FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

*****

Aria's malicious glare from across the carriage did little to curb Harm's ever-present smile. As the verdant forests of the south rolled by the window, the Chronomancer merely peered outside, seemingly unaware that the Angel continued to stare daggers into the side of his head. Gugnir, her spear and Valour, rested across her lap, her fingers tightly wrapped around its shaft.

"You have to realise that I did not foresee this coming, right?" the Wulfun began.

The Templar straightened but did not reach forward though her eyes screamed of her intent. "I find that incredibly hard to believe. I am still adamant that you manipulated both the Apex Clericus Solis and Inquisitor Warton to get what you want."

A soft thud rocked the carriage. A loud 'whoa, whoa' came from the teamster.

"Aria, do you think I care so little for life that I would want to see countless people dead or corrupted so close to the Sun Spire?" he asked, his golden eyes still fixated on the distance.

"You are not this sloppy," she accused. "Harm Chronos would not leave any demons wandering around in that corrupted town. He would have slaughtered them all."

That smile on Harm's lips became cynical. "I find it really funny that you trust me enough to have been so efficient but distrust me to the point that you won't believe anything I say."

"You are a wolf of action, not of your words." She turned to gaze into the gloomy forests that rolled past the window. Mighty pines flecked with droplets from the constant rain danced by, their branches waving like a thousand towering civilians greeting their passing. "Too many times I have seen you offer peace in one hand while you pull the heartstrings of those around you with your other."

Harm smirked, leaning back into the velvety cushions of the carriage. "You have got to stop reading those erotic novels."

The Templar went rigid, her eyes wide in horror. "I beg your pardon!?"

"Aria," he said, levelling her with a pointed stare, "I'm messing with you. I know that if you so much as got a dirty thought, you'd whip yourself across the back a thousand times, dip your head in acid and then gouge your own eyes out in penance. Oh and you'd probably throw yourself at the feet of the Mother Goddess begging for forgiveness as someone nailed you to the floor."

"You are exaggerating," she retorted with a scowl.

Further conversation was stopped as the carriage came to an abrupt halt. A gust of wind blew in from the south, spraying them both with a drizzle of rain. Droplets slowly slid off Aria's black cloak while they did the same against Harm's white fur. The Wulfun pushed open the carriage door, stepping into the blustery wind. His scarf billowing out behind him as heavy rain began peppering him. A faint stinging hit his eyes only to fade a moment later.

Aria stepped out a moment later, her platinum blonde hair whipping out behind her just like his scarf. Even in the gloomy rain, her eyes were bright and piercing. Gungnir was like a beacon of white and gold in the rain. Those beacons were levelled in the shadowy woods where the shifting foliage moved and undulated like a thousand watching assassins preparing to strike.

Inquisitor Warton came charging out of the woods accompanied by a large group of Puria. Their grey and silver power armour melded perfectly with their surroundings, making them nearly invisible. Each of their heavy footsteps was accompanied by thunderous clanks. All charged in a straight line. Even when trees hundreds of years old and with trunks thicker than most men dared to bar their path, the Puria just charged right through them, tearing huge chunks out of their aged flanks and sending splinters scattering in all directions.

"They're inhuman," Harm muttered, keeping his voice flat and unemotional.

"They are superhuman," Aria corrected. "Genetically modified, specially bred and trained from childhood. The Custodia Puria, guardians of the Inquisitors and purest of the Custodia. Even the Custodia Deos are privy to being corrupted. The Puria have never been corrupted."

"By demons, maybe."

The Inquisitor and his accompanying Grey Knights, as the Custodia Puria were commonly called, arrived with a heavy clamour of metal. The horses drawing the carriage reared and tossed their heads back. It seemed that the animals preferred the company of a Chronomancer to an Inquisitor. Warton seemed even less pleased at the disturbance.

"His Holiness the Apex Clercius Solis wishes that you wait an entire hour after he departs before you make your way to Clockwork," Warton responded. "Understandable," Aria answered with a nod. "I doubt His Holiness would want to be seen in the presence of a Chronomancer."

Harm waved away here comment, splashing droplets onto Aria's cloak. "You know no one believes Chronomancers exist these days. They're used as cautionary tales against little kids wanting to grow up too soon. If I waltz up there all golden-eyed, they'll just think I've been genetically modified from the upper Stations." He flashed Aria a grin. "I was thinking of getting a pair of wings. You know, to fly. What do you think?"

The Templar rolled her eyes, those amethyst orbs landing in a sidewards glance at Harm. "You would have about two hours of horrible genetic modifications, following by about another hour of flight before your Time Locked state rejects the wings and you plummet to the ground and become a gooey, bloody paste."

"I've always wanted to come back from paste form." He placed both his paws on his hips, head bowed and lips twisted in reminiscence. "It reminds of that colony of tapeworms that decided to occupy my bowels. They were irritating but the company was good. I miss them. Especially Jerry."

A blade sliced through the air, its electrified edge sending sparks everywhere from every droplet of rain.

"Enough!" Warton snarled, sheathing his powered sword. "One hour, Chronomancer. Enter via the east entrance. Do not come within reach, is that understood? And do nothing to draw attention to yourself."

Harm exchanged glances with Aria and shrugged theatrically. "You know time is subjective to a Chronomancer, right?"

Warton's eyes gleamed. "Very good point." He lifted his armoured hand towards the carriage. The teamster screamed 'My Lord, no!' but it fell on deaf ears. "Augue!"

A massive ball of flame launched from the Inquisitor's palm, launching forward and slamming right into the carriage. The horses instantly went wild, rearing and bolting forward. Half of the transport was left as smouldering piles of wood while the other half was dragged towards Clockwork by the team of six horses and the desperately screaming teamster.

Harm's ears flicked in agitation as he watched the poor man struggling to keep control of his wildly out of control carriage.

"That was wholly unnecessary."

The world slowed to a crawl, every raindrop freezing in midflight and every fleck of fire from the burning carriage waving slowly like a crimson banner in the rain.

Harm crossed the distance between himself and coach in the time it took for the teamster to finish his frightened cry. His paws grasped the carriage, clambering up its shattering remains. His left paw reached out and grasped the teamster's arm while his right took the knife from the man's belt and quickly sliced the restrains binding the horses to the doomed transport.

Time resumed the moment he jumped from the carriage, teamster over his shoulder. The horses bolted off into the distance while the carriage fell into a heap of burning wood not too far from him. A fiery splinter grazed his left cheek, singing the fur. The smell of burnt fur was short lived as the singed strands quickly repaired themselves.

His golden eyes turned back towards the Inquisitor and Puria but as quickly as they had come, they were gone, shadows in the thick forests.

"I hate the Inquisition," he muttered, gently lowering the teamster to the ground. Aria quickly inspected the man for any injuries and nodded her approval as the man stammered countless thanks.

"The Inquisition has the rights to do as they please if they perceive a threat to the Church or its people," Aria commented. "Aliquam creatione: Equitum Vehiculum."

With a wave of her hand, shimmering white light poured out of her fingertips. Strands of light curled together to form a perfect circle. Where they touched the ground, small, twinkling stars emanated. Like glowing, living branches, the light expanded and grew from long streams. They knitted together in complex patterns, shaping delicate, velvety curtains, a broad, stable frame and even the muscular forms of four horses.

She pressed a hand against the teamster's back, pushing him towards the newly formed carriage. "Go. A gift from the Mother Goddess."

The man bowed several times, awed at the glistening, white carriage and the pure, crystal-like horses that seemed both otherworldly and holy at the same time. He eagerly jumped onto the carriage, grasping the soft, delicate reins like they were made of the most precious material in the world. Sensing his intention, the horses started out in a gentle trot, quickly disappearing into the rain.

"The majesty of Divine Magic," Harm chuckled softly. "The power of creation itself. Even life itself is at your fingertips."

The smile on her lips held a tinge of sarcasm. "And you who possess the one form of magic unbound the Illuminus Weizar; Time Magic."

"In my defence, Time is very hard to define." A grin crossed his features as he tucked his paws into his pockets and began walking towards the distant town.

The rain stung his eyes but once again, it was a fleeting sensation. Even as his clothes became soaked, the water squeezed itself out the folds and eagerly jumped into the hungry soil. Behind him, a bubble surrounded Aria and kept her from being soaked, each droplet of rain abruptly changing its trajectory like to fall on the Angel's clothes would be a grave sin against the Mother Goddess.

The mud on the road refused to stick to either of their shoes. Where for Aria it seemed the road bowed in respect towards her, bending to the shape of her boots but refusing to hold on, for Harm, the mud clung then leapt off almost instantly like it was disgusted to have every entertained the notion.

Wind howled, echoing the cries of wolves. Nature itself seemed bent on punishing the Chronomancer as it hurtled leaves in his direction. For Aria the leaves veered off course and drifted towards the ground, burying themselves in the brush in shame. With the Wulfun, a single leaf dared to graze his nose.

And it immediately burst into flames, doused a moment later by the heavy rain.

Aria suddenly took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. Her Angel's breath gave the storm pause. Thunder boomed somewhere, heralding an increase in the rain. Lightning cascaded far to the south. Trees gave a guttural roar as they were split in half and their mighty trunks set ablaze only to be doused a moment later by the rain.

Streams of muddy water began rolling down the mud road, overflowing puddles and making the ground precarious to walk on. Winds howled like a thousand screaming banshees trying to push them from the road. Woodland animals scurried into their homes, sheltered from the storm.

The boom of thunder, scream of the winds and rustling of leaves blocked almost all noise.

Almost.

The whistle of an arrow drew Harm's ears forward. In one smooth movement, he flicked out Timekeeper, unfurling the blade and sidestepping the projectile. The golden sword sliced through the air, cutting the arrow right down the middle and sending the splinters scattering to the ground.

Not too far down the road, barely concealed by the thick rain was a rough barricade of overturned barrels and crates. Banners had been erected. Crimson cloth fluttered wildly in the rain with the orange markings of a pair of scales with flaming hearts alight on each of the weights. The spiky palisade was manned by only a few men but all of them were non-human. A Goatex, Tigris and Lizrish aimed crossbows at them, the silver bolt tips glistening with moisture. Other non-humans levelled swords and spears at them.

"I'm sad to say that your gift of life was rather short lived," Harm said. His golden eyes were levelled beyond the barricade where the remnants of the carriage rested, ravaged and looted. A single human hand poked out of the debris.

Aria readied her own spear, levelling it in one hand at the barricade. "The Goddess does not smile on wanton murder. May she forgive me for the blood I am about to shed."

Harm flipped Timekeeper in the air, catching it in a reverse grip in his left paw. "Don't worry about that, Aria. A frown is just a smile upside down, after all and she's been smiling on me for a very long time now."

Lightning flashed, filling the road with its blinding light. As the moment of blindness passed from the eyes of those manning the barricade, they were all surprised to find the two individuals from the Church had vanished from sight. One cast his gaze down and uttered a cry when the woman with the platinum blonde hair stood crouched in front of the palisades, her magnificent spear at the ready.

"Gungnir."

Bright, organic wings sprang out from just beneath the spear's blade, spreading a metre in length each. Crossbow bolts sped through the air, speeding at the Templar. Those white wings curled around Aria, wrapping around her like a feathery cocoon. The bolts struck the feathers and bounced off harmlessly, bend in awkward shapes.

"Flee!" someone cried. "We're no match for a bleedin' Templar!"

"Oh I'm sure you can beat her in something."

Frightened eyes turned towards the white, scarfed Wulfun standing in their midst, golden blade in paw. "I mean, she doesn't take jokes very well. You can probably beat her in a stand-up competition." He twisted his blade, gripping it in both paws. With an agonising slowness, Harm lowered the blade tip, letting its pointed edge just kiss the barricade.

Screams erupted all around him as blood sprang from the legs of the three rebels surrounding him. Each of them toppled to the ground, the lower parts of their legs severed from the rest of their bodies.

"Well... so much for 'stand-up'."

A tremendous roar came from behind him. A bulky Avios charged at him, wooden shield in one hand and a curved scimitar in the other. Harm flicked his tail to the right, spinning in that direction and lifting Timekeeper. His blade slammed against the Avios' scimitar while his free paw pressed against the shield. The force of the shield's impact sent him back a few feet. The strength of his push from the shield hurled him over the barricade's edge while the Avios was thrown back.

Harm twisted in the air, crossbow bolts singing past his ears. One embedded itself into his left thigh but he didn't so much as flinch. As he dropped towards the muddy ground, a thick, metal pole prevented his sneakers from touching the muddy soil. White feathers descended all around him and he flashed Aria a sly grin. She returned the favour by using Gungnir to hurl him back over the barricade.

The Wulfun sprang into the air to the collective gasps of the small band. He landed with a tremendous crash on the toppled Avios' shield, shattering it - and the bird's arm - in two. The Wulfun seized the bolt embedded in his thigh and flicked it quickly to his right. The eye of the Tigris exploded in a shower of blood and ocular membrane, sending the feline collapsing to the ground screaming.

Movement beneath him came with the soft grunt of the Avios. Harm plunged Timekeeper through the man's throat, silencing him. Harm sliced the entire head off and hurled it into the air. His feet broke the Avios' arm further as he launched off the headless non-human's body. He twisted in midair, his left foot striking the soaring head with an audible crack that matched a flash of lightning.

A charging Goatex lifted his shield to block the projectile, wincing at the sound of his friend's head making a sickening splat against his wooden shield. As he lowered the weapon, he screamed when he found Harm's golden eyes staring straight into his very soul just a foot away.

Harm swung Timekeeper, gutting the man in one, powerful stroke. Blood and intestinal fluid poured out of the Goatex's belly. Somehow, the non-human managed to remain standing and swung his rusty shortsword. The crumbling blade bit into Harm's left shoulder, drawing blood and biting into flesh. There was a flash of hope in the man's blue eyes... but that quickly faded when the Wulfun showed no reaction to the blow.

"Now I'll have to use my right paw."

Harm switched his blade to his right and swung.

Timekeeper sliced cleanly through the man's chest, cutting through thick pectoral muscles, bone, lung and heart in the one swipe. The Goatex fell in two pieces, blood washing away with the rain.

"For Valk!"

Harm detected the scent of Wulfun in the air and lifted his blade, blocking the heavy mace that would have caved in his skull. The quivering youth in front of him must have been no older than sixteen years, his wry, developing body already starting to show the enormous, muscular build that was attributed to most Wulfuns. Harm, unfortunately, had adopted a swimmer's build while this youth would rival a bodybuilder's should he survive.

"Why are you fighting us!?" the youth demanded. "We're just like you! We live under the Church, oppressed because of our race! A Paladin is meant to be just and true! Can't you see the injustice we face!? Surely you must have experienced it in your years!"

Harm chuckled softly, watching the tears on the boy's face meld with the rain, brown fur soaked and dripping.

"You have no idea." He pushed the boy's mace towards the ground. Even with all his strength, the young Wulfun could do little against Harm's magic infused strength. Harm placed a paw on the boy's head, hair sliding between his fingers. "But this is not about injustice towards a race. This is about loyalty to a cause."

Harm pulled the boy's head down in a sudden movement, his knee rising up to meet with the Wulfun's nose. A startled cry erupted from the boy's bloodied muzzle, quickly replaced by the vicious upwards swing from Timekeeper. The young Wulfun fell to the ground in two.

The barricades fell silent save for the rain and thunder.

A pair of boots landing on the wooden platforms broke the melodious pitter-patter of the rain.

"Does loyalty to a cause outweigh loyalty to your people?" Aria asked.

"You should know better than to ask me that, Aria," Harm answered with a smile. "When every Chronomancer in Tower Thirteen stood poised to invade and conquer, I'm the only one that stood against them all, created weapons to defeat their otherwise unstoppable armies and stood on the front lines and helped kill my 'people'."

She turned her amethyst eyes towards him, frowning deeply. "What cause compels you to kill in such numbers, Harm? What quest drives you to shed so much blood in its name?"

His smile remained present as he walked over the corpses of those he had slain.

"Simple: Tower Thirteen."

*****

Clockwork was in an uproar.

Hundreds of non-humans crowded the streets, screaming and demanding justice. They clamoured over the steps of the town's iconic clock tower, banging on the solid, iron gates. The Custodia Solis had taken refuge inside the tower itself, their weapons raised against the shuddering doors. With each thunderous bang, they would take a step back and slowly creep forward, afraid of what might enter should the doors break open.

"How long as it been like this?" Aria asked.

One of the Solis gave her a respectful bow before saying, "Ever since they heard His Holiness was coming," the man answered.

Aria appraised the man closely, amethyst eyes darting from the man's torn cape, chipped armour and young, clean shaven features. "You are not the captain."

The man shook his head sadly, his square jaw set in a frown. "My name is Markus Olivier. I am Captain Gardon's second in command. The Captain was..." He let out a ragged sigh. "He was ripped to shreds protecting the other dignitaries on their way here."

Harm turned away from the shuddering door. An ominous creak filled his ears upon the next boom. Whether it was the thunder or the chorus of angry cries from beyond the door, he was not sure. "That puts you in command of the Solis detachment sent here, then."

"I fear I am doing a poor job of it, my lord," the guard answered. He offered a smile which did not seem to suit his serious jaw. "It is an honour to have the Propheticus Primoris' own brother by adoption here with us. I only wish it was under better circumstances."

"Trust me, Lumire isn't too pleased about it either," Harm answered with a chuckle. "He'd rather have me back at the Academiae Militares teaching the future Paladins of this world instead of trying to curb some protestors." He felt Aria's frown long before he saw it.

Another shuddering from the door. Aria ducked away and quickly placed her hands against the twelve-foot, iron doors. A quick series of words from the Illuminus Weizar and the door emitted a soft, holy glow like it had been encased in light.

"Has Novallier arrived?" Harm asked, watching the scene from a good distance.

"No, my lord."

His heart jumped to his throat. The force of the jump caused him to whirl back around to face the impromptu captain.

"He hasn't?"

Olivier shook his head sadly.

The Wulfun spun and bolted towards one of the many pillars that decorated the clock tower's enormous atrium. He ignored Aria's cries of his name and jumped towards the pillar, digging his claws into the marble and scrambling up its surface. When his grip began to lose traction, he jumped off and planted his feet on an adjacent pillar. He bolted up the slippery surface before coming just above an open window.

A quick vault over the gap and he was once again being pelted with rain.

"Where are you going?" Aria demanded from far below him.

"If Novallier gets killed out there, anarchy is going rip Incendius apart," he answered, not entirely sure if Aria heard him or not. "As much as I hate the snooty bastard, I like the sun too much to let this Station fall. I still need to work on my tan." He glanced over his shoulder, flashing her a grin. "I'm so pale."

He leapt off the ledge, swinging from a series of smaller ledges and decorative gargoyles to dampen his fall. As he came to level with the surrounding structures, he launched himself off the towering clock tower and landed on the tiled roof of a nearby home. The Wulfun took a moment to gaze up at the imposing structure.

Like a shadowy guardian over the rest of the town, the clock tower loomed over the rest of the city. It was stylised with the typical decorations from the rest of Incendius' Church-claimed monuments. Its edges were flared to represent fire, visages of the Sun Goddess Apollia decorated columns and corners. Perhaps its only signs of individuality were the gargoyles that seemed so miniscule compared to the Sun Goddess and the broad, black 'wings' that flared out beside the enormous clock face.

Unfortunately, the clock tower did not run.

After the invasion of the Chronomancers during the Purge of Time, the Church of the Tower was very zealous of restricting all signs of the Chronomancer's existence. Once before, when they were allies, the Church and Chronomancers gifted the clock tower to Clockwork as a symbol of their guardianship over the town. When they fell during the Purge, the Church broke the clock and decorated it with visages of their Sun Goddess. Perhaps as a boast that they conquered the Chronomancers or perhaps because the clock was Time Locked and could not be destroyed by normal means.

Harm tore his gaze from the clock tower and regarded the vast swathes of non-humans crowding the streets. Torches were raised making them look like a sea of fireflies swaying and undulating towards the clock tower.

"Okay," he told himself. "Novallier absolutely hates me. Maybe it's because I'm cute, adorable, fluffy and strong or that I have a tail." He nodded to himself. "It's the tail. I bet he wants a tail." Harm glanced towards the east. "Logically, he'd want to be as far from me as much as possible. He told me to enter via the east... so that must mean he came in from the west. At least I hope..."

Even with the rain pelting down on him, Harm managed to keep his footing and launch himself from rooftop to rooftop, scrambling up the slanted surfaces as he hurried towards the western gate. The horde of non-humans thinned the further he travelled away from the clock tower. Instead, he saw looting and the baser side of Clockwork. He tore his gaze away from a rape scene only for his left foot to demand he pay attention.

To punish his negligence, he slipped and he crashed onto the roof. His momentum sent him tumbling off. Stars flashed before his eyes, pain exploding from where his forehead slammed against the cobblestone roads. Centuries of experiencing like and worse pain automatically brushed the fresh agony aside, forcing it to join the long list of sensations compartmentalised in an obscure part of his brain that would forever remain untouched.

Pondering the guilt his apparently sentient left foot possessed, he pushed himself up to his feet and shook his head free of the drowsiness. The blood that had splattered on the floor sprang back up from the cobblestones, seeping back into his wound before it closed.

Harm sprang to his feet a moment later, regaining his bearings. No longer injured, he bolted through the streets of Clockwork, avoiding the wandering mobs of hate-fuelled non-humans and opportunistic humans. He took a moment to pause as a band of humans broke down a show window and razed the contents.

"Foes united against you and yet you still take from your own," he muttered bitterly. "The very definition of what it means to be human. Athena must be proud."

Thirty minutes later, he found a large mob ransacking a brightly painted carriage. Several naked humans - both male and female - lay not too far away while the non-humans wore fragments of armour from the Custodia Solis. Two were fighting over a breastplate and a third killed a fourth for a helm. Harm shook his head sadly at the sight and stepped out into the open, slowly drawing Timekeeper.

One of the raiders saw him, turning to point and growl.

"Keep yer paws to yerself, mutt!"

"Yeah! Dis 'ere," the non-human gestured at the carriage, "our loot!"

Harm's calm, gentle smile did not move. "And that there..." He lifted Timekeeper, raising the blade so the tip pointed upwards. Rain pelted the metal, dripping down the length of the golden edge. "That is your tail."

Each of the dozen non-humans suddenly screamed. Their tails dropped to the ground, twitching their last as blood seeped out of the gaping wounds and the stubs of their former owners. They writhed in pain, falling to the floor or managing to stagger away.

"He's a bloody Paladin!"

"Run!"

The wounded mob fled, keeping their paws over the bloody stumps that had been their tails. Harm walked over to the ruined carriage, running his paws over the soaked surface. The interior was mostly flooded but no bodies were present. His eyes roved the claws marks ravaging the gilded surface, many of them digging into the emblems of Incendius.

"Do they hate the Church so much that they would go to such lengths just to tear out the insignia of their Goddess?" A piece of cloth lay inside the carriage, ripped and tattered but mostly untouched. It felt smooth under his fingers, definitely silk and the rain had washed most of the scent away but as he drew it closer to his nose, he detected the faint odour of lilac, a feminine twinge joined by a playful brush of roses. It was odd to detect a sliver of charcoal or something burnt.

That was not Novallier's scent.

The carriage suddenly grew dark and he caught a glimmer of movement in the flecks of gold that clung to the transport's edges. He flung around, bringing Timekeeper to bear.

Clang!

The force of the blow was enough to send him slamming against the carriage and their two blades coming dangerously close to his neck. The assassin was ridiculously strong. The dagger was elaborately decorated and curved, looking more like a silver talon with icy veins running through its surface than a true blade.

Harm grimaced and tried to push the blades away but found Timekeeper's blade pressed down against his own neck. A flash of fangs glistened underneath a hood and the glow of feral yellow eyes. A glimmer of icy metal flickered in the periphery of his vision. With his right paw, he lashed out, seizing the other assassin's dagger and drove it straight into the carriage. His left leg lashed out, snapping at the hooded man's knees, causing them to crack and the assassin to buckle.

The pressure on his blade was loosened. The Wulfun took a gasp of relief before diving to his left, rolling into the water and rising in a crouch well away from the towering eight foot assassin. Enormous, broad shoulders were somehow hidden beneath a thick, black cloak. As the assassin rose from his crouch, Harm noticed the bare feet and the digitigrade stance of the creature. Grey paws poked out from underneath a thick set of leather armour studded with silver. A leather kilt glistened in the rain, arrayed with a variety of daggers all similarly designed as the one in the paws of the beast.

"I thought the Custodia Lupus were honourable, unwavering guardians of the South," Harm said, rising and straightening. He fought the urge to move his sword to his right paw.

"Don't lump us all as the same because we share the same name of species, pup," a gravelly voice returned. "Were I to give you the same courtesy, I would be surprised that you have not joined in raiding the clock tower."

"If you gave me the same courtesy, you'd expect me to either be dead or forever trapped in a state of semi-death." Harm lifted Timekeeper, levelling it at the assassin. He spread his legs wide, one in front of the other and his free paw raised slightly by his side. Whoever this traitor Lupus was, he was fast and Harm had to adjust his tactics to counter.

With only a single blade, he knew he was at a disadvantage but that had never stopped him before.

The Lupus charged, coat flapping in the wind as he moved with blinding speed, daggers whirling in a dizzying dance. Harm remained calmly in place, watching the movements with practiced eyes. He lifted Timekeeper slightly to the right...

Clang!

A block.

He lowered it to the left.

Clang!

Another block.

He took a step back and spun around, exposing his back but crossing Timekeeper across his spine.

Clang!

A third block.

Harm's smile grew genuine and he continued his spin, using the momentum of his turn to bring Timekeeper crashing onto the Lupus. Their blades struck home, the force strong enough to push the Lupus to the right slightly. With another dagger, however, the tailless non-human countered with a strike and a quick flurry of jabs that pushed Harm back a few more steps.

Seeing no choice, Harm tossed Timekeeper into the air and threw himself at the Lupus. The assassin readied his blades for a stab and as they lurched forward to eviscerate the Wulfun, Harm leapt into the air, planting both his feet against the extended daggers. The shock in the Lupus' yellow eyes glistened in the night. Harm kicked off the blade, twisting his back around as he snatched Timekeeper from the air with his right paw.

The moment his feet touched the ground from his somersault, he launched at the Lupus, sweeping out with his right blade. The clang shook his teeth but it was strong enough to disarm the Lupus' left paw. Wasting no time, Harm snatched the dagger out of the air in mid-flight and immediately threw it straight back at the Lupus.

Harm smiled...

... but it was premature.

The air around the Lupus' face swivelled into one, drawing moisture and raindrops from the air. They quickly clumped together, forming a solid icy plane. The dagger bounced off the diamond-hard surface, clattering to the floor harmlessly.

Harm lowered his eyebrows, smiling gently to himself as he straightened.

"I only know one Lupus to have the Glacies Clipeus automated to the point that it's almost sentient and protects him like a guardian angel." The Wulfun bowed mockingly, making sure to keep his tail lifted as a sign of his audacity. "It's good to see you again, King Leandros, King of the Custodia Lupus."

Leandros pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing a handsome, lupine face and his hunched figure that all Lupus shared. Even without a tail, the Lupus looked like a close cousin to the Wulfun whose genes they were derived from. As the Progenitor of his race, Leandros was the first of his race and a prime example of the species. Ageless, possessing unnaturally fast regeneration even by Lupus standards and immeasurably strong both magically and physically, the King of the Lupus was undeniably one of the most powerful people in all of Incendius - perhaps even all of Tower Thirteen.

"Well met, Lord Harm Chronos," Leandros replied gruffly. "What brings the brother of the most powerful man in all of Tower Thirteen wandering the streets of a devastated city brawling with commoners?"

"I wouldn't call you a commoner," Harm answered with a smirk, straightening. "You almost had me back there. No commoner would've been able to do that to me. I'd say you're somewhere between 'military grunt' and 'hopeless dreamer'."

The King only returned a knowing smirk. "One day I will beat you, Harm Chronos. I will have you beg for mercy."

"And we'll both laugh about it before I even ask," Harm returned. His mirth faded quickly. "On a serious note, I'm here for the Apex Clericus Solis." He hiked a thumb at the ruined carriage. "I thought that must have been his carriage. Considering none of the Puria are here, it wasn't."

Leandros chuckled softly, maintaining that knowing smirk. "Do you honestly believe that the most influential man in all of Incendius would truly travel by mere carriage to a summit that would ultimately define the outcome of this outrage?"

Harm lifted his eyebrows in surprise, unwilling to admit he had not considered the option. "I suppose I did find it odd that he forced us to take a carriage... I thought he just wanted to make a traditional entrance."

"No. Myself and the other major dignitaries used our own means to travel here. Novallier used the Meteoron Lanuae Magicae spell to bring him to the clock tower the instant you left. He has been here for the past two weeks. I arrived just hours ago."

Rubbing his chin, Harm chuckled and said, "Wild goose chase... I bet Novallier is having a ball."

"He would if his children were not missing."

Lifting his eyes, Harm opened his muzzle to speak before his eyes fell back on the carriage. Those same eyes narrowed as a frustrated sigh escaped him. "What kind of fool teleports himself to a meeting place with countless hostiles flocking around him and brings his children in a carriage?"

"It is not Novallier's fault. His eldest daughter is headstrong and wished to explore the city. I was to track them when the riot broke out. These are my findings. These and you."

"I'd still say that's Novallier's fault," Harm grumbled, regarding the ruins. "And the Apex Clericus Solis has the King of the Lupus doing a common ranger's tasks?" Any jibes that Leandros had were cut off as Harm stepped towards the carriage and said, "We'll have to find her. The last thing we want is a ransom."

"It's not just her."

Harm plucked the piece of cloth he had retrieved earlier from the carriage, straightened and watching the rain droplets turn the soft pink to a deep scarlet. "Who else?"

"Both his children are missing."

Taking one more whiff of the cloth before the water washed away the scent entirely, Harm tucked the piece into his pocket and gazed towards the east. "Fun times."

*****

The rain had dwindled to a faint drizzle. The rioters had begun to settle and it was not because their torches had been extinguished nor that it had been the storm that had riled their emotions. The rain mirrored their mood. It had calmed but still simmered with rage and eager to lash back out if given the chance.

The reason for their calm...?

A single figure standing atop the clock tower's steps, arms spread wide and addressing the crowd who stood no more than five feet away from him.

"If that were the Apex Clericus Solis, I would be less worried," Harm said. His white scarf billowed out behind him from where he stood atop a building with a full view of the figure. Leandros crouched to his left, growling with his lips pulled back to reveal vicious fangs.

Valk, leader of the Justitae Ignibus, addressed the people, his words not quite loud enough to carry through the whole crowd. Mob mentality drove everyone else. Only those close enough could hear him but the fact that they were no longer waving torches and screaming for blood affected the rest of the crowd.

Leandros agreed. "A man that commands an undisciplined army through a sense of justice is far more dangerous than a holy man who rules through faith and has dissent flooding the veins of his domain." The werewolf king lifted his muzzle to the air, sniffing the crisp, city aroma. Wet wood mixed with the scents of metal, cloth and stone, an unnatural concoction. He snorted in disgust and turned his yellow eyes towards Harm. The amber colour began to fade, replaced by the werewolf's natural brown.

"The rain has washed away the children's scent. How do you hope to track them, Chronos?"

Harm lifted Timekeeper, bringing the golden blade to level with his golden eyes. "Through time." A simple flick of his finger and the sword resonated with a deep, thunderous boom. Golden particles sprang from the edge, leaping outwards in a spherical shape, thinning as it spread.

"Time is a river," the Chronomancer explained. "It moves forever towards a single goal, always forward at a constant rate. Everyone who travels it are the rocks and pebbles that travel down its current, slowly being eroded as they cruise along until they are absorbed into the very flow of memory. Ordinarily, tracking a single fragment would be near impossible."

"But not for a Chronomancer."

Offering the werewolf king a smile, Chronos said, "One of the most basic techniques all Chronomancers are taught is the ability to track anything and anyone through the rivers of time. Everything has a signature, a given path they have walked and a trail in the flow that can be visible to those with the talent to see it."

With his free paw, he reached into the pocket of his pants and retrieved the ripped cloth that he had found at the ruined carriage. Another flick at Timekeeper and several golden particles clung to torn pieces. The others quickly migrated towards the blob of gold, extending outwards like a golden serpent. Faint voices rang in his ears, cries of a girl muffled through a gag and the growls of several non-humans for her silence. Blurry images followed the trail, phasing in and out every so often but growing stronger the further down the trail they progressed.

"Of course, as with the rule of all Chronomancy, the bigger the change it time, the great amount of strength it requires. The older the trail, the harder it is to keep it warm."

"What does striking your blade achieve?" Leandros demanded. "You've been holding that fragment for an entire minute now and I see no outward change."

Harm's smile remained as he turned to follow the trail. "I could show you what I see but then you'd be tainted with Time Magic. I doubt the King of the Custodia Lupus would want that."

"At the dawn of my race's creation, I was touched by Time," Leandros snarled, following him off the roof. They landed with a faint splash in the puddles that populated the streets. "I stand ageless while the rest of my people wither and die from the ravages of Time. And yet, you are the one who must hide in the shadows and I languish in Ironfrost growing fat on the tributes lords and nobles shove down my gullet."

The Chronomancer gave Leandros a smirk. "Makes me glad I can't eat. Want to trade?"

"Do not make that offer lightly, Chronos." The king's face was bent in a scowl. As they ducked into an alleyway to follow Harm's golden trail, the shadows showed the lines of stress and weariness on the lupine face of the Custodia Lupus. "Wolves were meant to run wild and free. Now, we stand on a frozen, iron wall like common guard dogs while the rest of the world hates us for stealing their men."

Harm's eyes followed the trail as it abruptly dropped downwards through a manhole. The flickering fragments of memory were growing stronger now. Peering into the rivers of time was difficult enough and he would have lost the trail had he waited longer but if the golden images and their solidifying state were any indication, he was drawing closer.

"Perhaps you have more to gain from this summit than just quelling a rebellion." He glanced over his shoulder at the Lupus. "They went down there."

Leandros grunted in disgust. "Would that I could go with you, Chronos. Sadly, my build forbids me."

"You're probably better suited back by Novallier anyway." A great shout rang up from the streets. "Valk seems to have riled up his followers. You might be needed back at the clock tower."

"Guard duty again." The bitterness in Leandros' voice was not lost on Harm.

"Better to have duty than to be dead," Harm answered cheerily. He bent down and yanked the manhole off, setting it aside as he peered into the darkness beyond. "Good luck placating Novallier. If he gives you lip, just remind him about the 'frost cat incident.' He'll know what I'm talking about."

The smirk on the Lupus' face eased many of the lines across his face. "That is a tale you will have to share some time, Chronos."

"Some time indeed."

Harm stepped into the manhole, dropping several feet into foul, slushy sewerage. Much of the filthy fluid seeped into his shoes and socks, soaking into his pants. However, his Time Locked state kept them from sticking for long. When he found the footpath lining the walls, the fluids just leapt off and splattered onto the stone, leaving his clothes and fur completely untouched.

Now, the trail glowed more brightly and the images had solidified into full figures. Their voices were clear and crisp, ringing in his ears as they hurried towards some unknown location. The imprints they left in time indicated they were not too far away. The kidnappers stopped right ahead of him, breaking into an argument. One of them got cold feet, arguing that they shouldn't have kidnapped the Apex Clericus Solis' children. The biggest one, a towering Bovios with one horn severed and a grizzly scar across his face, slammed the coward against the wall, uttering a few, short, threatening words. The craven kidnapper made the mistake of drawing a blade.

The big Bovios crushed the man's head with a single, enormous hand, squirting brains and blood against the wall. He threw the corpse into the river of sludge. One of the golden trails branched off from the rest and disappeared to the left where the sewers continued. Harm consciously cut off that stream and turned his gaze to where the other three kidnappers stood. The temporal recording continued straight ahead away from the flow of sewerage.

Even though all he was watching was a mere memory, he could still sense the tension in the air. The two other kidnappers were whispering behind the big Bovios' back, no doubt plotting revenge or escape. Over the shoulder of the Bovios lay a struggling girl that he assumed was owner of the torn cloth fragment he gripped. He had never seen either child of Novallier but he reasoned that members of the Justitae Ignibus wouldn't just kidnap any ordinary child.

Would they...?

The solid, golden images suddenly stopped and began to climb a ladder. They vanished beyond the manhole and given just how solid the memory was now, he was very close. Harm gripped Timekeeper and regretted having to fold it away, killing the memory as he did so. Charging into whatever lay beyond that manhole unarmed was dangerous but he had little choice.

The steel ladder creaked softly under his weight, holding stubbornly still as he reached the manhole. Peering at the lights that streamed through the tiny holes, he watched for any movement. When none came, he gave the steel covering a gentle nudge, pushing it aside and daring a peek beyond.

Boxes met his eyes and the scent of wood flooded his nostrils. Blood seeped in between the dusty smell. He pushed the manhole cover completely off and slowly emerged. Heavy breathing flooded his ears. Just as he had his upper body out of the manhole, a cold paw seized his arm. For a moment, his heart leapt to his throat but that moment was fleeting as with every sensation and he instantly returned to calm.

His golden eyes fell to the owner of the paw.

A Tigris lay on his side, eyes clear despite the gaping wound to the side of his head and half his torso caved in. Blood was pouring out of his short, square muzzle, splattered across the white fur that marked the underside of his jaw and marring the bright oranges and black stripes of his body. The young, toned body looked pathetic and withered. A raspy gasp escaped between his lips, one of a few remaining dying breaths.

"Help... me..."

Harm considered his options for but a moment.

"You're lucky you're cute."

He gripped the Tigris' paw. Time itself reversed, the flow of the river for this one particular individual flowing unnaturally. The blood that had pooled around him crept back into the wound, cells that had died from deprivation of oxygen springing back to life. Bones that had splintered and cracked pulled themselves out of internal organs and melded once more together. A lung filled with blood pushed all fluids out and began processing air once more. Flesh melded together, fur sprang back to life and strength returned to bright, sky-blue eyes.

Harm quickly wrapped his free paw around the Tigris' muzzle, keeping the young man from crying out in shock.

"Not a word. I gave you time, I can take it back."

A nod of confirmation. Harm pulled his paw away, hiding the sudden weakness that had flooded his body and muscles. The weariness was fleeting as his strength quickly came back. He emerged entirely from the manhole and rose, pressing his back against the wall of crates that surrounded him. Voices became to emanate from the other side of the small cage of wooden crates. It seemed that this Tigris had been murdered and the evidence attempted to be hidden in a rush.

"... there were more of you." The voice was strong, powerful and commanding. Harm had no trouble imagining the speaker was Valk but he still remembered the leader being too far away to have made the commute so soon.

"I killed them. Fools, the lot of them." That voice was deep, rumbling and infinitely threatening.

"What have I told you about wasting our resources, Prazan?"

"The true waste is that they are considered our 'resources'. I didn't need them to come along. I could have taken the girl myself. All they did was stall me. I had to stop to kill them all."

"Better them than bystanders who would have aroused suspicion."

Another voice joined the conversation. "Yullie! Let me go!" That was a boy's voice. Young. No older than six or seven.

"Quiet boy!"

"Away, Prazan!" The tension was thick enough that it penetrated the crates and seized Harm's throat in a vice-like grip. "We need this boy alive. Novallier will not bow down to our master if he is injured. They still outnumber and outgun us, after all."

A deep, resonating snort. "Fine. What would you have me do?"

"Keep them here. I have much to see to. All of you, stay here with Prazan."

No protests. Considering the content, Harm was surprised there were no arguments and perhaps one display of power by slaying another subordinate.

"I made a mistake," he whispered softly, his gaze hardening. "They're organised and disciplined..."

A paw fell on his shoulder. It was the Tigris. The boy offered him a rusted dagger. "Give them one stab for me, will ya?"

Cute. That was all Harm could think.

He pushed the blade away, drawing Timekeeper and unfurling the blade. "Keep it. You'll need it."

The crate suddenly exploded, a thick, meaty arm erupting from wood and wrapping around Harm's neck. His airways were suddenly closed and splinters rained down on him. With much effort, he managed to lock gazes with the enormous Bovios who tore aside the rest of the crate and flashed him a menacing grin.

"These mice speak too loudly."

The world took a surreal turn. The air whizzed past his ears. His back brushed past the iron supports of the shelves, his ankle snapping against it painfully before he was hurled mightily through the air. Ignoring the pain, he closed his eyes for the briefest of moments. When he opened them, time slowed and he took stock of his surroundings.

Even upside down and flying through the air, he could register the girl in the pink dress bound to a chair, her mouth gagged and her bright, brown eyes wide in shock. Not too far from her was a boy with the same black hair as her, clutching her tightly with tears streaming down his rosy cheeks. The broad, open warehouse was occupied with twenty non-humans, each of them armed with cleaned swords, polished armour and two with paws crackling with magic.

Twenty-one against one.

"That's almost unfair."

His gentle smile returned to his muzzle.

Harm Chronos flipped himself in the air, dropping straight to the ground despite where his momentum would have taken him. He vanished from view and reappeared behind one of the armed non-humans. The Wulfun jumped into the air, hooking the man's neck on the inside of his bent leg. The gasp of shock that came from the entire warehouse was short-lived as he gripped the man's throat tightly before twisting around, dragging the man through the air and slamming him hard against the ground. The force was so strong that it cracked the concrete floors and had the non-human bouncing an entire three feet into the air.

Another kick devastated a spine into gelatine and sent the non-human slamming into the enormous Bovios looming over the Tigris. The bull man spun around, eyes wide in both shock and anger.

Harm gave him a taunting wink.

The Wulfun quickly spun to his right, lifting Timekeeper to block an overhead blow. His free paw rose, catching his foe's chin in the uppercut and sending the non-human reeling. Harm threw Timekeeper over his shoulder. He felt it strike another man between the eyes.

Two down.

He yanked on the golden chain bound to his belt, pulling the blade back towards him. His paw snatched the golden sword from the air. The reeling non-human had enough time to stare at him before his life was cut short but Timekeeper severing his head from his shoulders. Harm seized the shortsword from the falling, headless corpse and charged into the midst of the remaining seventeen rebels.

They all charged at him at once, lifting their blades and weapons. He heard two shouts in the Illuminus Weizar. Bolts of purple lightning arced through the air. Both shot for his liberated blade. He threw the weapon underhanded and it embedded itself into the shield of the nearest opponent. The bolts jerked in the air and struck the pommel of the blade, the blast shattering the shield into splinters and sending the owner reeling back into his comrades.

Harm used the moment to run up the male's strong legs, up a strangely narrow chest and into the air. The two spellcasters were far beyond the front line, moving their paws in arcane symbols. He swung Timekeeper through the air twice. The force of the swing came with a thunderous boom. A visible crescent of energy sizzled out from the arc of his blade. One spellcaster quickly cancelled his spell and dove to the left as the crescent bit into the concrete, creating a foot-deep depression.

The other was not so lucky. He was bifurcated from the waist.

Harm turned his attention back to those foes beneath him and abruptly landed. There was a soft boom as he crouched amongst the soldiers even as their eyes were still gazing at the fading afterimage of where he had been. Timekeeper rose, sliding between the ribs of one male and puncturing the heart. Before the blood could even burst from the wound, Harm was slicing the legs of another and then cleaving the face of a third in two.

He seized a fourth's head, forcing the non-human to look straight at him before he shoved Timekeeper straight down his throat. The other soldiers finally saw him but they were far too late to act. He yanked Timekeeper away and pressed the blooded blade's hilt against his forehead.

To those watching, there was a sudden stream of crimson blood swinging around in arcs like someone was using paintbrush dipped in blood red paint and swinging it wildly. The droplets of blood hung in the air for the briefest of moments before they descended to the ground, perfect, spheres of crimson. When the first broke its shape and splattered on the ground, the paw of a soldier dropped beside it.

For every droplet, a body piece fell. Like crumbling statues, the soldiers around Harm shattered into bloody pieces, falling into a heap by his feet.

Harm lowered Timekeeper. He tilted his head, turning his gaze to the two remaining opponents; the Bovios and the remaining spellcaster. Only the latter appeared frightened.

"You, magician!" the Bovios roared. "Grant me fire's blaze!"

The spellcaster gave a brief nod and waved his hands in arcane patterns before thrusting his paws forward. A globe of fire launched from both his palms, shooting towards the Bovios before splintering into tiny fragments that closed in around the male's fists. Red flames enchanted the towering hulk's fists without burning them.

"Huh... Roast beef," Harm commented.

The Bovios roared, lowering his one horn and charging forward.

Harm maintained his calm, gentle smile, lifting Timekeeper ever so slowly...

Then he was gone.

The Bovios ground to a halt halfway through his charge. A sharp whistle turned the bull around in time to see the spellcaster's head severed from his shoulders. The head itself was kicked brutally towards him, bouncing off his forehead with a wet splat.

Like a gentle breeze, the stunned Bovios felt the Wulfun scramble up his body, grip his horn and slide around his shoulders, legs cradling his neck while that golden blade pressed against throat. He had enough time to lock gazes with the golden eyed Wulfun.

"Game over."

*****

Harm Chronos' sneakers made only a soft thud on the concrete.

The Bovios' body made a resounding boom.

Still wearing his gentle smile, he wandered over to where the girl and the little boy stood, quivering with their eyes lifted at him. He stopped a good few feet away from them before bowing respectfully.

"Lady Yulanda. Lord Tynvendar. My name is Harm Chronos. I am from the Church."

Even without looking, the relief in their eyes radiated warmth that it tingled his whiskers. He moved behind Yulanda and undid her gag first.

"You are a demon," she gasped, partially in relief and partially in hysterical laughter. "That was twenty men and that brute! You're a Paladin, aren't you?"

"Nope," he replied, undoing her bonds. "I'm a teacher."

"A teacher? What do you teach?"

"How to kick ass." Once she was free, he stood back and let the girl rise. She was tall, coming close to his six foot eight but falling short by two or three inches. Her hair was long, flowing down her back like a waterfall of ebony. He did not miss the three-pronged whip that rested at her hip nor did he miss the golden bonds that wrapped around the black grip.

He chose not to comment on it. "Ready to head back? Your father is worried."

"He is always worried," Yulanda muttered bitterly. "But if I must..." She wrapped her arms around the boy, letting him sob against her soft, pink dress. "Come now, Tyn-Tyn... It's over."

Harm had no intention of sounding clichéd but as he gazed at the bodies around him - at just how well-armed the soldiers were and how well they had managed to kidnap Yulanda and Tynvandar - he could not help but think that this was only the beginning.

*****

"The Mother Goddess Athena created the world. In the times when she walked amongst us, she gave everything and everyone a name. These names came from her lips alone and it is these names that she used to forge the world. However, mortals abused the names and in their hubris, they shattered the world that she had created."

Harm peered around the corner of a column, watching the mass as Novallier gave his sermon. The enormous congregation had gathered after Valk had apparently stymied the violent protestors at the foot of the clock tower. Frightened humans and angry non-humans all flocked to have to hear what the leader of their Station had to say. He invited them all to mass and none would deny hearing the comforting words and tales of the Mother Goddess Athena.

It was simply amazing how faith could both divide and unite at the same time.

"The world was torn into thirteen fragments. In the time known as the Sundering, we mortals were lost in the Void, the space between worlds. However, the Mother Goddess is full of love and quick to forgive. She created the enormous crystal spire that pierces every fragment of our former world, binding them all together so that her children would not be lost in the chaos of the Void. This tower, Chrysalis, is what defines our world, our very existence. The train that traverses the tower and Void, that which that unites us all despite our separation is why we are known as the Thirteen-in-One.

"Our world is Tower Thirteen, the train that stops at every 'Station' is the hand that reaches out in the chaos and holds us all together despite our vast differences."

"I have heard my father preach over and over again but never before have I heard him so desperate to press the idea of unity."

His ears flicked backwards but he did not need to turn to know that Yulanda was the one standing behind him.

"I would have called him a fool if he didn't at least try," he answered. "It won't do much. From what I hear, Valk is just as charismatic and a man of action. He did kidnap the Apex Clericus Solis' children, after all."

"It was not Valk."

Harm glanced at the human girl. She had to be no older than sixteen and in long, flowing dress of black and red with the crest of Incendius marked on her chest, she seemed so much younger. Her hair was tied up in a net of pearls and rubies were embedded into a golden necklace that hung around her neck.

"I'm guessing the guy giving the orders to that Bovios was not Valk then?"

Yulanda shook her head, a frown across her porcelain features but daring not to press a single crease on her pure, white skin. "They called him the 'Dawn's Champion'. He was well armed and I could feel the power of magic flowing from him."

Far down the cathedral, Novallier continued his sermon.

"The Goddess granted us the Illuminus Weizar_. She gave us the words that define each and every object within her domain to mould as we see fit. But it was our hubris and our division between one another that caused the Sundering. We must not let such dissent to occur again. Let us not see Incendius torn apart. We are one people. One society under a single sun. One heart graced by the Mother's brightest daughter, Apollia."_

"It worries me that so many of those under his command were so well armed and had formidable knowledge of magic," Yulanda said. "Yet they were no match for you, were they Lord Chronos?"

Harm smiled softly and turned his attention back to Novallier. "So you know who I am."

"Those within the Church's gilded walls all know of you, the Last Chronomancer. Hero of the Purge of Time. The only Chronomancer to see the light of the Mother Goddess and come to defence of Tower Thirteen when all other Chronomancers turned heretical and swept through the Stations in an attempt for dominance. You were adopted into the house of the Eternal Propheticus Primoris, Lumire, making you royalty. You teach the Paladins, visiting each of the eleven remaining Stations, spending on year each to tutor every Paladin and guide them with the Mother Goddess' light."

"The Mother Goddess still watches us. She would weep to know that Incendius is in such a state. She built Chrysalis so that we would be united as a people when we shattered her creation yet here we stand dividing one Station amongst ourselves. She sends Valours down to her chosen, forever reminding us that she loves us and that she rewards those who are true to her faith. Let us not waver for even though we may not all receive a Valour, we are still loved by her."

"The guilt trip," Harm snorted softly. "I've seen that card played so many times. It's a sign of desperation. The Mother Goddess didn't give people Valours to guilt them into doing her bidding."

"You do not like these sermons, Lord Harm?"

"Considering how I'm a walking blasphemy against them? I'm quite surprised I don't burst into flames or that my ears start to bleed the moment these 'holy words' are uttered." He turned away from Novallier, crossing his arms across his chest and regarding the girl in front of him. "Now why aren't you out there sitting at your father's right hand?"

Yulanda lifted her angled chin high, straightening her shoulders and licking her lips as if to prepare a speech she had rehearsed so many times before. "My father is very protective of me. He does not wish that I be seen after the events of this night."

"I don't think even Novallier had the foresight to predict you or your brother would decide to see just how badly you could get into trouble and end up getting kidnapped by the 'Dawn's Champion'." His golden eyes narrowed. "Could the reason that he doesn't want you to be seen in public is because of your Valour, Sun Dancer?"

Her eyes grew cold and there was a slight twitch on her left cheek. "How did you know?"

Harm kept his features steely. "For the last thousand years, I've been in charge of training every Paladin and Templar. They won't let me touch the Inquisition for some reason. Everyone who has a Valour has spent at least a year under my tutelage. Every Valour is registered in the Arcanum Bibliotheca on Haven. The Valour of the Bookman there allows him to register every Valour in existence and give a vague reference to who its wielder is. For the past few years, he has kindly informed me of the few Valours that have not been paired up with their Paladin."

He nodded towards Yulanda's waist where a ring-like coil was hidden just underneath the folds of the silken doublet she wore. "There is only one three-pronged whip that I remember wasn't registered to a Paladin. Sun Dancer." His eyes went back to hers. "Now I'm starting to think that it wasn't a case of not being paired with its associated Paladin."

To her credit, Yulanda did not lie. "As I said, my father is very protective of me. The role of a Paladin is not the one for the daughter of the Apex Clericus Solis."

"Kind of being a bit hypocritical, aren't you?" he answered with his smile slowly returning. "I mean, your father is preaching about putting faith in the Mother Goddess' will and here he is, restricting you when she has clearly chosen you to do her work."

"I would argue the same of you, Lord Harm. Are you not meant to be dead?"

He liked her. "Touché."

The mass had progressed to ritual vespers. Soon, they would step into the segment where the priest would bless an object from each of the Stations and grind them into a paste. Using the magic of the Illuminus Weizar, Novallier would transform the mush into a glowing, crystal liquid and then pass across the crowd using a branch from a native tree to sprinkle it across the crowd, trailed by thirteen altar servants waving incense behind him.

For Incendius, the branch was that of the Incendian pine with each of its leaves shaped like a tongue of fire. Harm watched as Novallier placed the eleven ingredients into a mortar and pestle. Once before, it would have been thirteen but after the Twelfth Station of Wrath had been destroyed due to demonic corruption and the Chronomancers of the Eleventh Station - Temporal - were exterminated, only eleven objects were held sacred.

"What do you believe these events mean for the Station, Lord Harm?" Yulanda asked.

He watched Novallier utter sacred words over the pestle. Bright, white light began emanating from the marble dish, the voices of the worshipers rising as the ritual reached its climax.

"Incendius will change," he answered. "There's no doubt about that. How it will change, however, is uncertain. There's a battle coming. There's a tenuous balance here. Novallier and Valk are both doing their best to keep their troops at bay but it seems that extremists are acting on their own in the name of their respective leaders. No matter what officials say, doubt will remain in the hearts of the masses and it is this doubt that will divide us into sides. There will be heartbreak as sympathisers and loyalists will face off against loved ones and friends. Tears and blood will flow no matter what we do. All we can do, however, is to make sure we're there with a bandage to stem the bleeding or a blade to end the suffering."

Yulanda was silent for a long moment as her father began to walk down the aisles of the cathedral, sprinkling magical, glowing, crystal water over the masses.

She broke her silence with, "The Dawn's Champion is the extremist for The Justitae Ignibus. Who are the extremists for the Church?"

Harm straightened, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Me."

******

Inquisitor Warton looked terrible, more so than usual. His power armour had hundreds of new gashes and slashes across its grey body. Stiches were applied to his cheek were it seemed that a non-human and clawed at him. All of his Puria were strangely unharmed. From across the broad, mahogany table, he glared at Harm with both of his eyes.

The Wulfun ignored the bright, red light emanating from the Inquisitor's eye and focused on the documents arrayed in front of him, gathered from his many sources across the field. Having trained so many Paladins over a millennium, he had earned the trust of the majority of the Church's 'grunts' as it were. They frequently fed him reports that they thought were of top priority, even bypassing normal channels to get him information he requested.

That irked the higher-ups but they could never argue with his results.

He glanced at one particular report and slid it to his left towards Aria. She picked it up, lifting it into the air so that Warton could not see its contents from across the table and to hide the frown that crossed her features. One glance at Harm's direction and they both shared the same thought.

Just by following her eyes, he could already guess what was racing through her thoughts.

Rumours of the actions of the Justitae Ignibus had already started to spread to the far corners of Incendius. Even the Sunless Lands across the ocean were starting to stir with unrest. There were rumours of a particularly powerful non-human lord who was hiring every able bodied man and woman non-human to join his army to first conquer the Sunless Lands and then march his army to take the Sun Spire. Similarly, a faction of the Custodia Lupus had broken off and crippled the powerful guardians of the south. Vampiri politics progressed as per usual, perpetually deadlocked by tradition and ambition.

Whatever the outcome, none of them could truly hope to match the might of the Church of the Tower. The Church was already mobilising its Incendian star fleet. The stars in the sky had already doubled in number as the starships were poised to stem the flow of rebellion if it even rose to that point. Inquisition ships had also been spotted, adding to the sense of urgency.

Harm filtered through the reports and searched for the profile on Valk. The Draconis was handsome and built; toned. His wings were unnaturally large, however, and he draped them over his shoulders like a cape. Polished, crimson scales caught the sunlight perfectly in the photographs and there didn't seem to be any image of him where he didn't appear stunningly beautiful. The smile on his face was warm and welcoming, his eyes matching the emotion from his lips. One flaw on his otherwise perfect countenance was a few scales missing from just under his left eye.

Just looking at the supposed leader aroused suspicion in Harm. The Draconis screamed puppet leader.

The doors into the meeting room sprang open, a whole array of Custodia Solis marching in with their hard, metal boots pounding across the floor. Harm rose with the rest of those gathered as Novallier entered the chambers, sweeping in with his robes billowing out behind him. His children were right behind him followed by golden armoured knights.

Aria and Harm exchanged quick glances. The presence of the Custodia Deos did not bode well. The Deos were few but specialised in Divine Magic, the magic of creation itself. They were arguably the most powerful of the Custodia and reserved as special guards to the Templars and officials of Haven. To have even two next to Novallier was a cause for worry.

"Sit," the High Priest ordered, taking his position at the highest of the seats. Harm was a little surprised to find himself close to leader of Incendius. He had expected to be positioned as far as possible but only Aria stood between himself and Yulanda.

"This is growing quickly out of hand," Novallier said, tending his fingers. "The scene in front of the clock tower was a sign that more drastic measures need to be taken."

"I agree," Warton snarled, slamming his fist into the table. "Say the word, Your Holiness, and I will sweep across the streets and take those mangy, rabid beasts' pelts for my winter coat!"

"You wouldn't need a winter coat if you weren't devolved from a hairless gorilla," Harm retorted.

"You will be the first I skin, Chronomancer!" Warton threatened. "I will enjoy tearing your hide from your flesh over and over again!"

"And I'll enjoy laughing at your desperate attempts to kill me."

"Silence!" Novallier barked. "No violent action will be taken."

Warton seemed appalled and even Harm was a little surprised that retaliation was not at hand considering Yulanda and Tynvandar's kidnapping.

"The summit will continue," the Apex Clericus Solis said. "But I have decided to turn it into a formal gala. Now, more than ever, people need to be reminded of just how much joy one can have in the company of others, human and non-human."

"My lord, that is a grievous risk!" Warton exclaimed. "There are so many people! So many you cannot trust! After what happened to your children, who is to say that the vile non-humans would try something again!?"

"I find myself begrudgingly agreeing with the Inquisitor," Harm murmured, locking gazes with Novallier. "From your daughter's testimony, Valk and the Justitae Ignibus might just be a convenient smokescreen to hide some more sinister plot. If you expose yourself like this, you or any of your family could be harmed and blame placed on innocent non-humans."

Novallier pointed at Harm. "And that is why I am entrusting you to accompany my daughter."

The Chronomancer flicked his ears towards the most powerful man on Incendius. "One more time for the millennium old Wulfun?"

"You have saved my children, Chronos. Now I am trusting you to ensure their safety when it is most dangerous. Do not disappoint me."

Harm turned towards Aria, eyebrows raised. "I think I was just complimented, insulted and drafted at the same time."

He was ignored for the most part.

"The gala will be held three nights from now," Novallier announced. "I will send the necessary invitations and security will be in your charge, Warton. My Lady Templar, may I ask you oversee the preparations for the venue? I would like to know of any potential points of escape or assassination beforehand."

Aria answered with a curt nod. "Of course, Your Holiness."

"I would also trust that your angelic powers be put to good use in rooting out ill will on the streets."

Harm glanced over at Aria, watching her expression closely. It was no secret that Angels made the best Inquisitors for their powers of Confession. One look into the purple eyes of an Angel and one could fall under their control, completely and utterly unable to resist their commands. Angels were placed in the Inquisition as Confessors who were tasks with discerning the truth from suspects. Aria's position as a Templar was rare but that did not diminish her powers.

"On the night of the gala, I would also like to entrust my son's security to you," Novallier continued.

"It would be my honour," Aria answered, her tone level.

Novallier placed his palms on the table, a long sigh escaping him. His weariness showed for the first time. The lines on his face aged him by decades and his lowered gaze spoke of the temptation to slip into slumber and never awaken.

Harm regarded the reports that lay before him. Grim news was not what the leader of Incendius needed. He scooped them together into a neat pile and sliding them back into the folder from where they came.

"I have preparations to make," Novallier announced, rising again. "But before I do..." His gaze fell on Harm. His lips moved awkwardly like he was trying to chew something that was resisting his efforts. "Chronos... You have my thanks for saving my children. "

The amount of effort put into that single apology appeared colossal. Harm bit back a snappy, sarcastic remark and merely gave the Incendian leader a curt nod. The tension in the air thickened as Novallier's lips quivered like he was biting back his own scathing comment. An eternity seemed to pass before Novallier managed to tear his gaze from Harm and turn away, striding through the meeting hall of Clockwork's cathedral.

Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled.