Chapter 67 - Chapter 68

"-And now it's as dark as night here!" Sonas complained. "Even the noonday sun can't cut through the gloom!"

Subaru and Emilia were confronted by a group of guards before they had even crossed the city gates. The guards had brought them promptly to Sonas.

Sonas had them brought to the dining hall which was this time piled high with food. Sonas exhorted them to dig in but neither Subaru nor Emilia did so.

Something about Sonas 's presence kills my appetite.

Subaru sighed. "Sonas, what do you want me to say?" Subaru asked helplessly. "You told us to go up to the island and shut off the beam. We did. The fact that the effect wasn't what you were hoping for isn 't our fault. If you want, we 'll pass on the bounty that you promised us," Subaru said in a near growl. "Just give us those slaves that we asked for and we're quits."

"And just where do you think that you're going, huh?!" Sonas demanded. "I thought that you were supposed to be a hero! Are you really going to just leave us in this mess? We're no longer getting shipments of supplies from the outside world because of constant Iotun attacks along the road. It's only a matter of time before they attack the city en mass. Everyone in the city will be dead in a matter of weeks. Look, Subaru, I really hate to put it this way but this is your mess too."

"No," Subaru said flatly. "Actually, Sonas, no, it is not. You own this place and you told us to shut down the beam. This is your mess. I know that you're trying to pass the ball back to us but we're not taking it!"

"So… What?" Sonas asked plaintively. "You're just going to leave us in the lurch?"

Subaru thought it over for a moment. "I don't know," Subaru said honestly. "Do you have any other ideas on how to break this curse? Because I don 't. If you have a plan, throw it on the table and we can discuss it. Otherwise, I don't see what I could possibly do to help you."

Sonas looked aghast. "Subaru! The sun doesn't rise in Girali any longer! We haven't seen the sun in almost three days!" Sonas cried. "How long do you really think that it will take for the Iotuns to realize that the city is vulnerable?"

"Not long," Subaru said seriously. "And frankly, I would take that as a sign that it's past time for you all to pack up and move."

Sonas just stared at him. "You're insane," He growled. "Do you have even the slightest idea of how profitable this operation is? "

Huh. Sonas finally dropped the act and shared with me what he was really thinking. I almost like him better this way.

"No, I don't. But when it comes down to a choice between your money and your life, it shouldn't exactly be a tough call," Subaru replied sourly.

Sonas glared at him. "Have you forgotten that we're an occupied city right now? Do you really think that Brendig will be willing to let us all just leave ?! "

"I feel like he won't have much choice but to leave himself. I fought Iotuns, Sonas. Brendig only has a few hundred men. Attacking even a dozen Iotuns with a force that small would be an act of desperation. Besides, I thought that the deal for Brendig to go home had already been finalized."

Sonas made a face. "It seems that General Brendig is pushing back the date," He grumbled.

"What?! Why?!"

"Because his… activities here hit a setback," Sonas said.

Subaru stared at Sonas but he didn 't offer any more details than that.

Subaru sighed. "I'll say this again, Sonas," Subaru grumbled. "I don't know how to break this curse. I didn 't have any ideas on how to do it when I came here and I still don't have any. So if you want to blame me for this mess, fine! Go ahead. But it's not going to help you because there's nothing that I can do about it. If you come up with a plan for lifting the curse then I'll be happy to discuss it. My wife and I are even willing to wave the bounty you promised us but we absolutely want those slaves that we agreed on."

Sonas drummed his fingers on the table. "I actually think that I do know a way to end the eternal night. It seems that there's a talisman that could do the trick."

Is that what Brendig is looking for?

Subaru looked at him suspiciously. "Go on…"

"The talisman is hidden in a temple buried deep inside of the fiery mountain."

Wait, the volcano? Not inside the plateau?

If this thing isn 't what Brendig is looking for then why is he really here? And how is this talisman connected to whatever he is looking for?

"What about it?" Subaru asked slowly.

"If you could bring me this talisman," Sonas said. "I am very confident that I could use it to end the eternal night. In exchange for this talisman, I would happily pay you the agreed-upon bounty as well as those slaves which you covet."

"I thought that you owed us that for the work we already did for you," Subaru grated.

"I don't pay for effort, Subaru, only for results," Sonas said coldly. "Your labor accomplished nothing so that is what I'll pay you. If you want your pay, you'll need to actually solve my problem!"

"That wasn't our deal," Subaru snapped.

"Call it renegotiating," Sonas grated. "I'm a reasonable man, Subaru. I just want my city to survive. If you can do that, I'll happily give you those slaves you're so invested in. Otherwise, I'm afraid that I'm just going to have to keep them."

Subaru glared at him. Sonas knows that focusing on Felt and Garfiel means that he has me over a barrel.

Could we just escape with them? They 'd still have their collars on which is a problem but maybe not an insurmountable one.

We 'd need to buy a wagon to escape with everyone. It's pitch black outside and if Felt is right, her collar smells delicious to every Iotun within twelve miles. We'd need to fight our way out of the desert foot by foot but it might still be possible.

"Where is this talisman?" Subaru asked to stall for time. "Why haven't you sent your guards to get it already?"

"It's just too dangerous," Sonas said sadly. "The place is a labyrinth of traps and mystic barriers."

"So how am I supposed to get through?!" Subaru demanded.

"You're a very resourceful man, Subaru. I'm sure that you'll manage," Sonas said with a shrug.

"That's a non-answer," Subaru snapped.

"Look, I understand that this is dangerous but I'm in a bind!" Sonas protested. "There's a whole city at stake here! A city full of innocent people with nowhere else to go."

Yeah, Sonas. I totally believe that 's the major thing that concerns you.

Subaru glared at him. "Even if I could, why should I?" He asked bluntly. "Your credibility leaves something to be desired. What's supposed to make me think that you won't just move the goalposts again when I do this job? "

"I give you my word," Sonas said easily.

Subaru just stared at him.

Sonas gave him a smile like a blade. "Well… you do want your friends set free, I trust? I wouldn 't envy you, trying to smuggle them across the desert during the endless night."

I can 't trust Sonas any further than I can kick him. It looks like we're doing this the hard way. That's too bad but it should be doable.

No matter what Sonas thinks, we can get Garf and Felt and maybe even Willa, Miko, and Ellen out of this wasteland.

Between us, Emilia and I can scare off any curious Iotuns.

It 'll be a rough trip but once we're in Azamiki, we're golden.

"I'm going to have to take some time to think about this," Subaru said.

"How much time?" Sonas asked with a friendly smile.

Subaru glared at him. "I said that I'll think it over," He said with an edge in his voice.

"Fair enough," Sonas said easily. "In the meantime, would you be willing to assist Captain Smite in inspecting the Shelf for ideas on the construction of new defenses to protect against the next Iotun attack?"

Well, I needed an excuse to go down onto the Shelf and find Willa and Miko anyway.

Subaru gave Sonas a sour look. "Fine," He said calmly. "Let us go back to the inn and freshen up and I'll be along right after that."

"Wonderful," Sonas said calmly as Subaru and Emilia left the room.

Sonas took a sip of wine and then turned his attention to a clearly uncomfortable Bran.

"Well," Sonas said. "It seems that Subaru Natsuki doesn't want to assist us. Alright, we're doing this the hard way. Do it."

Subaru and Emilia returned to the inn. They didn 't say a word until they returned to their room and closed the door.

"I can't help but feel like we're trapped here, Subaru!" Emilia confessed. "But what are we going to do about Garfiel and Felt?"

"We need to get out of here, Mili," Subaru sighed. "I don't believe Sonas for a second. I'm definitely not going to walk into that death trap that he's trying to send me off into."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"We're going to make a run for it," Subaru said simply. "By now, we ought to be pretty good at that. This is the third or fourth place that we had to run away from, one step ahead of a pursuing army. Sonas has already given me a perfect excuse to get down onto the Shelf. I'll help Smite brainstorm ideas to defend the area and then I'll talk to Willa and Miko. We have to get them ready to escape. I need you to find Ellen and tell her to get ready to run too. Any idea where she is?"

Emilia nodded. "She told me where she works. It's a small store not far away from here."

"Great. Find her but try to keep it quiet. Also, see if you can't buy a wagon and some supplies," Subaru said, handing her twenty gold sovereigns.

"A wagon?" Emilia asked.

"We're not going to fit another five people on Patrasche!" He said. "We'll bring the wagon out the front gate, making some kind of excuse about investigating that temple that Sonas wants us to search."

"Will they believe us?" Emilia asked doubtfully.

"I don't know," Subaru admitted. "But I don't plan to give them much time to think about it. We're leaving this town. Peacefully if we can, violently if we have to. We'll bring the wagon around to the back side of the shelf and pick up Willa, Miko, Garf, and Felt. Then we'll make a beeline across the desert and we kill anyone who gets in our way."

"Are Felt and Garfiel down on the Shelf?" Emilia asked.

"Maybe. If they're not in their room in the inn then that's the most likely place for them to be. If they're up here, I'll bring them down with me. If they're already on the Shelf then I'll talk to them when I'm finally done with Smite. There's no way that we can smuggle them out the front gates without an alarm going off so we want them down on the Shelf. I'll tell them the plan and then we need to move fast."

"Why don't I buy the wagon and then just drive it around to meet you all on the Shelf?" Emilia asked.

"Because we can't move until we find Felt and Garf," He said. "If they're somewhere up in the city with that 'Koh' guy, then we'll need to find them and give them the plan before we make our move."

Emilia nodded. "I understand."

"It wouldn't surprise me if Sonas is already watching us," He said. "Give me a thirty-minute head-start before you head out. We don't want them to think that we're planning an escape yet."

Emilia nodded.

Emilia sat in the room and fidgeted as she counted down the minutes until she started her mission.

She was just about to dash out the door when she heard a knock.

Emilia 's eyes narrowed and she went to the door already on her guard.

Emilia slowly opened the door and found Bran standing on the other side, his face looked miserable.

"Hello, Bran. It's good to see you," Emilia said unconvincingly. "How is your son?"

Bran cleared his throat. "Miss Emilia, I'm here to inform you that Governor Sonas wishes to see you," He said, looking ill.

"Subaru isn't here right now."

"No, Miss Emilia," Bran murmured, looking ashamed. "This invitation is directed to you personally. And the Governor asked me to emphasize that you should come at once if you have any concern at all for Miss Felt's and Master Garfiel's lives."

Emilia 's eyes widened then narrowed. "I'll be right along," She said in a voice like ice before shutting the door.

Emilia pulled out a slip of paper and scribbled a note for Subaru.

Emilia returned to the door and stepped outside.

"Very well," She snapped. "Let's go!"

Felt and Garfiel weren 't in their room at the inn so Subaru went down to the Shelf to meet up with Captain Smite and hopefully find the pair.

He found Smite and his guards standing at the edge of the Shelf, staring out across the darkened desert.

"Alright," Subaru said, trying to discreetly scan the Shelf for Felt and Garfiel. "So what's the plan?"

Smite grunted. "The Iotuns will definitely come now," He said. "We need to be ready for them."

"I'm happy to offer suggestions for ways to defend the area," Subaru said. "But honestly, I don't think you guys have any hope of defending this place over the long term. My advice would be for you all to say 'We've had a good run here' and get out while the getting is good."

"Are you nuts?!" A guard named Thaddeus said. "Do you know how much money we're making here? I make almost fifteen gold pieces a year!"

Subaru made a face. "Yeah, that's a lot of money for a guard alright," He muttered.

Although from what Felt told me, Sonas expects to gross a few hundred gold a day down here so splurging a little on a few dozen guards is basically a rounding error in his budget.

"Damn right!" Thaddeus snorted. "In a few more years, I'll have enough money to retire! Then I can go and buy some farmland around Ivada and have my own slaves till the land for me."

Subaru glowered at the guard. "Live the dream," He said sarcastically.

"I heard a rumor that the Iotuns attacked a caravan bringing new weapons to the mercenaries and then carried the weapons off," Another guard said. "I think that the Iotuns are getting smarter. The next attack could be much more dangerous."

Smite snorted. "What the blazes are they going to do with those blasted weapons? Use them for toothpicks?" He asked incredulously. "The Iotuns couldn't have found any weapons in those wagons that they could actually use. They probably carried it off thinking that it was food and then got disappointed when they finally inspected it."

"Or maybe they just carried them off to ensure that we couldn't use the weapons against them," Subaru said grimly. "Yeah, I don't think that there's any doubt that the Iotuns are getting smarter…"

Shortly thereafter, Emilia found herself standing on Governor Sonas 's patio on the roof of the gubernatorial castle.

Sonas was absently licking the frosting off of a pastry.

"Ah, Miss Emilia! How wonderful to see you again," Sonas said cheerfully.

The huge patio was now standing-room only. It was filled to the brim with dozens and dozens of armed guards. A large rope-drawn curtain hung off the edge of the patio like the curtain for a stage play.

"How are you this evening?" He asked solicitously.

"Enough with the fake courtesy, Sonas," Emilia snapped. "You brought me here under threat! Now where are Felt and Garfiel and what do you want?"

"So it's straight to business then?" Sonas mused. "Well, I suppose that I can't blame you. Your friends are right over there."

Sonas gestured to one of his guards who pulled at a cord, opening a set of curtains that hung just off the edge of the patio.

Emilia gasped. Felt and Garfiel were bound and gagged, standing out on a tiny platform barely big enough for them that was suspended above the palace courtyard hundreds of feet below.

A noose was wrapped around each of their necks. Emilia realized that dozens of archers were aiming crossbows at the pair from all around the patio.

Felt looked at Emilia, her eyes terrified. Garfiel looked enraged and struggled but he was having no luck breaking free.

Emilia 's eyes blazed. She raised hands that crackled with cobalt energy. "Let them go! Now!"

Sonas calmly finished eating his pastry. "No. No, I don't believe that I will."

Emilia illuminated the dark night with crackling blue lightning that arced from her hands and eyes. "I don't think that you understand who I am or what I can do, " Emilia whispered in a chill voice.

"Oh no, I understand completely," Sonas replied in a pleasant tone. "I know that you can kill me and my men in a thousand painful ways. Or rather, you could kill us easily but then my man inside on the lever," He gestured nebulously toward the inside of the palace, "Would drop the platform and let Felt and Garfiel strangle in midair.

"Now, you could probably kill the man on the lever who's waiting to release the platform that they're standing on but then those men," Sonas gestured toward the group of archers aiming at Felt and Garfiel, "Would shoot them full of holes. Maybe you could even kill the archers and cut the rope around their necks at the same time! But then they're still going to fall a hundred feet and smash against those pavement stones far below us when my man pulls the lever and drops the platform. So yes, Miss Emilia. I think that I completely understand the situation."

Emilia panted for breath and her vision turned red. She couldn 't recall being so furious since the day that she had faced Elsa.

Emilia wanted to be furious, she needed to be angry because she could sense the fear building up behind that anger. The fear that Sonas had outmaneuvered her and that she didn 't know how to escape from his trap.

I could place a wall of ice around Felt and Garfiel! That will protect them from the arrows.

But then the platform will still drop and they 'll be strangled.

Maybe I can freeze a huge ball of ice all around them to that the platform can 't move and they can't be shot at!

But the problem is that those archers are aiming at them from every direction … There are even some looking down at them from the roof. If I completely wrap them up in a ball of ice then there might suffocate or freeze to death before I can deal with the guards.

And worse, I doubt that the ice could hold itself steady against the hot stones in the palace for more than a few seconds. If I freeze an ice orb around Felt and Garfiel, then the orb will quickly detach from the castle wall and then its own weight will break the platform that they 're standing on and drag Felt and Garfiel down!

I wish that Subaru were here. He 'd know what to do.

Well, he isn 't! She admonished herself sharply. You 're the only one here and Felt and Garfiel are depending on you ! You need to figure out what to do for a change!

Emilia folded her arms across her chest. "Sonas, this is all very interesting but what is it that you want?" Emilia asked, trying and failing to adopt the bored tone that Subaru used to provoke his enemies.

"Always straight to business," Sonas mused. "Very well. You see, Miss Emilia, my problem is this: As you may have noticed, I have an army of mercenaries led by a Lagunican zealot who is breathing down my neck. Beyond that, my land is cursed with a spell of perpetual night and that means that I also need to deal with an army of thirty-foot mabeasts."

"And how does that relate to me? What can I possibly do?" Emilia said tightly.

"You? Oh, no. You can't do anything for me. But I bet that your husband could find a way to assist me out of this mess if he were… properly motivated," Sonas replied.

"Meaning what?" Emilia demanded.

Sonas gestured to a guard and the man used a metal rod to reach into a nearby brazier and take out an object that glowed bright blue. He dropped it on the long table but the tablecloth didn 't even smolder.

Emilia 's eyes widened. It was a slave collar.

"Put this on," Sonas said in a friendly voice.

Emilia stiffened. "Absolutely not!" She shouted.

Sonas shrugged. "Well, that is your decision. As I said, you can walk away from here and I can 't stop you but little Felt and her big dumb friend are going to pay for your freedom with their lives. It's sort of poetic when you stop and think about it."

Emilia stared at the collar in horror and then at Felt and Garfiel who dangled helplessly over the courtyard far below.

Felt squirmed and tried to shout something but it all came out muffled by her gag.

Emilia took a deep breath. "I think that you're bluffing, Sonas," She said, her voice unsteady in spite of her best efforts. "Can you even imagine what Subaru will do to you if you kill Felt and Garfiel? Much less do anything to me? You might prefer to take some quick and painless way out right now. "

"No doubt," Sonas admitted, standing up and walking over to Emilia. "But in case you haven't noticed," He continued, getting right up in her face with a smile too big to be anything other than threatening. "As matters stand right now, I am a dead man, no matter what I choose to do. The night that I find myself in now is eternal. I have an army on my doorstep and a legion of mabeasts to deal with besides. Not to mention the fact that from what I've heard, most of the world blames me for this mess of allowing Brendig to capture my city and take these people hostage in the first place. Unless I can find some way to get my hands on the talisman before Brendig does, I am going to be killed in very short order and I doubt very much that my death will be an easy one.

"So. My last chance is to find some way to gain enough leverage over Subaru to ensure that he brings me back the talisman and end this curse. Alternatively, if I am going to die one way or the other, I think that I might prefer to go out in a glorious display of spite, hurting just as many people as possible. That would include killing your friends before I die. Unless, of course, you were willing to…" He trailed off and gestured at the glowing collar.

Emilia stared at the collar and her heart sank.

Sonas is right. He has me right where he wants me. Sonas isn 't bluffing. He's a dead man or at least he thinks he is and dead men don't need to bluff. So my choice is either to put on the collar and seal all my magic, rendering me helpless or to stand here and watch Felt and Garfiel die…

Emilia closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

Felt may not remember me. Maybe she doesn 't even want to remember me. But I remember those days in the Sanctuary.

When I was ready to break into pieces, Felt was there with comfort and encouragement. When Garfiel and the villagers cursed my name and shouted slurs, Felt would threaten them until they backed off. If Felt hadn 't been there, I don't think that I would have lasted until Subaru came.

Without her, I would have been an emotional cripple by then …

And that means that I never would have had the strength to rescue Subaru from Roswaal 's trap.

I owe Felt more than she could possibly imagine. I … I can't abandon her.

Emilia 's limbs felt wooden as she reached out for the glowing metal collar. The collar felt quite cool as she lifted it to her neck.

This isn 't the end of the world, She tried to convince herself. Felt and Garfiel already wear collars. We would never abandon them. So the problem that we 're dealing with hasn't really changed. We just need to find a way to remove all of our collars. I need to have faith that Subaru will solve this problem and get us all out of here safely.

The collar sealed shut around her throat with a snap that rang of finality.

Subaru returned to the inn feeling like he 'd just had his time wasted.

Those idiots didn 't have a single idea for setting up new defenses! They didn't even seem to care!

I suggested adding siege weapons to the Shelf which Smite immediately refused, assuming that the slaves would turn them against the city.

I gave up on that and recommended just having heavy objects like boulders or logs with spikes added to them. The slaves could roll them down the cliff at any advancing Iotuns. That has good odds of snapping the Iotuns ' ankles like twigs and there's no way that they could be turned against the city.

But Smite didn 't even seem to care. No matter what I said, he wasn't interested.

Finally, I gave up and tried to leave only for Smite to demand that I stay and help them think of ideas. I obliged him and he shot down my suggestions, one after another.

I tried to leave and he shamed me into staying two more times before I completely gave up and just ignored his shouts and orders as I left the Shelf.

What the hell was the point of any of this?

And where were Garf and Felt? They weren 't in the inn and they weren't on the Shelf. What could they be doing?

To his surprise, Subaru found Bran waiting outside his door.

"Bran?" Subaru said in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Bran had a cringing look on his face. "Governor Sonas requests that you come and see him immediately at the Pit," He whispered.

"The where?" Subaru asked. "Bran, I've just finished doing a chore for Sonas! And it wound up being pointless! I need to get some rest now. Hell, I haven't even had breakfast today!"

Bran swallowed hard. "I was ordered to tell you that Emilia will be… most disappointed if you choose to delay…"

The blood drained from Subaru 's face and his eyes burned. "Show me where to go," He whispered to the cringing Bran.

Felt sat in the cell, looking bored, frustrated, and frightened. Garfiel reclined beside her with a sullen expression. Willa, Baagh, and nearly a hundred other slaves sat with them.

At first only Felt and Garfiel had sat in the enormous jail cell. Then, guards had herded in a huge crowd of slaves including Willa, Baagh, and just about everyone on the Shelf who could be considered strong and healthy.

They 'd been thrown into the now crowded jail cell without comment or explanation. And there they had remained as the hours drifted by.

"I'm sorry, Felt," Garfiel sighed. "You were right. You knew this was going to happen."

"What? That I would spend my final hours in jail?" Felt grumbled. "Gramps has told me that since I could crawl."

"Not that, Felt," Garfiel sighed. "You knew the sabotage plan wasn't going to work. Even with your improvements, it wasn't going to work."

"I did my best, Garf!" Felt protested.

"I know you did. You did your best for me," He whimpered. "You could have stayed out of it altogether but you helped… because you're my friend. And I dragged you down with me."

"There's no point in hashing this out now!" Felt hissed. "We need to come up with a plan!"

Garfiel looked at Felt hopefully.

She made a face. "I didn't say I had one, " She muttered.

Garfiel sighed. "And now poor Frosty has a collar too," He whispered. "We're rapidly running out of options."

Felt pulled her knees to her chest and bowed her head. "I didn't want her to do it, Garf," She whispered.

"Huh?"

"I would never have asked her to do that! I would never have asked… anyone to put on a slave collar for me!" Felt hissed. "The whole time I was screaming into my gag, begging and ordering her not to do it but of course, she couldn't hear me. Then the stupid elf puts the collar on her own damn neck! Now Subaru is in even more trouble!"

Garfiel gave her a sympathetic look. "It's not your fault, shrimp. And at least we know that the Captain is back. He'll figure out a way to get us out of here."

"I'm not so sure, fleabag," Felt sighed. "Subaru is in over his head this time and he knows it. This whole thing stinks of being a trap and we're the bait."

A janitor in a hooded blue robe walked slowly past the bars, mopping the floor.

Felt looked up, poised to spit but her eyes widened.

The janitor pulled down his hood revealing a wolf face. "You two, OK?" Koh whispered, dropping down beside the cell.

"Koh!" Garfiel gasped. "How the hell did you get down here?"

"Well, I am a spy, you know," Koh said conversationally. "If I couldn't sneak into a jail, I'd need to seriously consider turning in my spy license."

"Koh, what happened?" Felt demanded. "How did the guards find out about us?"

"Pretty much the way that I expected," Koh shrugged. "Somebody walked past the rope and was curious enough about it to alert a guard. And the whole thing just sort of… snowballed from there."

"Somebody?" Garfiel growled. "I noticed that you weren't there when we were arrested."

"Yeah. No shit, genius," Koh snorted. "Because if I had been there, I'd currently be in there with you. And frankly, I prefer to be out here. I'm a lot more useful out here."

"That remains to be seen," Felt grumbled.

Koh rolled his eyes. "I'm sure there was a reason why I came down here. Can't seem to remember right now. Oh, by the way, here," He passed Felt a few short metal tools.

Felt 's took the tools with a wild grin. "Lockpicks!" She cheered quietly.

Garfiel looked speculatively up at Koh. "So what?" Garfiel asked. "We busting out of here now?"

"No chance," Koh said flatly. "There's absolutely no way to escape. We'd need to break through seven different magically sealed doors and then we'd emerge into the guard barracks. You're not getting out like that."

"Then what is the point of these lockpicks?" Garfiel protested. "What's going on?"

"Listen up, we don't have much time. Tomorrow morning you're all being sent out into the arena. They're doing a recreation of the Battle of the Bladed Spires."

"What's that?" Felt asked, trying to pick the lock on her manacles.

"A famous battle between Lagunican and Vollachia," Garfiel answered at once. "A small force of Vollachian soldiers overwhelmed a large Lagunican host that was defending a fortress."

Felt stopped lockpicking to stare at Garfiel in disbelief.

Garfiel closed his eyes and sighed. "Shrimp, why do you always have to act like I'm stupid?" He asked plaintively.

"Because I know you," She snickered, returning to her lock picking.

"Listen!" Koh said. "You're all being cast as the Lagunican soldiers. So you'll be defending the fort and have superior numbers. It's going to be a hundred of you against about twenty enemies."

"Alright," Garfiel murmured. "So far, it sounds doable."

"You'll also have fake weapons," Koh finished.

Garfiel 's eyes bugged out. " What ?! "

Baagh scowled. "They put on these kind of blasted shows in Vollachia a lot," He cut in. "Sonas was probably planning one to impress his Vollachian guests until they were all taken hostage. They usually pit real gladiators armed with swords against condemned criminals armed with fake weapons. In this way, they ensure that the historical victors actually win. That means that we'll be playing the Lagunicans."

"Right," Koh nodded. "Captain Smite and a few of his guards are playing the Vollachians, plus a group of spoiled young noblemen who bought their way into the show just to kill people with no risk to themselves. And now those same bloodthirsty spoiled brats are being held hostage by real warriors. So I guess that 'karma' is really a thing."

"If they've been held hostage for all these weeks then I'm guessing they have a lot of pent-up anger to express," Garfiel muttered.

"True. But they don't know how to fight," Koh pointed out. "You'll have to deal with Smite and a few of his guards but almost all of your opponents are going to be spoiled rich kids with no idea how to fight."

"That doesn't help all that much if they have real weapons and we don't," Felt grumbled.

"Yeah, that's the problem," Koh admitted.

Felt closed her eyes and thought hard. "Baagh," She whispered. "You know the other slaves better than I do. Will they fight?"

Baagh nodded at once. "They may die fast but they'll go down swinging. Captain Smite's men gathered up everyone on the Shelf with the least bit of spirit and threw them down here for Sonas's show."

"Then in a way, he's done us a favor," Felt said slowly. "He's brought the most useful slaves in a huge crowd into the upper city. If we had real weapons then we could win the fight in the arena and then break out. Start rampaging through the city."

"Yeah but that's the problem, we don't have any weapons," Garfiel reminded her.

Felt bit her lip. "Koh. Did you find any weapons down here? Maybe you could swap out the fake weapons for the real ones?"

"Sort of," Koh whispered. "I did a little checking. The fake weapons are kept in a small antechamber next to the arena. If there are any real blades down here, I couldn't find them."

"What about smuggling them inside from the city?" Baagh asked.

"Where am I supposed to find the weapons?" Koh demanded. "Raid the guardhouse?!"

"Hey, you're the master spy! You figure it out!" Garfiel shot back.

"Koh, can you find Subaru? Let him know where we are?" Felt asked.

"Sure but what good is that going to do?" He asked.

"Tell him what's going on," Felt directed. "He'll have a plan. He always does."

Koh stared at her for a long moment. "Damn. You two really have a lot of faith in that guy, don't you?"

Koh scurried away.

Bran led Subaru to the palace. There was an enormous pit in the earth just outside the castle battlements that Subaru had never noticed before. It was pitch black and Subaru couldn 't see the bottom. An enormous braided rope as thick as a grown man's body was wrapped around a great hanging pulley and anchored to a winch while the other end vanished in the depths of the pit.

Behind the pit, on top of the palace battlements, Sonas was sitting and munching on a chicken wing.

"Ah! Subaru Natsuki. So good of you to join us," Sonas said, gesturing to a guard who began to turn a crank, pulling up the enormous chain.

"Where is Emilia?" Subaru hissed.

Sonas feigned looking hurt. "Really? I'm a little hurt, buddy. Not even a 'hello,' first?" He asked.

Subaru took a deep breath. "You are seriously playing with fire, Sonas, " Subaru said in a flat voice. "Now what is going on here?"

Sonas sighed. "Alright," He said sullenly. "If you're really going to be that way about it, " He gestured toward the pit.

Subaru looked at the pit just as they hauled six metal gibbets out of the depths. All six were connected to the same heavy metal bar that was welded to the thick rope.

And in one of those cages was Emilia. She had a slave collar around her neck.

"Emilia!" Subaru shouted.

Emilia tried to leap to her feet but the gibbet wasn 't big enough and she banged her head against the ceiling, setting the gibbet to swinging. "Subaru! I'm sorry! I-"

"As amusing as all of this is," Sonas interrupted in a bored tone. "It was hard enough to squeeze this little meeting into my schedule. So I'd like to move right along here."

Subaru glared up at Sonas. "Let her go," He said softly although his eyes blazed.

"I'll be happy to," Sonas assured him. "As long as you first do a minor service for me."

"I think that maybe you didn't hear me!" Subaru hissed, taking a menacing step forward.

"Captain Smite!" Sonas shouted.

The giant bull demi-human pulled out a sword and held it against the enormous rope. He looked at Sonas for further instructions.

"I think that we both understand the situation now, don't you?" Sonas asked conversationally. "Just do one small task for me and I'll let your friends go."

Subaru took a deep breath and then let it out. "Find you this talisman?" Subaru whispered.

"Precisely."

Sonas snapped his fingers. A guard calmly walked up to Subaru and handed him a large translucent yellow crystal the size of a drinking glass.

"Light-stone," The guard said laconically. "Shake it and it sheds light. You'll need it to find your way inside of that temple."

Subaru 's fingernails dug into his palms, leaving bloody trails across them. "And what exactly am I looking for?" Subaru said.

"An artifact."

"Could you be a little more specific?" Subaru asked scathingly. "What do you want me to do? Go through the whole temple and search for anything that might be considered an artifact? Maybe I should bring along a wagon so that I can bring back every little trinket that I find in the place!"

Sonas looked annoyed. "There is an altar in the heart of the temple. An object sits atop that altar. Bring it to me."

Subaru frowned up at Sonas. How does he know all this? How did he learn what was inside of this sealed temple? What is this 'artifact?'

"And that's all that you can tell me?" Subaru growled.

"That's all that you need to know," Sonas said sweetly. He gestured toward the guard who let go of the winch and allowed the rope to run free.

Emilia shrieked as her cage plunged down into the darkness until the rope ran out with a heavy 'thunk' sound. Emilia's scream trailed off and Subaru could only hear her panting for breath, echoing up out of the pit.

"I really think that she ought to be quieter," Sonas said conversationally. "You know, we're not exactly sure what kind of things live down in the guts of this mountain. Iotuns wander into the caverns from time and time. And stranger mabeasts still. But don't worry. Our cages are full when we finally pull them up. Usually, at least."

Subaru stiffened.

Sonas smiled down at him. "If I were you, I'd step right along. Don't try anything stupid, Subaru. We have a wonderful way of tracking you. We tested it while you were on the island. If you go anywhere except out to the mountain, we'll know about it and your friends will regret it."

Subaru stared up at Sonas with murder in his eyes. "She had better be alright when I get back, Sonas. Or nothing in this world can protect you from me, " He whispered.

Sonas gestured dismissively. "Follow the old road up to the mountain. The temple entrance is impossible to miss. Ask the slaves for details. I believe they venture near that area occasionally during their expeditions. I expect that you'll want to get going at 'sunrise.'"

Subaru didn 't answer. He just turned and gestured for some of the guards to come and lower him down to the Shelf.

Captain Smite and Colonel Brasca entered Governor Sonas 's dining hall. Sonas was feasting on stuffed mushrooms.

"Governor," Smite rumbled, gravely inclining his head.

Brasca looked annoyed. "Why did you call me here?"

Sonas looked at her. "Actually, I called for General Brendig," He corrected gently.

"The General is busy. What do you want?"

"Ah!" Sonas said cheerfully. "Well, it's wonderful to see you regardless! Colonel, I'm not sure if we have ever been formally introduced. I am Governor Sonas and-"

"The Dragon Kingdom is not impressed by the self-bestowed titles of the pig-sty nation to its west," Brasca said coldly. "Nor of feigning friendship with a nation that chooses to ignore and disdain its own gentry by refusing to honor the rights and privileges of divinely-given noble blood."

"There hasn't been any gentry in Kararagi for four hundred years!" Smite objected.

"Their descendants still live and they are still noble," Brasca replied without looking at him. "You Kararagi 'freemen' are nothing more than the escaped thralls of your betters."

Sonas stared at her for a long moment while Bran poured him some more wine.

"In any event," Sonas said, his jocular voice growing wooden. "I have some news for the General that I know is going to-"

"Stop speaking to me as if you were my equal, Sonas," Brasca sniffed. "You are not a nobleman. You are nothing more than a peasant and a servant giving himself delusions of grandeur. All of the gold in the world will not change that reality. Just tell me what you know so that I can inform the General and leave!"

Sonas took a moment to master his fury. "You can tell the General that Subaru Natsuki has made contact with me. He came to speak with me, asking for my assistance in freeing his friends. He says that if I agree to help him, he will bring back a powerful artifact as a gift to prove his good intentions."

Brasca 's eyes narrowed. "You mean that… talisman thing that you were going on about?"

"Probably."

Brasca shook her head. "It's likely cursed and should be destroyed."

Sonas 's eyes widened but he kept his warm smile. "Maybe we should worry about the witch first and then worry about the talisman."

"This could be a feint," Brasca muttered. "A distraction for us while he breaks into the coliseum."

"He's not due back until after the games are finished," Sonas shrugged. "Your men can guard both without too much trouble. If he fails to attack the arena, you should tell the General to gather your men but make sure that they stay out of sight inside of the castle. It's certain that this 'Subaru Natsuki' will scout the area carefully before making his move and he would naturally flee if he thought that I had double-crossed him. You'll need to wait until he exposes himself before you spring the trap."

"I know my business, Sonas," Brasca sniffed.

Without a word, she turned and departed the room.

Smite watched her go and then turned to regard Sonas with confusion.

"Something wrong, Captain?" Sonas asked, returning to his feast.

"Just a little confused, boss. Why are you telling Brasca about all this? You know that she's going to want to take the artifact. And didn't you say that you wanted-"

"No reason not to play both sides against the middle," Sonas replied pleasantly. "Of course, I plan to keep the talisman for myself. Anything this valuable isn't something I'm letting out of my grasp especially if I really can use it to end the eternal night. But even after that matter is attended to, Brendig will continue to be a thorn in my side. I need to get rid of him as well."

"Err. How exactly are you planning to do that?" Smite asked.

"After taking the talisman, I will let Brendig capture Subaru Natsuki."

"That… might be challenging, boss," Smite said. "You saw what he did to that Iotun."

"Hm. I did. I also saw that, unlike his wife, he appears to have no ability to fight at range," Sonas said. "If he did, he would have used it during his fight with the Iotuns. Therefore, when that self-entitled twit Brasca makes her move, we will have a legion of our best archers standing by to riddle Subaru Natsuki full of arrows."

"Kill him?"

"Ideally," Sonas replied. "Giving Brendig his dead body will serve just as well as capturing him. And I'd rather that Subaru Natsuki not be in any condition to mention certain details to Brendig. Once that is done, we can claim that Subaru Natsuki admitted to me before he died that he gave the talisman away to someone else.

"With the tunnels sealed in, and the political pressure growing explosive, Brendig will lose any reason to remain. Normally, he would refuse to return home in disgrace and he'd start tearing the region apart looking for something to do to salve his pride and reputation. I think that bringing home the body of a witch might suffice."

Smite mulled that over. "It could work. But it 's risky," He warned. "I've heard stories about Subaru Natsuki. At this point, I'm not sure which ones to believe."

Sonas waved that aside. "We have the perfect bait, Captain. As long as we have his wife, Subaru Natsuki will be forced to place himself in a vulnerable position to protect her. Threatening her can ensure that our archers will have a clear shot at him."

"Why not just use his wife to force him to surrender?" Smite asked. "Make him bow his head for an axe or something?"

Sonas chuckled. "Do you really think that he loves her enough to die for her? Powerful men will kill for their women but never make the mistake of thinking that they 'll die for them. After all, there 's always another pretty lady down the road. There's a new crop every single year. No, at the right time, he will be riddled with arrows."

Smite 's eyes grew huge. "The man fought a Iotun with his bare hands! Will arrows even hurt him?"

"My sources assure me that Subaru Natsuki was nearly cut in half by a simple dagger in the Lagunican capitol," Sonas replied. "I investigated the matter and was able to confirm it. Whatever power Subaru Natsuki possesses, it is not invincible. Under the right circumstances, he's as vulnerable as any other man. By tomorrow, this entire mess will be behind us. The endless night will end, the Iotuns will retreat, and Brendig will leave."

Smite looked worried. "Alright. One question, though. What about the elf and the other two? Are we going to kill them after Subaru Natsuki is dead?"

"Leave those two down in the arena," Sonas said dismissively. "I don't need Brendig asking where they are. They can die during the show. As for the elf, she is rather pretty. Perhaps I can find an alternative use for her."

Subaru reached the Shelf, inspecting the strange crystal that they 'd given him.

"I was sorry to hear about Felt and Garfiel," A wolf demi-human said, stepping out of the shadows.

Subaru fell into a defensive posture before relaxing when the wolf didn 't do anything. "Who are you?" Subaru asked.

"My name's Koh. I work for Sphinx," He said.

Subaru glared at him. "You're the one who got Felt and Garfiel enslaved!"

"Yeah. This mission went tits up from the get-go," He admitted. "This one is not going into my memoirs."

"What happened? How did Sonas find out about Felt and Garf?" Subaru asked.

"Your friends found out that Brendig was nearly done excavating the tunnels," Koh muttered, emptying his pipe. "They realized that he was about to get his hands on that weapon, whatever it is, so they decided to do something about it."

"What did they do?" Subaru asked in disbelief.

Koh began to repack his pipe. "They got me to make them a bomb so they could blow up the dam and flood the tunnels. Brendig has weeks of work ahead of him before he can get back to where he was. Unfortunately, they were captured during their return to the city. Now Sonas is using them as leverage to get to you."

Subaru rubbed his forehead. "Fuck! I told them to stay out of trouble until I got back!"

"Yeah. I don't think that's in their nature, Susu," Koh said simply. "I got to know those two pretty well on the trip out here. They feel obligated to try and help out and make stuff better."

Subaru looked sharply at Koh. "And what's your angle in all this?"

Koh blew a smoke ring. "You want the truth?"

Subaru rolled his eyes. "Does anyone ever say 'no' when you ask that question?" He scoffed.

"You'd be surprised," Koh said nonchalantly. "Look, the truth is that we don't really care about Brendig, Sonas, or even that weapon that everyone is apparently so fixated on. Our interest is in the hostages. Brendig took a hostage that's very important to us and we need to get her out of here safely! Preferably without kicking off a world war. The initial plan was to kick-start a revolution in Girali. Distract everyone and then I can sneak in and rescue the hostages. But that plan went royally wrong when we found out there were no rebels left to supply."

"Koh," Subaru growled. "Right now, I couldn't care less about any hostages besides those three. The entire world can go to war!"

"Refreshingly honest," Koh muttered. "Somewhat disturbing but honest. 'Save your own and let the rest burn.'"

"Enough with the witty banter, Koh!" Subaru snapped. "I don't have time for it! What do you want?"

"I just spoke to Felt and Garfiel," He said shortly.

"Where are they?" Subaru demanded.

"In the prisons beneath the old coliseum."

"Then you can sneak in there?"

"In a way," Koh said. "I doubt that I could sneak you in if that's what you're asking. And I won't be able to get in again until dawn in any event. I disguised myself as one of the janitors whom I'd paid to be sick today."

Subaru made a face. "Could we use the same trick for me?"

"Doubtful," Koh replied. "Remember, Sonas apparently has some magical trick to watch your every move. I heard the guards discussing it. If you go back to the city empty-handed, your friends and wife will pay for it."

Subaru opened his mouth to ask another question.

"Please, listen," Koh cut him off. "We don't have much time. Felt, Garfiel and a large chunk of the other slaves are going into battle tomorrow. They'll fight a small group of gladiators but the slaves are armed with fake weapons. They'll be slaughtered."

Subaru gasped.

"Felt had a good idea. Switching out the fake weapons for real ones! But I'll need to find real weapons and the only weapon stores that I know of are in the guardhouse and the palace. There's no way I can sneak in there."

Subaru frowned for a long moment. "Koh. If I get you weapons, like a cart full of weapons. Can you get them down there?"

Koh thought for a moment and then nodded. "I can hide them under cleaning supplies. The guards aren't likely to search a cart going into the coliseum very thoroughly. But where are you going to find a cart full of weapons?"

"I have an idea," Subaru said shortly. "But the problem is, what happens after they win the arena fight?"

"Good point. There will be an army of mercenaries in the stands. Plus all the hostages! Unless something incredible happens at that time, they'll just be recaptured or slaughtered."

Subaru thought hard for a minute. "What if I arranged a distraction? A big one. Could Felt, Garf, and the others break out of the arena?"

"Without a superior force to pin them down?" Koh asked, repacking his pipe. "I can get them out. And that would be the distraction I need to free the hostages. I'll grab my wagon and get the hostages out of Girali. With a little luck, we might even capture Sonas as a hostage and then you'd be able to force him to free your wife!"

"What about your collar?" Subaru asked. "You really think you can get across the Crumbly Desert without getting eaten?"

Koh shrugged. "We'll have to take our chances," He said simply.

Subaru slowly nodded. "Alright. Well, maybe I can do one better for you but that's later. In the meantime, come with me," He said, walking away.

Subaru and Koh found Xiao standing near the edge of the Shelf with a morose look on his face.

"Lord Subaru," Xiao whispered. "We heard Sonas's threats from down here. We're so sorry."

Subaru sighed.

Xiao shook his head. "We'd heard about Felt and Garfiel being captured after their attack on the dam," Xiao continued, "But we had no opportunity to warn you without Smite overhearing."

Subaru took a deep breath. "Xiao, is there someplace secure down here where we can talk?"

Xiao thought for a moment and then led Subaru and Koh to a shack near the very edge of the Shelf and a long way from anyone else. Miko was sleeping inside, wrapped up in a blanket and with a worried look on her face.

"Please be quiet, Lord Subaru," Xiao whispered. "Miko is terribly frightened for her sister. We only just got her to sleep."

"OK," Subaru whispered. "Gentlemen, I get the very strong impression that Sonas has never kept a bargain in his life. Is that a fair assessment?"

Xiao and Koh exchanged a long look.

Xiao nodded. "It's true. Sonas breaks his word at the drop of a hat. I worry that after finding this 'talisman' for Sonas, he'll simply decide that you're too useful an asset to give up. He might continue threatening your friends and your wife to force you to continue serving him."

"Or perhaps he'd just sell you to Brendig and kill two birds with one stone," Koh agreed.

"That's my read on the situation too," Subaru said in a tight voice. "So if I want them back, that means I'll need to take them back."

"How?" Xiao asked.

Subaru hesitated. "Xiao, I need to investigate some sort of temple. Do you know where it is? And do you know where the Iotuns live on that mountain?"

"We know that Old Gnawbones holds court inside a massive cave high up the mountainside. He has dozens of Iotuns in there with them. You should avoid that area at all costs. Unfortunately, you'll have to pass it on your way to the temple. The temple itself is unmistakable. There's an old cobblestone road that leads straight up the mountain and into the temple."

"Anyone ever been in there?"

"A few have. Or at least a few claimed they had. Their stories were all contradictory."

Subaru made a face and then moved on. "Xiao, how many of the slaves down here do you think might be ready to fight?" Subaru asked.

"Almost none," Xiao admitted. "The slaves that Sonas and Smite thought might still have some spirit left in them were all brought up to the coliseum. Most of the slaves left down here are grandfathers or children or cripples. These are the absolute cheapest slaves that Sonas could buy since he expects most of them to only last a few months anyway! Back in Lagunica, I was a good swordsman in my youth but now I've only got one leg! All that I can do is stand here, waving my blade, and hope that my foes come close enough to be cut! Beyond that, all that I'm good for is to stand still and try to catch arrows for the others!"

"Listen," Subaru said. "How many slaves have you got down here?"

"About four hundred and fifty," Xiao answered. "Counting the hundred that were arrested."

"Alright. So that number tells me a couple of things. Number one, it tells me that if you want your freedom, you're not going to be able to sneak away from Girali with those kinds of numbers. That means that you'll need to fight. Number two, four hundred and fifty people means that you have an army that outnumbers the guards three to one! You don't need to be crack soldiers to win with that kind of advantage!"

"We're still outnumbered by Brendig's forces," Xiao reminded him. "Altogether, our enemies number over seven hundred!"

"We can do this. I will get you weapons, I will ensure that the guards and mercenaries have to deal with a major distraction that divides their attention during the fight, and I will be standing there fighting beside you but you two need to get me an army to use those weapons."

Xiao shook his head. "Lord Subaru-" He sighed.

"And number three," Subaru cut him off. "Have either of you seen the sun lately?"

Xiao didn 't answer.

"Yeah," Subaru grumbled. "Keep that in mind. Even if the Iotuns are as dumb as rocks, within a week or two they're still going to start seeing distinct dining possibilities in a land without the sun and Girali is going to become their all-you-can-eat buffet. You guys do not want to be here when that happens."

Xiao looked ill.

Subaru shook his head. "Listen. Right now, I don't really need the slaves down here to fight. I don't have an easy way to get lots of them up into the city anyway. But I do need manpower. Could you persuade some of the strongest slaves you have left on the Shelf to meet me out by the mountain in a few hours?"

"What for?"

"To get the weapons."

Xiao looked incredulous. "I-"

"Koh," Subaru ignored him. "I'll have the weapons to you before sunrise. Then I need you to smuggle them into the city and down into the coliseum. What time does the fight start?"

"Noon. Although noon isn't what it used to be," Koh commented, looking up at the black sky. "That means that I'll have time to sneak the weapons into the coliseum and swap the fakes out for real ones. The problem will be getting them into the city."

"Let me handle that," Xiao said. "We have a large crowd of slaves that work in the city every day. They could each sneak in a few weapons and drop them off somewhere for Koh to find."

"Alright. Shortly after noon, I'll arrange for a massive diversion that will force the guards and the mercenaries to scramble. Koh, I need you standing by in the arena stands to make sure that the slaves break out and get into the city. Then you can-"

"Then, I can rescue the hostages in the arena stands and get them out of here," Koh cut him off. "Sorry, SuSu, but I have my own priorities."

Subaru glared at him. " Fine . Just make sure you do your part. "

"I will. Don't worry. But how are you going to distract them?"

"You leave that to me," Subaru muttered. "Just be ready to meet me out there in a few hours."

Xiao nodded. "Come along, Koh. We need to go talk about how we're going to do this."

Subaru emerged from the shack with a sigh. "And now I get to go all the way to that damn volcano," He muttered, staring at the volcano in the distance.

Should I grab Patrasche?

No, probably not. The distance isn 't that far and I feel like Patrasche wouldn't do well on those steep mountainsides.

Then again, keeping her with me would limit Sonas 's ability to take more hostages…

"Lord Subaru," A grating, metallic voice called.

Subaru 's head snapped up. The voice seemed to be coming from off the side of the plateau.

Subaru approached the edge and looked down.

Standing on a narrow ledge that jutted out from the steep slope that led from the Shelf to the desert below was a cloaked and hooded figure. The ledge was barely larger than a kitchen table but there was a cave on it that appeared to lead deeper into the mountain.

"I mean you no harm," The figure said in an unnatural voice.

Subaru frowned. "Who are you?"

"An ally, I hope. I can't allow you to know who I am. The danger to me and my family would be too great."

They 're obviously distorting their voice but it's a much cruder job than Kor ë did. They sound like a robot.

Subaru sighed. "Alright, fine. You've got the floor," He shrugged.

When did I become so blase about masked weirdos coming to talk to me?

"I am a member of the Order of the Divine Exousia."

"The Witch Cult?" Subaru said, his eyes narrowing.

"I have some information for you," The figure said.

Subaru hesitated. "And what's that?" Subaru asked carefully.

"You are in greater danger than you know. Your enemies close in from all sides."

"Tell me something I don't know!" He scoffed. "Sonas has my wife, I'm surrounded by mabeasts, and Brendig has an army here digging up some kind of ancient weapon!"

"No."

Subaru squinted. "What are you talking about?"

"It is not a weapon that Brendig seeks. It is a monster."

Subaru blinked. "What?"

"Before the time of the Great Cataclysm, an ancient evil was sealed away in the depths below Girali. Now after long centuries, it's finally working its way free. The Lagunican Sage's council discovered the threat in their archives and they sent Brendig here on a clandestine mission to find its tomb and to reseal it. However, your two friends thwarted this plan."

Subaru shook his head. Great work, Felt and Garf.

"What is this… thing?" Subaru asked awkwardly.

"The records refer to it as 'the Desiderate.' It was a terrible evil that was only barely sealed away before it could consume the entire world. After years unnumbered, a powerful witch has awoken and she is determined to free this monster."

"How?" Subaru asked. "I thought that Felt and Garfiel buried it again."

"It will not matter. The monster causes the endless night by absorbing the mana all around us. It will soon have finally absorbed enough power to break its bonds and then it will emerge from its crypt."

Subaru digested that. "How… long do we have?"

"Weeks. Perhaps only days."

Subaru closed his eyes. Shit! I don 't want to deal with this! I need to focus on Emilia!

"Is there any way to reseal it?" Subaru asked reluctantly.

"The talisman which you seek is a possibility. And I must warn you that Sonas has no intention of keeping his promise. He means to betray you the moment you give him that talisman."

"Yeah. I figured as much," He grumbled. "What is this artifact? A weapon?"

"In a manner of speaking. The artifact lies deep within the Ancient Temple. It was taken and sealed away in a place that mortals could never reach. The artifact has laid here, undisturbed since long before the Great Cataclysm."

Subaru frowned. "What does it do?"

"I have no idea but the Mistress of the Order covets it. Years ago, she sent Archbishop Regulus to seize the artifact for her but he failed and was severely punished for his failure."

Subaru 's jaw dropped. Someone has the power to punish Regulus ?!

"Who is this 'Mistress?'" Subaru demanded.

"I dare not tell you that. She can hear her name being spoken a thousand leagues away," The figure said. "However, I can tell you that this person has made contact with people of influence across the continent. By disguising herself and her true nature, she has convinced them to work her will."

"They don't realize that she's in the Witch Cult?" Subaru asked incredulously.

"They would be far from the first to take the Lady's salt without ever realizing whom they were treating with. Or perhaps they are simply naive enough to mistake her poisonous counsel for wisdom."

Subaru made a face and then let it pass. "Is there any way that you can rescue my wife from the pit? Or my friends from the coliseum?"

"No. I do not believe so," The stranger admitted. "The plateau is a honeycomb of tunnels, most of which are not safe to travel. There are powerful mabeasts in the deep places of the world. And Iotuns are known to wander into the larger caverns sometimes. Not to mention the Desiderate's power now floods the deeper tunnels. I dare not go that way."

Subaru's face paled. Emilia is suspended in those tunnels! "Where does this tunnel come out?" He asked. Maybe I could use it to get inside Girali.

"Not far from the main gate. Outside the city wall," The stranger answered.

Damn it! Can I get some kind of advantage tonight?!

"Please, listen to me," The hooded stranger continued, "We do not have much time. The Sin Archbishops have brought the Order to the brink of ruin. Much of the Order stands behind them out of apathy and zealotry. But not all of us support them or the direction that they have taken the Order in. My family has served the Order for centuries, we still remember the days when the call to serve the Blessed Ones was a high honor, won only by the wisest and most devoted of our Acolytes. We still remember the Light and the Glory of the Sun…"

Subaru blinked. The Sun? "What is it that you want from me?"

"We are watching you very closely right now, Lord Subaru," The figure said. "We will not yet emerge from the shadows. We dare not openly declare ourselves unless this is a battle that can actually be won. My kind live in a constant state of danger because the other Cultists view us as heretics. Our knowledge and the secrets of the Elder Days must be preserved at any cost until at last the Sun rises again. Even at the cost of our lives, we must not permit our secrets to be lost or be turned to the purposes of one who would misuse that knowledge.

"We wait and dream of the new Dawn. It shall come again. If not by your hand then by some other."

I 'm not following any of this…

Still, I am desperate for allies right now. And beggars can 't be choosers…

"Is there any way that you can help us?" Subaru asked pointedly.

"Possibly," The figure admitted. "We hold the wisdom of the Elder Days but we are not sword fighters. If there is knowledge that would assist you, I might have possession of it."

Subaru frowned. "Do you know where to find the Od Laguna?" He muttered.

The figure paused. "Once there were many paths to the World Soul. Now most are shuttered and barred or at least guarded. Some may still be open. When it is safe to do so, I will check the Cathedral archives and see what information can be uncovered."

Subaru started to ask another question but the figure stiffened and looked back into the cave. "I hear something in the caverns! I have to go!"

"Wait!" Subaru shouted.

The figure leaped away and was gone.

Subaru heard a tinkling sound. Something metallic fell onto the ledge.

Subaru frowned and slowly made his way down the steep, sandy slope to the cave.

It took him quite a bit of time to get down to the ledge and he almost fell twice but he finally managed to make his way down there.

He picked up the object. It was a gold medallion.

The medallion was about as large as Subaru 's hand and on it was engraved the symbol of a sun rising over the distance horizon, and a single ray of light shooting upward.

Below the engraving was a single phrase: "Praise the Sun."

"What's this?" He whispered.

"Hey!" A voice called out.

Subaru quickly hid the medallion and looked up to see Miko standing on the edge of the Shelf. She was looking down at him curiously.

"Why are you trying to go down that way?" She asked in confusion. "Just take the elevators, dummy! It's much easier!"

Subaru rubbed his forehead and sighed.

The unique geography around Girali meant that travel from the volcano to reach the city gates that stood high above the desert would be an extremely long walk but to reach the volcano from the foot of the Shelf was a short stroll.

Subaru soon found himself at the foot of the mountain, its crown glowing sullenly in the perpetual night.

Up close, the mountain face was craggy and pockmarked with enormous caverns.

I need to be careful up here, He thought to himself. These caverns are big enough to hide a Iotun or two. I 've gotten plenty of evidence that mabeasts can sense my Authority so there is a very real chance that the Iotuns and other mabeasts might know that I'm here before I know that they 're here.

I need to watch out for ambushes.

Subaru found the ruins of an old road that was paved with cobblestones and he followed it up the mountain.

As Xiao predicted, following the cobblestone road soon brought him to a massive cavern in the mountain that smelled of filth and rotten meat. The cavern seemed appropriate for a monster forty feet tall.

Subaru sighed. "Alright. This is going to be a lot of fun…" He said as he crept into the cave.

The cavern was pitch black and the foul smell of rot and feces was overwhelming. Subaru pulled out the light-stone that one of the guards had given him. It was a translucent yellow crystal about the size of a drinking glass. He shook it and a brilliant light illuminated the area.

Subaru moved forward and discovered that the massive cave forked into three tunnels just ahead of him.

Well, this is just great. Which way do I go?

Subaru turned a corner to inspect one of the tunnels and his stone suddenly illuminated a towering Iotun.

The creature appeared to just be standing there, staring at the wall but it noticed the light-stone immediately and grabbed its crude, stone axe with a mighty roar.

That tears it! Any other Iotun within five miles heard that!

Subaru prepared to fight but he accidentally dropped the light-stone and the cavern went pitch dark.

Shit! I can 't see anything! I can't time Indomitable without seeing what the Iotun is doing!

Subaru frantically groped for the stone. He heard the Iotun charging toward him with footsteps that shook the earth.

And then the footsteps slowed.

Subaru finally found the light-stone and reactivated it, holding it over his head.

The Iotun was barely a yard away from him, its huge, ugly face close enough for Subaru to smell its fetid breath.

The beast glared down at Subaru, looming over him like a hill. It seemed to be inspecting him closely.

I don 't know if this is one of the Iotuns that I met the other night but I bet that these guys are smart enough to communicate with each other when they run into something dangerous.

So maybe the Iotun knows about me, one way or the other.

The Iotun growled at Subaru but he held his ground, his heart pounding.

The Iotun 's ugly face twisted into a sullen pout and the monster turned and slunk away through another passage in the temple.

I need to watch where it goes.

After the Iotun disappeared down the other tunnel, Subaru slowly pursued it.

Subaru slowly explored the passage that the Iotun had disappeared down. He heard its ponderous footsteps not far ahead.

I need to be careful. This might be one of the dumbest things that I 've ever done.

Subaru reached the end of the passage and entered a cavern the size of a stadium that was dimly illuminated by an enormous bonfire that was built from whole trees.

More than a dozen Iotuns were slouched on various boulders in the room but the tallest seat was reserved for the largest Iotun, the one with the gray, scraggly beard.

As he entered the room, the Iotuns saw Subaru instantly and they all rose to their feet with a roar.

The Iotuns were clearly furious. This wasn 't just a chance meeting out in the desert, Subaru had dared to enter their sanctum and the Iotuns were enraged.

Subaru held his ground, trying to appear neither threatening nor threatened. One of the Iotuns charged forward but the elder Iotun roared at it.

The younger Iotun looked back at the elder and growled but the elder slammed his axe hilt against the stone floor.

That was clearly a threat although I 'm not sure of what.

Subaru watched as the younger Iotun glowered at him and then slunk back to his former place.

The Iotuns all stood there, glaring at Subaru.

Subaru took a deep breath. "I'm glad that we're not fighting," He said to the elder. "Us trying to kill one another just seems like a waste of effort right now, you know?"

The elder Iotun growled.

I have no idea how much of this message is getting across. I may be wasting my time here. Even without Pridebreaker, mabeasts seem to generally know what I 'm trying to say to them but I've never tried to convey anything so complex before!

Subaru took a deep breath. "I have a little proposition for you…"

The elder Iotun marched out of the temple gate with a slow, heavy tread that shook the earth. Subaru had to run just to keep up.

Outside of the temple, the elder Iotun walked over to a boulder and pointed behind it.

Subaru raced over there and found a large wagon full of weapons.

The Iotun elder growled again.

I bet that means 'Are you satisfied now?' in Iotun.

"Yeah. Thanks!"

The elder Iotun gave a guttural snort and then it stomped down the mountain, followed by dozens of other giants. At Subaru 's direction, they moved around the backside of the mountain so that they would remain hidden for as long as possible.

Subaru ignored them and went to the wagon. He inspected it closely but it still appeared sound aside from some minor crushing around the edges where the Iotuns had grabbed it.

Subaru triggered Indomitable and gave the wagon the gentlest tap he could.

The wagon went speeding down the mountainside with Subaru racing after it.

Subaru finally caught up with the wagon and found that Koh, Xiao, and a few other slaves were all gathered around the wagon.

"I take it these are the weapons you spoke of," Xiao murmured, inspecting them. "Not the best I've seen but serviceable. They look like standard military issue."

Subaru was panting for breath after his long run. "I took them back from the Iotuns. These are the weapons they stole."

"Well that makes sense," Xiao said. "There are plenty of swords and spears for a hundred people. Actually, this could equip several times that number."

"Have you figured out how to bring them up to the city without getting caught?" Subaru asked.

Xiao nodded. "I spoke to the others. Just before dawn, we were planning to send a hundred workers into the city. Of that hundred, eighty-seven offered to bring up a weapon or two, smuggled in their clothes."

"I'm guessing we can only bring in swords then. We can't bring spears that way," Subaru mused.

"We don't need the spears," Koh chuckled. "We just need the spearheads! I can affix them to the shafts inside the coliseum."

Subaru mulled that over and nodded slowly. "Have you guys agreed on where you'll pick up the weapons?"

"They'll all drop them off in a small alley near the heart of town," Koh said, emptying his pipe. "It's close to the coliseum. Meanwhile, I'll steal Netty's cart and then use it to bring the swords into the coliseum, buried under cleaning supplies. I'll just impersonate a janitor again. I'll sneak them down to the cells and replace the fake swords and spears with real ones. The guards will never know the difference."

Subaru nodded. "Don't forget to inform Felt and Garfiel about what we're doing."

Koh snorted. "Wouldn't that be a laugh? Give them real weapons but they all give up because they don't realize that we did it?"

Subaru sighed. "Alright. Listen. You guys have to go back alone now. If Sonas really is tracking me somehow, I can't leave the volcano yet or he'll be suspicious. I need to double back and find that temple."

Continuing further up the burning mountain, Subaru found an enormous cavern near the peak that was clearly not natural. The road led straight into the cavern and lined up along the side of the road near the entrance were dozens of large statues on pedestals.

Subaru took a moment to study the statues, scratching his head.

Some of these statues look like cherubs. That part seems normal enough but the other statues have horns and bat wings.

What kind of temple celebrates both angels and demons?

…Or is this depicting something else?

Subaru activated the light-stone and held it high over his head as he made his way inside the temple.

The hall inside was enormous. The ceiling was a good sixty feet overhead and the walls were far enough apart that Subaru could barely make them out through the shadows. It looked like someone had long ago taken a natural cavern and reshaped it to their own needs. What had once been a beautiful passage was now filthy and covered in debris from becoming a nesting place for Iotuns.

Subaru entered the cavern and found that he was standing on some kind of massive bridge that filled nearly the entire cavern. Through small gaps near the edges of the road, Subaru could see molten fire burning far, far below.

Alright. If I 'm lucky then all of the Iotuns that live here are already out tonight, looking for food.

…How do I just know that I'm not going to be that lucky…

Regardless, Subaru made it deep into the temple without encountering any monsters.

He raised the light-stone high overhead and studied a strange picture up on the wall. It seemed to be depicting a figure sitting on a throne that was absolutely surrounded by doors.

Another picture nearby seemed to show a group of people helping a man get into an enormous suit of armor but as Subaru studied the scene more closely, it looked more like he was being sealed in the armor, virtually buried alive in it.

The walls are covered with mosaics that seem to be telling stories but I have no idea what they 're supposed to be saying.

Man, this place would be an archeologist 's dream. Except for the smell.

I wish that I had time to look around and see what else is here.

Subaru found himself standing on a round platform suspended in midair over a great shaft in the mountain. The lava was visible far below. The platform was surrounded by eight statues on pillars but rather than cherubs and imps, these figures meant nothing to Subaru at all.

They all looked human or elven but Subaru couldn 't understand any of the symbolism on the statues that might have allowed him to figure out who they were supposed to be.

There was a door cut in the rock that led deeper into the mountain but it was hard to see what was in the room because a strange distortion filled the air in front of him.

It was a like a plume of black smoke that surged up from the floor, blocking the entire passage and making everything behind it hazy and indistinct.

Subaru eyed the plume darkly. He reached down and picked up a small stone, throwing it through the plume with all of his might.

The stone hit the plume and sizzled.

The stone didn 't even penetrate the barrier. It just hung there, suspended for a long moment, and then it crumbled into dust and fell to the floor.

Subaru swallowed hard.

This must be why nobody could get in here … Not even from the Witch Cult.

Well, shit! If even Regulus couldn 't get through then what possible chance do I have?!

I need to figure this out …

Subaru looked around the dirty floor and found a larger stone, a long slender one.

Subaru approached the plume and triggered Indomitable .

Then he shoved the edge of the stone into the plume.

The stone trembled as if it had been plunged into a raging river. The plume flowed over and around the stone like water but this time with no noticeable effect.

Then Indomitable timed out and the part of the stone engulfed by the plume crumbled instantly.

Subaru pulled the rock back and felt the edge. The part closest to the plume felt hot and smooth as if it had been worn away by boiling water.

Subaru took a deep breath. "OK, promising. Maybe one more test?"

Subaru braced himself, feeling as if he was about to shove his hand into a fire.

He triggered Indomitable and then put the very tip of his finger into the plume.

The plume felt a lot like hot water, not boiling but hot enough to be uncomfortable and the plume surged upwards with great force, almost enough to bend Subaru 's finger back.

He quickly pulled his hand away before Indomitable timed out.

Subaru nodded. "Alright. That's pretty good confirmation."

Subaru took a deep breath, held it, and then triggered Indomitable .

He closed his eyes and flung his body through the plume.

Subaru emerged from the plume unhurt but his body still felt raw . It was as if he 'd been submerged in extremely hot water for a brief moment.

Subaru looked back at the plume with a suspicious eye.

This must be one hell of a barrier. I can 't remember the last time that I felt anything through Indomitable.

Maybe that 's why this place has been undisturbed for so long.

Subaru dismissed the plume from thought and continued deeper into the mountain.

Subaru walked carefully into the dark passage. The tunnel opened up into a room the size of a small stadium. A stadium that was full of … clocks.

The place was like a giant flea market but a flea market that catered entirely to clocks. It was filled with tables and cabinets with shelves that were completely covered in ticking clocks. Wall clocks, grandfather clocks, clocks that looked like they would sit on a mantle. The floor was a metal grating. An enormous pool of magma could be seen burning far below.

Subaru entered the massive room, his face looking around in disbelief.

"Well, this is interesting," Subaru said, forced to raise his voice over the sounds of the constant ticking.

"Isn't it?" A voice called back.

Subaru spun around and he saw in what was previously an empty space in the center of the enormous room was now occupied by a beautiful woman seated in a chair. Strangely she had long, elegant horns curling up and back out of her red hair. Her eyes had no pupils and they glowed red. Subaru had no idea what kind of demi-human she was.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The woman chuckled. "I am just an echo," She said. "A memory, left here by one who desired to protect her king's legacy."

"You're the guardian of the talisman?" Subaru asked in a guarded voice.

The woman smirked. "I have never heard of it referred to as a 'talisman' before but yes," The woman answered. "Pass my trial and you are free to take the treasure which I guard."

Subaru nodded slowly. "And what is it?"

The woman 's gaze wandered. "'With two hands, I created an edifice to mankind's boundless greed: What he desires above all things and what no man, despite living with abundance, finds possible to share. We horde as much as we can but never find any extra.'"

"Time," Subaru said at once. "Humans want time more than anything else and we can't share our excess time with anyone else. And your 'edifice' with two hands is a clock."

The woman chuckled. "I suppose this is a poor room to ask that riddle, isn't it?"

"Probably. Are we done?" Subaru asked.

The woman laughed. "Not quite yet. Tell me, do you like machines?"

Subaru frowned. "Yes," He said cautiously.

"My lord enjoyed them as well. He loved gears and moving parts. Connecting them, lining them up, making them turn and push and pull. Above all other things he loved to see the figments of his imagination be given shape and form, creating things that would serve his will," She said sadly.

Subaru gave the woman a cautious look.

She sighed and shook her head. "Your trial is simple. It's time to count the parts of these machines. Find me the timepiece in this room with the most moving parts and I shall grant you safe passage. Fail, and I will order the volcano to rise up and consume you, " She gestured at the lava burning far below his feet.

Subaru 's jaw dropped and he stared at the thousands and thousands of clocks all around him.

"How long do I have?!" Subaru demanded.

The woman smirked and snapped her fingers, pulling an hourglass out of thin air and placing it on a small end table beside her. " That long, " She said.

Subaru stared at the rapidly vanishing sand.

Shit, Shit, Shit! I haven 't looked at a clock in years! There are thousands of clocks to investigate in this room! How can I tell which has the most gears? Break them all open and count?!

OK, stay calm. This is just a puzzle and it 's the kind of puzzle that you excel at. And clocks would work fairly similarly and not vary their design very much. Work it out.

How would you build a clock?

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment. The sand stopped falling in the hourglass and Subaru 's panic blew away like smoke.

This is simple, He thought. Each clock needs three gears to keep track of seconds, minutes, and hours. The gears are connected by pinions.

I suppose we must consider if pinions count as an extra gear or if they are considered part of the same gear.

No. Don 't be foolish. The number of pinions is slaved to the number of gears in any event. They can be ignored.

Now, a clock will also need an escapement to regulate the time whether it uses a pendulum or a spring-wheel so that brings us up to four gears.

That seems to be the trick. Clocks would usually only have four gears. You simply need to find one that has more than that.

And why would a clock need more than that? Solving this puzzle is no more complex than deducing what manner of clock design requires more than four gears.

The answer didn 't immediately present itself and Subaru's panic started to break through his calm.

Think! Why would a clock need more than four gears?

It must be doing something else, The calm voice mused. Something more than just keeping time …

Subaru 's elation broke through his unnatural calm.

An alarm clock! It would need extra gears to ring the bell!

In frozen time, Subaru scanned the enormous room.

Alarm clocks …

I need to narrow it down further. There have to be a thousand alarm clocks here.

Pendulums, perhaps? The cold voice murmured. A grandfather clock that uses pendulums has two extra moving parts compared to a wind-up clock with a spring wheel which only has one extra part …

A grandfather alarm clock? Does something like that exist?

Subaru restarted time.

Subaru quickly raced through the entire arena trying to look at everything without taking the time to process any of it.

Once I trigger Reason and Judgment, I 'll have infinite time to process the data! But first, I need to gather the data!

Subaru finished racing through the room and returned to where the woman was watching him with interest.

Subaru saw with horror that the sand in the hourglass was almost gone.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment.

Alright! Think! Subaru thought, panic creeping through Reason and Judgment 's unnatural calm. I 've seen everything in the room. Which clock had the most gears?

Maybe I should just be looking for a clock with elaborate chimes. Each note would need its own set of gears.

Subaru scanned his memory. Most of the clocks that he 'd seen, he was certain had only four gears. The most that he'd found was a trio of grandfather clocks with pendulums and four different chimes giving it a combined count of ten gears.

Is that the answer?

I don 't know. I'm worried. I was expecting there to be a single answer but there are three different clocks with the same design and I don't see any differences.

I doubt that this Lady is just being nice and giving me three chances to be right.

Subaru ran through his memory again.

Your options are limited, The voice said flatly. That is the only option that presents itself. You 'll need to restart time and drag that clock over to this woman as fast as you can. Unfortunately, you're low on time and it appears to be quite large and heavy. It seems doubtful that this woman would accept you punching the bits of the clock in her direction as an acceptable answer.

Alright. That 's the best I can do I guess. I'll have to restart time, grab the clock, and drag it over to the lady as fast as I can.

Subaru exited Reason and Judgment. He sprinted to the grandfather clock that he 'd been targeting, mentally counting every grain of sand as it slipped away in the hourglass behind him.

Subaru grabbed the clock and started to drag it slowly and painfully across the floor.

"Almost out of time," The woman called in a mocking voice.

Subaru pushed with all his might, fighting not to knock the clock over and smash it. He watched as the sand in the top of the hourglass dwindled to a trickle.

Subaru 's eyes widened and then he dropped the clock which fell to the floor with a crash.

Subaru took off running as fast as he could for the woman.

The woman looked at Subaru quizzically.

Subaru snatched up the hourglass and presented it to her. "Here you go!" He shouted, panting for breath, just as the sand ran out.

The woman accepted the hourglass. "Very perceptive," She murmured. "I suppose that the treasure is yours then. After all these years, my long vigil is finally complete," She said, her voice trapped somewhere between sadness and relief.

Subaru stared at her. "Who are you anyway?"

The woman gave him a sad smile. "Just an echo. A memory of happier times."

Then the woman just disappeared.

Subaru looked around in confusion. The entire room had vanished. Subaru found himself back in the same tunnel he 'd been in before.

Subaru bit his lip. "OK… let's… move on, I guess," He murmured as he continued down the tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel was a small room. Atop a podium, incongruously standing erect, was a golden staff taller than Subaru. On the wall behind it was the same stylized Sun symbol that he 'd seen on the Vault that Capella had tried to open.

The staff looked a bit like a trident. It had three prongs but the outer two prongs flared outward and then bent in making two horn-like protrusions above a smaller third central prong. Both of the outer prongs had three golden rings, laying unsecured against them.

Subaru stared at the staff for a long moment. "Is this it?" He muttered taking a quick look around.

There was no doubt that the room had been made to honor the staff and there was no exit to the room except back the way that he 'd come.

Subaru reached up and took the staff. It felt light as a feather. He placed the butt of the staff on the ground and the six golden rings rang faintly like chimes.

"This thing… kind of reminds me of a Shakujo," Subaru murmured. "Is this another example of Japanese influence in Kararagi?"

Subaru studied the staff closely and he realized that there was writing beneath the head.

Light 's Wrath , He read. Below that, it read, The Light must shine. Truth does not recognize kindness. Justice has no room for pity. True glory is not eclipsed by closing one 's eyes. The Light must shine, heedless of what it may expose or burn. Mercy is found only in shadow.

Subaru read the inscription four times but each time, he just found it more confusing.

Finally, he shook his head. "Alright. I'll figure this out later. For now, it's time to get out of here," He said, inspecting the room. "And now I have to carry this damn thing all the way down the mountain."

There was a sound of slithering metal and his hand suddenly felt off-balance.

Subaru looked at the staff and discovered that the shaft had all but vanished. He now held a short rod connected to the staff head.

Subaru stared at it. "Did you… hear what I said? " He whispered uncomfortably.

If the staff did hear him, it made no sign.

Subaru swallowed hard and put the rod into his satchel. "OK. Let's… get out of here."