How does this keep happening? Massive melees were becoming a serious inconvenience. My echolocation at least gave me a sense of where to dodge and run to—in this case, around behind the furnace, as the area descended into a free-for-all.

>>

Jewels of Vallorn

Celestial — Utility

Availability — Mythic Rare

Condition — Exquisite

These crystals are the seeds of the long-vanished Vallorn trees. They act as cabochons with unlimited storage capacity, perpetually drawing mana from their surrounding environment as well as whoever possesses them. When enough energy has been collected, they can be planted to grow a new tree.

Shine — Continuous Effect — The Jewels of Vallorn emit light in proportion to the amount of mana they have stored. Resist BLINDNESS.

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)

(Resist BLINDNESS Failed)...

>>

The effect was even more powerful than when the jewels had been confined to a crown, and my beautiful huge squid eyes were instantly rendered useless. Fortunately, I was not alone in suffering this condition. Silva and the gang were not sufficiently prepared, though Damwise did begin singing a heroic hymn to alleviate the penalty. My echolocation was briefly disrupted when JammyJams, also blind, began bellowing and smashing the plateau with fists the size of carriages. The goblins were all running around essentially at random, cursing, spitting, and occasionally attacking each other and anyone they happened to bump into. The Tengu, a bit more organized, closed ranks around their master. They could gauge Kyofu’s location relative to the furnace as well as the general sense of overbearing mana burn that accompanied approaching the jewels.

The Invisibles went after the Queen, but their advantage had largely been neutralized as invisibility meant nothing when nearly everyone was blind. Jo-O, on the other hand, had been living by the light of the jewels for many centuries and had developed techniques to accommodate their presence. Banks of solid shadow protected her from the blinding effect, and when the Invisibles approached her, those shadows wrapped them in veils that allowed them to be seen as humanoid splotches even under the onslaught of the light. They carried a variety of blades, but they weren’t of much use in fighting shadows. The Queen, however, had to exert her full attention to tie up her assailants and therefore wasn’t able to make a play for the gems.

Charmlet covered her face with a sash and tossed another Tanglefoot bag in the direction of JammyJams before pressing through the Tengu to get to Kyofu.

“Give me my jewel.”

The iron Fae was lost in contemplation of his prize, his hands heated a dull red from holding them. He briefly considered the Iron Leech he had created to absorb the energy of the jewels, then tossed it into the furnace along with any intention of holding to our agreement. His voice floated out of a hollow somewhere in his chest.

“They are mine.”

“We made a deal, Kyofu. You have to share the gems.”

“Yes, those were the words we spoke, but I have changed. Everything has changed, now that the light is mine.”

The Tengu tried to grapple with Charmlet, but she tangled them all in a heartbeat and propelled herself into the air with a metal spring. There her wings unfolded, and she sent down a loop to snag the jewels. Kyofu clutched his prize against himself, and with a look sent up a cylindrical flame that ate her snare and chased her away. The sudden heat created a thermal that pushed Charmlet up and away from the peak. She screamed her frustration, devolving into a tantrum on the fly.

(Lawlimi,) I messaged. (What are you doing?)

(There have been some new developments. Busy, can’t talk.)

The X-Cannon had reached full charge and had to be released. He couldn’t properly aim, but the blast was so large he didn’t have to. This was a serious escalation for his weapon. Instead of a big blue ball, it discharged a pinkish, translucent helix of orbs that could have filled a royal hall. They washed over the Tengu and the furnace, but Kyofu hardened himself against the blast, and the light was undiminished.

>>

(X-Cannon deals 15,340 Force Damage)

(X-Cannon deals…

>>

The Tengu that didn’t manage to avoid the blast were either crippled or stunned by the damage. Kyofu, undeterred, lifted his visor with one hand and swallowed the jewels. The terrible light vanished in a blink, but in moments it began to shine again from the joints in Kyofu’s body as he swelled to twice, then three times his original height. His voice was a great hollow drum over the battlefield.

“I am Kyofu. I am the new Lord of Light. Bow to me or despair.”

No one bowed. The Invisibles stopped struggling with the Queen and tried to disengage, and for her part she let them go. This was obviously a problem for everyone. Some of the goblins cheered for the ascension of their master, others screamed and ran. A few were squished as JammyJams blinked away his blindness and discovered he had someone his own size to pick on.

“You can’t break your promise!” I shouted from behind the furnace. “You’ll be cursed!”

“Those words mean nothing to me now,” Kyofu said. “I am beyond them.”

Silva leapt forty feet and smashed his chin with her axe.

>>

(Leap Attack — Power Attack — Stone Axe deals 2,300 Slashing Damage)

>>

JammyJams charged, shoulder first, and slammed into the smaller giant.

>>

(Crash! — Powerful Blow — JammyJams deals 10,420 Bludgeoning Damage)

(Recoil! — JammyJams takes 6,210 Impact Damage)

>>

I had seen both of them do a lot more damage than that, but they’d never had to contend with this level of armor. Kyofu slid back on his heels, crashing through the furnace so that its heavy steel-and-stone frame cracked like an egg, allowing its burning innards to spill out around me. I got away as quickly as my Dexterity would allow, and that along with my Fire Resistance kept me from becoming broiled calamari. I was in danger of being crushed underfoot as Kyofu and JammyJams tussled for supremacy. While JammyJams was still larger, he wasn’t nearly as dense, and the iron Fae managed to dig his heels into the mountaintop and swing his opponent around, nearly flinging him from the ridge.

>>

Kyofu, The Bright Lord Fae (Metal)

Celestial Level 4

(Body — 336,180/350,000)

>>

Silva was keeping mobile, dashing in with a two-handed blow from her axe before jumping out of reach. She had so far managed to avoid Kyofu’s counterstrikes. The Tengu were all flapping away, and the remaining goblins were routed. They couldn’t play a part in a conflict of this magnitude, and neither could I, so I activated my Combat Expertise and tried to keep clear. Damwise was singing his heart out from the pod to give Silva a bonus to her evasion, and Sashimibandit was creeping around with his bokken sword at the ready but hadn’t attempted to crack it against Kyofu’s ankles yet. Queen Jo-O sent forms of shadow to harry the boosted Fae, but he burned them away with a column of red-hot flame. Lawlimi was charging for another shot. The new upgrade was probably the only chance he had of making a scratch.

JammyJams recovered and went back to swinging. His fists made Kyofu ring as if he were a huge bell, but couldn’t push him back. JammyJams was stronger than ever, but Kyofu was armor-plating all the way down.

>>

(Haymaker — JammyJams deals 4,550 Bludgeoning Damage)

(Haymaker — JammyJams deals 3,300 Bludgeoning Damage)

(JammyJams takes 900 Heat/Impact Damage)

(JammyJams takes 674 Heat/Impact Damage)

>>

A gold-red cylinder of flame erupted from Kyofu’s palms and ate away a section of JammyJams’s distended pectorals. A swarm of insects poured out of the wound only to be instantly incinerated. The red hulk seized Kyofu’s wrists to twist them up and send his flames into the sky like a beacon.

“YOU BITCH. I’M GOING TO RIP THEM OUT OF YOU.”

He and Kyofu were locked together, neither able to master the other, until Silva flared her mana and slammed her axe into an iron ankle. The metal joint buckled inward.

>>

(Flame and Fury — Power Attack — Vital Strike — Stone Axe deals 14,340 Slashing Damage)

>>

Kyofu fell back, and JammyJams rode him down, then happily took advantage of his position to slam his fists overhand into the iron Fae’s visor. Before he could press his advantage further, a pink helix of raw energy peppered his back with burns, and the Queen’s shadows wrapped around his face, taking his sight again.

“THE FUCK? I WAS WINNING.”

Kyofu grabbed JammyJams around his waist and tossed him bodily away, this time sending him rolling down the mountainside.

“Bow to me.” He sat up and swung a lance of flame that burned from one side of the plateau to the other. Damwise and Lawlimi sheltered in the drop pod, which was blackened and knocked onto its side. I narrowly avoided incineration by swinging myself over the rim of the mountaintop and grabbing hold of an outcrop of rock. The heat washed over me, doing some damage despite my resistance, and I scrambled to climb back up. The beam split before reaching Silva; she was protected by a huge red wolf, her summoned companion. It bent the fire around them, having clearly advanced as well from the last time I’d seen it fight. It was the size of an ox, and tongues of flame rollicked around its paws. Silva hopped onto its back and rode it back into battle.

The Invisibles had long fled the scene, but Charmlet was still sailing on the hot air high above the fight. She dropped a series of nets and Tanglefoots after JammyJams, further stymieing his return, and the howling of the red hulk shook the cliffs all around.

Queen Jo-O sent up a wall of shadows to crash against Kyofu, and his brightness dimmed, but he set about ripping them away in short order. Silva and her wolf crashed onto his shoulder, throwing him further off-balance, then attacking his face. With a metallic moan, he released a wave of luciferous power, an emanation that knocked them away and burned through the shadows like so much dry grass. It was his own flame mixed with the pure light of the Vallorn, and nothing could resist it.

>>

(Overwhelming Aura of Burning Glory deals 18,300 Heat and Force Damage)

(Knockback Successful)

>>

The light pounded out of him in a second wave, striking everything within twenty paces and scouring up the topsoil into an expanding cloud of superheated particulates.

>>

(Overwhelming Aura of Burning Glory deals 25,400 Heat and Force Damage)

(Knockback Successful)

(Silva is STAGGERED.)

(Glory Wolf is STAGGERED.)

(Queen Jo-O is STUNNED.)

>>

A rallying cry sounded from the switchback. The Dark Elves had arrived, and a wave of poisoned arrows fell harmlessly, pinging against Kyofu’s black iron skin. He turned on them, unleashing a sheet of fire just over their heads. I caught a flash of white fur as well—Shippo and PamyuPamyu had arrived with the Dark Elves. Shippo wouldn’t be much use in a fight like this, and I hoped he stayed out of sight.

“I am your king! Kneel to me or burn!”

The Elves faltered, unsure. For all their lives they had followed the words of Queen Jo-O and King Kurayami, but their authority rested with the crown. Not only was Kyofu too powerful for them to challenge, but they saw the light of the Vallorn pouring from the articulations of his armored form and knew despair. The troop knelt, ceding their weapons and ignoring the angry protestations of the Queen. From my vantage, peeking over the edge of the plateau, I watched the lanky, towheaded Valkyrie sprinting around behind the new Bright Lord of Yamatoei. She wasn’t even Heroic Tier, and in the normal course of things could pose no possible threat to Kyofu. She would be reduced to ashes if his aura flared again, or if he so much as looked at her. The iron Fae was preparing to make the most of Silva’s weakened state, so he didn’t take note when PamyuPamyu closed the distance between them, reaching his damaged ankle.

She equipped the Hammer, and its fearful aura spilled out over the mountaintop, causing everyone to freeze for a crucial second as she swung.

>>

(Sudden Strike — DEATH ATTACK — 1000% Damage — The Hammer of the Unnamed God Deals 999,999 Bludgeoning and Entropy Damage)

>>

The force of the blow caved in his ankle, then traveled up his leg and across his waist in a visible wave of twisted iron metal and ruptured rivets. Light poured out of the wound in a shocking wall that made it difficult to watch as Kyofu, the short-lived Bright Lord of Yamatoei, fell lifelessly onto his side.

“Stay back!” PamyuPamyu waved the Hammer around like she didn’t really know how to use it. It wouldn’t have mattered if she had. Silva was in a rage, and she snarled along with her wolf as it carried her across the scarp in enormous bounds. The wolf leaped, and they both arced down at PamyuPamyu, who stumbled back and swung at the underbelly of the beast. Silva’s mount was instantly reduced to hot air and a scrap of fur by a single swipe of the Hammer, but she had already left its back and somersaulted over PamyuPamyu. Her axe came around and took the girl at her shoulder. PamyuPamyu’s long platinum locks were separated from her body along with her head. Most of her gear was left behind when she died, but the Hammer, being soulbound, went with her.

Ropes of shadow sprang from the earth to wrap around Silva’s arms and legs, pulling taut. She shouted and struggled, but couldn’t move enough to bring her axe to bear. She was trapped. Queen Jo-O laughed, apparently out of sheer relief. Her most serious opponents had taken care of themselves or were otherwise indisposed. The Dark Elves were giving shameful apologies and drawing back their bows again to threaten anyone who went against the rightful ruler of Yamatoei, their mistress once again. Sashimibandit was at Silva’s side, chopping through the tendrils that bound her as quickly as they appeared while Lawlimi strafed, sending a stream of pale yellow bolts from the X-Cannon at the Queen.

She caught them casually with a screen of darkness, then perked her ears. Damwise Ramgy had begun a new song.

>>

Hymn of Dispelling (Heroic)

This discordant Hymn has a chance to negate all ongoing effects, positive and negative, within the area. It is particularly effective against morale conditions, illusions, and conjurations.

>>

Silva blinked, coming out of her rage, and while the shadows remained, they began to fray, flaking away like sunburnt skin. Lawlimi tossed Sashimibandit a potion, then took one himself as the Dark Elves loosed a volley of poisoned arrows. Several struck him, but the damage was minor and his Nadir affinity, Mithridatism, made him highly tolerant of toxins of all kinds. He kept moving, readying his cannon for another full charge.

Seeing as everyone else was occupied, I took the moment to crawl back onto the battleground and creep toward the iron corpse after reconfiguring my Cardinal affinities once more.

>>

Nadir —

Chameleon (9): Your skin is varichromatic; it can adapt to your environment for the purpose of camouflage. 90% bonus to concealment against visual perception.

>>

I had already given up the little pentamerous appendages on the end of my face arms. I had proper hands now, so they had become redundant. The loss of my voice was a little saddening but I could always get it back. For now the time for birdsong and mimicry had passed, and I could still message my party members if I needed to. With my Concealment skill at full rank combined with my Chameleon ability, I was more than equipped to make it across the evolving battleground without drawing undue attention to myself. Even if they did notice me, I didn’t qualify as anything more than a nuisance for the combatants. I didn’t have any Celestial God Hammers to even the odds if it came to a showdown. Lawlimi was in a shooting war with the Dark Elves. The Queen was out of his league but he could occupy the entire troop of archers on his own. He hadn’t just advanced in level and been decked out in advanced gear, he was also making full use of his alchemy specialty. Orobos had recipe records as deep as mine and all the ingredients you could ask for. We had raided that cache to make my Soul Trap, and now it appeared Lawlimi had full access. He downed potion after potion, and though I couldn’t analyze them from a distance, it was clear that he had enhanced his statistics to the point where he was on the verge of Celestial numbers even though he was only Heroic 7. Good for him, except for that siding with the enemy thing.

I made it to the iron giant just as Silva made another leap attack at the Queen. Jo-O’s Endowments were largely defensive and Utility oriented. She couldn’t kill Silva outright, and with Sashimibandit and Damwise helping the barbarian escape from every noose, she couldn’t properly incapacitate her either. Just as I crawled into the tunnel of Kyofu’s ruined leg, I saw a new group come over the lip of the plateau. Two men and a woman dressed in muddy colors, carrying no weapons but sporting claws and fangs. They had the sign of the Worm tattooed on their foreheads. That would make these the Disciples, all late Heroic, and likely enhanced by the Acarus virus in some way. I didn’t waste time waiting to see what they would do, instead following the hollow leg toward a blinding light emanating from deeper inside the iron casing. It wasn’t easy going, but I was flexible, and I could press my way around the wreckage of Kyofu’s insides until I reached his pelvis, at which point I found Shippo, huddled and crying.

(What are you doing here?) I messaged.

“Wanted to help,” he sniffled. “Too bright. It hurts.”

(How did you even get here before I did? Never mind. Just wait for me to get the jewels and you can help me bring them out.)

Shippo nodded and squished himself into the hip joint as best he could to make way for me to pass. I could feel the presence of the jewels as I inched closer. I was going to get them while everyone else was fighting.

Then I heard the telltale boom of a Warp overhead followed by an announcement.

“This is Angelica, Moderator 616. I have received a report of a potential virus in this region, and I hereby order all of you to submit to screening. Cease hostilities immediately.”

That complicated things.