Dharen paused for a moment, disoriented by the strange juxtaposition of unfamiliarity and complete understanding. However, he did not let himself be frozen for long. The Orbels were still attempting to break in at that very moment, and there was scant time to waste.

With that in mind, he continued his quick perusal of the journal’s inner workings. The entry that he had previously read held some intriguing information, and any potential new discovery he made could hold great importance. He continued to scan through its pages until he halted at an entry of note.

⥫⥬⥫⥬⥫⥬

Day 3: The 17th Cycle of Abadon, Year of Belun.

We have finally done it! For the previous few days, we have searched for a potential solution. And although we have been forced ever backwards as the Home Guard loses ground, we have not given up.

And our tenacity had been rewarded. Today, we have made a breakthrough. The answer lies with the Orbels.

For generations, they have been a novel curiosity. Their ability to take on a wide variety of forms, and to reassemble themselves when separated - they may be exactly what we need.

Though Orbels are currently merely a novelty, relegated to the role of pets and curiosities, they could be so much more. We have envisioned the proper alterations to transform them into nigh-immortal automatons.

Our work might very well save our people.

Upon completing the entry, Dharen’s eyes lit up in satisfaction. He had been correct. It was likely that the journal’s pages would allow them to understand and defeat their enemy. Gleefully, he read on.

Day 10: The 24th Cycle of Abadon, Year of Belun.

I can feel the walls closing in. It feels as if every day, we draw ever nearer to our inevitable deaths. Compared to the intruders, we are physically weak. Even the greatest among us, those of the Home Guard, fall like flies. And though we have made progress in retrofitting the Orbels for war, there has been a setback.

In every instance that an Orbel has been augmented enough to become a sufficiently dangerous construct alone, it trends toward all-consuming aggression. They cease following orders, instead attacking the nearest lifeforms with vigor - unable to distinguish the difference between non-Orbels.

Despite this, we have continued. If nothing else, we will be able to take the enemy with us.

Day 12: The 26th Cycle of Abadon, Year of Belun.

I have begun to understand that sacrifices will have to be made. We are unable to fully control the augmented Orbels in the time frame that we have been given.

I have done the best that I can to accommodate for that. Though we cannot control them, our team has engineered a device to weaken them greatly should it become necessary. We have termed it the Pulser Mk1 and formed the necessary link between it and the bodies of myself and my colleagues to prevent the invaders from employing the device against us. By enhancing its active destabilizer field, it creates a disruption of the automatons’ linking ability, preventing them from forming together with other Orbels and loosening the construct matrix holding the spheres that create their bodies together.

Unfortunately, even this will likely not be enough to destroy the Orbel Knight Keljier, the strongest of our creations, should it turn against us. Even so, perhaps it will be enough. Either way, time has run out. Despite the risk, we must release the Orbels against the invaders. Mutually assured destruction is surely more appealing than being eradicated alone.

May Gulad have mercy on us.

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Having completed the final entry of the journal, Dharen placed it back down. He couldn’t help but feel disturbed by the eerie tone of the final entry. The author of the journal had been desperate, as had his people. They had created the Orbels in a bid to save themselves, and in doing so had created their own doom.

That much was certain, based on the status of the skeletal remains in the room. They had been crushed with overwhelming blunt force, likely by the very Orbels that had been initially created to protect them.

With a new insight into the origin and weaknesses of their enemy, Dharen talked with the other three. He revealed that the creators of the automatons set aside a creation that was able to temporarily disable a majority of the Orbels.

With this new knowledge, the group dispersed throughout the room and searched for anything that seemed like it could be the device they need. They grabbed a variety of items and piled them together.

Together, they searched through the collected materials in an attempt to find the Pulser. There were a number of strange contraptions and devices, suggesting that the civilization which lived here had been quite advanced. However, they were unable to determine whether any of them were what they needed.

Though they did not find the Pulser, Dharen surreptitiously stored a few items of note into his spatial ring with a flick of his hand when the others were not looking.

“Are we sure that it is here? And even if it is - how do we identify it?” Ozen questioned. It was easy to understand his agitation; the constant sound of the Orbel horde outside pushing against their makeshift barrier was enough to set anyone on edge. Particularly so when he was forced to continue piling greater numbers of debris into the wall.

“Perhaps not,” Dharen replied, “but what do you think of our chances to fight so many of them in this situation? We must find any advantage that we can.”

Erik interjected, eyes aglow with a feverish light. “I agree. You did not see all of them; it was only the beginnings of the wave. There is an innumerable measure of them waiting for us. Our best chance, our only chance, is to find that device.”

As the others quieted down, Dharen’s mind continued to ruminate on a suspicion that he had been holding for the last few minutes. If the Pulser was available and able to stop the Orbels, how did this Del die in such a manner? The likely answer was that the Pulser was elsewhere at the time.

It was just a hunch, but Dharen had grown accustomed to trusting his instincts over the years. Impatient, he made a decision.

Though he was hesitant to reveal the extent of his strength, he understood that it would likely be displayed eventually anyway. He wandered over to the wall that stood between the room the party inhabited and the locked room beside them. With a lazy swing, he slammed his hammer into the wall.

The others looked at him in confusion, sure that he had gone into a panic. Ozen scoffed, continuing to fortify the barrier as he did so. Dharen lazily swung at the wall once more.

“What are our chances of breaking a hole through them and making it to the teleporter?” Serah asked hesitantly.

“Not good…” Erik responded despondently. “We’d be weighed down by the sheer number of enemies before we could even make it close.” In the background, Dharen’s warhammer clinked against the stone wall lightly.

Ozen rolled his shoulder, agitation setting in. His weapons lit aflame as his rage sparked. He let out a low growl. “It is simple. I will push them out from the front. Stay behind me. I may be able to knock them aside far enough to create a pathway for the two of you. When it becomes clear that I am able to do so, follow me through.”

Serah let out a distressed moan. “No! We already may have lost Tomas. I will not risk losing you, too!”

Ozen grinned, teeth displayed in a feral rictus. “I do not plan to die. But if we do not do something, we will all die. And that, I will not accept.” His sentence was punctuated with the strike of Restraint against the wall.

Ozen turned toward Dharen. “Well, are you going to join m-” He was cut off, left with mouth agape as Dharen visibly shifted, his muscles tensing and straining. Dharen flexed his grip on his hammer. With a shout, he let loose a powerful swing. Lines of power lit upon the hammer, swirling and eddying in an arcane glow. A brilliant gem lit within it. The hammer met the wall with a resounding boom.

The wall cracked under the force of the blow, a fissure beginning to reach from the floor to the ceiling. The other three members of the group ogled at Dharen with mouths agape, their minds not yet quite catching up with the sight before them.