Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 60 The Pinnacle

        The cold wind stripped away the sounds of hundred of beaten breaths, still as intense as the days that came before. It was miraculous to Lyse that no man refused to move back, despite the display laid before them. But he got the feeling that their loyalty to this woman was obviously above such dread they could derive from the encounters forced upon them so far. Besides, their priority was to protect their captain, nothing else. And if she was going into battle, it will be backed by a hundred swords and a hundred guns. But also, they seem somewhat as amiable towards Lyse as well, almost sympathetic. Many were his seniors, veterans in this life he now treads filled with danger. They must have sensed the impact of his failures. And for that he is thankful. Because he has one last thing to ask for them, and he is afraid that their lives will be far more in danger than before.

Once he had heard that there were metal creatures that roamed these lands, he knew it had some connection to this god of forges. Hephaestus the Makar, god in the mountain, apparently needed all the time he needed. This supported Lyse's theory that Hephaestus was indeed losing strength. His earlier attack may have seemed to do very little, but no doubt the god lost a little of himself every single moment, even now. The body of Garath decayed and turned to dust and rock. And without this thing that he sought, he will not last in this world. That was what he was counting on. Lyse knows that he alone will not be able to defeat this god, but hopefully, with the help of Edlund and Makyra, they might be able to halt him just long enough. Unfortunately, that will have to be the extent of their plans; keep the mechanized beasts busy, while the three of them tried their best to keep the god away from his desires. Lyse and Edlund both felt the same chill in their heart. But like so many times before, they simply had to ignore it. They won't be allowed fear to settle in now of all times. The pendant felt hot beneath his clothes and armor, comforting him in these moments.

"Lyse, there right?" Edlund pointed near the very back of the city, half-buried in the rolling snowy hills. But a clear path of melted ice, revealing the coarse dirt beneath, led directly there.

"Yeah," Lyse said softly. Makyra was on an adjacent hill with Tug and Ralia. They were waiting for their signal to begin. "This is our last chance. We either win here, or there will be nothing."

"You could have said those words at any point in all of this and it wouldn't change a thing," Edlund said, half smiling. "We have no other choice but to do all we can."

"The god is weakened, but he will not be easy to take down," Makyra said. "We will have to focus on keeping his attention, rather than blindingly attacking him. Flank him as much as possible."

"Yes," Lyse agreed. "This will come down to a battle of attrition rather than any other option unless we destroy this thing he is after. We won't know unless we get in there. And we have so little time. Give the signal, Makyra."

"She stood, and they watched as her body began to steam under the cold air. They watched as she morphed into that of a silver wolf, her clothes melting into fur and armor changing along with her physique. Then, once fully transformed, she gave a haunting howl that reflected off of the white hills that surrounded him. That was their signal. Moxie' heart pounded with adrenaline, her senses becoming as sharp as razors as they all gave a collective yell. A good and proper warcry, and what a warcry it was. Swords were already drawn, guns aimed down upon their enemy, a mass of men rushed down into the rocky ruins. The automatons, as if collectively possessed, immediately turned their full attention on these intruders. Their red eyes blared, and they started letting loose these wailing sounds that alarmed them. This must be their warning system. They all immediately began running in janky movements, twitching and sending sparks between their plates and moving parts. It appears that they had all been revived in quite the dilapidated state. They staged this correctly, however, as they drew away attention from the temple, and that was their own queue.