Yuriko sat up from her sweat-soaked sheets. Her room was empty, and from the darkness, it was either still the Celestial Refraction or it was just before dawn on the 1st Day of Water. Her Anima spread out instinctively, to look for her friends and observe the house, but as it did, she froze.

A hundred inches. Her Anima had grown. It could reach more than seven and a half paces now. All during that strange time in the dreamscape? What in the Abyss was it?

As she scrambled out of bed, she reeled in pain.

“Ack!” she gasped, clutching at her shoulder. When she pulled off her nightie, she saw a reddish, puckered scar right below her collarbone. It was where the abomination struck her.

Frowning, she cycled Recovery on the area, and slowly, the pain, stiffness, and scar tissue faded away. Her bones were still cracked, but there was little she could do with it except use Radiant Body Refinement. Aches and pains suddenly made themselves known. On her back and sides, bruises popped out. Her arms and hands were sore, and her mind reeled with the exhaustion of Will. It was as if everything she did and everything she suffered in the dreamscape suddenly appeared on her body and mind.

She collapsed back on her bed and gritted her teeth.

Recovery. Radiant Body Reinforcement.

She glanced out her window and didn’t see the Chaos Streams in the sky. Only darkness. It was still the day of the Celestial Refraction.

Sighing, Yuriko put herself in a meditative trance. There was little else she could do.

_________

Commander Adeline Perry thought that she and her command would be in Rumiga City by now, but that wasn’t the case. After they reached Imperial territory and had a little rest and replenishment in the village of Horswick, they crossed the Zarek Mountain Pass.

On a Commuter Tram, crossing the pass would have taken a day and a half, at most. But with the heavy haulers, the carriers, the troop transports, and the infantry, it took them nearly five days to get to Horswick’s counterpart village, Mysttyre.

Afterwards, it should have taken less than a week to travel to Rumiga City. Although she didn’t expect to stay there long, since there was no room for the regiment there.

Instead, as soon as they set foot on Mysttyre, she received a communique from Duchess Kinnock. It contained orders for the Frozen Camp troops to bivouac near the village of Milford, which was the one right after Mysttyre, and await further orders.

As Duchess Kinnock, and House Kinnock, were nominally in command of all exterior troops, Commander Perry had little choice but to obey. She sent requisition orders to replenish their supplies and had the varied troops dig in. They picked a fallow field in the valley of a couple of low, broad hills, a longstride from Milford and had been cooling her heels there since.

The bivouac area already looked like a proper fortified camp, and the village’s leadership had already come by a few days ago to complain. Adeline had little choice but to try to console the man, saying that her regiment would be paying them for supplies directly rather than coursing it through the government’s acquisitions department.

It just added another layer of paperwork that she’d have to do, to get the Empire to reimburse her expenses. Even after paying off the gluttonous Avos Zarek, the extended Wyldling Wave had still lined their treasury chest. Even though her command hadn’t been allowed to move to the city, communications with the Imperial Bank were easily accomplished. It hadn’t taken more than a couple of days for their representative to come by and relieve them of their Chaos Shards and dust, in exchange for thousands of gold crowns. That amount of funding was more than enough to cover food and other luxuries.

In fact, the village’s alderman had been rubbing his hands in glee by the time the meeting had been over.

Adeline rubbed her eyebrows while she nursed a mug of ale. She was in her makeshift quarters, though she’d rather sit in a pub. Mysttyre didn’t have many pubs and definitely didn’t have a club suitable for an officer of her rank and stature.

With the Celestial Refraction coming in a couple of days, they were all busy, too. She wondered where her command would be posted next. Or maybe she would be detached and sent back to Fort Aegermonth. After returning to the Imperial territories, she’d finally caught up with the news, and even just thinking about it made her want to down the entire mug in one go and then look for a bottle of whiskey.

The reason they were cut off in the Frozen Camp was due to the Chaos Fortress suddenly expanding in between Aegermonth and the camp. But the reason for their recall was entirely something else.

The Chaos Channel had been collapsed by an outside force, and the Ivalans had increased their aggression. And not only that, but rebel groups, along with some treacherous nobles, had started an insurrection.

The fact that this all started, or rather, exploded at the same time, meant that this wasn’t a coincidence. What Knight Davar revealed was under the Zarek Mountains meant that Adeline knew that things were even more complicated than they seemed.

Was it all connected? It was impossible that it wasn’t. And all that meant was that the people of the Federation were also working with the Chaos Lords, along with the rebels and traitors.

The Federation of City-States of Rumiga were aligned with the Coalition of Independent Planes. Adeline recalled that their charter wasn’t averse to cooperation with Chaos Courts, but historically speaking, the forces of Chaos and those who lived on planes were diametrically opposed. They wanted to destroy or convert the planes, while the other side wanted to live safely. This level of cooperation would be frowned upon in the greater scheme of things.

The Coalition might even censure the Federation, and reduce their cooperation, or worse, remove their affiliation entirely. However, that result would be far too unlikely. The nearest Coalition nation, Oflia Republic, wasn’t a beacon of moral superiority in the first place, and they’ve had records of making deals with Chaos Courts.

‘I wonder if they’re openly behind this attempt, or if they’re only giving support.’ Adeline thought. There was probably a Chaos Channel somewhere in the south, right in Federation territory, and it should lead to Oflia’s Zanar plane.

“Come to think of it, maybe the Empire should send its legions to destroy the Federation’s Totems.” Those were the equivalent of the Gemhearts and matching totems helped form a stable route through the Chaos Sea.

Zanar was also a contested plane, but the Empire’s forces there was only an outpost, and it was far from the Zanar-Rumiga Chanel.

“Commander.” Decanus Dumont knocked on the door sill, interrupting Adeline’s drinking.

“What?” she answered crossly. She enjoyed her time to herself and Dumont’s presence meant more work.

“Ahem, er, a messenger arrived.” Murrie arched an eyebrow at the ale.

“Huh. Finally, I guess.”

“Not from the city,” the other woman said quickly. “From across the mountain.”

“Huh? Why?” Adeline shook her head. “Send them in.”

There was only one messenger, a young man with haunted eyes. He had bandages over his torso and an arm, red from oozing blood. Adeline frowned.

“Head to the healers as soon as you give your message. What is it?”

“Federation attack, er, commander.”

“Across the mountain?”

“Yes, they’ve taken down the crane towers, but some of us managed to escape. They hunted us, but I…managed to slip away. Western Rumiga…”

“I understand. Go get healed.”

“Tha…thank you,” the young man staggered off.

Murrie was biting her lips and as soon as the man left the building, she rounded on Adeline, “What are your orders?”

Adeline shook her head. “We’ve been commanded to stay put. Send a messenger to the city and inform Duchess Kinnock of this.”

“But…”

“I’ll think of something.”

Adeline Perry looked at her empty mug. Her light inebriation had been burned away as soon as she saw the wounded man. But now, she wanted to get drunk again. Conflicting orders, the world covered in fog, and they would be stuck in snow in a couple of weeks.

“Hmmm, aren’t those two back there?” she muttered.

Two Knights cannot turn the tide by themselves, however. But perhaps another dozen more would. Her command was tenuous for some of her forces, but that was fine, too.

She rubbed her eyes and put on a coat and left.

________

Sheamus Dorn’s ale mug was already empty so he waved at the server to bring him a refill. The past few weeks had certainly been leisurely, considering that they only needed to walk beside the transports and with barely any fighting.

He’d had his fill of fighting for the next couple of years, probably, and hopefully, the prize he’d receive for his contribution would be enough to support a lavish…well, a good enough lifestyle for a year.

The village of Mysttyre was nearly a mirror copy of Horswick, down to the herds of goats and sheep. The houses were red brick, but the typical Imperial architectural feature was still there. Flat roofs to provide a marksman’s platform.

In fact, the only difference was the weather and temperature. It was much colder on this side of the mountain than on the other. He might have preferred staying there actually, but he’d also like to get paid, and hopefully released, from his indentured service.

He had a letter from Yuriko Davar for that. He managed to ask for it before she left the troops, and had looked quite surprised when he told her about how he got pressed for service. She never complained to the guard, after all.

If anything, the way her invisible shadow guard looked at him the few times she showed up, he half suspected that she had something to do with his incarceration.

Oh well. Interesting times.

The server gave him a fresh mug of ale, and he resisted the urge to pinch her bottom. Even though that plump bottom swaying flirtatiously was quite tempting. He’d sworn off Verdanian women. They were too…er, domineering. The girls back home were more accommodating, though no less fierce when pushed to a corner.

He was feeling a bit woozy by the time he had his third mug. The ale was stronger here than back at home, it seemed, or even compared to the one in Coltherstone Fortress, where he’d been conscripted from jail.

So, that meant this was his limit. He didn’t want to cross the law here, not when he was a foreigner. Not when his home plane was part of the coalition that’s supporting the locals here in their war.

The thing some Verdanians don’t seem to get is that the name of the super nation was a Coalition of Independent Planes. Independent. They didn’t have the same ideals, they weren’t actually members of the same country, and they fought amongst each other almost as often as they fought Verdania or the tree-huggers. In fact, some mercenaries that came from the far side worked for the Verdanians. Even accepting war hires to fight border Coalition planes.

Patently illegal, but it was one of those things that most people turn a blind eye to, especially since the Verdanians paid so well.

He staggered out of the pub and walked towards the camp. He could have already detached himself from them, and his fellow irregular scouts did just that. Pavo, Kalla, Lucinda, and Nathan had already left for the city. Though he expected they’d have to find their way back to Delovine’s legion command. Either way, he knew Rumiga City’s Chaos Channel was blocked, so there was no way out there. He could go through the channel down south. Hmm, he should visit his mum in Chelda. He hadn’t visited in over a decade.

Why did he stay? It certainly wasn’t for the overly strong ale. Perhaps it was for those golden tresses that had started him on this path. He kinda missed her. He did enjoy fighting next to her too.

Sky spirit! He’d rather fight on her side against a thousand men than be on the opposite side. And it looked like if he went home, he would eventually be an enemy.

There was no logic to that feeling, just instinct. Perhaps the Verdanian’s Threads of Fate were affecting him. Heh.

Anyway, he stayed in the encampment since he got free food there, and a dry place to sleep.

As he walked along the palisade, he ran his fingers against the wood. The bark had been stripped clean, and the log had been dried. Luxurious for temporary fortification. The logs had also been runescribed to resist fires!

“Sheamus! Oi!”

A rough voice called out to him.

“Veran!” he slurred back. “You wanna drink?”

“Forget that, we’ve got a mission.”

“Huh, well good luck?”

“No, no. I’m asking you to come with us.”

“No thanks.”

Veran Jake, the Centurion of Chainbreaker Century, of the Legion Agminis, chuckled as he clapped a hand on Sheamus’ shoulder.

“We’re going west. Lady Yuriko Davar and her town need reinforcements.”

“Oh. Well, sure. Let me get my stuff.”

He was bored anyway.