I arrived standing right next to Sania and she jumped at my sudden appearance, even though I knew she’d been waiting for me. I reflected that I probably should have announced my arrival.

However, my feelings about that misstep evaporated with the realization that I still had boxes in my arms!”

“Clive! It worked!” she shouted. I placed the boxes on the floor and embraced her properly.

“I can’t actually articulate how happy I am that it did work,” I replied. She held me back for a moment and looked me up and down. You have changed and you smell of flowers.”

“You like?” I grinned, as she wrinkled her nose.

“I do not know, It’s different. I like that you have been able to groom and take care of yourself. You deserved that, at least.” She said, nodding in satisfaction.

“It is a marked improvement,” Danivra said, moving to stand beside Sania. Though she said no more about it as we were surrounded by the rest of our people. I greeted as many as I could until Melandrac, the leader of the Drengalfar came through.

“You’re back!”

“You and I have food. Enough for everyone?” HE asked.

“Yeah, so you might want to empty the hall maybe and we can sort it out and feed people with a little order. Otherwise, this place will go crazy.”

Melandrac nodded and began barking orders at his soldiers to go and clear the main hall before looking back at me expectantly.

“Gimme a minute and I’ll give you the box to take down and start dispensing the food. Try and ration it if you can and remember that my people need to eat too. It hasn’t exactly been prime pickings for us for the last month or so.

“Of course, Lord Clive. I am not an imbecile.” Good to know,” I smiled, then turned away from him to shout over the Fensalfar with us.

“Alright guys can you all come in here for me, please.”

They came eagerly, hopefully, though they could have no idea how many I bows I might have brought.

“So, unfortunately, the Hearth Tree won’t be able to produce any more bow staves…” I said, watching their expressions of hope fall from their faces.

“… for a couple of days, at least after producing all ninety-six we needed for you guys,” I continued with a wide grin as I pulled the first bow stave out and handed it to Rella so she could dispense them.

She looked at me with an unamused expression as she took it. “You really thought that was funny?”

“Honestly, yes, I did. Even though I know no one else ever does. I just can’t help myself.”

She said no more, as I continued to hand the bows to her. Greeting each of the ecstatic Fensalfar as they grasped their new bows like a drowning man would a life raft.

Soon all of the staves were handed out and I passed Melandrac the chest. “Look after that dude. It’s not mine,”

He bobbed his head with a puzzled expression, then left.

“We’ll give them a few minutes to get sorted and then go down to make sure everyone gets fed,” I said as he left the floor we were on.

“You bring no weapon for Freeler?” Freeler said sourly from the back of the crowd. Making it sound more of a statement than a question.

“I er.. sorry Freeler.”

“We expect this. Is okay,” he said waving his hand dismissively at me. The disappointment was clear in his eyes.

“You do?” I replied with mock sadness. “You see, the problem I have is I didn’t really bring a better replacement for you. All of your people will have weapons though,” I said moving the smaller box from Hek forward with my foot.

Freeler’s eyes landed on it hungrily. “What's you got in there?”

I went down on one knee and picked it up. Opening the lid as I did so.

“Come on guys, come and get your new weapons.”

Freeler stormed forwards. “Freeler gets a new weapon first.”

“I shook my head. “Freeler has weapon, and he has strength and levels. If there’s any left, you can have one.”

I pulled a knife from the box and all the goblins began to jump around excitedly chittering amongst themselves. Though none of them came forward.

“Come on,” I said a little impatiently. These are for you guys. Help you in the fights.

They all looked to Freeler who still stared at me and the knife angrily at being left out.”

“Look Freeler, they’re too small for your mighty hands anyway,” I said, trying to deflect the crazy bugbear a little.

He looked at his hands, then back at me with uncertainty.

“I couldn’t use one either. Would be useless for me. I'd give mine away to one of my people and know that they can better protect me.

He finally nodded, then grunted at the sea of goblins around me.

They surged forwards in an ungainly mass.

“Whoah! Steady on guys. One at a time. Form an orderly queue.”

They looked at me like I was insane. I was about to just start handing them out, but I knew what they were like. They’d be straight back pretending not to have received one.

I eventually got them in enough order to hand them out and I was left with about seventy knives left, which didn’t quite add up but couldn’t be arsed to try and get to the bottom of it.

I offered the rest to those with us, keeping one for Melandrac whose current knife lay on my bedroom table in Far Reach forgotten about.

Some of the Dokalfar took a replacement, and the rest went to the Fensalfar. Sadly, there wasn’t enough for them all, but we were a much better armed group now.

After that we went and made sure everyone was well fed for what was to come and I handed Melandrac the Vala.

He looked puzzled.

“Yeah, sorry I left your broken knife back at home, but we will get it fixed for you. I guess it’s important to you. But right now. That has to be better than nothing, right?”

“Indeed. And thank you Lord Clive. It seems my distrust and general distaste towards you has been ill-founded, and I hope your arrival here is going to continue to be fortuitous for us.

“I hope so too. How’s the shield now?” Did the person who collapsed recover?”

He froze up as I spoke and took a long moment to reply. “No. Iaske Did not recover. Nor the ten Drengalfar and fifteen Dokalfar we lost in the battle. We lost eight of your goblins too.”

“Ah shit. Thanks for telling me,” I replied, gutted to hear the casualty list. “Anyway, eat up. Get some rest and we’ll make some plans tomorrow for how the hell we’re gonna get out of here. Deal?”

“Sleeping on a full stomach is one of the true joys in life,” he replied, then wandered off, inspecting his knife.

As I settled in among my nearest and dearest for the night, we had a return from Wind of the Wild. Transforming into his human form immediately, he came over to sit between Danivra and Grigor.

“Hello friends,” he said with a troubled look on his face. “How have things been? Do you have plans yet for the situation here?”

“None at all. We’ve had more pressing matters in preparation, but we are in a better position to begin planning now.”

“Ah well, that is good in a way, I suppose. At least that way, I don’t have to ruin your plans with my news.”

“And your news is?”

“It looks as though Destruction has decided to throw everything she has at Kalabri now. And more specifically, it looks as though they are aiming for the Palathi Peaks. On the surface, it is the central point of Kalabri. They will believe that whoever manages to take it will gain the key to holding Kalabri while that just isn't the case. The immense and powerful force that has just left the Craster mountains heading directly for us seems to want to compete for them too.

“Well shit. So what does that mean for us and for you?”

“It means we have four days until they reach us and if we don't leave by then we will be in the center of an epic battle the likes of which haven't been seen for hundreds of years. More importantly, you would either have to still try and assist us or try to navigate around us. In all honesty, both are impossible and I’m not really sure what we can do now.”

“What are you thinking?” Danivra asked. “I know enough about you Ewan to know you have a plan. One which perhaps we will not like.”

“I can’t see how you will get out of here in time to make it to us and even then any battle to clear my home will take days possibly weeks…”

“You wanna run now?” I queried. “Before we get there.”

He didn’t reply, but his expression said it all.

“Run where?” Danivra asked. “Far Reach still?”

“If they will have us, yes. There is nowhere else to go where we would be accepted. Once my people are safe, I will come back and help you.”

No one replied, including me. I sat and mulled over our options.

“What would we do? Grigor asked. “If they arrive to the south of us before we are free in such numbers, then we will be hemmed in. At least Clive can bring us food. We may be able to hold this place.”

“No,” I said shaking my head. Perhaps it was the confidence after everything that had passed in my escape from Delosha, but I stood up. “All bets are off. I’m sick of these arseholes and I’m getting you lot home as soon as possible.”

“Where are you going Clive?” Sania asked jumping up to run alongside me as I stormed over to the narrow window in the castle wall. It was still wide enough for me to squeeze through, but before I launched myself skyward I turned back. Danivra stood next to Sania and they both looked concerned by my sudden movement.

“I’m well fed and recharged from my time in Far Reach and now I think it’s pastime for me to go and do a little whittling. Ask Melandrac to be ready to drop the shield for a second if I need it,” I said.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Deadly,” I said, launching myself backwards into the night beyond. As I flew up to the shields upper limits, only a few stars were able to sparkle through the cloud cover.

“Clive,” both Sania and Danivra said at the same time, before attempting to convince me to wait for a unified assault. The simple truth was that we only needed a unified assault for those below me and that would put them in unnecessary risk. But I could do some real damage out there. I

“I will be quick. I won’t take risks, but I also promise you that I can do some serious damage in the time I’m out there. Tomorrow we will go out there and we will finish them off with ease. Now go tell Melandrac, please. I can let myself out, but I might be under pressure to get back in.”

“Good luck Lord Clive,” Grigor said in answer before the other two could answer again. I have faith in you.”

His words seemed to halt whatever Danivra, and Sania were about to say next and Danivra responded in kind. “Whatever you do make it quick and make it effective. I also have faith in you.”

“Very quick and very effective,” Sania added.

The simple truth of the matter was that I was damn near invincible now with unrivaled power. Certainly against the forces I faced here. I could see their camp was illuminated by glowing crystal torches at regular intervals, but there was hardly any movement apart from their guards walking the perimeter and posted throughout the camps.

Turning my attention away from the ground I focused on the shield. Using Singularity I began pushing the energy into itself slowly to make an opening in the shield. It was scarily easy for me to achieve. Then I was out. Alone, surrounded by seven thousand followers of Justice. More importantly, unsuspecting followers of Justice about to get a taste of my justice. Or at least as many blasts of my Ethereal power as I could create.