a god in their own home.”

As if on cue, the Composer’s melody climbed higher, sounding as if a laugh.

“Once we get set up, Uva will start working with Siggy to get a read on the gate’s underbelly and discover any other vulnerabilities for us to exploit.”

They turned and stared at the only unwilling member of their group. The goblin looked absolutely petrified.

“Do I seriously have to go?” Siggy said. “I’ll stay in prison here. You know, I’ll do all the community service you hit me with.”

Uva just stared. “You’re the only one of us who has relationships and contacts in the area. You know how to avoid notice—or walk in plain sight.”

“But—but,” Siggy said, “you’re like a Psychomancer. Can’t you pull the memories out of me?”

“That will take a few weeks of delicate mind surgery,” Uva said. “We don’t have that kind of time. Because Adam’s home does not have that kind of time. That is why we’re not going to do delicate mind surgery if this is the option you force on us. I’m just going to rip the memories out of you using my strands, and though I have the power, I cannot promise I have achieved the technique.”

Uva’s mana strands flicked and danced over Siggy’s head, and the goblin’s terror grew and grew. Over the past few days, Uva also gained an Intimidation skill, much to Shiv’s amusement.

“O-okay,” Siggy said, flinching.

“Don’t worry, Adept,” Adam replied. “You’ll be sticking close to me. I’ll be making sure that we move across the gate without encountering too many issues. Once that’s done, we will regroup using the strategy we practiced.”

Uva channeled her strands into Adam’s mind, then she jumped into the Young Lord, and after a few moments, disentangled herself from him, weaving herself back into shape right next to Adam. Then her strands reached out and seized Shiv. He didn’t fight it, and he felt the surreal sensation of being converted—drawn into Psychomancy Mana, pulled into Uva’s mind, and then rewoven thereafter.

“That’s a pretty useful spell,” Shiv muttered. He still remembered the first time he experienced something like that, when he was trapped within the Jealousy. Uva was far more gentle, like being pulled along a vast and comfortable expanse of memories rather than crashing through moments and impulses while facing the Greater Demon.

Adam nodded. “Indeed, and Uva’s massive subtle reach should keep us from being easily notice while inside the gate.”

“I can also pull my strands back in closer,” Uva said. “Once the inside of the gate is drowning in chaos, we will set up with Guardshead Leu if possible, or break contact and hide Oldsmith’s personal penthouse alternatively.”

“From there, we will plan and execute the full overthrow of Gate Theborn. And I think we will start by sealing the gateway leading to their home dimension. The last thing we need is reinforcements.” Adam gestured to the third gateway within Gate Theborn—the gate leading to the Vulteg home dimension.

“But don’t think too far ahead,” Valor said. “The plans will always change. Prepare. And adapt accordingly.”

The Young Lord grunted. “Is that all? Any holes or objections?”

Siggy held up her hand. No one regarded her. She lowered her hand and whimpered, “My god, please—gods, don’t let me die.”

“I have something to offer,” Can Hu declared. Everyone looked at the Penitent Chassis hovering in the corner of the room on a slab of metal and stone. “You said there are slaves inside the gate.”

“Yes,” Shiv said. “Many.”

“Then I will try to find out where they are located. I am constructing new and subtle drones. They should be able to hide during the chaos. I will direct them to scout the districts and provide more information about critical targets and vulnerabilities, along with where the non-combatants mostly reside. This should give us an additional layer and resource for information as well. After that, we can focus on saving—or keeping—the slaves out of harm’s way as best we can when future offensive operations begin.”

“Right,” Shiv said, nodding. “Good thinking, Can Hu. Keep me away from those places, too. Don’t need more collateral damage.”

“Well, there won’t be any bloody clever orcs there now,” Adam said with a sneer, “and you won’t be alone. If we’re going to cause a mess, at least we’re going to cause a mess together.”

Shiv chuckled at that.

“When we settle in,” Valor interjected, “the first priority should be the Animancy Core if possible. I will wish to see it caged properly. The Graven Cage should be able to contain and neutralize it. We leave nothing to chance, and we deny Sullain his weapon before all else.”

“Of course,” Adam said. “And after that… we find out what breaks easier: the Gate Lord, his forces, or the mana core.”

Shiv stared down his kukri and studied his grinning reflection. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to this. I have a feeling the Confriga is about to have a very, very bad time.”

***

Before they left, though, the composer summoned the group to her Symposium once more.

At first, Shiv thought it was going to be another round of personal congratulations, and found the entire affair to be gratuitous. But when he arrived, he found the Composer seeming more troubled than ever.

“You all have done great things for Weave. You’ve grown strong, immensely so, from this trial.” She looked at Uva in particular. “I am proud of my chosen champions. Prouder still of my adopted people.”

Uva squared her shoulders and beamed, but there was a layering to her pride—a subtle wariness. She knew something was coming as well.

“However, it is as I told you before. The agents of Aviary do not trade things cheaply. They do not deal at a loss.” She plucked a string on her great harp, but the notes were discordant and wrong. The silken fibers composing the interior of her home also shuddered, as if quivering in fear. The wrongness seemed to resonate through the world, and the composer was silent for a long moment. “A great many things are rippling across the world. There is something in motion, even beyond the siege of Blackedge. Even beyond the machinations at the heart of the Republic.”

She looked at the gathered group of Masters and Heroes prepared to take Gate Theborn. “Aviary… They would not trade something like Valor’s arm so easily. Not for a simple thing like a passage. Aviary agents are trained to die. They are burned and tossed aside before they are made desperate.”

“So you’re saying that we should expect more trouble?” Shiv asked.

The Composer’s expression turned grave. “Yes. In fact, I would gamble everything I have on it. And great trouble at that.”

Then, the Composer looked up, and she played a single note—a strong and resonant note that broke the previous discordant sounds. “I advise you all to proceed with caution, and proceed with haste. Breach and take the gate as soon as possible. I think it will be targeted again by outside forces.

“If Valor’s limb was an inferior prize, then the things that could be greater and worth more—I cannot fathom, or I cannot dare to fathom. I thought the incident at Passage was merely something long-awaiting, a grand culmination. But no…” the Composer shook her head. “It was merely a small operation, a small operation in a far grander orchestra. And New Albion cannot be working alone. They are too aggressive, too desperate with how they just fled the Abyss. Something is coming. They know something we do not.”

The Composer finished with a sigh. “Guard yourselves. Especially you, Uva. You are a Hero now—a Hero of Weave, a Heroic Psychomancer risen through struggle! The first of your kind. We cannot afford to lose you, but we cannot afford to have you hold back.”

“The Jealousy has been dedicated to Elaboration now, goddess,” Uva said, with her head low. “Soon, there will be more Psychomancers of my equal.”

“No,” the Composer laughed softly. “There were few like you before. And now that the Deathless’s favor has spread to even you, and you have prevailed in a trial of strife, discovering another Hero will take decades. If not a century.”

“You honor, Exalted Goddess,” Uva breathed.

“And honor me by not dying,” the Composer said. “A living Hero is better than a fallen martyr, damn the songs.”

“Do not worry, goddess,” Uva said, voice resolute. “I have no intention of being a martyr.” She paused, and SHiv felt a hardening of her strength. “Nor do I have an intention of just stopping at the Heroic-Tier.”

And then the goddess laughed joyously. “It pleases me to hear you speak this way, Cherished Sister. Perhaps sometime… someday you will find yourself lecturing me, instead of heeding my orders.”

“I would not dream of such blasphemy,” Uva breathed.

“No one does. Then, they become a Legend, and suddenly, the gods don’t seem so unassailable.” The Composer grinned at Valor. “Now go with my blessing.” She looked toward Adam and Shiv. “And you two, my friends. For all the times you have aided us, I will give what I can to help you now. I am… ashamed I do not have the strength to contend with Compact directly, that I cannot muster a great army for this cause…”

Shiv looked between Adam, Uva, Valor, and Can Hu. “What are you talking about? We’re standing right here.”

And once more, the goddess laughed.

***

For the second time in the span of days, Uva, Shiv, Can Hu, Valor, and Adam departed from Passage. But this time Uva’s team left with them, accompanied by a Shadow Cell and Shiv had thirty of Can Hu’s small spider drones in his cape as well.

Also, rather than suffering through a slow and treacherous trek through the umbral wilderness, the Young Lord made things simple. Adam stared for a moment once they emerged from Passage and cast his senses to the horizon. As his glare burned, he drew a shot. He took a breath, and he fired. A rupture appeared before him. The Veilpiercer arrow sailed across dimensions for three minutes before it finally tore open another rift, creating a bridge for them to traverse the world.

Adam laughed as he lowered his bow. He gestured for Shiv to enter first. “After you, cockroach.”

“Thanks for opening the door, Young Lord,” Shiv replied. Then he squinted down the way and saw a body laying there. A body missing a good chunk of its torso. “What’s that? Who did you shoot?”

“Oh, just a sentry. I suspect they were a Jump Mage too, considering how my arrow reacted with them. They had some spatial anchoring wards, but that just made them easy prey for my Veilpiercer.”

Shiv laughed. “Show-off, Adam. 

“That’s what Masters do, isn’t it?”

Shiv went in first, blasting across. He wore Can Hu as armor, and a field of small stones and metal fragments drifted around him, creating an enhanced proximity detection system for both of them. Uva followed thereafter, standing on her shield to keep pace. Her team sprinted behind her, and Ikki looked at the unstable dimension slowly creeping in. 

“Adam,” Ikky blinked, “is this place, you know, structurally sound or something? It won’t just push us out, right?”

“It will last long enough,” Adam said. “And don’t worry, it’s the same thing as your spatial tunnels, except it’s more of an actual place. It has borders. It’s not just a pocket of space being moved around. It’s like a new patch of existence being created, albeit a very unstable, unsteady patch. But yes, we are fine. We have ample time to cross.”

Behind them, the Trapdoor Weaveresses followed. Shiv couldn’t tell where any of them were. Still Water had not been joking about treating this like a sneaking mission—if your allies couldn’t pinpoint you, how could your enemies have any hope?

As soon as they arrived on the other side, Shiv found himself standing on an interesting cliffside that led off into a cave. Only the edge of the cliff jutted out, and a series of large mushroom caps outside hid this place from aerial view. How Adam found this spot so quickly, and how he noticed the surveillant Jump Mage, was beyond Shiv. But that was probably why the Young Lord had a Heroic-Tier Awareness Skill.

As the other members of the group filtered in, they secured the surveillance post, and Still Water emerged. “Hm, good positioning.” She looked down at the dead Jump Mage and shook her head. “Damn shame. They would have made a pretty good operative if they didn’t have the misfortune of coming up against a Hero.”

Adam scoffed. “A Master-Tier should have more dignity: better to starve than to serve some slaver mongrels.”

As their group set up, Uva moved on to her end of the task. She directed her mana strands outward—each so fine and thin that Shiv wouldn’t have noticed if he didn’t know they were already there. He was connected to her as well and saw what she was doing, or at least vaguely felt it.

She had another skill that allowed her to process parallel thoughts at once. Currently, she could do up to five, and it was staggering—like her mind was split into layers. But more than that, it allowed her to direct these strands with even greater efficiency.

Seconds later, her web spread around Gate Theborn, threading and brushing against the minds of the various patrols and guards in a maneuver so subtle and imperceptible that none of the guards knew what was happening. A few jolted slightly as she struck them. She tested their Magical Resistance and slumped away from those that had anything at Master-Tier or above.

“Level 100 is hard to break in time,” she whispered. “Level seventy or below… I can do that,” she muttered to herself. “I can break those quickly. We just need to find one. Ah. Already an option. Oh, a foolish rider. They have forgotten to equip their mount as well.” 

Shiv realized what she meant as she directed him using the strands of her mind and let him see what she was doing. Her mana strands were surging into a wyvern mind. She was so subtle compared to the Jealousy, which rammed its way in another’s consciousness and eventually detonated them. Minutes passed, and the wyvern still didn’t realize she was there. That was just how careful she was, just how subtle. Maybe she lacked raw power compared to the Greater Demon, but her control and soft approach made her a treacherous adversary, even for another Psychomancer. 

Perhaps especially for another Psychomancer.

“There are four Master-Tier Psychomancers to note outside the gate,” Uva said, as she stitched more of herself over to wyvern’s mind. “One of them is this beast’s rider. This was probably why he skimped out on a Magical Resistance bridle for the beast.” The beast roused slightly, but then stilled as she wove her control tight over its ego. Inside, Shiv could hear the beast screaming, struggling. Outside, it didn’t react at all. The rider didn’t notice. Not even as a Psychomancer.

“Damn good job,” Shiv growled, impressed.

Nearby, Adam shivered and patted his armor, which now had Magical Resistance.

“Delicious, isn’t it?” Uva smiled. She felt a sublime thrill—different from his. He burned like a happy, raging fire, like a bomb that wanted to go off. She preferred defying chaos with delicate focus. Like threading a needle while trapped in a hurricane.

She didn’t assume full control of the wyvern immediately. Instead, she directed its actions with spells of suggestion. “It requires five-percent of my active mana field to direct the beast’s actions. When I get more mana strands, I should be able to capture and puppeteer even more people at once. The limitation right now isn’t my Psychomancy, but my Parallel Thinking…”

She fed details to the group and Shiv narrated things to Can Hu. Much like what the Shadow Cells reported, there were a lot more mercs in the area—a great many of them flight-capable Pathbearers who soared through the air.

“Replacements for the Jealousy,” Adam deduced. “They won’t be able to find another Greater Demon on short notice, but they can have a mass of fast-moving, fast-responding forces.”

There were more elemental watchtowers as well, and a small army of elemental dimensionals that served as the bulk of their forces. Beings made from earth and metal stomped across the ground while humanoid shapes composed of lightning and fire traveled the skies alongside some of the riders.

“Two-thousand active guards,” Uva said. “That’s my guess.”

“Probably closer to three,” Adam squinted his eyes. “There is a cloaked group camped in the forests nearby along the ebony path. Some cave biters incoming, but mostly carrying treasures. Not many slaves…”

“Goods don’t run away,” Shiv commented. He thought of Sarah and the other slaves he saved from the Jealousy. Something inside him soured. There were a hell of a lot more people like them.

“I have multiple targets marked out,” Uva said after nearly an hour of observation. Several mana strings shivered. “I will be starting a series of conflicts between the various patrol groups and mercenaries. There is enough bad blood between the groups I can exploit already. I could use someone’s help shooting some captains and commanders afterward. That should let the chaos last a bit longer.”

Adam materialized two more sets of arms and prepared three Veilpiercers at once. “Well. By all means, huntress. Show me the quarry.”

She did so by shaking several mana threads and drawing Adam’s attention to them. The Young Lord narrowed his eyes, and created a final set of arms. “More than a few, then?”

“Soon to be fewer, thanks to you,” Uva replied.

The Dimension-Piercing Archer chuckled. “What flattery.”

Uva started the proceedings with a flex of her intent. The wyvern she controlled twisted, threw its rider off at a brutal angle, and bit into the man’s armored skull. Its teeth chipped and broke, but Uva didn’t care—she forced it to gnaw and shake. The man cried out, armor holding just long enough, but his Toughness was lacking. As the wyvern jerked back in another, sudden direcion, a crack sounded and he died.

The wyvern screamed internally. Uva made it fling the beloved body of its owner at a nearby dimensional—and sent it crashing head-first into another control. Then, she retracted her threads from the wyvern and speared into the mind of a cave biter a full kilometer below. She intruded with force and violence this time. The cave biter cried out briefly as its mind was taken and then bound. As the mercenaries gathered around its feet looked up, she made it stomp down on them.

“Stop!” The mercenary captain screamed. The woman shifted up from her seat and caught the foot. Her strength must’ve been Master-Tier because she halted the cave biter dead—but then Veilpiercer arrow struck the back of her knee, and cave biter toppled over on the mercenary anyway. The captain groaned beneath the weight, but most of her comrades became little more than caked smears against the massive beast.

Uva cast her mind again. A flame dimensional blasted a group of guards on the ground. Her threads jumped again. An Adept Mercenary triggered her mana bomb, leaving nothing of herself and her patrol. Uva cast again. A Pyromancer-Ballista operator fired his shot into the air with a snarled curse at the dimensionals. And she cast again. A lightning dimensional crashed into a group of riders from behind and expanded into a small storm, cooking them inside their armors.

All around the gates sudden acts of violence turned into brutal skirmishes and patrol turned on patrol, mercenary band faced mercenary band, and summoned dimensionals fought the denizens of Integrated Earth. Some tried to assert themselves over the situation, but arrows struck them. Most died as the Veilpiercer impacted their body, the speed of the projectiles obscene after traveling for a good minute.

Yet, there were masters even among the Mercenaries, and some wore plates of considerable durability as well. One such band of obsidian armored mercenaries stood guard just beyond the gate, protecting a group of dimensional engineers as they conducted an examination on the structure of the arch housing the gateway. Adam’s arrows struck their commander so hard, the obsidian-clad elf was thrown back—but though his armor was cracked, he was not slain. The shockwave washing over his body threw twenty of his subordinates to the ground, but the obsidian commander snapped to attention, glaring through the dimensional rift at Adam.

“What?” he growled. He drew his warhammer, and swirling mist built around its head, but then something else accelerated across the dimensional pathway. The obsidian commander barely reacted in time as what appeared to be nothing but the outline of a large figure slammed into him. The obsidian-clad elf blocked blinding, using his wrist armor rather than his hammer.

And that proved to be a mistake in many parts.

Shiv hit the elf so hard the merc’s arm shattered, but then Deepest Edge channeled his cut through the armored elf’s entire body. In the end, the mercenary commander’s armor managed to endure with a slight rent, but from inside poured blood and viscera. The resulting shockwave from Shiv’s impact also turned most of the elf’s companions to paste, and what few remained were promptly obliterated with a flash of glowing Biomancy.

With Remember in hand, Shiv felt like he was twice as fast as he was before, and thus the dimensional engineers didn’t even to turn their heads when he tore through them as well. The Remember of Wounds shuddered with every hit, recalling the last strike he inflicted, and anchoring him to the target by way of Chronomancy. The Deathless did a quick round, securing the immediate area along the archway. Anything that had Low Adept Toughness simply disintegrated on approach. High Adept to Low Master got to die in pieces as the Remember graced them, and the one True Master was brutally surprised by Shiv’s Silhouette and then battered into paste by multiple Woundeaters crashing into her.

As the True Master collapsed dead at Shiv’s feet, he turned and regarded the battlefield. Everything was chaos. Cave biters were being burned by the watchtowers, the beams cleaving clean through the massive monsters. Dimensionals turned the sky to flame and storm while the ground shook with rolling landslides and erupted with blades of steel. Mercenary groups cried out as they pushed against each other as all sense of order broke down.

“Shiv. Someone is coming through the gateway,” Can Hu warned.

Shiv moved. A group of Vulteg appeared. Their leader took a blow to his chest, and cried out as his armor shattered. The shockwave splattered both of his comrades against the arch. With a snarl, however, the lead Vulteg launched Shiv back with a blast of force and then turned into a bolt of lightning, trying to flee. He got a hundred meters before Shiv triggered his Chrono-Anchored Strike. Shiv blinked across time and delivered the same blow into the lead Vulteg’s chest. This time, his strike passed all the way through. The lightning-wreathed Vulteg crashed down to the ground, gagging on his own blood. Shiv expedited his enemy’s dying by ripping his blade out and stomping the Vulteg’s head to mush.

“Adam,” Shiv called. “Gateway is secure. I’ll keep it that way. Tell Valor to start moving the Graven Cage.”

He drew in a deep breath as he caught sight of Uva’s strands directing even more people to crash with each other while dimension-piercing arrows blew through essential commanders. “Nothing like having friends you can count on.”

“Indeed,” Can Hu said. “And there is an invisible Vulteg trying to sneak past us. I think she just—”

Shiv spun on his heel and flicked his kukri out in a wide angle. His Conduit of Dawn activated, and his beam cleaved a previously unseen target in half just under the chest.

Deepest Edge > 56

Silhouette > 53

“—passed through my proximity field,” Can Hu finished. “Good job.”

“Good job to you,” Shiv chuckled. He regarded the small stones floating around him. “Didn’t expect these small stones to be that useful.”

Can Hu beeped in acknowledgement. “The slightest variable can be all the difference. Dying cave biter, staggering toward us. I recommend splitting it open and using its corpse to shroud the archway. That should hide our operations and give the others good cover.”

“You know something, Penitent? I was just thinking about doing something like that.”

“Using a cave biter as cover?”

“No, splitting the big bastard open,” Shiv said, blasting off toward the approaching cave biter that had a hole through its upper body. “But the plan’s good too.”