Dark Crow Rising

"Alright, everyone, time to go! If you haven't packed it already, leave it behind! Grab your children, get with your families and let's go!" I repeat at the top of my lungs, my final message out to His Royal Highness now sent. Grabbing onto the nearest solid object, the city trembles with deathly excitement. It happens again, again, again.

Steeling my limbs, I force my way across the walkway and down the stairs with an iron grip. A child that falls ends up in my hand and I heave him up by the pit. He runs into his father's grip, burdened by supplies and luggage. Taking one final look back towards my printing presses, I look beyond them and through the skylight.

The giant's head comes into view and the eyeless sockets seemingly meet my eyes. Gulping, I rush to join the rest of the group and pat a pair of lingerers on the back. The air-docks or the station, we have to get to either of them. The last few evacuation runs are about to depart.

Somehow, we have to make it, we have to fight our way through the people fleeing with us. Not enough time has existed since the last Ibenorccon coin was loaded up and taken away without a life with it. Whatever help is coming, I cannot bank on its timely arrival. At least, my gut feeling is that.

I need to have faith in His Royal Highness but when I can see what I can...

Shaking my head, I remove my hand from my sidearm and watch someone fall. Rushing to their side, I pick them up, trembling alongside them as another foot hits the sand. The screaming picks up. With a harsh breath, I ignore the cold shiver washing over my skin.

"Move quickly, everyone!" I let out to get some of this worry out of my system. I would love to scream, oh, I would so love to. However, with everyone depending on me, such childish behaviour must not come out. We need to run and run fast.

"Adriant...? ADRIANT!?" screams one of the mothers. Skidding to a burning halt, I pass on what I can to the others. I stop to grab the whimpering woman.

"Where is he?" I ask, looking back when I catch the sound of crying. Did one of the children get trapped or did they freeze up in the stampede out of the building?

"I DON'T KNOW! HE WAS RIGHT H-HERE!" she screams and I give her a gentle slap.

"Go, I will get him. GO!" I tell her, yelling it in repetition when she seems to not hear. Gulping again, I take in the admitted majesty of the giant as its power finally reaches the city. Whoever planned on dying with the mountain is now probably dead, their last chat reaching a forced end. I growl.

My legs smash down with all the force they can and my heart pumps with arcane might. Jhrarda bless my body. God of Might, bless this body. Give me the strength I need.

Screeching into the building once again as all sorts smash about, I look around, "ADRIANT!"

"MOMMY!" the little boy howls from the other end of the building. Spotting the little problem, another falling crate scares him deeper into his cover. His coming place if doom if we stay. I roll out of the way of a loose pipe and hear it spark along the stone.

Running along, another footfall makes me smash my hip against the main line. I hiss into clenched teeth and bounce out into the open, hands to the ground. Forcing myself up just in time, a rain of splinters soaks my back. I slap a grip onto the closest solid bit of material.

"TAKE IT, NOW!" I roar at the scared child, diving in after him to drag him out. Whatever that bang is, it will have to wait. Noting the quiet child I now have and the swelling mark on his head, I shake my white-skinned one. A good lie will keep a woman's scorn away.

My eyes widen and I present my back to a flying typer. Taking the blow and putting it onto a knee, I bark in pain and get back up. Hobbling out initially, I make it out into the street which is certainly a lot more packed than before. I'm forced to wait at the edge of my building as those around damaged by the riots take an early fall.

Whatever death those now immobile have experienced, it's surely better than what's coming. Another step from the giant, all the more noticeable thanks to its imminence. Some of the city starts to collapse its way, the supports underneath gone. Another step and it catches up to the stragglers.

Though those ahead are screaming more than ever, there's no sound that far out. Clicking my tongue and minding my gun, I get going. Keeping my head down and focused on the streets, my mind recalls all it can. Every bit of training, every survival instinct and moment I was put to the test. Shoulders knock luggage and people aside and my legs carry me further than they ever have prior.

Railman's View Tower comes into sight somehow about the out-of-control fires. Finding an alley where the police barricades have been trampled, I rush up onto the chainlink. Jumping down, it whips back at someone following and they wail. A looted shop thankfully lights up my path and I dash in, forcing my sprint out of the next broken door.

I spot my group as they fight to secure a place in the queue.

Crossing the gap, I pass on the child and draw my gun in the confusion. Firing off a couple shots, I shock some sense back into those around me and make my way to the few estate guard holding a small checkpoint. From the safety of their little castle, they keep shaking their guns at the warping lines of fences and barricades. Our eyes lock once the one in the booth spots my barbur.

"Get this thing open!" I want to roar as an alarm rings.

"ATTENTION ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL, FINAL DEPARTURE! REPEAT, FINAL DEPARTURE!" a man roars with all the pent-up stress in his system. Blinking in disbelief, I watch as the few men we can see board the picked clean air-docks. People all around start to scream again with all they have and I blink some more at the departing airship. A crowd once held back back armed men chases after it, many leaping for the airship and not making it.

Looking back towards the giant as another swathe of the city finds itself gone... I... I nod. A few more steps and that's my implant cover gone.

"What... What're we going to do?" one of my engineer's questions as I quietly shuffle over to the final edge of the city. That is a good question, what are we going to do? Whatever incompetence or malice drove the government to behave the way it did has doomed so many. All they care about now is getting as many trained bodies out of here as possible.

"So many airships and they all just left..." a young boy languishes, but one of many who have joined me here. Some get a little too proactive and throw themselves down to an early death, their mouths unending in their panic. I frown at the distant airships, something is not quite right with them. I notice something.

"The giant... It's stopped." I let out loud enough for people to hear and some join me in looking back the way we came. The footfalls, they've ended. It's not coming closer and no more of the city is vanishing. Instead, we get the spectacle of watching the giant raise its blade defensively and it backs away.

Defensively...?

Defensively!

I snap back to the edge of the city and smile at the horizon as it becomes all the clearer. Most of those airships are not heading away from the city, no, they're coming here. The shape, the brightness of the power carrying them on their six legs. It's a whole fleet of New Stories and more!

"HEY, EVERYONE, THOSE ARE WARSHIPS! WE HAVE WARSHIPS COMING IN!" a man howls back into the crowd.

"WHY'RE THEY ONLY JUST COMING NOW!?" one person dares to ask.

"I... I..." the man with the binoculars whimpers, the device returning to his eyes, "It's the Seven-Peaks Union..."

"The Union...?" is all it takes for all sorts of rumours and lies to already spread. All the while, my smile grows ever more and the excitement washes away the fear-induced adrenaline.

"BROADSIDE!" a man roars and panic drives the crowd back into the city. They might not be soldiers, but, they know the phrase for readied guns. Staying close to the wall myself, I watch as thousands of guns present themselves. A fitting name shining bright before us, Armed Saviour.

Their elevation is too low for the giant, it's all aimed right at the city. I look over to the air-docks and note how small they really are in comparison. Emergency construction work needs to take place. Life-saving demolition!

"EVERYONE BACK NOW! GET BACK NOW!" I roar, firing off my gun at the edge of the crowd to force them back. I join them, much to their utter confusion and a few smart ones catch on. They join me in corralling the crowd back as the closest New Story lights up. Distorted singing speeds closer and closer and then-

Detonations rip across the city as the roar of engines breaks through. Armour scrapes into the stone and the road cracks as the jaws of the ramps snap into them. Braves rush down to the streets, colours flying proudly and they open the paths up with welcoming arms. It only takes the first motion from the closest Great Man for the crowds to flee for their lives.

Holding my ground against the tide of people barging past me. I realise that it's not a particularly smart idea and rush up onto a dented lamp post. Hauling up, I watch the skies with a smile as hundreds of warships sail above the city. I catch the giant backing away further and the airships all open fire.

New Story flying batteries. Stormmaker omni-ships. Eyes of Mighty Jhrarda on the underbellies of the clouds. Percher-class aircraft carriers, the full might of the...

"BLESSINGS TO YOU! BLESSINGS TO THE SAILORS OF THE ROYAL AIR-NAVY OF THE JHERMONIKRA!" I cry out with all I have as the shadow of His Royal Highness' flagship comes into view. The weapons of the Endearing Fury light up, scooping up the nearby mountain ranges and bringing them right down on the giant. New Stories thunder and volley with the roars of three thousand guns aside. Wind magic of all loads builds up.

The giant roars and tunnels its way back into the open, sword going straight through a warship. His Lunar Majesty's steel holds and the lost ship unloads all it can as shields and armour fail. One more airship meets its doom in the crushing free hand of the giant. Small omni-ships barely have time to get away as the giant's lightning reflexes come into play.

The excitement neutered somewhat, I make my way to the next evacuation ship. What appears to be the omni-ship's sky-captain marches down the ramp. His guard forces the evacuees into a single file and he offers me a salute and a package. Taking the tablet out of his hands, I meet the eyes of one of my confused workers.

"Sky-Captain." I greet with a nod as one of his men snatches away my barbur as proof of my identity. The Sky-Captain notes the burst barrels and hands it back. He returns my earlier gesture and waves for me to follow.

"Come, we have much to do." the air-naval officer tells me and I follow after, becoming one of the last to leave the city of Ullernam. If there's anyone else still here, I doubt the Royal Air-Navy is keen to linger even with such a fleet holding the giant back. I let out a noise of surprise as the omni-ship's boarding ramp comes back in before my last foot is on.

I block off the lever to seal the elongated, balloon-shaped craft and watch the giant. Under the hail of fire, even with its ability to slaughter our nation's finest metalworking... Despite that power, it starts to back away. Like a man realising he's bit off more than he can chew, it leaps away to land on a different course.

A fireball erupts in the clouds.

I move my hand and let the shadow-faced soldier do his job. My eyes meet those of some of my employees again and I straighten my suit out. Offering them one final nod, I make it as clear as I can that they can now consider themselves jobless. Looking at my package, I unbind it and begin to read it over, the tablet's name catching my attention the most.

Operation Grand Clock Seizure.