Long before all possible elements of nature were unleashed upon Rotler, its citizens have witnessed something that had managed to break their faith in the defenses of their home. The city was always proud of its massive walls. They ran around the entire place, leaving nothing outside but a few farms and guard posts. The thickness of the massive stone structure ensured that commonly used siege engines would not be able to penetrate it. And should someone be so bold and send a truly powerful and destructive weapon to that little town, the enchantment placed on the stone bricks ensured that they would be able to withstand quite a few shots from most magical cannons. Since its construction, the wall stood tall and proud around the city for over two centuries. Not once has it sustained any significant damage. So imagine the horror of the citizens when they saw part of it crumble to dust.

Alma's powers were capable of bringing down even the tallest of towers and most fortified of walls, but that still did not mean it would be easy. Surdi was clutching her injured hand, making sure that he wouldn't get lost in all the rubble and dust. Her other arm was, in the meantime, pushing everything away, creating a tunnel through which they could escape. A few of the nearby citizens have tried to follow the children and stop them, but everyone who even dared to enter the tunnel was either blinded by the dust or burned by one of Surdi's fireballs.

It took them a proper while, but eventually, Alma's hand could no longer feel any more rocks ahead of them. When the sunlight hit her face again and forced her to squint her eyes, she was sure that they had finally made it outside. By this time, the elements had slowly begun playing with the inhabitants of the city, but they had yet to claim any lives. The shaking ground alarmed the children, but they knew what Glavas told them. They had to keep moving forward without looking back until they reach the top of the nearby hill. That was the deal. The further they went, the less they could feel the earthquakes, which were quickly getting replaced with roaring thunder and panicked screams.

"God, you are so lucky you're deaf right now," Alma muttered without turning over to Surdi. The noises were like oil added to the flames of her anxiety. She clenched her teeth, trying so hard to tune it all off and focus only on what Glavas had told them.

"Careful!" Surdi shouted. His muttered words just barely managed to alert Alma to a dagger that flew a few centimeters in front of her face and disappeared into the nearby bush. They both stopped and turned to the side, ready to face whoever was the owner of the thrown weapon. Not in a million years, however, would they expect to see Ismaya, climbing out of the ground through a dirt-covered stone hatch.

Rotler was created as the ultimate paradise. The founder's vision was that through sacrificed lives, he could offer peace to several lucky few. However, in his great wisdom, he knew that such idealistic thinking had sunken more than one empire in the past. Golems to protect from armies, walls to protect from a siege, and magic to protect from... well, other magic. However, as great as those defenses were, they were not perfect. Should anyone from the Valimar Circle learn of what was happening in Rotler, or even accidentally set foot into the city as part of their holiday trip, things would become problematic. A strong-enough mage would decimate the city, destroy everything the people had worked so hard for, and severely punish anyone responsible. Yes, the founder knew the risks of what he was doing, including the fact that he would face a death sentence, should he ever get exposed and captured. For this reason, he created an escape route. A single, hidden, narrow tunnel full of traps, that only a select few knew how to disable. Those lucky individuals included the now-crushed and pulverized king, the dying archmage, and the captain of the guards. From the moment Ismaya had awoken in the laboratory, she knew that problems would follow the elven hunter and his discovery of the truth. The man was strong. Strong enough to kill her if she tried to face him again. Just the fact that she survived their first encounter was something she considered a miracle. For a moment after her awakening, she thought about the archmage. Would he be able to stop Glavas? Most likely. But what if not? What would happen then? For that reason, she decided to run. If the city would survive and the hunter would get disposed of, she could safely return and make up a story of how he bested her when she was weakened. And should this crazy man become a threat to Rotler... well, a witness like her would most certainly be able to put a very big target onto Glavas' back. Yet, when she finally emerged from the long and narrow corridor full of cobwebs and saw the troublesome children running through the woods, she could not help herself. Her head was still hurting from when Glavas knocked her out. Now she could have her revenge. He can have the city. If he was going to take away her paradise, her everything, then she was going to do the same to him.

She climbed out and drew her sword. Her wrist was still hurting from when Glavas twisted it earlier. She lacked her full strength, but against a pair of children, she judged that it would be enough.

[Only interfere if it looks really bad,] Alma signed to Surdi and approached the captain. She remembered what Glavas did for Ismaya. He gave her a chance. But at the same time, Alma knew what she would've done in his place. Her mercy came through the persuasion from Glavas. But he was not there anymore, and Ismaya clearly did not value the life that was given to her. She was ready to take theirs before, and would clearly do it again. Therefore, Alma no longer shared the hunter's sentiment. No longer was mercy something she was willing to show.

Ismaya braced herself and with a well-trained sprint, she crossed the distance between them in just a few seconds. Alma did not flinch, even as she saw the muscular woman in plate armor charge directly at her. With teeth clenched as if she wanted to bite down on the possibility of revenge, Ismaya swung her sword directly at Alma's throat. The speed of her attacks did not change, but for some reason, despite the girl still standing there, exactly where she was before, the strike did not seem to connect. The captain looked down at what used to be her sword. Now, only a tiny piece of the blade remained. As the strike had approached Alma, she raised her hand. Normally, the sword would most likely cut into the cast around her wrist and stop in its tracks, but normality was something that one simply could not count on in Alma's case. The blade, when met with something so rough and immovable that it simply cannot be cut, snapped off very close to the handle. What Ismaya was left with could not even be considered a dagger at this point.

Before the captain managed to figure out what she wanted to do with the object in her hand, that could barely pass as a weapon now, she felt something dig into her chest. Alma's hiking boots were rough enough on their own, but when combined with her unstoppable power, they turned her kick into a truly devastating weapon. The sudden force cracked three of Ismaya's ribs and sent her flying a meter or two backward and directly to the ground. She twitched and squirmed in pain while clutching her chest. It was not something she could understand. How was the girl this strong? She thought that Glavas was an unbeatable monster but as Alma slowly walked up to her, she realized that she had been wrong all this time. Glavas was but a keeper. He was there to prevent the real monster from being unleashed. Ambushing the children while they were separated was not an advantage for her, but for them.

Alma crouched down beside her. Blood vessels were popping out on Ismaya's forehead. Her peace and quiet were taken away. It was all she ever wanted. And now, it was all stolen by a child. The girl looked into her eyes. It was so simple now. All she had to do was punch her right in the face. There was nowhere for her to move anymore. Ismaya's skull would break apart when pressed between the hard ground and an unstoppable fist. And yet, Alma could not move. What she saw in front of her was a pathetic wounded animal. Her morality could not bring her to end it.

And yet, Ismaya was not willing to let even the slightest hope of a victory slip from between her fingers. With her left hand, the grabbed Alma's leg and desperately tried to pull her to the ground. Wasted effort. Her other hand then reached into her pocket, pulled out a dagger, and immediately tossed it at Surdi. Yet, it would not be so simple. The pain in her chest did not allow her to move as freely as before. When the weapon left her hand, it barely flew two meters before hitting the ground, nowhere close to the young dragon.

"Stop it! It's over," Alma yelled at her, yet the captain did not listen. She tried her best to pick herself up from the ground. Her weak fists were flying at Alma, yet they did not have any effect. It was like punching a mountain and expecting it to crumble.

"STOP! You've already lost!" The girl's words reached Ismaya's ears and yet she chose to ignore them. Physical strength did not work, so it was time for something magical. She gripped Alma's arm with as much strength as she could muster and started frantically shouting: "Neho! Neho! NEHO!" Every single pronunciation was wrong. She was not a wizard. Not once in her life did she actually study magic. The only word for an incantation she knew was that of fire. In her mind, she imagined Alma burning to a crisp and so she hoped that her shouting would be heard by Eigam, the goddess of magic.

Surdi frowned and pressed his curled-up fingers in front of his mouth, turning his hands into a blowdart. Neho, huh? he thought to himself. Alright then. NEHO! With a quick exhale of his flammable breath and a single silent incantation, powerful magic was born. A beam of flames shot over Alma's shoulder and struck the captain right into her neck. The grip on Alma's arm loosened as Ismaya's arm fell limp to the ground.

"SURDI!" she turned around and shouted at him. "What the hell was that?!" she marched over to him, stomping her feet.

[She would rather die than anything else. She was crazy. I appreciate the mercy you wanted to give her. You're a good person. But too good for someone like her. There are times when you simply have to show your mean side. She did not hesitate to kill you even when she had lost. So you should not hesitate either. Hey! Alma?] He noticed that she was not paying any attention to his signing.

"Alma! I'm speaking!" he called out to her, while her gaze was fixated on something behind him.

"Look..." she whispered and pointed over his shoulder. At first, the young dragon was annoyed that she was not paying attention to him, but when he turned around and saw what caught her attention, he forgot all about his initial complaints. Behind them, down a hill, was the city of Rotler. Crumbling and ruined. Smaller tornados were tossing rubble around, lightning was beating against the buildings, water was filling the streets, and where it met with magma, pillars of smoke were rising up into the sky.

"You think all that is..." Surdi asked, unable to tear his sight away.

"Yeah, that's Glavas."