Chapter 17

The Devourer

Comrade. Beastmaster. Weapon.

The Order.

The Reaper.

Meredith’s body momentarily froze up at the sight of the black-robed individuals that were emerging from the shadows. Gaius’s girth took up a large space, but it was his subordinates that were causing the room to descend into chaos.

Raymond acted immediately.

“Move!” he shouted. Meredith felt her body grind back into action and she dropped to the cavern floor. Electricity sparked around Raymond’s sword, changing it into a trident that he then hurled at Gaius. The portly man scoffed, and sunk into the shadows. The shadow moved, zipping to a different point of the room, right behind Raymond, where he began to emerge.

“Ray, behind you!” Meredith’s call alerted Raymond to his new adversary…and their other adversaries to her own presence. With a manipulation of metal, Raymond raised his hand and his trident flew back. He spun around, slashing at where Gaius was set to materialize. The man dodged with the shadows. The other Order members were upon the rest of them. “Everyone, fight!”

“Mr. Max, I need you to create an explosion in just a second. We’ll clear this room out!” Eddie said, his stance moving to prepare an attack. Meredith recognized the stance, jumping to her feet and slashing her rusted blade out as it assembled itself. Her wounds ached from the earlier battle, so she made sure to be careful, catching one of the Order members and tossing her aside.

“Vivian, defensive enchantment! Emil, get some air!”

For the first time since Meredith had met the girl, Vivian didn’t argue back. She held her bow forward, and a blue glow was cast around each of them, except for Rico. Emil shot into the air, creating a crackling orb of gravity energy. Raymond changed his sword back and ran for Gaius. The whole room had grown chaotic, with the workers dashing for the exit. Eddie stamped his hand to the ground. As it had in the ruins to the east, the earth churned, air becoming like a wind tunnel.

The Order members were flung about, tossed this way and that, all before Max clapped his hands together and sent an explosion ripping through the vacuum. Many flew through the air, but Meredith grit her teeth as she saw some sink into the ground, swallowed by the shadow and safe from harm.

“Can’t have you punishing our flock,” Gaius spoke. “Now…let’s find that Weapon. Surely you’ve sensed its source.”

“You’ll get no information from us!” Raymond shouted. He leapt for Gaius, though he wasn’t alone. Rico, too, had drawn his spear and was lunging at the man.

“Oh, we’ve no need of information from you.” Gaius raised his hand, and resting on it was a little black bug with red eyes, shining malevolently. “We just need to find his partner. Fly, my friend. Your master did well.”

“So, you’re in league with the Beastmaster, after all?” Rico roared. His spear was above his head, set to impale his opponent’s wide surface area. “Then you’ll meet the fate I intend for him, as well.”

“No.” Gaius’s refusal was short. Shadows coalesced around him, and then flew from his figure, forming a ghostly fist that pummeled Rico in the stomach. The leader of the Renegades gagged, dropping the Vincio Metal. He fell to the floor as the tiny bug buzzed over his head, back toward where they’d come from. “Time to find a Weapon.”

Just like that, Gaius sunk into the ground, and his shadow sped off through the mine’s passages. The other shadows under his control, containing those comrades that hadn’t been hit by any earlier attacks, also went after him. Rico pounded the ground, standing shakily, and Raymond swiped his blade through the air before offering a hand to the man. Meredith approached the pair, keeping her sword out while she bent down to grab the metal they’d worked to get.

“If they’re looking for a bug, you don’t think…?” Eddie voiced. Meredith knew the implication, and she wanted to beat herself up. If she’d realized sooner that the Beastmaster had left something on her and Eddie, they could have…

“We led the Order right to the Weapon, didn’t we?” Vivian asked. “See, this is what you tangling with the Beastmaster did. Idiots!”

“You should have killed him when you had the chance,” Rico spat. He refused Raymond’s hand, standing with a fury that Meredith had never seen him with before. Gone were the calculations or the motivational words; Rico wanted his brand of justice. “If you had, those bugs wouldn’t exist.”

“No, they still would have. The Beastmaster set a contingency for a reason. Magic that takes form can’t be locked just because of its master being sealed. Only proximity could do that. My failing for not noticing,” Raymond said. He walked away from the group, staring into the corridor that would lead them out. A rumbling shuddered through it. “Let’s make up for those failings now. We’ve no idea how many enemies to expect, or how much damage they intend to inflict. I have no intention of letting them get away with anything, on my honor as a captain of the Guardian Corps.”

“Some captain…” Rico scoffed.

` Meredith let the barb directed at her brother pass, and stood by his side, clutching the Vincio Metal to her chest. The others flanked her. “We’re with you, Ray. We won’t let this be another Metropolis.”

“Yes. Take out what Order members you can. Protect what people you can. Rico, is it? How many people do you have here?” Rico, scowl overtaking his face, locked eyes with Raymond and spoke no words. “Look, I don’t care what anger you hold, or who you are, but you’re a leader. I don’t have time to go to the surface and gather my squad, which means they’re all I have to stop the Order from making this another Metropolis. And you. I have you, if you’re willing to set aside your hatred and work with me.”

“I have a party of ten at best,” Rico said after a moment of fraught silence. Meredith felt herself getting more antsy for every second wasted. Vivian was ready to dash off without them, but only Raymond’s commanding presence stopped her.

“That’ll be enough,” the captain of Tempest Squad said. He held his blade forward, pushed his glasses up, and gave his last set of orders. “Tell your people to get as many as they can out and up to the surface, or at least somewhere safe. We’ll secure the Weapon and take down as many as we can. Can you do that?”

“I can.” Rico’s anger had subsided, and with it, he had a renewed sense of purpose. His eyes never quite left Raymond, but their course was set.

“Good. Everyone, stick together and do what you can. Keep each other safe. Move out!”

They all gave a one-word acknowledgement, and the quintet behind Raymond and Rico moved with them. No one slowed to turn into the corridors of the caverns beyond, but the sounds echoed the closer they got. Raymond knew his way back, and they all followed his lead as he wound his way through the twisting and looping labyrinth. The cavern itself had gone silent, but the settlement beyond rocked once again. Meredith’s lips twisted, hoping that the cave wasn’t going to come crashing down on their head. Raymond had to have had the same fear, for his steps quickened. The bright light that indicated their goal was ever closer. Each held their weapons closer to themselves.

Bright light and the smell of smoke was inhaled the moment they exited the cave. Meredith took a moment to let her eyes adjust and began to look at what was right in front of her.

“Eddie, I’ll need you to put out those fires, right away. When you’ve done that, join with us. Rico, do what you must,” Raymond ordered. The leader of the Renegades was silent, but held his spear as a deterrent. Raymond cast his gaze around, and Meredith followed the way his did. Some forges were pouring smoke instead of steam, and many of the houses had been caught in a conflagration that was consuming the settlement.

Of immediate notice were the black shapes of the Order members, each looting the different forges and stands in the area, searching for that Legendary Weapon. They had no rhyme nor reason, and no care for anyone they were harming on their way; they were pure looters, looking for whatever they could score.

Meredith wished that was where it ended, but the people of the settlement weren’t nearly as soft as those in the Metropolis. They were willing to fight.

“Rico, what’s happened?” Maria’s words were heard, and Meredith watched the young woman and a few of the other familiar faces from the Renegade army come running up. “One moment, we’re keeping watch. The next, there are shadows with Order members. They called to ransack the entire place.”

“They’re irrelevant!” Rico called. His authority had returned. “Focus on the people. Get them out of harm’s way. And you, Guardian…keep your end. Get rid of these pests.”

“Eddie, now! Travel in pairs!”

“Right.” Eddie dashed towards the nearest fire, Max trailing after him. Meredith wished his safety as she saw him form a globe of water and shoot it off.

“Mera, let’s get that metal back to Silva.” Meredith didn’t need her brother’s instructions to know that she had to do that. She reached up, tying her hair into its usual ponytail, screwing her face in determination as she held her rusted blade up. Raymond took the lead ahead of her, his sword flashing through the air while he ran past the smoldering house. Vivian and Emil were directly behind him, running even with Meredith.

“I can’t believe I have to fight with you again. It’s like a bad joke,” Vivian said as the quartet skidded on to the main road of the settlement.

“Having regrets there, Viv?” Emil asked. The blonde answered by way of nocking her bow and firing it. The energy sailed through, colliding with an Order member that ran into the street, carrying some shields in his arms. He stumbled, crashing to the ground with the items.

“Not in the slightest. These losers are just pathetic.” Her bow glowed yellow, and as more Order members flowed into the streets to check on their comrades, she fired. The shots scattered all about the place, peppering the road. Some cultists were knocked off their feet, while others located her and prepared to strike. Meredith chanced a look back, seeing Rico as he dispatched a cultist and began waving to a pair of settlers. The two met gazes and nodded, until their contact was broken by some of the cultists running in.

“We’ve got interference!” one of the robed individuals said. He was carrying one of the stolen swords, a blade lined with ice. “We’re not lettin’ them stop our looting!”

“Yeah!” Meredith turned to face the ones approaching from behind, Emil moving with her, while Vivian and Raymond focused on their front. Emil muttered something along the lines of “idiots”, his blades sliding out as he prepared for combat.

“You’re in the way, girlie!” The lead cultist jumped into the air, swinging the frozen sword like a madman. He spun it and sent it crashing down. Meredith slashed her blade up to meet it, the two clashing. Her Soul Vision slipped on, allowing her to see the small, inanimate light that was the blade’s soul. She smirked.

“So are you.” Her soul reached out, connected with the icy, metallic one. Being used against its will, it accepted, and with a heave, Meredith caused the sword to go flying from the cultist’s hands. The blade spun in the air and frozen tendrils emerged from its surface, crashing into the ground around their foes. Some of the Order members weren’t lucky enough to get away, knocked to the ground.

“Gravity Fall!” Emil shouted from next to Meredith. His hands pushed down at the ground, and the Order members still standing began to crumple under the weight until they were either on their knees or collapsed on the floor. Emil blew outward, sweat covering his arms and face. “That was a wide area.”

“Nice work, Emil,” Meredith said, patting him on the back. The cultists groaned, some trying to get up, but failing to. Those that nearly managed were soon kicked aside by some of the Renegades starting to make their way through. In good hands, Meredith looked back to the cleared street that Raymond and Vivian had managed, the latter looking at the former with more admiration than she expected.

“Are you sure you’re related to him?” the blonde asked when Meredith and Emil had rejoined. “He’s far too skilled to be related to you.”

“Leave your insults and bickering for another time, girls,” Raymond ordered. He was already blazing a path forward, prompting the three teens to follow after. An explosion went off to the left, while a disc of water was tossed over a nearby house. The ground shook from the impact, which caused the lights that lined the cavern to flicker. When they stopped, an Order member flew out from the row of houses, and a settler stepped out.

“You’ll not lay a hand on my works!” the woman yelled. She was defiant and ready to fight, but as Meredith got closer, she could see the trail of blood running down the woman’s arm. Worse was that shadows appeared on the roofs of the houses nearest her, materializing in the form of more cultists, with magical projectiles aimed at her.

“I’ve got them,” Vivian said. She formed her arrow and let two off in rapid succession, quickly targeting each one. The cultists were hit, and began to fall towards the woman. Emil bounded up, floating sideways and extending his gravity towards the two cultists, catching them before the woman could be crushed. His own body collided with the ground for his trouble.

“Next time, think about where they’ll fall.”

“Both of you, shut it. Eyes front!” Meredith commanded. Vivian fixed her with incredulity, but Meredith’s feet were beating a swift procession towards the woman, sensing the soul just behind her. “Sorry, ma’am, you’ll want to duck!”

“Wha-?” Meredith didn’t let her question it; she jumped, feeling her body go light from Emil’s gravity. The change in mass allowed her to sail over the woman’s head and bring her sword slashing into the final cultist. He flew back, disbelief all over his face. “Go! There are people waiting for you to get out of here. We’ll handle the fighting!”

“We’ll take her from here,” a new voice said. Meredith grabbed ahold of the woman, elevating her arm and finding a spot to stop the bleeding. When she’d guided her out, Meredith came face to face with Lovelia, the darker-skinned girl offering a grim smile. “You’ll be in safe hands, ma’am.”

“Who…who are you all?”

“The Renegades. We’ll get you out. This way.” Meredith watched the girl retreat with the woman, navigating the fallen cultists as best they could, towards the exit. Another fire erupted elsewhere, but was immediately doused as an explosion followed.

Meredith brushed some hair away from her eyes and joined the others on the road, with Silva’s forge getting ever closer. Wherever the rest of the cultists were, she had no clue, but all four of them were focused on their goal. Each of them kept their eyes peeled, on the lookout for any citizens. To the side, Meredith could see Eddie dashing by and dodging a magic blast. On the other side, some citizens were running while Rico and one of the other faction leaders were knocking aside cultists. It was a welcome sight, but a distracting one, for Meredith nearly tripped, running into her brother’s arm.

He’d come to a halt, watching the ground that was swirling with shadows. “Show yourself!”

Raymond must have instantly regretted those words. The shadows split the road, surrounding all four of them in a black mire. They bubbled and frothed before many robed figures emerged from the shadows, chuckling and sneering at their newfound advantage. At the head of it all, between them and Silva, was Gaius, his belly jiggling with mirth. The four drew ranks, with Raymond facing Gaius directly.

“For such a small crew, you do quite the damage, don’t you, Raymond Childs of Tempest Squad?” Gaius asked. The snickering increased. The cultists closed ranks. Vivian nocked an energy arrow, but didn’t fire. “It’s no wonder you managed to wound our Beastmaster. That was why the collection of such a precious religious artifact fell to me. I can’t have you mucking it up until I’ve obtained it. You’re too much of a pain.”

“I can give you pain, if that’s what you want, or you can retreat quietly and never return to this place,” Raymond ordered. Gaius found humor in it, for he started to laugh. His entire belly bounced.

“Oh, I think not. You’re so ignorant, and that makes you little Corps underlings so fun. Get them.”

The shadows vanished, the army of Order members revealed to be rushing at them with foolhardy cries. Vivian took the first shot, her light arrow firing in a piercing line. That same shot split off, bursting with energy against each cultist and causing them to collapse. Emil moved, as well, forming his crackling orb of energy that he fired off. Moving in a straight line, it mowed through their enemy and drove them into one of the homes.

Meredith shifted her foot as one of the cultists reached her, swinging a basic axe that had fire rimmed around it. She swung her sword to catch the man on the hilt. Part of the ax-blade sliced into her shoulder, but Meredith powered through it. With a kick, the man was sent backwards into his comrades as screams filled the air. Raymond had succeeded in scorching a number of them with his lightning. Gaius was unharmed.

More were appearing from the shadows, like an endless transportation system from the abyss.

“They’re never-ending…” Emil said, his last syllable a gasp. Whatever exertion he’d given before was now catching up to him. However, Meredith observed something different. Souls elsewhere in the settlement were dwindling, either from the Renegades or from them becoming a conglomerate right here in the center.

“Not never-ending. He’s pulling them from elsewhere with his shadows. He’s hoping to wear us down,” she confirmed. Raymond tilted his head, brain working at furious speeds to come up with a plan. Meredith tapped the piece of metal in her vest.

“Go, Mera,” he said. “You and your friends, go. Forge it, and we’ll wipe them out. We won’t let them get close to it. I’ll buy you and the Renegades time.”

“I can still help you fight!” Vivian protested, transforming her bow into her sword. Raymond shook his head, but his eyes never left the calculating Gaius.

“No. I’ll not let you be in that much danger. This foe will only wear you down. So, go, or I’ll scorch all of you with my lightning.” His promise wasn’t an idle one as his blade sparked. Gaius looked fascinated, while the blue lightning caused Raymond’s hair to stand on end, his face one of fierce lines.

“I’m listening to the Guardian this time. Let’s go, girls.” Emil gave no hesitation in grabbing Meredith and Vivian by the hands. With a grunt, he floated towards the top of the cavern, above the crowd of cultists. Raymond’s weapon transformed, becoming a spear that he pierced the ground with. The electricity that resulted from the transformation zapped the entire road. Gaius’s hands moved, attempting to sink his subordinates underneath, but the bolt caught them.

“You can vanish into the shadows all you want, but you’re still here.”

“A well-timed distraction. You’re one I have to deal with, myself,” Gaius’s shadows fled from his fellow goddess-worshipers, drawing around his body. They were like snakes, coiled and ready to strike. “Fellow believers. Get the Weapon. It’s nearby.”

“Yes, Your Worship!” No longer having the aid of shadows, the cultists marched forward by foot, in the same direction that Emil was floating. He scowled and increased the side-gravity upon their own group, body sagging a bit while his limbs became lax.

“Don’t you dare drop us, Emil,” Vivian said. Emil gave a strained chuckle as Silva’s forge came closer. Vivian took her sword, enchanting it with attack magic that she slashed forward. The ribbon of light cascaded upon their pursuers, exploding along the street. From their vantage, Meredith could see the Renegades gathering all the settlers, and the defeated cultists strewn behind Eddie and Max, each moving closer to their ultimate goal.

Under Emil’s hold, Meredith twisted her body to get a better sight of Silva. He wasn’t alone, a half-dozen cultists lying at his feet, though he appeared to have suffered a nasty burn for his trouble. Not that it stopped him smiling when he saw them atop, descending at a slow pace.

“And here I thought you’d never show up. Perhaps what history says is true: Legendary Weapons invite trouble. Do you have it?” Emil’s magic gave out at Silva’s question, the trio tumbling to the ground. Meredith rolled to a kneeling position right at Silva’s feet. She dug in her vest and pulled the Vincio Metal. “Glorious.”

“How long do you need, Master Craftsman Silva?” Meredith asked. He looked around, taking stock of the enemies that were approaching their position. The flash of lightning back on the main street spoke to the battle between Raymond and Gaius, but there was no looking back from here.

“The flame is set, and my Tempering Magic is ready to go. Think you can buy me ten minutes to forge it?” Meredith jerked her head towards her companions, each fascinated but focused. The question hung in the air, but the way they gripped their weapons tighter answered the query. She nodded to Silva. “Then let’s get to work. On my honor as a Legendary Craftsman, I will see this blade renewed. I will protect it with my life!”

“Then we’ll fight!” Meredith pushed at the ground, ponytail whipping around as the lights in the cavern flickered. She walked forward, to the slowly advancing wall of cultists. Emil and Vivian were there, too, ready for the fight. “Ten minutes! Think you two can hold out that long? Last time you were knocked out of the fight pretty quick, Viv.”

“I’ll last doubly long as you, then. By then, I think I can defeat the you at the Trial of Self.”

“I’ll just see what I can do.”

Their blades held steady in front of themselves, and then the cultists broke rank on them. Each had a manic glint in their eye: a zealousness for their Legendary Weapon that they felt no fear or pain. They used their magic with no consequence of retaliation, while some of their comrades prayed. Emil made the first move.

His body strained, huffing with every breath, but for a moment, the cultists ceased their movements, locked in place on the ground. Vivian used it to attack, her scattershot flying through the air, weaker than what she’d used against the Beastmaster, but doing the job all the same. At the very least, it served as a distraction which Meredith took advantage of. She dodged a rain of icicles aimed at her, skirting around the sides of rock and she slashed her sword out.

A crack appeared along her blade, but a number of the cultists tumbled like bowling pins. Another converged on her with a flailing whip that snapped around her damaged arm. Meredith bit into her lip, but called to the earth underneath. The earth gladly answered her call and pounded upwards, sending the cultist and his whip flying. Action caused reaction and Meredith fell before the whip could disengage from her arm, sword clanging against the ground. To her sides, Vivian was slashing away, creating enchantments of the air that blocked attacks, even as her movements became sluggish, all while Emil made quick floats above his own opponents.

“For the goddess!” one of the Order members cried out, charging through their own ranks with an axe the size of his own body. He was swinging it back and forth, hitting some of his own men, but Meredith saw his aim: to cut her in half. She pushed against the ground, grabbing her sword to hold it in a defensive position.

“Together! Exploding Glacier!” The axe cleaved the air as it sailed downward, and Meredith could do naught but hold to her sword. Water formed in the air before it froze like a gigantic ball. Some of the cultists were drawn to it, but axe-man was too busy with her. He was certainly doing a decent job on her sword, breaking it at each of its seams.

Then there was the explosion that sparked in the middle of that ice ball.

“Take cover!” Meredith spun her body away, sending out a kick that tripped up the axe-man while she rolled away. His weapon barely missed her, only nicking the edge of her ankle. All she cared about was getting her back turned to the exploding ice.

Like shards of glass, they flew over the enemy. Many screamed, some falling to the ground with cuts on their face, but all of them came to a halt. Meredith felt her back peppered by Eddie and Max’s great attack, though she felt relief as it ended and she looked up to see her best friend had joined the party. Emil, too, breathed with euphoria. Vivian leapt away, her back up against Meredith’s.

“You’re unharmed, Lady Vivian?”

“I look better than you, Max. You weren’t a burden, were you?” Max bristled a bit, though his disheveled hair and burns across his clothing indicated he was far worse off than his lady. Eddie looked better, though the rips on his clothing were testament to a battle long-fought. His minor limp from the burns on his leg didn’t help.

“That side is safe and sound. Rico, Lovelia and Maria began to escort the people away,” Eddie said to them. The information left them just one thing to do. Meredith glanced to Silva, his hands and hammer moving over the surface of the Vincio Metal as it clanged away. The stirring flame inside his furnace took many shapes while the metal heated and melted outside it.

“Great. Then let’s kick some ass!” Meredith spun her sword with her orders. Eddie created twin swords of ice, clanging them against Emil’s Gravity Blades. Max fidgeted back and forth, keeping his eyes on Vivian at all times while the blonde carried her blade with weight. “First strike! Earth Wave!”

She didn’t know it would work, but she took the chance. Meredith dropped to one knee and placed her hand atop the ground, asking for help. Like before, it answered, and the earth shuddered. Not just a singular pillar appeared. This time the earth bubbled and rippled like a boat on the tumultuous sea. Many of the cultists were thrown off-balance, allowing Emil and Eddie to rush in, slashing aside enemies and leaving them injured, unable to make a move.

“Max, follow my lead. You’re to protect me, so strike where I strike and we’ll end the enemy!” Meredith groaned inside her mind at Vivian’s narrow focus, but she couldn’t help her gratitude. Vivian would fire, and Max would send an explosion ripping through their ranks. Many of the cultists were flung aside, damaged but alive as they crashed into houses or each other.

Meredith picked up her sword and ran in, batting aside an opposing blade and kicking at the holder. Another sword attempted to impale her, but Meredith twirled, cutting at the woman’s hand and then punching her in the face. Said woman let go of her sword and fell back. Hammering echoed over the din of battle, with Silva drawing closer as every second passed. Time was nearly there.

“Your explosions are getting weaker, Max. Take a step back. I’ll handle it.”

“S-sorry, Lady Vivian. I’m not quite suited for prolonged combat.”

“That’s obvious,” the blonde drawled. Her sword transformed back to a bow, a mega shot pulsing with red energy on her string. “Just keep out of the way, and I’ll end this. Burst Shot!”

Vivian’s arrow flew through the ranks, set for an impending explosion, herself. She smirked at Meredith, asking silently if she could manage the same. Meredith growled a bit, but didn’t fall to the bait.

Even if she had, it would have done no good.

Just as the shot was about to impact, a shadow, sharp as a knife, cut through the nearest house. The building collapsed, no longer able to hold its own weight. More shadows followed, these more solid and blunt. They whipped around the area like tentacles that swept aside anything in their path, including members of the Order. Meredith’s eyes widened, and she held her blade across her body as one of the tentacles walloped her.

Cries of pain issued from her mouth, and Meredith flew back into Max’s huffing form. They both tumbled over on to the ground while the rest of the house was destroyed. She wasn’t alone, as her friends and companions had been beaten back as well, with Vivian taking the brunt of a shadow attack before she could block. The groans and whimpers from her as she attempted to stand indicated a breakage.

Yet above all, none of their wounds were as dismaying as the sight of Gaius, his girth wide and his presence immense, standing in the open space like a victor of war. Every step he took was as a trembling of the earth and his intentions were plain, with his pudgy eyes following Silva’s every movements, triumph reflected in their black, glinting surface.

The only thing between Gaius and his goal was Raymond, her brother huffing as he leaned upon his sword. He still looked ready to continue the fight, regardless. Even the Devourer seemed impressed.

“You’re tenacious. I’ll give you that,” the man said. “But a priest such as myself will not be denied. I’ll take those Legendary Weapons now.”

A shadow slapped out, punching Raymond across the face and tossing him aside. Still, he tried to stand, but Gaius was moving closer. Meredith scrabbled on the ground, grunting and groaning with every exertion. Her limbs were tired and her chest hurt with every breath, but still she pushed.

The Metropolis flashed before her eyes.

The Reaper flashed before her mind.

Her limbs trembled and her sword shook on the ground under Gaius’s greedy, gluttonous stare. She worried they had failed, just like last time.

At least, until she locked eyes with Silva.

“I told you I wouldn’t fail.” Winking to her, the craftsman grabbed the tentative blade, shining red, and plunged it into the fire. He pressed a button on the furnace, and it began. The Flame of Identity rose, sparking and sending heatless fire flying all around. Gaius recoiled, almost fearful of the light and fire touching to his shadows. He shielded his face, which proved to be a boon to all who mimicked the motion. Silva pulled the blade out, flames dancing around it while it gleamed, his magic channeled into the Vincio Metal that made the sword. “And thus, the Earth-Splitter is reborn!”

With one final strike, Silva placed the weapon on the table and hammered it.

Light shuddered out, blinding all there for that moment, and the buzzing resonance filled Meredith’s ear. Voices assailed her; four voices, at least, that were clear, welcoming a soul back home. The earth trembled, and Meredith could swear to feeling a great crack splitting the entire settlement, though there was no physical sign of it.

The soul could be felt, though, large and imposing, like a rock face that had been weathered by a storm, but never broke.

She could see the ornately simple blade restored, its sharp edge gleaming with the ferocity of a soul long kept silent.

The light faded away. Gaius began to move. Silva fell back, exhausted as he clutched his own Weapon. Raymond stood.

And Meredith fueled her veins with adrenaline, fingers lunging for the handle that she wrapped her hands around, soul-user and Earth-Splitter joined at last. With another burst of light, she vanished into a white void.