Chapter LXXVIII: Besieged

A strong rush of hot, dry air struck Jinxie as she materialized. The sensation of using the Empire's Hall of Transference was completely unlike that of magical teleportation. She staggered, disoriented, the world spinning around her. Another gust passed over her, tearing her trireme hat from her head. Reflexively, she snatched it back and tightened it over her blonde hair. Taking a steadying breath, she waited for the feeling of vertigo to pass her by. When her feet felt firm beneath her again, she paused to take in her surroundings.

High cliffs of volcanic rock engulfed the area. The ground below her was yellowed and cracked, with a dusting of sulfer caking over everything. The heat was extraordinary, but the air was completely devoid of moisture. This was nothing like the humid woodlands she had explored previously. Even without extensive knowledge of the Empire, she still knew this was the treacherous Mount Zhayolm. She and Hubby had planned to bring Drake here to see the Apkallus which nested in the volcano's shadow. Jinxie fought down the emotions which leaped up unbidden at the memory. There was a task to deal with now.

In front of her, she saw one of the Empire's Immortals laying unconscious in a heap. A sturdy gate in front of him was reduced to so much scrap iron, torn from the wooden palisade and nearly bent in two by some remarkable strength. Jinxie didn't need any more confirmation to know Kkel had passed through here. She could feel his malevolent energy in the air. A shudder passed through her at its touch. He was being driven over the edge by Pixel's abduction. Even if he did find her, would he be too far gone for it to matter? Would his mind finally become as twisted as his body? She realized that he may not even be on her trail. The former Sunserpent may have simply snapped already, and teleported away as his last conscious act to protect the people of the Empire.

Then again, she thought, remembering the trail of destruction he had left in his wake, that issue did not seem paramount to him at the moment.

She had to trust in Kkel's humanity at least a little longer. So the Red Mage ran, heat stealing her breath away. Zhayolm was like an oven, she could even see parts of the ground which were literally on fire. Mounds of sulferic ash rose and fell to create a hilly landscape upon which the Empire's famous giant moths, the Wamoura, made their nests. Jinxie kept her distance, understanding they were aggressive to outsiders. The creatures themselves, insects bigger than a man with wings which glittered in the afternoon sun, seemed to be skittish themselves. Something unnerving had definitely passed by them recently. When Jinxie came across the shredded corpse of one of the monsters, she understood. She kept on running. There was a noise growing louder as she ran further inland. The sight of the Silver Seas in the distance grew fainter as she grew closer to its source.

Magma veins beneath the sediment radiated scorching heat through her boots as she pressed onwards. In the distance a titanic metal gate began looming over the hills of ash. As she closed in on it she could clearly see where the booming echo filling Zhayolm was coming from. The gates were indeed colossal in scope, towering over the smoke-saturated ground and blackened, dead trees. They were doubtlessly strong enough to hold back an army, and Jinxie knew that was indeed likely their purpose. Mount Zhayolm was home to the Trolls which plagued Aht Urghan. Preserving its integrity seemed of little concern for Kkel Solaar. He stood before the gates, howling madly, attempting to pry them open. Every impact of his gnarled staff upon their steel surface caused another reverberating gong to sound out through the hills.

Jinxie came to a halt behind the Soulflayer. He screamed something in a language she did not recognize, again hammering at the gates. A swarm of decisions assaulted her. Should she help him? Or would he attack her? Should the gates even be opened at all? She knew so little about the Empire still. How many Trolls were on the other side? Was Kkel lunging into disaster? Would they even attack a Soulflayer? And if not, did that mean he was too far gone to ever get his mind back again? What was the right thing to do?

She had brought Kkel back safely. That had been her only charge. Her mission for the Empire was at an end. If she left now, it would be far wiser in respect to her own interests.

But then, she was the reason Kkel left his home in the Emptiness. She was the one whom had talked him into coming back to Aht Urghan. Ultimately, this was all her responsibility. It was her fault Kkel had come, and thus the blame for Pixel's kidnapping was on her as well. She had to make this right. She owed it to the both of them.

Staring resolutely at the gates, she stepped forward to Kkel's side.

He spun on her aggressively, but then halted when he saw her. His whole body froze indecisively. The fingers around his staff unclenched and then tightened again, and the tendrils before his mouth slithered frightfully. The thin membrane of skin covering him had become a pale white, and his robes seemed even darker than before. He screeched something at her, but then seemed to calm himself with a visible effort.

"Through . . . there." The sound of his voice was startling. He was fighting to get out every word. "I am . . . still . . . here . .. Jinxie. Pixel is . . . through the Gates . . . I must . . . "

"I understand," the Hume said, and she placed a hand on his chest. His body was deathly cold to the touch. She had meant to calm him, but he shuddered, turning away.

"Please it is . . . " Kkel snarled something unintelligible, then craned his head up at the gates. " . . . too tempting."

She was losing him. The gates sprawled upwards, dauntingly. They had no key, but Jinxie could see the small square Kkel had been hammering at with his staff. Something fit in there, pressing down a latch mechanism. She cast her eyes about. Nothing resembling the gap was nearby. Kkel started shaking, gripping his staff tightly in his elongated fingers. Jinxie had to open this door, but the only thing she could see in any direction was volcanic rock and ash. There was no tool, no key available to her. Yet something had to fit in that gap. So how could she . . . ?

The gleaming basalt caught her eye. An idea took form. She called upon the magic within her, letting it fill her body. With it she called out to the earth, feeling it in her grasp. With one gesture of her hand, Jinxie tore a piece of rock from the sediment, and moved it into the gap in the gate. It did not fit, but she had anticipated that. She shifted the focus of her magic, and suddenly the hot volcanic winds began slicing at the slab. Segments of it broke free, and she carefully manipulated the winds to carve it just right. Many times she had seen crafters manipulate the elements with crystals to obtain a specific outcome of their base materials. She wasn't aiming for anything nearly so exact. All that was necessary was that the rock fit in.

Another shard broke free at the top, and suddenly her rock was pushed forward, settling into place within the gate. Jinxie waited, and Kkel stared at it intently. For a moment which felt like eternity, nothing happened. The Soulflayer's throat began emitting a deep, wet-sounding growl. Then, something inside the gates audibly clicked. A moment later, accompanied by a grinding as steel scraped over stone, the massive metal doors started sliding open, vanishing into the hills from which they came. They were barely open wide enough to see through before Kkel was charging through. Like a serpent he slid through the narrow gap, too narrow for even Jinxie to squeeze through. By the time the gates had ponderously slid apart for her to follow, he was nearly out of sight.

She knew now that he was right. As soon as she emerged past the gate, she could hear music.

As fast as she could, Jinxie sped after Kkel. Sweat began running into her eyes as she panted for breath. Her chest felt dry and her legs were beginning to ache. Yet the Serpent General raced on, faster than ever, and she could hear his terrible shrieks as he closed in on his objective.

While running, she noticed that the Trolls she had been expecting were nowhere to be found. Were they frightened of a Soulflayer and staying out of sight? They were approaching what had to be Trollish battlements, yet she saw no patrols, no guardsmen on the walls. Where could they have gone? The music was growing louder. Jinxie pressed on.

She almost bumped into Kkel when he stopped. The Red Mage crested a hill leading her into a circle surrounded by the Troll-made stone ramparts and found the Soulflayer there, staring forward. Jinxie surveyed her surroundings quickly. Half of the walls surrounding her were forged by Trollish hands, the other were natural walls of granite and volcanic rock. A cave she could not quite see into through the curtain of ash falling down it loomed over the hill. The ground was hotter here than anywhere else she had been yet in Zhayolm, and magma was visibly running through the rock below. Kkel stood on it as if the flowing lava were no more than a babbling brook. His attention was firmly focused in front of them.

Pixel was softly playing Gjallarhorn, steam from the fissure at her feet matting her silver hair to her forehead. The Tarutaru appeared exhausted, barely on her feet as she swayed back and forth. Chiz loomed over her. The tattoed man had a knife in each hand, arms outstretched as he coolly faced Kkel's furious gaze.

"So," Chiz said evenly, "you finally got here."

"PIXEL!" It was clearly a demand. Kkel lunged forward, but Chiz brandished his knife over the Tarutaru and he stopped instantly.

"Look at you, you pathetic monster," he chuckled. "Why Doshu finds you so important is lost on me."

"Whoever you are, just return Pixel to us," Jinxie ordered, stepping forward. She drew the rapier at her side, letting her magic fill her again.

"I don't even know who you are," Chiz replied, sounding bored. Then he took a closer look at her, his eyes narrowing. "Wait . . ." A flash of recognition passed over him, and he suddenly smiled expansively. It was a terrifying sight coupled with the glint in his eyes.

"PIXEL!" Kkel again snarled, waving his staff erratically. He was on the verge of losing control altogether.

"How fortuitious," he smiled, running a gloved hand over his hairless head. "This is the definition of two birds with one stone. Three if you count the fancy horn I'll be taking back with me."

"You think you can take us?" Jinxie challenged, lightning leaping from her blade.

He shrugged indifferently. "Probably," in a flash he suddenly had Pixel in his grasp, cutting off her tune. Kkel roared, but dared not risk her life. “but why would I want to? All I have to do is watch to make sure the two of you get killed.”

“What – “ Jinxie began, but was cut off. Chiz snapped his fingers, and a howl like nothing she had ever heard before ripped out of the cave. The stones around them shook out of the ground, and loose bricks fell from the Troll battlements. Chiz laughed, holding the struggling Pixel easily as a set of gleaming white eyes suddenly appeared at the mouth of the cave, burning forth balefully. Jinxie and Kkel braced themselves, both bringing up their weapons in the face of those enormous, terrifying eyes.

Then another pair appeared. And then another.

When she saw the three fang-filled muzzles step into the light, Jinxie let out a shout of frustration.

“For crying out loud!” She raged. “Are there any giant monsters in this stupid empire that DON’T have three heads?”

The beast stepped forth into the light. It did indeed have three monstrous heads, each one snapping and snarling. Its maw was flecked with spittle that sizzled like lava as it dropped to the ground. The middle head peered down, eyes fixated on the two in front of it as the other two stretched upwards, howling. There were thick ridges of muscle on its chest and shoulders, and its skin pulsated with an unforgiving heat. It was a mass of skin which looked like granite and four paws each sporting three thick, curved claws. Behind it stretched an elongated tail that dragged along the surface of Mount Zhayolm, hissing and steaming. Chiz stood behind it, an amused smirk on his face.

“Cerberus,” he ordered loudly, “kill.”


Al Zahbi was in chaos. The attack had come so swiftly that some of their units were even now still mobilizing. The beastmen, on the other hand, were well into the city. The Bastion had been breached, lizard-like Mamool Ja riding on fearsome Wivres laying waste to the gates. Trolls were charging in, shelled thicker than an Uraganite in their armor. Lamaie were slithering in amongst them, the serpentine women commanding hordes of the soulless undead. Never before had Al Zahbi faced a joint attack by the beastmen armies before. Isset entered the fray unflinchingly. This was not the first time she had been called upon to protect the city from invaders. She gripped the bladed knuckles at her waist, taking them in hand. Beside her, Shoki assumed a fighting stance. They knew where to head.

The Hall of Binding contained within it the Empire’s greatest treasure. The Astral Candescence, an instrument of such remarkable power that even the greatest scholars still argued over its full extent, and over how it came to be. What was common knowledge was that the effect of being near it enriched all of Aht Urghan. Their water remained clear and fresh even if stagnant for weeks. The air was fresher, energizing to those who breathed it. Creativity blossomed in the hearts of artists, and courage came to their soldiers. The amazing machines of the Empire all ran as smooth as they did in part because they required so little power – much of it came naturally from the Astral Wind. The Candescence was indeed a marvel like none other, unique in all of Vana’diel.

It was ever the ambition of Aradjiah’s beastmen to steal it for their own. However, that is where the ingenuity of the Hall of Binding lay. Through enchantment Isset did not pretend to understand, the doors could be made completely impenetrable. A magic warding placed on the gates made them immovable, so long as there was a living being tied to the charm within the vicinity of the Hall. Only one seal was needed to ensure that the doors would hold. The Empire took no chances, however. Glowing radiantly upon those double doors was five of the mystic seals, one for each of the Serpent Generals upon whom they were bound. So long as they remained conscious, the spell would be in effect.

The Mamool Ja were leading the charge into Al Zahbi. With the Bastion breached, they were pouring in from the Bhaflau Thickets. Slim and beady-eyed warrior breeds were clashing with Imperial soldiers at the gates as staff-wielding mage breeds supported them. A slew of monsters followed in their path, everything from the dragonfly-like puks to enourmous tan-scaled wyverns. The lizardmen were fierce, bred for combat, and possessing a hatred of everything warm-blooded. Fortunately, the Empire was long used to dealing with their kind. A group of hardened veterans held their ground, pushing their advance into the city back as much as they could. However, with so many pressing against them, they could not prevent all who simply broke off and went to ravage the city.

Isset sped forward, leaping forward to slam the bladed points of her knuckles into a Mamool Ja. It reared back, hissing at her, and then swiped at the Puppetmaster with a curved blade. She flipped backwards, and as she gracefully arched through the air, Shoki ran underneath her. The automaton shot out a burst of electricity generated from within its shell. The beastman screeched, and then toppled over, smoke pouring from its eyes. Isset landed, sweeping her view around. There were so many. And now the Trolls were breaking through.

As the Imperial army battled the Mamool Ja charging east, the Trolls marched to the south. The business district of Al Zahbi lay in their view. Massive and bulky, the Trolls were also the beneficiaries of feats of engineering even the Empire had trouble replicating. Allied with the Moblins which dwelled in Mount Zhayolm, the beastmen bore not only complex suits of plate mail, but also enormous guns which fired stone-shattering payloads. They were perhaps even worse than the Mamool Ja, for though they lacked the aggression of the lizardmen, the Trolls had instead great physical strength, and a strict militaristic society. Largely mercenaries by trade, they longed for the Astral Candescence, and regularly mobilized free of charge when they saw a chance to capture it. A smattering of beasts from their lair in Halvung, deep within Zhayolm, was amongst them. The magic slimes called Flans left trails of corrosive muck in their wake. Gigantic scorpions skittered across the stone walkways. The enormous Wamoura hovered above, releasing venomous pollen. They were the Empire’s greatest threat, from a military standpoint.

A group of archers positioned on the walls slowed their advance, forcing the leading Trolls to form a turtle formation with their shields. As they did so, Imperial soldiers rushed in and began hacking at their thick armor. This barred their fearsome hand-to-hand fighters and frighteningly strong hammer-wielders from entering the battle. A long history of stand-offs with the Trolls had taught the Empire the tactics they needed to win.

Until the final part of the newly-forged triumvirate joined the fray. The Lamiae, smallest in number, yet most terrifying in battle, slithered in amongst the other beastmen. Though short on ranks, they bolstered themselves in two ways. First, they were allied with the Merrow, an amphibious offshoot of their race which commanded powerful magic. Second, the fallen walked among them. Using their twisted necromancy, the Lamiae raised the dead to march beside them, creating a crawling legion of the undead. Warriors and sailors long dead rose from the earth or watery graves to heed the call of their mistresses. The Lamiae themselves were content to remain apart from the battle, utilizing deathly accurate skills in archery to pick off targets from afar while their undead swarm roved free. Creatures from the swamps were dragged along by their siren’s song just as easily as the dead. Fleshy Jnuns crawled alongside the hordes of undead. Spirits from the moor floated through the air, casting their magic wherever their hands were guided. Most frighteningly, the automatons the Lamaie had somehow constructed had begun appearing at the gates. The gold-plated Acroliths, hulking in scale and possessed of boundless physical power, obeyed their commands just as the undead did. Of all the creatures which prowled the streets of Al Zahbi, they were the most brutally efficient in commiting murder.

Imperial mages ran along the wall, countering Merrow spells and bombarding the undead swarm with holy magic. So numerous were they that even great losses mattered little to them, but they were effectively kept at bay. With the strategies put into place by the Empire, the battle-hardened soldiers and mercenaries fighting in Al Zahbi’s defense knew counters for all the tactics of the beastmen. With the Serpent Generals fighting alongside them, Isset knew that not even a combined siege such as this one would breach their walls. Whatever promises Chiz had given them would soon turn empty.

A sudden booming sound at the gates caught her attention. She and Shoki both turned from the undead warrior lying at her feet, bones a splintered mess. A Mamool Ja charged at her, wielding a spear. Shoki let loose a blinding light, and Isset took the moment of its blindness to forcefully ram her bladed fists into its chest. She kicked the spear from its hands, and then backhanded it fiercely. Her puppet caught it with another jolt of lightning as it fell. Running forward, the Puppetmaster sprang off the back of Troll’s shoulders, leaping into the air and landing atop the higher ground of the Bastion’s rampart. From here she could clearly see all the fiends swarming the city.

And at the gates, the mountainous form of Gurfurlur the Menacing stood, slowly appraising the battlefield. Isset’s breath caught in her throat. The leader of the Trolls himself was here, filling up the gates to Wajaom Woodlands. Gurfurlur was twice the size of the other Trolls, stripped bare to the waist and clenching fists which looked strong enough to crush a man in their grasp. His muscles were like hills bursting out from rocky flesh. He was quite literally the biggest thing Isset had ever seen walk on two legs. He was also not alone.

At the gate across from him, a blade in each hand, was Gulool Ja Ja. The Autrach of the Mamool Ja had joined with his soldiers. The lizard had two heads, one the sleek, brown-scaled warrior type, the other the chameleon-eyed wizard breed. They were both shouting orders independent of one another. He was almost as large as Gurfurlur, and no less fearsome. A clutch of elite Mamool Ja flanked him, shouting out oaths of destruction to the Imperial defenders.

Two of the strongest beastmen in all of Vana’diel, feared in every corner of the Empire, were now in Al Zahbi itself. For a moment Isset could only stare, dumbfounded, awestruck by the size and scope of the legendary Imperial foes. Then a barrage of arrows streaked towards the Bastion, and she dove for cover at the last moment. She had to put some distance between herself and those gates. That kind of opponent was a job for the Serpent Generals, not a mercenary. She felt relief sweep through her when she saw exactly that rushing towards the gates.

Gadalar, the Flameserpent, and Mihli Aliapoh had reached Al Zahbi along with reinforcements to their ranks. Gadalar rained down fire upon the Mamool Ja as the Waterserpent savagely beat her way through the ranks of the undead. Bolstered by their appearance, the Imperial army struck back hard, trying to force their attackers back beyond the Bastion wall. Now, Isset thought, these invaders would see what the Empire was really made of.

It felt like a literal wave of dread washing over the Imperial Army as two of the sigils warding the Hall of Binding disappeared.

Gulool Ja Ja burst through to the front ranks, quite literally tearing Gadalar and Mihli from the ground, each of them catching a swing from his lethal swords. The two Serpent Generals were hurled almost completely away from the Bastion, landing against the gates to the Ulthalam Parade Grounds. Both slumped down, not moving, as their attendants rushed to their sides. In the very next moment, the Mamool Ja broke through completely, overrunning the Empire’s guards and filling the square behind the Bastion. The Imperials were pushed back hard, but halted as help suddenly arrived again.

Gulool Ja Ja growled in anger as a sudden hail of arrows overtook him. A row of arrowheads pierced the arm he placed up defensively. Both his heads shouted out menacingly as the Galeserpent took her place amongst Al Zahbi’s defenders. General Najelith, most feared archer in the Empire, appeared on the walls. The sun was suddenly blackened with arrows as her elite regiment flocked to her, pelting those on the ground with their barrage. Najelith urged them on, providing cover as a renewed offensive pushed back just as hard as they had come. The east gate remained guarded for just a moment more.

At the south gate, the Trolls were pushing through. Slowly but steadily, they were forcing the Imperials to give up ground. When Gurfurlur the Menacing joined them, the cause was lost. He pushed his way through to the front, throwing his own soldiers out of the way when he had to. Arrows rained down ineffectively on his bark-like skin. With a mighty thunderclap from his hands, the front lines were blown apart. As they struggled to recover, the new Troll offensive rushed through, hammering the army back and breaching into the Chocobo Alley. One more push and they would be at the Residential area itself, attacking and looting people’s homes.

“Gwahahahahahahaha! This is the best they’ve got?!”

Gurfurlur looked up. Perched atop the entryway to Chocobo Alley, a towering form appeared, the sun at his back. Isset restrained the urge to cheer, and instead continued beating back the Mamool Ja assaulting her. The Stoneserpent, General Zazarg, leaped down towards Gurfurlur himself. The Troll King roared something in the deep language of Trolls, a complex tongue consisting of throaty clicks and grunts. Galka and Troll collided, and surprise clearly crossed Gurfurlur the Menacing’s face as he pushed Zazarg away, using considerably more effort than he thought he would have to. He shouted something again, and a Moblin by his side called out as he roared.

“The Boss says you’re a fool to challenge him! He’ll tear your scrawny head from your shoulders!” The red-armored beastman leaped up emphatically with his words, then quickly scurried back behind the behemoth of a Troll. Gurfurlur called out again in his own language, and Zazarg smiled.

“Let’s get to it then! Our fists will decide this one!” Without hesitation, the Galka launched into battle with Gurfurlur himself, even as his own strongarms began battling back against the Trolls battering the Imperial lines. Isset felt exultation run through her. They were still holding them back. They could still win this one.

The skeleton rushing towards her collapsed into dust as Shoki leaped up and let loose a shockwave into it. Isset looked up to view her automaton’s handiwork and froze.

A tall, slender figure had appeared before the gates of the Bastion. A dozen Lamia formed a ring around her, pushing outwards with arrows as they came. She had writhing snakes for hair, and was adorned in a wealth of jewelry stolen from a thousand dead soldiers. She watched the battle impassively, her hips gently swaying upon the serpentine tail which supported them. Like the other Lamiae, she was blue-skinned and snakelike, but there could be no confusing this creature with any other of her ilk, or any other monster at all.

It was Medusa. The Queen of the Undead Swarm, loose in Al Zahbi.

Her eyes shone red, and Isset screamed as a score of Imperial soldiers froze in their tracks. They would have too, save for that their throats had turned to stone. The Lamiae leader turned, and once again her eyes fell upon a column of her enemies. Statues replaced men, rooting them to the spot behind flesh turned to stone. Isset covered her eyes, fleeing in fear. Medusa. Slayer of men by the thousands. Commander of the countless hordes of the walking dead. Able to turn men to stone with her gaze. Now she was here, and nothing the Imperial army had encountered before could prepare them for her coming. She advanced practically unimpeded as panic caused the soldiers in her path to turn tail and run.

At the western gate, Gulool Ja Ja suddenly leaped into the air. Isset’s eyes went wide as she watched the attack unfold. With one jump, the Autrach crashed down upon the wall Najelith stood upon, scattering her soldiers with his impact. They rushed towards him, but with a roar he spit fire upon their ranks. Archers engulfed in flame screamed as they toppled over the sides of the walls. The Galeserpent held her ground, peppering Gulool Ja Ja with arrows. The lizardman brushed them off, and the warrior side of it rushed forward, cracking her against the skull with one its swords. She flew through the air and landed hard on her back. At the Hall of Binding, a third seal disappeared.

The Mamool Ja Autrach loomed over her for a moment, and then raised both of its swords high in the air, ready to finish her off once and for all. Isset leaped off the collapsing stone wall, projecting herself towards him fearlessly. She realized too late she could not possibly reach the General in time.

As it turned out, she didn’t need to.

Gulool Ja Ja’s swords scraped noisily off the surface of a hastily raised Amood. The crescent-bladed axe hung in the air, then repulsed the lizard ruler’s blades with a mighty sweep. Dull-eyed and blinking, Speed stood between Gulool Ja Ja and Najelith.

“Yo, dude . . . “ he said to the giant, “that ain’t cool.” He squinted, staring up at the lizard looming over him. “Whoa,” he said, “you’re like . . . this big.” He spread his arms out suggestively, and then stopped, puzzling over his own hands.

Gulool Ja Ja’s two heads stared at one another in confusion.

“Kill him, we shall?” The wizard head inquired.

“Kill him, we must!” The warrior head agreed.

The Warrior again fended off Gulool Ja Ja’s blows, though seemingly unaware of why. Isset crouched down behind the duo as they battled. Speed was still clearly under the influence. Could he really face off against a foe like this without his full power? She heard more screams from below, but turned away from them almost as soon as her eyes flicked towards their source.

Medusa had advanced further, now pressing the undead to break through the already weakened gate and enter Ulthalam’s Parade Ground. From there the Hall of Binding would be within their reach. Around her was a circle of stone warriors. Some had fallen to the ground, shattering into pieces. The Imperial army fled at her coming. They had no defense against such a creature.

Until a crack of lightning struck Medusa in the back. The Lamia hissed, the snakes on her brow rising up in protest as a scorch mark appeared in her flesh. She spun, eyes gleaming red as she sought to encase the mage who dared strike her.

Xaerus stared back at her, unflinching. Medusa’s gaze had no effect upon the blind woman. With a flick of her staff, another round of electric force sizzled off of Medusa’s flesh. She crossed her arms defensively, warding off the spell. The Lamia lowered her arms, and drew her own slender bow from he back. Her snakes hissed and bit at Xaerus, who merely stood her ground.

“Well, well, two-legs,” Medusa said in a hypnotic voice, “it looks as though you wish to dance.”

“It would seem this is my fate . . . “ Xaerus replied, and then snatched her staff roughly, defensive spells blossoming around her. The Lamia Queen began rapidly firing her bow, and Xaerus dove to the side as her arrows tore apart the stone beneath her.

All around, the beastmen were pushing forward. Even with their leaders held at bay, their numbers and early victories were now mounting upon the Imperial forces. With Medusa temporarily neutralized, the defenders of the western gate were able to fight back again, but it was too late. Beastmen were rushing into the Ulthalam Parade Grounds, battling Imperial soldiers every step of the way. The entire expanse was quickly degenerating into an all-out melee. The beastmen would do anything to break through to the Hall of Binding, and the Imperials would do anything to hold them back.

Spurred on perhaps by the Astral Wind, or the sight of Speed and Xaerus holding their own, or maybe just her own sense of national pride, Isset ran forward and dove off the wall. She and Shoki landed in the thick of the fighting in front of the shattered western gate. Immediately, they went to work, battling back as hard and as fast as they could.

The whole of Al Zahbi shook with combat. Isset just prayed that wherever she was, Jinxie was safe, and had found Kkel and Pixel.

Had the air in Aht Urghan been still, rather than overwhelmed with the din of battle, the distant howl carried on the winds from Mount Zhayolm would have been just loud enough to echo in her ears.