WE HAVE DECIDED.

Even though it will be far easier to simply destroy all of Warmthkeep right now, we choose the second and tougher option: to rescue the survivors of the city first and foremost. We know the city has not fallen too long ago— at least, it has only been a single false night since the walls were breached. So there can possibly be hundreds or even thousands of people hiding in bunkers underground.

I know for certain that there are at least dozens. I use my School of Divination to pinpoint a few groups hiding in the city. But even though I am a Florescence with a wide array of skills, my specialty always lay in the School of Enchantment and the School of Phantasm. So, I do not think that those I can see with the help of my Indigo Essence are all the survivors left in Warmthkeep.

We set up a parameter around the sheer cliffs of the valley surrounding the city. The hills themselves are steep and tough to climb, and without a reason for the Zombies to crest it, they stick close to the corridors between the hills. The valleys and the natural passageways. The tall plateaus provide a good vantage point as to the general direction the Zombies are heading in, and we want to ensure that they flood back into Warmthkeep for when we destroy the city.

But first, we do not want their attention on the city itself. So we draw them away with Nindran and Nelrel’s help.

It surprised me when the latter offered her help. I would have thought she would be preoccupied preventing Galgom from breaking free. But, with Beihal’s help, they have created a set of bindings that can prevent the tyrant from escaping. So Nelrel is able to take part in this distraction plan.

“Oi! Over here!” Nindran yells as she steps down at the very end of the valley.

Nelrel shakes her head, following behind the azure-haired woman. “Your rambunctiousness never ceases to amaze me, Nindran.”

“What? We’re supposed to draw their attention!”

“Actions speaks louder than words,” Nelrel says simply before taking a wide stance. She brings her right hand forward as a ball of fire bursts into existence in her palm.

The Zombies spot the two women and charge forward. A mindless sea of mass that rushes towards their target. To spread their infection. To rot this world with their vile disease. They clamor forward— a haphazard stampede that causes an earthquake from their numbers alone.

Nelrel just faces them down calmly as the fireball expands into a small sun. Then it rapidly contracts with a hiss. It reduces to the size of a small marble in the palm of the elderly woman’s hand. A small smile spreads across her lips as Nindran backs up.

“Uh-oh…” the azure-haired woman mutters.

And a blast of crimson flame shoots out. It fills the entire valley. A deluge of fire. An inferno so powerful even I can feel its heat from where I am standing. It rips apart a large chunk of the Zombie horde. Their first rank is reduced to mere ash in an instant.

Nindran whistles as the flame burns on. The roaring fire can be heard all throughout the canyon. The blast echoes even louder than the horde of Zombies. It plumes upwards— like a mushroom cloud or a blooming flower. Then Nelrel heaves, stumbling forward as her attack dissipates.

The elderly woman looks up with a pained and tired look. “How is that for an old lady?” she asks with a grin.

From the smoke and ashes, a response comes. The thunderous war cry of the unending horde of Zombies charging forward. Relentless. Even despite the destruction wreaked upon them. They do not care, for there are mindless— they are legion.

“Alright, next up—” Nindran says as she raises both her hands towards either end of the valley. The cliff face rumbles from both sides, and the Zombies press on unknowingly.

Then the earth cracks open. The cliffside collapses in its entirety collapses to the bottom of the valley. An avalanche of rock and debris. A landslide of catastrophic proportions. The horde of Zombies is swallowed up by the cascading earth.

Nindran wheezes as she steps back. “That should slow them.”

My eyes flicker from where I stand. A sliver of Indigo Essence glimmers in my eyes. It will not, the idle thought passes through my head.

The azure-haired woman helps Nelrel to her feet, only to pause when she hears the soft groan. From the rubble, a hand shoots up, kicking up rock and dust. Both women blink, staring on as countless Zombies emerge from the fallen debris. And even more clambers over the barrier of rock between them.

“Run!” Nindran yells as she spins around.

Nelrel follows quickly behind. The two of them escape as the horde of Zombies rush forward like an unstoppable tidal wave, leaving the city of Warmthkeep behind. I ascend to the sky with my Aspect forming a pair of wings to get a better view of the topography.

Nindran and Nelrel’s distraction manages to draw away a large majority of the Zombies gathered around Warmthkeep. However, it is not all of them. I can still see thousands of those mindless monsters scattered throughout the city. For now, I ignore them. Instead, my vision focuses only on the small spots where I know there are survivors or refugees left alive. It is especially easier now to pinpoint their locations with the sea of Zombies gone.

One bunker close to the city’s walls. Another in that temple. And another close to market street. I mentally mark each and every location before returning to Kalmat and the rest of the Keepers of the Grove.

“What did you see, Tian?” Kalmat asks as my feet softly touch the orange dirt ground.

“The largest group of survivors that I can see is close to the wall,” I say and raise a finger. “Right over there.”

Beihal steps forward, raising a spyglass. He frowns. “That’s quite a lot of Zombies gathered in that area. Are you sure you got the right place?”

I nod simply. “I am certain. In fact, that congregation of Zombies only confirms it. They can sense the survivors and are trying to find a way to them.”

“How do we get them out of there?” Seiled asks with a worried look on his face. “If we attack those Zombies, we will only attract even more attention!”

“I will hold off the others,” I say as I step forward. “You guys—”

However, before I can continue, Kalmat cuts me off. “No, you will evacuate the survivors.” He shakes his head, drawing his blade as he faces the city beneath. “I will hold off the Zombies myself.”

I narrow my eyes, and Seiled protests.

“But Kalmat—”

“With Tian’s Aspect, evacuating the survivors will be simple. She can fly them off one by one to a safe zone in half the time it would take all of us to get them out of there.” Kalmat nods at me, and I shrug.

“I can transport more than a handful of them at a time, indeed.” I raise a finger as I continue. “However, there is at least a thousand survivors hiding in the bunker. It will take quite a bit to get all of them out of there, even with flight.”

“All the more reason for me to be the one to hold them off,” Kalmat says with a determined look on his face. He turns to Beihal, Seiled, Herder, and the others. “The rest of you stay here and set up barricades to ensure the survivors have a safe place to go.”

“Got it.” They nod in return.

I grin at Kalmat. “Shall we?”

He turns to me as his Aspect flashes. “Let’s do this.”