It took them two weeks of work and travel to collect the items on Wheiskaet's list. They helped a goblin rid her town of invading scalekin in exchange for a wheel of pungent cheese. They tracked down a rare vintage of wine and helped a grower reestablish the growth of grapevines once thought lost in the Calamity. They courted the favor of a Miqo'te tribe and fought giant worms for their meat. They returned with the hard-won items to Costa del Sol, weary but triumphant.

There they found Y'shtola waiting for them. As usual, the white cat girl seemed to radiate an aura of perpetual annoyance as she strode toward Arden and Arenvald.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded as they unloaded a crate of goods from the cart they'd ridden in.

"Wheiskaet sent us for it, ma'am," said Arenvald with a grin. "We've been up and down La Noscea for this stuff."

"In all that time, did you learn aught of Titan's weakness?"

"Nay," said Arden. "They refuse to tell us anything, saying we're too green."

Y'shtola all but stamped her feet in outrage. Her tail bushed to twice its normal size, she turned and strode away up the boardwalk without another word.

"What did we do wrong?" Arden asked in an undertone, resisting the urge to hide.

Arenvald shrugged. "I think her ire is not directed at us."

When they lugged the heavy crate up the boardwalk to Wheiskaet's bungalow, they found him standing with a bemused grin and arms folded. Y'shtola, barely half his height, was furiously telling him off.

"-and you have them gadding about the countryside when the Scions needed them! We should have had that information by now! They're not your personal errand boys, or whatever else you think they are!"

"Aye, lass," drawled the giant. He nodded at the two men as they carefully set the crate at his feet. "It was a test. Not only by me, but all the folks as they did jobs for. See, every last one of them are my old buddies from the Company of Heroes. We all agreed to look over these so-called Warriors of Light and see if they had the character to be entrusted with a job like this. Plenty of wannabes out there. Plenty who say they're Warriors of Light but ain't."

Arden and Arenvald exchanged glances.

Wheiskaet gestured across the boardwalk in the direction of the town's aetheryte, where a group of people had just teleported in. "Here they come now. Now, you just run along, lass, and collect the rest of your Scions. Be back here tonight at sundown and you'll learn all we can tell you."

Y'shtola turned to Arenvald and Arden. In an undertone she said, "He has some nerve, making you gather the supplies for a feast given in your honor. I'll be back tonight."

"Wh-what?" Arden stammered, staring after her as she stalked away.

"A feast?" Arenvald exclaimed, looking at the crate, then at the giant. "But that cheese is nasty! And the worm meat?"

"My chef knows what to do with it all, lad," said Wheiskaet. "Y'shtola spoke rightly. Tonight we'll treat you to a right proper Company of Heroes party. Now run along and freshen up."

As the two walked down the boardwalk toward the visitor's bungalows, they passed the rest of the Company of Heroes–the vineyard keeper, the goblin, and the Miqo'te chieftain. All of them grinned and nodded.

"The nerve," said Arenvald as they entered their room. He dropped his sword and shield on the floor with a clatter. "All that work, and it was … it was for a feast? Our feast?"

"I take it this isn't some esoteric Eorzean custom?" Arden asked.

"No!" Arenvald exploded. "It's not! Nobody treats anybody like this! What in the nine hells was he playing at? Also I'm not touching that worm meat!"

"I'm not terribly fond of the cheese, myself," Arden agreed. His friend's outburst relieved some of his own feelings by proxy, even though he still felt as if he'd rather punch something. He pulled off his own mail shirt, which had grown hot and heavy over the last few miles. "How about a swim? I could stand to cool off."

"Me too," said Arenvald. "Bring a bar of soap, I'm just going to bathe in the surf, saltwater be damned."


Arden loafed the rest of the afternoon. Arenvald went off up the beach by himself, saying he wanted to be alone to cool off. Arden stretched out in the warm shade beneath a tree and slept. He awoke to find the sun's last rays slanting upon him, and his stomach complained with hunger.

"It's no good," he told it as he sat up. "The only thing in your future is tough, vein-filled worm meat."

Even this threat wasn't enough to gainsay his hunger. With a groan he rose to his feet and went to his bungalow to change into something presentable.

Arenvald was already there, putting the finishing touches on a white tunic that laced up the front. He tossed another one to Arden. "Y'shtola brought us clothes for the occasion."

Arden picked up the tunic and held it against himself, seeing with surprise that it was big enough to fit him. "How did she know our sizes?"

"How does Shtola know anything?" Arenvald laughed. His good humor seemed to have returned. He whistled as he dressed and combed his hair.

Arden dressed in the fresh tunic and fresh trousers. As he set to work cleaning his boots, his friend said, "There's quite a crowd out there. Looks like the Company of Heroes brought their friends, and I see most of the Scions."

"Are we having a pre-Titan victory party?" Arden asked, rubbing oil into the leather.

"Seems to be," said Arenvald. He gazed at himself in the mirror over the bureau, frowned, and began re-painting the gladiator markings over his eyes, strategically hiding the scar on his forehead.

Arden sighed. "How I wish the fight was over and this was the celebration afterward."

"As do I," Arenvald agreed. "In my heart of hearts, I think they believe that we'll die in the attempt."

"That's exactly what I don't intend to do," said Arden, switching boots. "I'm not leaving that feast until I've wrung information from every last hero about Titan's weakness."

"I shall do the same," Arenvald agreed. "Also I pray to Rhalger that the food is good."

Arden grinned. "I shall pray to Azim for the same thing."

They left the bungalow a little later and joined the growing crowd. It congregated around one of the open air restaurants, spilling out across the boardwalk. Arden saw many familiar faces from the Scions, as well as people he had recently assisted from the Heroes. He put on his best smirk and swaggered about, pretending to be overflowing with confidence.

He found Minfilia, who greeted him with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"We detected an aetheric anomaly yesterday," Minfilia said in a low voice, barely audible among the crowd noise. "We suspect that the kobolds successfully summoned Titan. They may send him forth against Vylbrand at any time, and Wheiskaet had you running errands!"

"I believe Y'shtola already told him off," said Arden with a grin. "Also her temper makes sense now."

"We were all rather upset," Minfilia replied. She scanned the crowd anxiously. "There's Captain Landenel. He might speak to you about Titan now."

Arden turned to see the tall Elezen standing with a drink in one hand, surveying the crowd like a man perpetually on guard. Arden approached him and bowed, Eorzea fashion.

"Ah, there you are," said Landenel. "I wondered where you'd got to in all this hubbub. Where's the Hyur boy?"

Arden scanned the crowd and spotted Arenvald on the other side of the restaurant, his bright blond hair standing out like a new coin.

"Eh, I'll grab him later," said Landenel, waving a hand. "Come over here to this bench and we'll have a chat before food is served."

Arden took a seat beside the Elezen and gazed out at the sea. Bright clouds washed across the sky, shading from brilliant white to orange, slowly fading to magenta. They promised a change in the weather, wind and summer rains. After the sultry heat of the last few weeks, Arden was glad of it.

"Titan is made of stone," said Landenel without preamble. "Swords and bows make small impression on him. However, you do need a few plucky chaps in armor to keep his attention. For the rest, you want a solid group of casters. Thaumaturges or black mages, if you can get them. Fire, then ice, over and over, until Titan begins to crack. Like a golem, he has a soul stone, but an order of magnitude larger than a proper soul stone. Crack his outer crust and breach his heart stone, and Titan will fall to dust."

"Have we any black mages here?" said Arden, scanning the crowd. "I have yet to work with any."

"Nay," said Landenel, "we have not. You'll have to request their assistance from Ul'Dah. That was how we defeated Titan last time."

"You couldn't have told me this at first?" Arden asked incredulously.

Landenel smirked. "And miss this party? Never, lad." He smacked Arden on the shoulder and rose to his feet. "Speak with the others. We'll share our secrets freely now."

"Can Titan be fought by those without the Echo?" Arden asked, also rising. "Ifrit sent out many waves of his tempering breath."

"Titan only sends out his tempering power at his summoning," said Landenel. "Once that is done, you may face him with anyone you like."

"Thank you, sir," said Arden with another bow. "You've given me hope that we might survive this."

"I did," said Landenel bluntly. "We all did. And so will you."

Arden watched the Elezen move to the bar and felt greatly encouraged. He sought out U'Odh Nunh next, the miqo'te patriarch of the U tribe in the Sagolii desert. He had arrived with two of his chief wives, both of them dressed to kill in brief dresses and jingling jewelry. U'Odh himself was a venerable man with gray hair and ears, but his shrewd eyes were sharp as Arden approached him.

Arden bowed. "Hello, sir. I wished to inquire about Titan's last defeat at your hand."

"Sit, boy," said U'Odh. "What weapons do you favor?"

"Shortsword," said Arden, "but I've recently begun training as a white mage."

The miqo'te nodded and glanced at his wives. "Disciple of Magic and War, are you? You might stand a chance as long as your Hyur friend is good with his shield. Only magic will avail against a god of the earth."

Arden listened as U'Odh gave him detailed instructions that more or less matched Landenel's. As he moved from person to person, collecting information, he found that they all told him the same thing. Only magic was effective in this fight. Like Ifrit, only an opposing form of magic could disrupt him, like earth being used to defeat fire. In this case, fire and ice combined would defeat earth, as long as Arden could find a couple of thaumaturges insane enough to try fighting a primal.

Wheiskaet attracted everyone's attention by tapping a wineglass with a spoon. "Attention, everyone!" he called, his voice booming over the crowd noise. As everyone fell quiet, he continued, "Will Arenvald Lentinus and Arden Ardakim please come here, please?"

Arden shouldered his way through the crowd and reached the towering Roegadyn the same time Arenvald did. Wheiskaet arranged them on either side of him and placed his hands on their shoulders. "These two Warriors of Light have passed every challenge the Company of Heroes set for them. They slew worms and scalekin, they tracked down rare vintages of wine, and they assisted those in need with everything they asked. Such strength and kindness belongs only to a few, and those few are numbered with the Company of Heroes. Tonight, we not only send these young men to fight Titan, we induct them into the Company of Heroes itself. May they ever walk in the light of the Crystal."

"In the light!" everyone chorused.

Arden's face heated and he resisted the urge to stroke his tail. Arenvald was also red-faced, but grinning.

"Now," Wheiskaet exclaimed, throwing his arms wide, "let the feast begin!"

Arden and Arvenvald were given the place of honor at the restaurant's counter and served first. They were given vast plates of sizzling sea bass under a crust of butter and spices. Arden kept a sharp eye out for the worm meat and smelly cheese, and discovered it in a later course. The meat had been minced and mixed with spices until its origins were unrecognizable, then drizzled with a sauce made of the cheese. The chef had wrought some kind of magic, turning the unappetizing materials into delicious foods that Arden devoured in culinary bliss. A dessert of candied fruit in fresh cream followed, ending with steaming cups of hot tea.

Around them, the party went on, with everyone enjoying their food, talking and laughing merrily. Arden sat back with his tea and closed his eyes, soaking in the atmosphere of happiness and contentment. He wanted to fill himself with it, like a vessel with pure water, and carry it with him into the darkness where he was bound.

A thought occurred to him, and he opened his eyes. "Tomorrow's my nameday."

"Is it?" Arenvald exclaimed. He was scooping cream into his own tea to create a sugary elixir that he sipped avidly. "How old will you be, my friend?"

"Twenty years, at long last." Arden rubbed his left horn. "I'm now old enough to hang a ring on this horn. In my tribe, once you come of age, you attach decorations to your horns signifying age and achievement. Left horn is for age, right horn is for marriage and number of children."

Arenvald inspected Arden's gleaming black horns. "You have plenty of room there for both."

"Tomorrow I'll attach my first band," said Arden, and sighed. "Provided we make it."

"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Arenvald, leaning one elbow on the table. "After we defeat Titan, we'll head to the Gold Saucer for a celebration. I'll buy you a decoration as a present. How's that sound?"

Arden considered it. Having an outing at the Gold Saucer to look forward to gave him something to focus on besides Titan. The idea that he could defeat the god and then move on with his life was a novel, refreshing idea that he turned over in his mind as if savoring a new dessert. A little time spent unwinding among the game tables sounded like a wonderful way to celebrate victory.

"Let's do it," said Arden, grinning at his friend. "I'll hold you to it."


As it turned out, the Scions had also been gathering information that night. When the group arose the next morning from their overnight stay at Costa del Sol, Minfilia had a plan.

"It's not easy to actually reach the cavern where Titan was summoned," Minfilia told Arden and Arenvald over breakfast. "The kobolds called him deep within O'Ghomoro Mountain. However, they do have their own version of an aetheryte crystal. Wheiskaet said that any conjurer worth their salt should be able to open the aetheric flow long enough to send a team through."

"We shall see if I am worth my salt," said Y'shtola. "I will remain outside with the crystal to secure your return. What of the team we are sending?"

"We have our paladin and our white mage," said Minfilia, smiling at the Hyur and Au Ra. "For the rest, we need mages. I contacted the thaumaturge's guild in Ul'dah last night. They said they would talk to their people and get back to me this morning."

Arden glanced toward Costa del Sol's aetheryte, which towered in the distance, glowing a soft blue in the rising sun. "I don't see any new arrivals yet. I doubt any mages would be eager to throw themselves at Titan."

"You'd be surprised," said Minfilia. "Thaumaturges are … different."

As she spoke, the distant crystal flashed, indicating that a passenger had just arrived. It flashed several more times, as if a whole group had come through the aether stream. A few minutes later, a whole team of tiny Lalafels in black robes and hoods came pattering up the boardwalk. Arden eyed them warily. Aside from Papalymo, he hadn't interacted with the Lalafel people much, and he doubted they'd be much use against Titan.

The mages bowed. "Greetings!" said the leader. "I am Cocobuki, and these are my brothers: Cocobyzo, Cocobezi, Cocoboha, and Cocobani. Together we lead the Thaumaturge's Guild. We have come to assist in defeating Titan."

The Scions welcomed them and found them places at the restaurant's tables. Minfilia quickly briefed them on the plan, and how Titan was best defeated.

"We figured that out last night," said Cocobuki cheerfully. His round face was wrapped in bandages that left only one eye showing. Judging by the cleanliness of the bandages and their careful arrangement, Arden thought they were more of a fashion statement than an actual injury.

Cocobuki went on, "Thaumaturges are often called upon to break down stone gates and the like in times of war. You heat it up with fire then cool it with ice, and the stone shatters like glass. Titan, for all his strength, is stone right through."

"Are you black mages?" Arden asked doubtfully. "I was told that we'd need black mages for this."

"We are thaumaturges!" one of the other brothers exclaimed.

"Black mages summon demons," said another.

"We only wield destructive elemental power," said another.

"You don't want voidsent bouncing around Titan, trust me," said a fourth.

"My apologies," said Arden with a quick bow. "I am still learning the customs of Eorzea."

"You're excused," said Cocobuki, eying Arden's horns. "I'm given to understand that you are a conjurer?"

"White mage," said Arden proudly. "I'm being taught by the Gridania padjals as a special case."

"In that case, we're dire enemies, aren't we?" quipped one of the brothers. They all laughed. Arden laughed, too, although he didn't quite see the joke.

"Right, well then," said Arenvald, rising to his feet. "We'll head out to Camp Bronze Lake, they have an aetheryte there. From there, it's just a hike up Zelma's Run to O'Ghomoro Mountain. Everybody ready for this?"

The team rose to their feet, exchanging nervous glances.

"The kobolds will wish they never summoned their god," said Cocobuki. "This will be one for the record books, brothers!"

The Thaumaturges raised a cheer, which Arden wished he could join in. His insides seemed to have turned to ice. Even his legs didn't work right. He stalked stiff-legged down the boardwalk toward the aetheryte, letting the others go ahead. He found himself walking alongside Y'shtola. The catgirl looked up at him with her keen blue-green eyes. "Spoiling for a fight, are you? Maybe you should have been the paladin of the group."

It wasn't until she had gone on ahead that Arden realized she had mistaken his terror for bloodthirst. This gave him a strange sense of displacement, to be so misunderstood more and more frequently. It was as if he had faded into the background, replaced by a doppelganger of himself who brawled and bragged and swaggered. On the other hand, he was glad she had assumed he was ready for battle. It was better that the others didn't know that he was sick with fear.


Camp Bronze Lake had been built on the shores of a much larger lake that had drained hundreds of fulms after the Calamity. As the water receded, revealing the ruins of the lost civilization of Nym, hot springs bubbled to the surface on the eastern shore. Camp Bronze Lake became the Warmwater Sanitarium, where wounded soldiers and ill people could soak themselves in the restorative waters.

The lake lay in the shadow of O'Ghomoro Mountain, ancestral home of the kobolds. The people of Limsa Lominsa had an agreement that they would stick to the lowlands while the kobolds could take the highlands. Naturally, neither side kept this agreement, and both sides routinely raided the other. It was little wonder the kobolds eventually summoned their god for greater power.

As they climbed the narrow valley of Zelma's Run toward the foot of the mountain, Arden eavesdropped on his companions, who were talking about all this.

"In fact," said one of the Coco brothers, "Zelma's Run was named for a man named Zelma who encountered a surprise kobold raid coming down the mountain. Although wounded, he ran all the way back to Bronze Lake to warn them, even though he died afterward. The attack was beaten off and the town was saved, and they named the valley in Zelma's honor."

"A pretty story," Y'shtola remarked. "Doubtless even true, despite what I know of the pirates in these parts."

"Hush," called Arenvald from up ahead. "I hear something."

The party tried to move quietly, which was difficult on the rocky trail. Feet crunched on fallen leaves and stones, and the Thaumaturges kept tripping over their robes and cursing in loud whispers. The trail climbed steeply upward between sheer rock walls. Evergreen trees clung to the heights, grown into strange twisted shapes by the wind.

They rounded a bend and came upon a wide place where the cliff retreated as if a scoop had been carved out of it. Here stood a jagged piece of blue crystal hung with trinkets, and guarded by several kobolds.

Kobolds resembled furry squirrel-like creatures with long tails and clever hands and feet. They wore armor and helmets, their eyes glowing red through the visors. As the party approached, the kobolds screeched and drew swords. They charged upon the group before they could so much as call out in parley.

Arenvald whipped out his sword and shield. The Thaumaturges produced rods and shortstaffs. Y'shtola joined Arden at the rear of the group. The fight was fierce, but short. The kobolds held their own against the paladin, but when the Thaumaturges cut loose with fireballs, the kobolds either died instantly or fled shrieking up the canyon.

"Seems they know their aetheryte is a vulnerable point," said Y'shtola, examining the jagged blue crystal.

"Doesn't look like much," Arden said, gripping his shortstaff. "Will it work?"

Y'shtola didn't answer for a few moments. She ran her fingers across the crystal's facets and fingered the trinkets, seeming to read them. Finally she cupped her hands over the crystal and they began to glow. After a moment she looked up with a smile. "There, the way is open. Quickly now, go through. I'll hold it open for your return."

One by one, they touched the aetheryte and teleported away. Arden was last, and hesitated a fraction of a second before he could bring himself to touch the crystal. He knew Y'shtola saw it, but he didn't look at her. Let her think this was more swaggering bravado or whatever.

The crystal worked quickly, but the instant of travel was rougher than regular aetherytes, somehow. Arden arrived on the other side with a stagger.

They emerged in an immense cave, where a giant stalagmite had been broken off, leaving a platform like a tree stump standing up out of the darkness. Yellow earth-aspected crystals glowed in the ceiling, shedding a fiery light that turned their faces and hands a sulfurous color. A bridge of stone reached from their entry point to the top of the broken stalagmite, where a single huge boulder sat in the exact center. More kobolds danced around it, screeching and chanting. As the Eorzeans arrived, they halted and whirled, drawing weapons. But the leader, wearing a huge face mask, as beast tribe leaders seemed to do, instead chittered a command to his followers. They all faced the boulder and bowed to it, pressing their faces to the ground. The boulder stirred.

"Here we go," said Arenvald, readying his sword and shield and settling his helmet firmly in place. "Remember, everyone, he's just a very large golem."

The boulder uncurled and rose to its feet. Arden watched it, half-terrified, half-fascinated. Titan was about twenty fulms tall, and nearly as broad as he was tall. His shoulders were so huge that he seemed to have no neck, only a mean little head sunk into his shoulders. Wisps of white hair clung to his stone head, and he wore a beaded loincloth around his hips. His body was made of stone threaded with glowing yellow crystal, and a greater spot of yellow burned in the center of his chest, where his heart stone lay.

"Interlopers!" Titan bellowed, shaking a huge fist at them. "Thou betrayest my children! Never again!"

Arenvald raised his shield and charged across the bridge with a battle yell. The Thaumaturges and Arden followed. As they arrived on top of the stalagmite stump, the kobolds worshipers fled back across the bridge to watch from a safe distance. They believed their god of stone would win.

The Thaumaturges took up positions around the rim of the stump and began casting fireballs at the giant. Titan ignored these blows and instead focused his ire on the paladin who danced around his feet and hacked at his legs. Titan aimed heavy blows at him, but Arenvald deftly sidestepped each one.

Now that battle had been joined, Arden had work to do besides sitting around worrying. His fear faded and he cast his own Conjure Stone on Titan, trying to draw that heartstone closer to the surface. The glow on Titan's chest grew brighter. At the same time, many places on the giant's back and arms were beginning to glow a dull red from the constant onslaught of fireballs.

Cocobuki shouted an order. As one, the Thaumaturges switched to ice that smoked with cold as it left their hands. It splashed across Titan, hissing and boiling away in steam and smoke. Titan roared and stamped the ground, causing an earthquake that knocked everyone down.

Arden regained his feet first, conjuring lilies of white magic and throwing them upon his companions. The lilies settled on them in sparkles, rejuvenating and healing. As they rose to continue fighting, Arden had an idea.

A vision of Amdapor flashed through his mind, and the way the forest had engulfed the city, cracking apart the very stones. Plants broke stone the same way a chisel did, by slipping into the tiniest crack and growing larger and larger until they forced the stone apart. Perhaps he could do the same thing with his lilies, assuming he didn't just heal the god. But he had an idea that since Titan was purely earth-aspected aether, white magic would not work on him as it did on mortals, whose aether contained all elements in balance.

The rain of fireballs had begun again. In their harsh light, Arden spotted several large cracks across Titan's back where the ice had accomplished its goal. He drew upon his white magic and his own soul stone and cast a thread of white magic into one of those cracks. It sank in like a filament of cobweb, tiny and delicate. He fed more magic into that thread, encouraging it to work its way deeper into the stone of the god's back, thickening as it went.

Titan slammed a fist into the ground, narrowly missing Arenvald. The paladin rolled to his feet, but no sooner had he risen than Titan lifted a hand. Stone rose from the floor and trapped Arenvald in a dome of rocks.

"Someone free him!" Arden yelled as Titan's angry gaze swung in their direction.

"If we fireball him, we'll cook him alive!" one of the mages retorted.

Arden looked up and met Titan's hateful gaze. The Echo stirred within him. Instead of seeing into the god's memory, instead he saw what he was about to do.

Arden dove to one side as Titan swung a fist at him with the power of a landslide. Arden rolled across the floor and came up behind the stone prison. He pressed a hand against it and conjured stone, pulling the prison apart. The rocks fell away and Arenvald struggled out.

But Titan was lining up another blow, his maddened attention still on Arden. Arden again foresaw where and how the blow would land. He took off running and dove beneath the god's legs, coming up behind him, just as both huge fists slammed into the floor. A portion of the stalagmite stump cracked and fell away into the darkness below.

Everyone lost their footing at the impact. Arden regained his feet and saw Arenvald hacking at the giant's legs once more, shield upraised to protect his head. Arden drew upon his magic and threw a burst of healing outward, repairing the bruises and jarred skulls of his team. The thaumaturges regained their feet and resumed hurling fireballs.

Arden stood still and concentrated on his lilies. They had kept growing even while his attention was diverted, the white magic roots winding deeper and deeper into the primal. As he touched them and fed them power, he heard a voice at his side. The ghostly form of A-Towa-Cant floated at his elbow, his bright padjal's eyes fixed on Titan.

"Slowly, slowly," he advised, raising a hand. "Easy does it. Don't want him to notice."

Arden coaxed the lily magic to grow even more, following the veins of earth magic toward Titan's heart. The plants fed on it, drank it in, lapped it up. Flecks of white light began to glimmer through Titan's outer skin.

The thaumaturges switched to ice. The cold splashed across the giant with hissing shrieks, and cracks snaked across Titan's body. The lilies plunged into these new spaces and reached Titan's heart.

Titan didn't seem to notice, so intent was he on pulverizing Arenvald. The paladin threw up a burst of shielding magic just as the giant's fist struck him a blow that should have splattered him like a bug. Instead it bounced off the shield, and the magic shattered. Arenvald stumbled to one knee.

Arden glanced at the ghost of his white mage mentor. "Now?"

"Now," said A-Towa-Cant.

Arden conjured white magic to those embedded lilies with all his strength.

Titan froze in place with a pained grunt. Every yellow vein of earth crystal glowed white. Lilies emerged and bloomed all over his torso and limbs. The largest one emerged from his heart crystal and opened its petals in a show of beauty and light.

Then the lilies cracked Titan to pieces. The giant crumbled into gravel, his stone and crystal scattering across the arena. The fighters retreated to the bridge, where they watched as the light in the yellow earth crystals went out. A certain energy in the air ebbed away. The watching kobolds shrieked and scampered away into the caves and tunnels, crying their woeful tale to their brethren.

Arden let out his breath in a sigh. "We did it!"

Arenvald picked himself up and walked to Arden on shaky legs. They clasped hands in victory. Nearby, the thaumaturges were jumping up and down and hugging each other. They ran to Arden and Arenvald, shouting and congratulating them. In a group, they walked back to the aetheryte and teleported back to the surface. As Arenvald and the thaumaturges headed back to town, Arden took a moment to call Minfilia on his linkpearl.

"Titan is defeated, and everyone survived," Arden reported.

"Oh," Minfilia gasped in relief. "Words cannot express how glad I am to hear it. Hurry back to the Waking Sands, we have much to discuss."

"I'm going out for a spot of celebration first," said Arden, grinning. "Arenvald promised to buy me a horn ring for my nameday."

"You do that," Minfilia said, her smile audible in her voice. "I'll see you upon your return."

Arden ended the call and walked after his companions, practically floating on the aftermath of adrenaline and magic use. He didn't notice that Y'shtola no longer guarded the aetheryte, or that Zelma's Run was eerily quiet.

On a cliff inside O'Ghomoro mountain, two Garleans in armor had observed the Titan fight.

"Now that version of Titan was almost respectable," said the scientist, holding up a device and watching the readings.

The woman in white armor folded her arms. "The savages still overcame him."

"Yes, and with a peculiar use of white magic," said the scientist. "Can't say I've ever seen it done that way before. Perhaps we should bring Gaius the warrior rather than the data, hmm?"

"I fully intend to do so," said the woman. She chambered a round into the revolver built into her gauntlet. "Dearest Minfilia, you will sing or you will suffer."