~ Chapter 13 ~
Tohl
As soon as Morgan slipped through the compromised window, she scanned the hallway, hoping that their discreet entrance had gone unnoticed. The welcoming, luxurious corridors of Sol Sanctus remained unchanged from how she remembered them. Thankfully, they were also deserted. Though they were several floors away from the fighting below, a chorus of shouts and the sound of clashing steel echoed faintly from the lower floors.
Morgan nodded, satisfied. "All clear," she announced, before turning and offering a hand to Ferus, who was still making his way up the rope. The young Seeker was trembling, and seemed desperate to avoid looking down.
"Thanks," Ferus mumbled grudgingly, climbing through the window with Morgan's help. Once inside, he stepped aside and crouched down, closing his eyes as if to steady himself. His brother was the next to ascend the rope. Unlike Ferus, Trance remained beside Morgan to help Severa, Owain, Helios, and finally, Bayn, as they climbed up one after another.
After stashing her equipment, Morgan looked over her belongings one last time to see if everything was still in order. "Oh, right. The tonics," she said, realizing that she had forgotten to drink hers before beginning their climb. A quick glance at the others confirmed that none of the others had taken theirs, either.
"The what?" Trance asked, puzzled.
Morgan unclipped the two extra tonics she had brought with her, passing one to each Trance and Ferus, then drank her own. Severa and Owain drank theirs as well, with Helios and Bayn reluctantly following suit a moment after.
"What is it?" Ferus scowled. Like Helios, he seemed to find the viscous liquid a bit disconcerting.
"It'll make you stronger for a while. Drink up!" Morgan instructed, opting for a shorter explanation this time. She then passed two healing elixirs to each of the twins. "If you get hurt, drink one of these. It'll close the wound and dull the pain a bit."
"Are we all set, then?" Bayn asked, and there was a definite, worried note in his voice. Though he tried his best to hide it, he seemed to be second-guessing his decision to allow Morgan to lead.
"We're all set," Morgan said evenly. Though Bayn's doubts stung a little, she couldn't really fault the wary Seeker. Their plan – her plan, that is – was a little bit crazy, after all. She drew her tome from her sash. "Let's go, everyone."
The others drew their weapons from their sheaths, too, except for Bayn, who unstrapped a heavy poleaxe from his back, and Severa. Severa, opting for her bow rather than her glaive, nocked and arrow and held it loosely before moving to follow directly behind Morgan. The others fell in line behind her.
Morgan paused for only a moment longer, listening again for the sounds of fighting. She then started down the decorated hallway in the opposite direction. Shortly after, she and her friends came upon a wide staircase leading up to the next level. At the top of the steps awaited one of the large, two-floored chambers that Morgan remembered seeing during her first visit to Sol Sanctus.
Unfortunately, the chamber was a little bit different this time, for it now played host to a full score of soldiers, dressed in the elaborately decorated armor and robes of the Sun Guard Second Class.
When Severa noticed her sister slowing and tensing up, she knew a fight had found them, even before seeing their enemies herself. She swiftly pushed her way past Morgan, drawing back her bowstring as she went. Ignoring her nearest opponents, she scanned the upper walkways instead. She found what she was looking for almost immediately: a pair of enemy archers standing above them, bows in hand.
Before any of the stunned Sun Guard soldiers could react, Severa loosed her first arrow, cutting down one of the two archers. Without waiting to see if she had hit her mark, Severa scrambled for a nearby statue, her long hair streaming wildly behind her as she took cover behind the marble sculpture's outstretched wings.
Faced with a personal threat, the remaining Sun Guard archer predictably ignored Morgan, directing his attention towards Severa instead. He was too late, though, and his first arrow glanced harmlessly off of the statue the red-haired woman had tucked herself behind. The frustrated Sun Guard cursed loudly as he readied a second arrow, but was forced to duck behind the railing when Severa retaliated in kind.
The Sun Guard archer rose to fire again, hoping to strike before his opponent could ready another arrow. His target had already retreated to safety once more, though, and before he could decide upon his next move, a wave of magical fire engulfed him wholly. He shrieked in agony and threw himself to the ground, twisting and writhing in hopes of extinguishing the flames.
Down below, on the chamber's lower floor, two Sun Guard lancers had been gradually advancing towards Morgan. They had been thrown off by their opponent's youth and exotic clothing, and the sight of the young tactician's devastating fire spell took them both further aback. When they found the curious red tome leveled their way next, they scattered, crying out in horror.
Morgan promptly ignored the cowardly pair, and swung her tome far to the right instead. Another blast of fire leapt from her hands, incinerating an armored Sun Guard as he tried to descend from the walkway above. Morgan's spell left behind a towering, sizzling inferno, neatly blocking off the staircase, however temporarily. "Take the left, Hel," Morgan instructed calmly, indicating the only remaining staircase leading up to the walkway.
"As you bid," Helios said, catching on at once. He drew his swords and surged past Morgan, weaving past a stumbling Sun Guard lancer and reaching the staircase only just in time to cut off more reinforcements from the upper walkway.
In the meantime, Bayn led the others in a charge, brandishing his poleaxe. Like Helios, he already understood Morgan's intent, and quickly positioned himself to cover the robed swordsman from behind.
"Traitor!" one of the Sun Guard lancers snarled, pressing on undaunted.
Bayn winced in discomfort, realizing that many – if not all – of their present opponents were unaware of the Sun Guard's treachery. He did not hesitate for long, however, and after knocking his opponent's glaive askew, Bayn cut down his first victim with a single, powerful swipe.
Seven others remained on the lower floor, and all seven of them charged Bayn together, hoping to surround him. In a flash, Trance and Ferus arrived at their powerful captain's side. The three worked in tandem, keeping their opponents at bay. The effectiveness of Morgan's tonics became evident then; with their enhanced strength and sharpened reflexes, the three Seekers were more than a match for the seven Sun Guard loyalists they battled.
Unlike the twins, Owain kept himself clear of the fighting at first, preferring to face his opponents one at a time, if possible. He slid carefully along the edge of the wild melee, awaiting the perfect opening. Finally, he homed in on an enemy swordsman who had inadvertently stepped away from his allies. "You can't hide from me!" Owain boasted, leaping forward and slashing savagely.
The Sun Guard swordsman spun around in shock. He raised his sword in a meager attempt to parry, but Owain proved too strong. Steel clashed against steel, and the Sun Guard's gleaming, curved sword flew from his grasp, clattering loudly against the chamber's smoothly polished floor. Owain attacked again, and the Sun Guard stumbled away, tripping and falling in the process. "Ware! Attackers from behind!" he shouted out.
Two of the fallen man's companions immediately turned and rushed to his aid, but one collapsed immediately, an arrow buried in his chest, as Severa rejoined the fray. With her help, Owain soon cemented his advantage over his two remaining foes.
As she had done during their battle against the wraiths in the wilderness, Morgan remained safely behind her friends, studying the battle carefully as she tried to determine where she was most needed. Her barrier of magical flames had already flickered and faded, but the Sun Guard defenders upon the walkway were too busy trying to force their way past Helios to have noticed. The former Sun Guard has risen to the challenge admirably; though he battled two enemy swordsmen at once, his opponents seemed incapable of slipping a blade through his immaculate defenses. In fact, it looked as if the Sun Guard defenders were the ones losing ground.
Then, without warning, Helios fell back several steps, giving his opponents ample time to recover. "Morgan! Enemy reinforcements from the hallway!" he warned.
At Helios's words, Morgan instinctively looked towards the chamber's left wall, to where a wide entryway connected the chamber with another long corridor. Sure enough, three more armored Sun Guard soldiers were advancing, each armed with a poleaxe like Bayn's.
Morgan briefly considered challenging the three new combatants herself, but dismissed the notion almost immediately; she had never battled enemies carrying such weapons before, and if she were to be outmatched, she would be too far for her allies to come to her aid. "Hel, can you…" she began.
"I'm on it," Helios agreed, turning and racing off to meet the three incoming soldiers.
Morgan bravely stepped forward to cover Helios's post at the foot of the staircase, silently hoping that she wasn't overestimating her friend… or herself.
Unlike Morgan, there was no doubt in Helios's mind whatsoever as he sprinted to intercept his newest opponents. Despite the gravity of their situation, a strange feeling of exhilaration came over him. Ironically, though he now fought alone, he did not feel nearly as alone as he had during the frequent skirmishes against the Nightmares along the walls of Aquila's Ascent. His allies had placed their faith in him, and he knew he could trust them in return. That, in itself, was all the difference he could have asked for.
Then Helios stopped in his tracks, noticing the familiar, swaggering gait of one of the three incoming Sun Guard soldiers. His confidence promptly gave way to dread, and any thought of Morgan and the others flew from his mind. He already knew who the approaching man was, but he stared, stupefied, as the heavily armored Sun Guard removed his helmet, revealing a fierce, wolfish face and a head of messy auburn hair.
"See to the others. Leave this one to me," Tohl instructed his two companions.
Helios remained frozen for a moment longer, but when the other two Sun Guards tried to slide past him, poleaxes readied, the robed swordsman snapped out of his stupor. "That's not going to happen," he said flatly, brandishing his swords menacingly.
"Hel, please," Tohl interrupted calmingly. "Don't make things worse for…"
That was as far as he got when his two companions ran out of patience. Both of them charged at Helios, poleaxes leveled parallel to the ground, trusting in their heavy armor to protect them from their opponent's slender blades.
Helios exploded into motion, launching a wild flurry of attacks to distract his two foes as he shifted his balance. Before either of the two Sun Guards could even think of counterattacking, the robed swordsman rushed to the side, slapping one blade across his nearest foe's helmet blindingly.
The dazed soldier tried to back away but lost his footing. He tumbled helplessly to the ground instead, accidentally shoving his ally aside in the process. Helios was quick to capitalize upon the opening, precisely inserting his second sword into a seam in the fallen soldier's armor.
The second of the two soldiers was quick to react, kicking his dead companion and flinging one of Helios's swords aside at the same time. The ruthless Sun Guard then charged, hoping to press his apparent advantage.
But Helios was just as comfortable fighting with one sword as he was with two. He knew better than to attempt to block a heavy poleaxe directly, and instead deflected it just enough to dance around the heavy, clumsy weapon. From there, a clever flick of his wrist left a deep gash in his opponent's wrist.
Moments later, the second soldier slumped to the ground, clutching at his torn chest and gasping for breath, trying futilely to stem the bleeding.
Morgan knew better than to face the two incoming swordsmen head on as Helios had done. She knew that with her training, she could likely handle either of them alone, but together, their greater strength and reach would prove to be an overwhelming advantage.
"Time to even the odds," Morgan declared, flipping her tome to her left hand and drawing Alondite. A magical jet of flames erupted forth, and though her aim wasn't perfect, it was enough to give the two Sun Guard swordsmen pause, at least. A shockwave from Alondite flew through the flames, bashing one of the two off of his feet.
The other pushed through, growling as the scorching flames licked at his armor. His companions – save for the swordsman Morgan had knocked down – followed shortly after, and just like that, the staircases had been breached.
Realizing that her aim would prove inadequate with her foes so close by, Morgan loosed one more spell to blast away the nearest swordsman, then let her tome fall limp to the ground. She readied her sword as a muscular, robed Sun Guard armed with a glaive drew near.
Then Severa suddenly appeared at Morgan's side, glaive in hand. "All right, Morgan. Let's go," she declared. She lashed out with her glaive, wedging it tightly against her opponent's, then threw her weight against the shaft of her weapon, spinning it outwards to tear her opponent's glaive from his grasp.
Morgan followed through perfectly, executing a clean forward step into a thrust. It was exactly the attack routine Severa – who had fought besides Lucina countless times before – had anticipated, and she was already swerving aside to allow Morgan room to retreat. By the time the next Sun Guard pushed his way past his grievously wounded companion, the two sisters were ready and waiting, positioned for a perfect flank.
Morgan managed a faint smile. Perhaps holding off the Sun Guard reinforcements wouldn't be so hard, after all.
Helios ignored the two fallen soldiers as he retrieved his other sword, doing his best to hide any hint of his inner turmoil. "It's good to see you, Tohl," he said quietly, deliberately avoiding his friend's accusing stare.
Tohl grimaced. "I wish I could say the same," he said, shaking his head in dismay. "I can't believe this. This morning, when they brought me my promotion papers, they warned me that you had turned against the Sun Guard. I told them that it was impossible, and that you would never go over to the other side… and yet, here we are now. You, a Nihilist? How could this have happened?"
"The Nihilists aren't what you think they are," Helios tried to explain.
"You can't be serious, Hel!" Tohl exploded. "They've brought an army to our doorstep! They've come against Sol Sanctus itself, the heart of our world! They mean to destroy the Solcryst, the only light Monolith has left!"
"Only because the Solcryst must be destroyed," Helios interrupted fervently. "Please, Tohl, listen to me. We've been lied to. The Solcryst is what keeps Monolith veiled in darkness. Beyond the Solcryst's reach is the world from our legends, a beautiful sky, illuminated by both day and night. I've seen it with my very own eyes, Tohl. I've seen a world where we can sleep beneath the stars, unafraid of the Nightmares. I've seen the sun, a fiery orb brighter than the Solcryst, brighter than anything I had ever imagined."
Tohl stared at Helios incredulously. "What are you saying?" he murmured. He took a step back, and his grip on his poleaxe slackened. "Is this meant to be some sort of joke? Listen to yourself, Hel. This is crazy."
"When have I ever lied to you, Tohl?" Helios demanded. "We've been friends for nearly a decade, have we not? The Seekers – who we labeled Nihilists – never set out to destroy anything. They sought only answers, the answers which they've finally found."
"And that answer just happens to be the one we've always been afraid of," Tohl said. His eyes flashed angrily, and his voice dripped with sarcasm.
"We've been afraid of it because someone within the Sun Guard must have known it was true," Helios argued. "How many friends did you leave behind in Aquila, Tohl? How many of them are still alive now? Did you know the Sun Guard destroyed the Sun Spire there? They sacrificed a thousand lives just to keep the Seekers from trying to learn whether more of the Sun Spires could be built!"
That accusation stole away Tohl's blustering manner. Tohl looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I see," he whispered.
"Help us, Tohl," Helios urged, thinking he had gotten through to his friend at last. "You understand, don't you? We both joined the Sun Guard hoping to make our world a better place. Now we can do just that. Please, Tohl. Join us. With your help, we can bring the light back to Monolith's skies."
Tohl's eyes flickered open, glimmering with unadulterated rage. "Oh, I understand," he hissed. "How foolish do you think I am, Helios? Whatever your claims to the contrary, you enlisted for the same reason I did… for the same reason everyone does. We swore to stand against the world's greatest evils, protecting Monolith's order in hopes of ascending it ourselves!"
"W-what?" Helios gasped.
"Don't deny it. Just like the rest of us, you decided to risk your life to earn a place here in Sol Hearth," Tohl accused. "You've always gone to absurd lengths to set yourself apart from your patrols, and even your patrol leaders. You've always tried to make yourself appear different, hoping that someone would notice, even while spending every last day you were allowed here in Sol Hearth."
"You can't be serious," Helios whispered in horror. "Have you gone mad? I only started visiting Sol Hearth in hopes of visiting you!"
"In hopes of visiting me?" Tohl laughed grimly. "You and I hardly spent more than a day or two together throughout most of your visits. Do not speak to me of madness, Helios."
Helios only stared in disbelief, unable to find the words to argue with that ridiculous claim.
"You saw the life I had earned, without truly comprehending the price of such a blessing," Tohl went on. "And when you still could not find your place in Monolith's order, you were left with naught but bitterness and envy. In that, lies true madness."
"Tohl… after all this time, how could you think so little of me?" Helios pleaded.
"And now, finally, it brings you here," Tohl went on disgustedly. "Broken by your own ego, you've allowed your pride and jealousy to overtake you, and you've set out to destroy that which you could not have."
Helios could only stare at his former friend helplessly. His swords dipped towards the ground, suddenly feeling heavier than they ever had before.
Tohl braced his poleaxe and straightened. "I am Tohl of the Sun Guard, Second Class," he declared ominously. "By the power vested in me, and with the blessing of the Solcryst, I find you guilty of high treason. Helios, formerly of the Sun Guard, Fourth Class… you are hereby condemned. Struggle if you must, or lower your weapons and accept your fate."
The fierce words, spoken with such finality, kindled a new flame somewhere deep in Helios's heart. The former Sun Guard raised his swords, assuming a defensive stance. "Stand down, Tohl. You and I both know you cannot defeat me. Please don't make me kill you," Helios calmly warned his former friend.
"Your arrogance deceives you again," Tohl spat, his temper flaring. "I am stronger now than you remember, and with righteousness guiding my blade, I will not lose. If you must fight on, so be it. The only mercy I offer you now is a swift death, a final token of respect to the man you once were… the man I once called a friend."
"Keep your mercy to yourself," Helios retorted, twirling his swords in a simple flourish before charging.
Having sparred with Helios before, Tohl had seen that same, casual flourish countless times, and immediately leveled his poleaxe forward at an angle to stop the swordsman's charge.
Helios had anticipated that exact counter, however, and this time, the flourish had only been a feint. After taking only two steps, he shifted his balance and slipped his leading foot forward, wedging the tip of his boot beneath one of the fallen poleaxes. With a forceful kick, he lifted the heavy weapon into the air, flinging it at Tohl.
Tohl stumbled away in alarm, before quickly realizing that the heavy projectile, thrown at such an awkward angle, could not possibly pose much of a threat. Recognizing the distraction for what it was, he tried to fall back into a defensive stance, but he was too late. Helios had already agilely hopped over both of the fallen Sun Guard soldiers, and was closing in at an alarming rate. Tohl panicked, and launched a desperate chop with his own poleaxe, hoping to buy himself a few precious seconds.
Helios easily veered away from the attack, leaping aside and bracing his back against the wall while sweeping both of his swords out, parallel to one another. Both of his swords slammed into the poleaxe's shaft, nearly wrenching the weapon from Tohl's grasp. The skilled swordsman then snapped one foot upward to kick off of the wall, propelling himself forward and fiercely jabbing both swords against his opponent's armor.
Though neither of Helios's swords could pierce through his opponent's plated armor, the deftly executed attack still sent Tohl reeling. The Sun Guard tried another desperate move, a swift, underhanded chop that had little chance of hitting its mark.
Helios promptly flipped one of his swords into the air, then seized the head of Tohl's weapon in his now empty hand. With a forceful shove, he tore the polearm from his opponent's grasp. Then, recognizing how precarious his opponent's balance had become, the clever swordsman barreled forward again, leading with his shoulder and tackling his larger, heavily armored opponent.
Tohl lost his footing entirely, crashing to the ground and slamming his head against the wall in the process. In his dazed state, he barely felt the sting of a sword finding a seam in his armor beneath his arm.
Helios could feel his rage cooling, but he growled away the sudden wave of revulsion that had suddenly come over him. He withdrew his remaining sword, then instinctively turned to collect the one he had discarded during the battle. "I'm sorry, Tohl," he apologized, fighting to keep his voice steady.
"D-don't… be," Tohl gasped.
Helios reached to his belt and unstrapped one of the healing elixirs Morgan had given him, but when he moved it up to Tohl's mouth, the dying Sun Guard jerked his head away. "This may save you," Helios said patiently.
"I… don't need… your… pity…" Tohl growled angrily. Blood burbled out of his mouth as he spoke, staining the corners of his lips.
Helios heaved a deep, helpless sigh. "Then hear me out, Tohl. That's all I ask of you, a single favor to an old friend," he pleaded.
Tohl opened his mouth, but no words came forth, only more blood. Unable to speak, he narrowed his eyes angrily, making his intentions quite clear.
Helios spoke on anyways. "I thought you knew me, Tohl. Looking back now, I see that it was a fool's thought; throughout most of the time we've known each other, I hardly even knew myself. Still, I had an idea of what I wanted, back when I first joined the Sun Guard. You were there, just like you were there when my dreams died without so much as a whimper.
"Ever since then, I've been lost. Cress would poke fun at me, calling me a drifter… she was joking, of course, but she wasn't wrong. You were right about one thing, Tohl. I couldn't find my place in Monolith's order. Even so, Monolith was my home, and its people are my people."
Helios paused and inspected his former friend carefully, wondering if any of his words were getting through. Unfortunately, the auburn-haired man only seemed tired, his face devoid of any emotion.
Tohl was running out of time.
"I was given a chance to escape, Tohl," Helios pressed on. "I had a chance to leave Monolith behind for good… more than one, as a matter of fact. In the end, I chose to stay and fight. I chose to stay, because I'm not just trying to free myself from this mess, like you seem to think. I'm still here because there's a chance – however slim it might be – that I can help everyone else escape, too… and that includes you. I've seen hints of a brighter future, Tohl. I wanted to share it with you, and with everyone else, more than I ever wanted it for myself. Please, Tohl… I beg of you… let me save you."
Tohl drew in a long, ragged breath. Mustering every last bit of his remaining strength, he leaned to the side and spat out a mouthful of blood, dribbling over himself in the process and staining himself further. "I don't need to be saved," he rasped weakly. "I may have lost this battle, but I will die knowing that I will win out in the end, because I am a part of the Sun Guard. That's what it means to be part of something greater than yourself, Helios. That's what my old friend never understood; he could never see why it was important to fit into the world's molds. He could never allow himself to become someone ordinary, so he became you instead. A madman. A monster. A traitor."
"Tohl… please…" Helios whispered, trembling at the dying man's accusations.
"You cannot save me, for I am already saved," Tohl continued serenely, though his voice grew faint. "I was a part of something great, and even if you destroy the Sun Guard today, I will still have been part of the reason Monolith could enjoy all these centuries of order. Hel… if you're in there still… if you can hear me at all… save yourself. Free yourself… from… this…"
Unable to finish his final thought, Tohl shuddered suddenly, drawing another deep, ragged breath. Then he went perfectly still, his eyes glossing over.
"Hel!" Morgan called, racing down the hallway to Helios's side as soon as the battle in the chamber was concluded. She saw immediately that her help wouldn't be needed, and that Helios was unwounded. She noticed, too, her friend's grim, almost brokenhearted expression. "Are… are you alright?" she asked timidly.
"I'm fine," Helios assured her calmly. He wiped his blades off on the thick carpet, then sheathed them. His movements were as carefully measured and graceful as always, but there was something strangely cold and thoughtless about them that Morgan found grossly disconcerting.
Then the young tactician took a closer look at the dead man lying beside Helios, and understood. "Tohl," she whispered, immediately recognizing the auburn-haired man.
"Tohl?" Severa echoed curiously. Morgan and Helios both turned to see the rest of their companions catching up to them.
Helios nodded. "I used to think of him as friend. Apparently, he never thought of me quite the same way," he remarked coolly.
"It wasn't your fault, lad," Bayn said, placing a comforting hand on Helios's shoulder. "Nor was it your friend's. It's not so easy to set aside such deeply rooted beliefs."
"He was a victim in this, too," Morgan agreed sadly.
"No, Tohl made himself a victim," Helios said, in an unusually vindictive tone. "He may have been a pawn, but he was a proud and willing one. All he ever wanted was prestige and a sense of belonging, both of which meant more to him than our supposed ideals ever could have. We were threatening to take that from him, so he refused to believe the truth. He died as he lived: a blind and selfish fool." He breathed out a deep sigh as he finished his tirade, and seemed to be on the verge of collapse. It was quite clear that, in spite of his harsh words, Tohl's death had shaken him.
"I'm sorry, Hel," Morgan said, gently taking and squeezing her friend's hand in what she hoped was a supportive manner.
"Don't be," Helios said, shaking his head. "We should be going. Tohl wasn't the first to die here tonight, and he won't be the last."
"We should," Morgan agreed timidly, and she started down the hallway, trying her hardest not to look back. Her companions did the same, save for Helios, who paused to look one last time into Tohl's lifeless, accusing eyes.
Morgan and her companions hardly spoke as they pressed onwards through Sol Sanctus. The sounds of battle from the lower levels soon faded away, and save for their occasional skirmish against the Sun Guard patrols, they traveled in near silence. Despite their lengthening string of flawless victories, a somber mood had shadowed them ever since their first encounter with the Sun Guard, as if that one battle had reminded them that their enemies were not the faceless, soulless Nightmares they had grown accustomed to battling.
Though she tried her best not to show it, Morgan felt rather shaken herself. She had fought against other humans before on countless occasions, but even killing ruthless, murderous bandits had not been easy. The sight of the last spark of life fleeing a dying man's eyes – even a man who clearly deserved death – was usually enough to leave Morgan feeling as if her insides were writhing and churning uncontrollably.
And Sol Sanctus's defenders clearly did not deserve their fate. That was the worst of it, Morgan knew. These were ordinary people who had pledged their lives to the defense of their people. These were ordinary people who had been deceived, and were otherwise innocent of any real crime.
These were the very people she and her friends were fighting to save.
After their third hour spent traversing the many winding hallways and staircases of Sol Sanctus, and their sixth battle against the Sun Guard patrols, Morgan found the urge to give up and turn back to be stronger than ever. "This was your idea, and the best plan you could come up," she chided herself firmly, speaking so quietly that none of her companions could overhear her.
When she found that reminding herself of the importance of their task wasn't enough to allay her unease, Morgan began trying to distance herself from any thoughts of her enemies. That, too, failed to truly distract her, and the young tactician began mentally recounting their latest battles, focusing on the fighting itself and searching for any details she may have missed before. Her mind began to wander, and she found herself thinking wistfully of the many afternoons she had spent curled up in her father's library in Ylisstol.
As the heaps of books piled all about the library crossed through her mind's eyes, a strange thought occurred to Morgan. "This isn't right," she noted aloud, abruptly breaking the silence.
"Whatever do you mean, lass?" Bayn asked. From his tone, it seemed as if their recent battles had left him on an emotional edge, too.
"Shouldn't the Sun Guard have strategists and tacticians?" Morgan asked. "So far, the patrols we've encountered were just scattered throughout the tower, instructed to hold the largest rooms. They've all been in roughly the same defensive formations, too. It's almost as if they weren't planning at all, and were expecting their enemies to charge in blindly."
"The Sun Guard trains almost exclusively to battle Nightmares," Trance reminded. "We spar with one another from time to time to learn how to better handle our weapons, but that's about it. Only a few oddballs make a point of training regularly against human opponents, and even then it's mostly just for fun."
"I see," Morgan said thoughtfully, considering the implications. She shook them away, though, realizing there was little to be gained in speculating blindly about their enemy's preparations. "Oddballs, huh?" she added, smiling teasingly at Helios in hopes of raising his spirits a tad.
To her relief, Helios smiled. "Can't argue with that," he shrugged. "Back in Aquila's Ascent, the others in my patrol were content bashing around their training dummies for a few minutes and calling it a day. When I asked them to spar, they looked horrified, as if I had asked them to cut off their own arms or something. That's how I ended up training alone, for the most part… well, except for when I was visiting Sol Hearth." A distant look came over Helios, then.
Not wanting Helios to dwell too long on thoughts of Tohl, Morgan was quick to change the subject. "Well, I still say it's quite silly for the Sun Guard to spread out their defenses this way. Separating their patrols like this just makes each patrol easier to defeat," she remarked.
"They should have gathered all of their forces near the top of the tower to make their stand together," Severa agreed.
"Hmm… maybe," Morgan said noncommittally. "But having all of your soldiers bunched up could backfire, too. If I were in charge of protecting Sol Sanctus, I would've stationed about half of the Sun Guard just beneath the Solcryst. The rest of the forces can be divided up and spread throughout the hallways on that floor and the floor beneath it. That way, they can collapse around any potential invaders, and…"
"Suddenly, I find myself very thankful that you weren't in charge of Sol Sanctus's defenses," Trance interrupted wryly.
"We've managed to get this far with only a few scratches and bruises, and I'd like to keep it that way," Ferus agreed. "I still can't believe we've gotten this far with only seven people… eight, I mean," he said, correcting himself hastily when an indignant Yuelle sharply prodded his shoulder.
"Don't get too comfortable," Morgan warned. "We aren't quite at the summit yet. If the Sun Guard plans to throw anything else at us, they still have plenty of time to do so."
"But we should be nearing the summit soon," Bayn said. "Stay sharp, everyone."
Almost right on cue, they rounded the following corner to find a lavish staircase waiting for them. It was wider and longer than any of the staircases they had come across so far, and framed by four winged statues – two on either side of the bottom step, and another two flanking the uppermost step.
"This has to be it," Severa said, gripping her bow more tightly.
"This mighty bastion's lucent pinnacle lies within our reach," Owain proclaimed.
Morgan nodded in agreement, for she knew that if the Sol Sanctus had any other defenses to offer before the Solcryst itself, they would be waiting atop the staircase. "We're almost there," she said, mostly for her own reassurance.