(*Authors Note: journal entries will now precede many of the following chapters. These journal entries are not my creation and are the property of Bungie. I have taken the text from the following website:
Myth at Bungie dot org
I have adjusted the contents of the journals to match my narrative. I do not make any money from writing this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.)
Monday September 15, Outskirts of Tyr
The battle for Madrigal lasted four days without pause. Shiver fell on the first night in a spectacular dream duel with Rabican, one of the Nine. No one expected this. We have never before challenged one of The Fallen and won.
But the truth behind the victory is stranger than any of the rumors. Apparently The Nine found the severed head of one of Balor's enemies from the old days, buried out in the desert under several tons of sand and rock, and managed to start talking to the thing. Balor is the power behind The Fallen Lords, and we figure his enemy is our friend.
They say that The Head had an old score to settle with Shiver, and told Rabican that her one weakness was vanity, and showed him how to exploit it.
The days after Shiver's demise still proved a challenge. One of her Shades, an undead wizard who once went by the name of Skelnir, managed to rally a substantial party of thrall and soulless in woods near Madrigal. Despite our best efforts, it seemed that Skelnir would slip away into the wilderness with his army. My companions and I were not looking forward to dealing with months of grueling guerilla warfare with the Shade's minions.
But it seems the forces of light are making many new friends as of late. During my last mission at Comfort, I made the acquaintance of two young wizards, or alchemists as they call themselves, by the names of Edward and Alphonse Elric. Bernard, my senior officer, does not seem too fond of them, but out of gratitude for the aid they gave us in escaping Shiver's rearguard he introduced them to the Nine. Something about them impressed Alric, who ordered the Elrics to assist us in the battle with Skelnir. The boys certainly did their part.
The young alchemists quickly discerned the Shade's innate weakness to water, despite never facing such a powerful undead in combat. They then lured Skelnir into a battleground of their choosing, which just happened lie over an underground stream. In a feat of magic that would certainly impress any accomplished wizard, the Elrics raised the stream into a massive geyser that sent Skelnir into oblivion. We made quick work of his leaderless horde.
Soon afterwards, the Head, which appears to know something about everything, got us looking for an artifact called the Total Codex. It has finally been located in the ruined city of Covenant, but the first group sent to retrieve it has not returned.
Which brings me to the present moment. I am writing this entry from my lodgings outside of Tyr, a city recently recovered by our forces since the collapse of Shiver's army. At Tyr, the dwarves discovered an old World Knot, a magical artifact capable of transporting men over vast distances. Captain Bernard received orders for our unit to report here, with the Elrics, two days ago. And in a few minutes Rabican himself is going to send a few of us through the World Knot to Covenant, to bring back the Codex.
While waiting for Rabican's arrival in Tyr's central square, Bernard took a quick look about to make sure everyone looked sharp. His recent promotion to major expanded his command from one company to two. The upcoming mission through the world knot would mark his first experience leading such a large force. All the soldiers stood at attention, waiting to march into the nearby World Knot. The officers, from both the 26th and the 27th companies, stood around their new commander.
Bernard liked the 27th, and he liked their officers even more. The men looked more used to frontline combat duty than the special work typically carried out by the 26th, but one could never have too many strong sword arms. ii'Shuul, who also received a promotion to specialist captain, seemed pleased with his many new archers. He whispered to Bernard that one fir'Bolg named ki'Angsi boasted a very sharp eye. As for the dwarves, large groups of their kind tended to make Bernard a bit nervous, but he could count on the leadership of Oleg. His experience and daring commanded such respect that he could even keep a rabble-rouser like Nori in line. Just about everything seemed perfectly adjusted for the task ahead.
Except he could not see the Elrics anywhere.
"Where are the alchemists?" Bernard grunted.
"Here they come now, sir."
Bernard could see Al's head and shoulders weaving through the ranks of warriors. A moment later, both brothers emerged from the formation and jogged over to the officers.
"You are late, Fullmetal."
"Apologies, Cap-"
"Major!" corrected Bernard.
"Of course. My apologies, Major," Edward stretched and yawned, then folded his arms in wait.
Bernard held back from berating the youth any further. He owed his advancement in part to the Elric brothers. Over the past month, they proved a powerful augment to his unit. It helped that the rank and file loved the lads.
Success came as Bernard built his relationship with the brothers, learning tendencies and personalities. He could manage the elder one with patience and a firm hand. He addressed the boy by his title, and occasionally allowed Edward to give his own input to strategy. In fact, Bernard discovered that Edward possessed considerable military aptitude.
The younger brother was another matter. Alphonse required little behavior management compared to Edward, and proved equally bright and arguably more adept in hand-to-hand combat. Yet despite his strong military aptitude, Alphonse did not appear completely engaged with the world. At times he even seemed distant from reality. Bernard had yet to determine the cause of this apathy, but Edward seemed acutely aware of his brother's lapses in focus, even worried about it. The elder brother often pulled the younger back to earth before Bernard could even react. But this time, Bernard caught Alphonse glancing about the city square first.
"Alchemist! Attention!"
Al did not hear the Major call. He felt too drawn by the curious architecture of Tyr's central district. The buildings all displayed martial symbols, with carvings of weaponry everywhere. He watched as a crow landed on a roof with shingles shaped like spearheads.
Someone tapped his breastplate.
"Hey Al, pay attention, would you?" his brother whispered.
"Huh? Oh right. When's Rabican getting here?"
"Right now, apparently."
Al watched as the general, big enough to look him in the eye, strode into the city square with his honor guard. A quick fanfare sounded and the assembled troops saluted. Rabican waved back. As he gave a brief speech, his deep voice rang against his great helm.
"Soldiers! You are here today because I believe you are the best. You come from the best army. The best legion. I am told few companies can equal your impressive records. But no unit has ever undertaken a mission like this one. Using the World Knot, I shall transport you behind enemy lines to Covenant, where our first unit sent in search of the Codex went missing. Our scouts report that the Watcher may be in the area. You men are our last chance to secure the Codex and save our lost troops. Failure is not an option, but your success I doubt not. Godspeed, soldiers of the 26th and 27th. Remember Madigral! Let us have victory again. And may we one day draw the lifeblood of the Fallen Lords, and live in peace forever!"
Rabican drew his broadsword and held it to the sky, invoking the moment of his great victory at Madrigal. Immediately the warriors drew their swords and cheered loudly, as did the archers and dwarves. Only the Elrics retained a steeled composure, holding the metal of their arms and the mettle of their souls ready for the challenge ahead. That challenge grew more evident as Rabican spoke his instructions to the officers.
"The first unit we sent in traveled over the roads by cart, before we recovered the World Knot. At that time, our spies told us the region was clear of the Watcher's forces, but it seems now that the Fallen Lord is entering the country around Covenant. While there is little reason to believe that he is within the city, it is likely that our troops there are completely surrounded. Therefore, the World Knot makes for much safer transport."
"I will send you through the Knot in three waves: the warriors first with the officers, then the archers, finally the dwarves with the alchemists. Secure the immediate area, then search the city. You likely will find our men with the Codex. Its last known location was the Great Library. Once you find it, and our men, make back for the World Knot. I will know when you are ready to return here. Questions?"
Before anyone else could speak, Edward stepped forward.
"Why haven't you taken into account that the Dark may know how to use the World Knots? Your plan could expose the heart of our operations to the enemy."
Most of the officers gasped. Bernard just held his face in his hand. Edward's blunt approach to disagreements did not surprise him anymore, but his audacity in face of senior commanders remained a source of embarrassment.
"Mind your tongue next time Fullmetal, but that's a question that deserves an answer," Rabican responded, unfazed, "The Dark do not know how to use the World Knots. None remain in the country east of the Cloudspine, and only a Fallen Lord could even begin to understand the intricacies of the devices. Besides, they had Tyr's Knot in their possession for weeks, and never used it, so reason leads us to believe that they never understood the function. Any further questions?"
No one spoke.
"Then to your stations, and assemble the men as instructed. Notify me when you are ready to begin."
As the officers made their way to their assignments, Rabican pulled Edward and Alphonse aside.
"You two alchemists did the light much good service over the past month. Alric has much faith in you. But I know you are still young, inexperienced. Keep your guard up, as this will be your most difficult mission to date. You've never operated this close to a Fallen Lord before. Be prepared for anything."
With that, Rabican turned on his heel and proceeded to the World Knot. He began reciting incantations aloud, summoning the energies needed to activate the artifact.
As the Elrics stood with the dwarves and watched the first waves of troops pass through the World Knot, the brothers took in the display of magical power. Given a rare free moment, the boys did their best to learn as much as possible about the forces governing the world they stumbled into only a month ago. Edward often listened and watched the Nine as they completed rituals and spells. Alphonse directed his attention to magical objects and attempted to discern the details of their function. This suited him, as he increasingly found the behavior of people besides his brother overly puzzling.
He avoided telling Edward about his innermost feelings, for fear of causing his brother too much worry. Al knew that Ed blamed himself for everything that befell them both. He did not want his brother blaming himself anymore, even as Al felt his personal sense of humanity beginning to crumble.
Objects seemed a bit easier to decipher than people lately. As Al observed the World Knot, he felt a curious sense of communion with the artifact. The Knot functioned like a circuit, completing itself after someone imbued it with the strange magical energy that permeated this world. Like him, the Knot was an aberration. The only difference between them lay in their purpose. The Knot bent space. Al defined his existence as a bending of death, but he knew not his purpose beyond defending and loving his brother. Occasionally, on lonely nights as his brother slept, Al fell into questioning the purpose of love.
He shook off his downhearted thoughts. Al looked at his brother, and at the dwarves around them. Nori, the brothers' most steadfast companion over the past month of fighting, stood nearby. Al reminded himself that he still had friends, both here and far away at home. If only he could remember all their faces.
Quickly he tried to turn his attention to something else. He searched for the crow from earlier. Remarkably, it never moved. It sat perfectly still on the same rooftop, almost watching the troops depart from Tyr.
Eventually, the warriors and archers all finished going through, and Elric made their way to the Knot with the dwarves.
As they stood in the middle of the circle formed by the Knot's obsidian pylons, Ed layed his hand on his brother's arm.
"We've been through more fighting than I ever expected either of us to see, Al. I'm sorry that I've put you through this."
"Nothing to it, brother," Al felt inclined to grin; if only he could "We've been through a lot, some things probably worse than this. I already told you that I am not going anywhere."
"Just thought of reminding you; neither am I."
"You two always gonna get this cutesy before a mission? Remind me to clog me ears with straw," Nori quipped.
"Look whose talking? In our world, little girls would play with toys like you, have you for tea, and dress you up in petticoats!" Ed fired back.
"Arrr, Edward, mind your tongue, or I might forget to tell you where I put me last satchel charge," Nori winked.
"Blowing up my brother's not easy. A lot of people already tried," Al joined in.
"Well, they didn't have a good dwarven head on their shoulders now did they? Now look sharp we're about to go through!"
Rabican extended his hands to the sky, and Ed heard a sound like a gust of wind. The world faded to white for a moment, and then the outlines of different buildings began to come into vision. Ed began to hear muffled sounds of clamor too. Something did not feel right.
"Get clear of the knot!"
Someone shouted, then came a whistling in the air, and Ed's emergency instincts took over. He sprang to his left and rolled towards the edge of the Knot, barking orders.
"Scatter!"
The dwarves turned and ran with Al as the world finished coming into focus.
A javelin struck the ground where Ed had stood only a moment earlier. The ground of the Knot bristled with the black barbs of the soulless. Here and there, warriors and archers lay pinned to the earth. A few struggled to rise. Most no longer moved.
Ed looked about and saw only more chaos. The area around the World Knot crawled with enemies. Groups of soulless floated on heaps of rubble, hurling their poisoned barbs. They threw their shots with deadly accuracy, striking low many of Bernard's soldiers. In complete disarray, the troops could barely defend themselves from the thrall cutting into their ranks on the ground. Suddenly a pack of ghols swept into the fray. They cut the hamstrings of archers and hurled themselves onto the backs of warriors. One ghol brought his cleaver down with violent ferocity on someone's helmet.
The sight of the blow spurned Ed back into action. He made for the nearest pile of rubble while shouting to his brother.
"Get things cleaned up down here Al! I'll take the high ground!"
"Gotcha Ed!"
While the dwarves rushed to intercept the next approaching mob of thrall, Al waded into the melee. He began to grab every ghol in sight. Two by two he hurled them as far as he could.
Ed reached the top of the heap. He clapped his hands and pressed his hands down. Huge stone spikes punched skyward and took out a cluster of soulless.
"Four down, many to go," Ed huffed as he leapt across the tops of the rubble.
Al found Major Bernard embattled by trio of the snarling fiends.
"Major, are you alright?" Al snatched up two of the ghols and cracked their heads together.
"Unhurt," Bernard barked as he cut down the last ghol, "but fed up with this!"
He grabbed his horn and sounded a call.
"Ring formation!" he bellowed "Archers to the center! Form up now!"
A salvo of grenade blasts went off. The dwarves, having neutralized the approaching thrall reinforcements, appeared atop the rubble heaps as Ed cleared out the remaining soulless. The tiny grenadiers began hurling their explosives into the rear ranks of the remaining undead, while their comrades moved into formation. Al guarded Bernard at the center of the ring of troops as the Major kept giving orders.
"Warriors, shield wall! Archers, flame barrage now!"
"Ignite arrows! Ready! Fire!" ii'Shuul shouted.
The blazing bodkins arched over the heads of the defending warriors and into the thrall, setting the walking corpses alight. Many stumbled and crumbled into ashes. The rest met the steadfast shield-wall and were cut to pieces.
None of the enemy remained, but before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief the ground at the edge of the World Knot stirred.
"Fall back!" Bernard shouted. The warriors tightened their shield wall. Keeping the archers behind, they all carefully backed away from the ancient stones.
A dozen wights raised themselves up from the earth, and began to shamble towards the World Knot.
"What are they doin?" Nori whispered to Ed.
Within a moment they began to cling to one of the pylons, and the dwarf realized their intent.
"No! Keep them away! Don't let 'em—"
Too late. With a hideous belch, the last wight plunged a dagger into its swollen belly and set off a chain reaction. The creatures exploded in a burst of pus and noxious gas, obliterating the pylon. The warriors just managed to catch the castoff of poisonous slime on their shields.
Ed and the dwarves clambered down from the heights to help their comrades. The battle's aftermath was nothing less than devastating. Any of the men lying wounded outside the safety of the shield wall quickly expired from exposure to the wight blast. There was nothing anyone could do for them.
Ed came across Bernard leaning on his sword, his face pale with anguish. Al loomed by his side.
"'Major, what happened here?" Ed did his best to stifle his own grief. He had never seen so many men die before in his life.
"Ambush. Like they were waiting for us." Bernard slowly shook his head.
"Waiting for us? Waiting for us!?"
Ed kicked dust over a fallen thrall.
"You mean to tell me that they knew we were coming!? How could Rabican have let his happen!?"
"Its quite simple, brother," Al coldly surveyed the battleground, "The Watcher either masked his movements from our scouts, our fed us false information. We stumbled into his trap, and this is the price that we pay."
Al looked at his brother and for a second saw a flash of dismay in Ed's eyes.
"I'm so sorry brother. These men, they didn't deserve to die."
"I know Al. I just cannot believe that the Nine left us this high and dry," Ed leaned wearily against his brother's side. Al sensed his big brother's heartbeat reverberating through his armor. Something in his soul told him his brother's heart ached for a reason besides the lost soldiers.
"Get used to the Nine failing us," Bernard spat and some color returned to his face, "Happens all the time. This cursed war is too much even for them. If there's anything that can lead us through these horrors, it's the Head."
The brothers tensed at the mention of the thing, but said not a word.
Gerrard, the newly made captain of the 26th, approached and gave a report.
"The only good new I have sir is that anyone who is alive is able-bodied and fit to fight. The bad news...the 27th is nearly gone, save for some archers, a handful of warriors, and their dwarves. The 26th is better off, though not much so. We're at a little less than half strength. The only explanation I can offer is that the 27th went in first, like they usually do. So many causalities, not a single wounded man we can carry to help. And the dwarves looked at the World Knot. There's no repairing it, sir. We can't get back to Tyr."
Bernard hung his head for a few moments, then raised it with fire back in his eyes.
"Fine, we aren't going back to Tyr. We'll head to the Eastern headquarters at Bagrada when all's said and done. For now, continue with the mission. Combine the remnants of the companies; tell the men we're going to the Great Library. I want two battle-groups. Have each group move up parallel streets by squad, three archers and a dwarf with each squad. Leap-frog advance. If we spread out and stagger our progress it should keep us from getting surprised again. You and the other officers make it happen. I'll talk to our advance scouts."
Gerrard hurried off and Bernard lifted his sword out of the sand. He wiped the blood and dirt off with his thumb and forefinger before sliding the blade into its scabbard. Routines helped him move past the pain. Staying focused would keep his men alive.
He took the Elrics aside.
"I don't have any archers to spare for scout duty, so I'm appointing you two. The Total Codex is supposedly in the Great Library, about a quarter mile to the south-east."
He pointed towards a partially intact amphitheatre.
"I need you both to get through that structure, and continue down the road to the library. Move quickly, we may have men trapped down there, and considering what just hit us, gods know what they are taking on. If you run into something big, do your best to get back to us for support. Otherwise, knock the enemy out of your way and keep moving. Don't stop until you get to the library."
"Sounds more like the cavalry than scout duty," Ed's smirk began to return.
"Maybe it is. I just hope we can get that tome and save some lives in the process. The Watcher isn't giving us much time. You lads understand what's expected of you?"
They nodded.
"Alright, get going. Remember we're right behind you."
The brothers ran in silence through the city streets. Occasionally a solitary ghoul would cross their path, but the Elrics would just sweep it aside without breaking stride. They made for the Great Library with all haste.
Edward thought mostly about all the poor men inside, and the accursed book that cost so many lives to retrieve. But his thoughts also drifted to his little brother. Al's logic about the battle did not bother him, but the expression of that logic sent a chill down his spine. In that moment for Edward, Al just sounded too cold and distant to be himself. The regret over the fallen men came only as an afterthought, a response to the dismay Ed let pass through his eyes.
He worried about his brother these days more than usual. Al was drifting away slowly. The ebb was not dramatic, but pronounced enough for someone as close as Ed to notice. It terrified Ed that he knew neither the cause nor the cure for his brother's worsening condition. He could only push his worries down and hope that everything would turn out alright in the end.
As the brothers rushed on towards the Great Library, the clamor of battle greeted them.
"We need to get our bearings," Ed could barely keep from wheezing after the long sprint.
They turned into a nearby building and scurried up the steps to the roof. They vaulted over the alleyways towards the sounds of combat.
They reached the last building at the end of the street and looked down into the plaza below. Piles of dead littered the cobblestones in the shadow of the Great Library, an imposing stone edifice complete with columns and gargoyles.
"Look there," Al pointed as the double doors of the Great Library cracked open.
A dwarf trundled out and looked about. He waved and a handful of warriors cautiously emerged from the dark interior. In their midst strode a thickset man with long black hair. He wore no armor, only a heavy fur coat with bronze plates hung across his front and back. In one hand he carried a shovel. In the other, he clutched a heavy looking book.
"He's carrying the Total Codex for sure brother."
A bloodcurdling yell broke the quiet of the ruined city as a pack of ghols came out of no where and charged the tiny troop of men at the base of the library steps.
"Better get down there Al. Those ghols won't be alone. Let's help our new friends carry that book."
The boys leapt down from the roof and ran to assist the embattled warriors. Hours more of hard fighting followed, even after Bernard's troops made it to the Great Library. Even so, everyone fought with a new tenacity, driven by revenge. The mindless thrall seemed hesitant to engage the troops boldly defending the plaza, which steadily filled with piles of broken corpses. As the sun began to set and the tides of foes slackened to a halt, the remnants of the 26th company briefly hung their heads in reverence for fallen comrades.
Edward and Alphonse joined in the display. Edward felt his heart mourn the losses, and realized that the soldiers around him were as dear to him as his companions back in Central. He briefly wondered if his brother still shared his feelings. Then, so that both he and his brother might survive the next fight, Edward once again pushed away his doubts as Bernard ordered the unit to begin the long retreat out of Covenant.