Spark of War (Progression Fantasy)

El emerged from the portal above Wirock, Nexin and the Boomers at her side. Directly below, the large ring stood with what looked like a solid, marble disc veined with blue filling what had been an empty space, and El let out a sigh of relief. The ring on the northern island had been the same – except with red lines instead of blue – but it was still good to see it with her own eyes.

Speaking of seeing things with her own eyes, she couldn't help but stare in disbelief at the scene on the eastern edge of the city.

"Am I seeing right?" she asked Nexin. "Are those Guldish golems?"

"Looks that way," Nexin said, a small hitch in his voice. A golem similar to one of the models out that way had burning-near killed him. "Are they on our side?"

"Special-Sergeant, is that you?" General Cannon asked over the communication magic.

"Sure is, Sir," El said. "Got Nexin and the Boomers here with me."

"Good. I'll need a full report after we clean up here. The Depths are in full retreat, but I'll be honest, we're running on empty. If you've got enough left to give chase…"

El looked at her brother and gave a small shake of her head, and he returned the gesture with a tiny nod.

"Sorry, General," Nexin said. "We're pretty spent after dealing with the avatar and closing the rings. I think it might be safer to let the stragglers go and deal with them later. With the rings secure, they're a threat we have some time to address."

"Hrm. Esis?" Cannon asked.

The Boomers' sergeant looked over at El, then Nexin, and finally her second in command. El hadn't explained what she'd seen – or talked about – with the Fathom to either of them. Her brother simply trusted what she'd asked. Esis, on the other hand, had been a little more resistant to letting the Depths escape back on the island, but after the carnage of the fight, even the Boomers had seen enough blood.

"You have a good reason for what you asked of us?" Esis said to El, not bothering with the communication magic.

"I do," El said. "Or, at least one we should consider before we kill many more, even if I don't know if it will actually change anything."

"We'll wait for your debrief," Esis said. "But, if the general orders us back out…"

"I'll be there right beside you," El said. "There might be a way to save the Depths from themselves, but if that doesn't work, then they're still a threat."

"Good enough," Esis said, then opened her connection to the general. "Sorry, Sir, I was checking with the wing. I hate to say it, but I think it would be safer for the unit not to pursue with how tired we are."

"Understandable," Cannon said, no sign of disappointment in his voice. "Once we get back to Pycrin, you'll have to give me the full story of what happened there. And how you managed to seal the rings, Special-Sergeant."

"Only if you explain to me why Guldish golems are here and seem to be helping you," El said, only half-joking.

"More than just helping us," Cannon said. "They saved us. We wouldn't have survived the ambush if not for them."

"How are they even here?"

"Your friend brought them, apparently," Laze interjected. "Olip went looking for reinforcements, and that's what he found."

"Laze!" El immediately started in the direction of her friend's marker on her armor. "Nidina? Dayne? Sol? Are they okay?"

"They're fine, El," Laze said. "Few minor cuts and bruises. Nothing serious."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Thank goodness," El said with another sigh of relief. They'd all made it. Somehow. "So, golems? How did Olip ever convince them to help? How did he even communicate with them?"

"We don't know all the details on the second part of that," Cannon said. "But, apparently, he told them we'd owe them if they helped. And that it'd be showing us up to save our asses. He wasn't wrong about either of those things."

"Are they on friendly terms?" El asked, keeping an eye on the intimidating golems even as they chased off the last of the Depths.

"For now, yes," Cannon said. "Though I'd like talk to them before we go our separate ways again. If this is a chance to start mending that fence – and to repay them for their help here toady – we need to make that happen."

"I'm sure Olip will help," El suggested. "He sounded like he had a good head on his shoulders. And if he brought them here…"

"Agreed. We'll set something up at the gateway once we've made sure it's secure," Cannon said. "For now, though, good job on sealing the rings, and welcome back."

***

A week later, El sat with her friends in the cafeteria, a fiery pork bomb in her hands, and a second on reserve for when she finished. It'd taken some practice to eat the messy meal with her left arm still in the triple-forged-electrum vambrace, but the limb still wasn't completely healed. Felps – and the actual medical doctors – figured it'd be another week or two before she could go without. Then again, compared to never being able to use her arm again, it was a small price to pay.

As for the rest of the electrum armor made especially for her, well, that was back in her room for when she needed it. After explaining her encounter with the Fathom to the brass, they'd agreed they'd look into what could be impacting the Depths' behaviour – if anything. Bones and dozens of researchers were already combing the Vestish library for answers to those questions, and a few actual Vestish survivors had made their way back to the city. They may not have had the best impression of the Depths, but they seemed happy to help if for no other reason than it was a semblance of normal. That and Pycrin was helping them rebuild in return.

In the meantime, however, if the Depths showed themselves and caused trouble, Pyrcin was responding. Firestorm had been stationed in multiple cities across the globe – the whole thing made much easier by working with the Salidians and their gateways – and were on the constant lookout for trouble. The standing orders were to chase the Depths off, but if that didn't work, well, lethal force had been approved.

As for El and her team, they were on some well-earned R&R. And, more importantly, her third day of fiery pork bombs.

Across from her, Laze and Nexin sat shoulder to shoulder. Their relationship hadn't exactly evolved, but Laze had openly confessed her feelings for El's brother. Not that anybody had been surprised, but it had signaled a change. And, just as he'd promised El, Nexin was giving Laze's feelings due consideration. Things were moving slowly, but they were moving.

A small part of El wanted to be jealous at losing her brother's attention, but she really couldn't be. Laze was her best friend, and no matter what happened between the two of them, Nexin would always be El's brother. Blood relation or not.

Their digging into the orphanage – though it couldn't really be called that – had only just scratched the surface, though all evidence pointed to it being nothing more than a research facility. Surprisingly, or maybe not, it was Felps who gave them their best lead, having heard about similar studies. Nothing had proven or disproven El and Nexin were actual siblings, but they'd mostly stopped worrying about that detail.

Family didn't have to be blood, and the people sitting around the table with her now, they were her family.

"Glad to see you sticking around, Sol," El said as she polished off her first sandwich and cleaned the sauce off the claws of her left gauntlet.

"I've grown to like it here," the man said. "And as long as the Depths remain a threat, I can be of assistance."

"Helps the generals don't constantly suspect you of trying to take over or destroy the city," Nidina said.

"Most of them don't," Sol clarified. "It's… a process. Perhaps I should try to do something nice for the holdouts?"

"Don't try to cook for them," Nexin immediately said. "You'd start another war."

"My cooking is not that bad."

"Afraid it is," Dayne said in his usual methodical way. "You use seasoning like a hammer instead of a paint brush. You need to be more subtle and blend the flavors."

Sol paused and stared at Dayne, and it took him opening his mouth twice before words came out. "I… had no idea you could say so many words at one time."

"Dayne only says exactly what he needs to," El said, gently elbowing the big man beside her. "Which means you really needed to hear that."

Everybody at the table nodded.

"It is your fault, you use too much salt," Teth – Nidina's twin brother – said.

"What did we talk about?" Nidina asked the man immediately. "No more rhyming!"

"As far as a habit to break, lots of time it will take," Teth said, then winced at himself.

Nidina groaned and threw up her hands.

El just chuckled at her friends. Yup, they'd saved the world, but the fact they'd all made it back safely was what mattered most. There was still lots to do, sure, with figuring out a way to cleanse whatever was making the Depths crazy, and rebuilding the relationships with the other nations. They could do that together, though.

She looked at the other sandwich on her tray.

After she finished lunch.

Fin