I felt my mana dip, and then I tugged hard on the bond to Lannah. As I did, I felt a push of mana come across my bond from Blink as she forced hers through our shared spells. This shouldn’t happen; I knew that. A bonded companion was not Familial, but she was giving the mana, not having it taken.

Our bond grew as she gave me her mana. She didn’t have much, but I heard through the bond. “Use as much as is needed. Burn the world.”

You shouldn’t be able to cast from the mana from a Familial contract; it is yours but not. However, by starting the fill like I was empty when I wasn’t, I was able to keep it going as I powered the runes.

I stood laughing like a crazed man. In my dreams, the last time I saw Itaja, laughed like this. It was the laugh of release. It was giving everything to Chaos and letting the chips fall.

With that, I threw all the activated runes into the sky. Lightning streaked out and crashed down behind me at the top of the cliff, and rocks went flying over my head. The wind started to howl as it whipped down the tall cliffs of the valley and through the trees.

I saw the orcs moving across the bank towards me. They were still coming even in this storm. They had lost too much to give in now. They outnumbered me, and so they came. What they didn’t know was, at this point, I was dancing a dance that I had no idea what was.

There is a joy in saying let it all just happen. Giving middle fingers to the world with both hands and dancing in the rain while your enemies look on like I was in a crazed musical. Then, lightning began to crash down on the cliffs all around the river.

Then the rain picked up as I felt compelled to dance. It was crazy, insane. I should be inside or laying flat on the ground, not picking up my staff and dancing, but that was what I was doing. The whole time I was feeding that pile of runes and whatever thing it was that was called forth.

The mana from Blink was gone; she could only push so much over to me. The draw from Lannah felt like it was down to the amount she was recharging. I was gathering more than that from my dance.

As the orcs marched to my ledge, I felt that I had given it enough, or maybe I had given it my all. I wasn’t sure, but I knew it was time to tie off the spell and let it go.

I felt my class memories from enchanter rebelling at the mess I had just made. I drew in mana, imbued it into a tangle, and was just releasing it. Yet, deep inside, I felt a part of me rise up, happy for this.

The drain was intense as the last of my mana fled. My knees buckled as I came down from a jump in my dance and my face found the ground as my arms failed to catch me in time.

I had fried orcs twice today. I knew what that sounded like. It was a scream of pain and rage. Orcs would naturally give in to their anger, and then things would break. They were those who overcame pain through madness, and their discipline would break down, and they would all attack. This, however, wasn’t the same sound.

The sound started with their normal rage, but then over the sounds of one of the loudest storms I had ever heard, their cries of rage turned to those of pure suffering. I saw fire rain as I looked up, but I also saw rot and rocks. Odd things were falling from the sky, and strange things were growing.

The trees on my ledge changed. The willow that I had been working with stood up and walked. Then, it jumped down to the bottom, and I saw bodies of orcs thrown through the air in the flashes of lightning. Then another bolt and the willow was back to where it was like it hadn’t moved.

There was a rumble, and the river shifted. The boulders I had used less than an hour before to avoid a fog of rot went flying out, landing at the base of my cliff, creating a ramp down. Covering all the orcs. Then they were yanked back in an instant.

There was a great shaking and a rumble, and I knew that there was an earthquake happening right now. Not a small one but the type that toppled cities. Fear rose up in me again for Lannah.

Words once more came to my mouth unbidden, “Order! Bless us! Protect us your servants!” I screamed.

Where I was, the ground stopped moving. The cliff above was stilled, but downriver, the cliffs fell in. The shaking kept going, an endless rumble and turmoil. Earthquakes shouldn’t last this long; they should be short things, not long rumbles. But it was hard to understand what was happening as the world was lit up with a constant flow of lightning as well.

My eyes stopped working. I felt like I was back in Sam’s office when he hit me with a light. Yet even then, I didn’t have a feeling like light was pouring into my body. This, however, felt like the brightest spotlight was shining down on me, but that it was a strobe.

I felt snuggle up next to me, the now-massive body of Blink. She began to nuzzle me, and then I felt her gently bite my leg. I couldn’t move, but I felt her drag me. It felt like it took forever, but she got me next to the cliff.

The rumble and lightning had stopped, and the wind died down; it was just rain. Hard rain, cold rain, hot rain all at once. I felt hail but could have sworn that snow was piling on me. Then I felt a hand on my shoulders as I was drug a bit more.

I could see two rows of debuffs in my vision. I didn’t know what most of them meant. I understood a few of them were types of paralyzing or stunning, but what all they represented, I didn’t know.

I would be worried that the orcs were dragging me around, except that I felt peace coming from Blink. I felt her telling me that I did a good job and the world was burning, and that was okay. That she was safe and it was okay; that it was time to rest.

I felt myself drift off into whatever space I was in. Of course, I could have been asleep, or I might just not have been able to move. But, on the other hand, I might have been daydreaming about the odd things I saw. Whatever it was, it felt real. But then again, so did my dream.

There was a voice most pleasant speaking, “It has been so long since someone has called to me from this place. So long since those who worshiped me went quiet. You called for my fire and asked for my ash. You gave your mana over to me like you knew of my Ash. Your soul reached though the walls and claimed promises long forgotten. You called for Chaos like you were mine already. A prayer of my Priest a prayer of my Champion. But your face is not one I know. You sound like you are him his conviction and anguish. His pain and loss I sense in you but your coal burns bright and is not my Ash’s coal. His was cold and pressed something else, it was hard and rigid but yours is bright.”

Another voice rich and melodic cut in. This one was higher yet filled with warmth. “Sister, he called on me as well. How many have in need truly called on both of us. Yes, there is the swearing but in need calling? After all these years for someone of his race to call out to both of us with conviction again? Do you think he had a child we missed?”

“No, he loved no one. You know this. His heart was sharp after he lost his love.”

“Not true, he loved many but not the same way. How else could he hold back and let others burn for you as he guided the souls of the dead to peace? He loved them all but you are right none like her.”

The first voice spoke again, “So what is this one we saved? He is not him for his coal is bright. His name is lost even to me.”

“He was called by another. No wonder he is odd. He is not from here.”

“The dark ones have come again to this place. Perhaps we should claim this one? We can guide him and grow him. Perhaps he can stand against them?”

“No dear sister, there are rules even for you. He has already been claimed when he came. The one that brought him must release him before we can take him.”

“Could we teach him and guide him?”

The melodic voice laughed like little bells, “Oh sister, you of all should know that is one of the rules. We can teach him our ways. The question always is will he follow?”