“Well, this is voidin’ fantastic, ain’t it?” Ironheart asked sarcastically after he led Aria and Zareb to his hideout.

  The “hideout” was the basement level of something called a “mechanical” shop. Zareb had explained to Aria that it was a place people go to pay to have various machinery either maintained, fixed, or upgraded.

  Strange, messy contraptions had littered the ground level, with even more being present in the surprisingly large basement.

  “So, y’all get found and attacked by Shadows of all people just as yer makin’ to leave.” Ironheart began to summarize. “An encounter that ends with y’all losin’ that mud-walker Champion!”

  The dwarf shook his head with clear exasperation. “Ya know, before that mud-walker, Galen, came along, encounters with Shadows were voidin’ rare. Now we’ve not only had two major encounters with ‘em, but we’re settin’ up for a third scrapdown! By the precious metals of the earth, this is almost too much trouble for what it’s worth.”

  Aria frowned at the dwarf’s complaints. Zareb, however, merely chuckled. “Oh, you don’t mean that last part, Komdar.”

  “Oh?” he challenged. “What makes ya say that?”

  “The fact that you like a challenge,” Zareb answered.

  The dwarf gave an almost predatory grin underneath his thick beard. “True enough! So, how are we springin’ that mud-walker free from the Shadows?”

  “Well, first we have to find him-” Aria began.

  “Already done,” Ironheart shrugged. “It’s not like I was doin’ nothin’ while I waited for ya two slowpokes. The Shadows came and took the mud-walker to a mansion on the other side of town.”

  “Really?!” Aria asked.

  The dwarf nodded. “I reckon they got here about half a day or so before you two did. Caused quite a stir when they came.”

  “So I’ve noted,” Zareb muttered.

  Aria raised a brow. “When?”

  “I was keeping an ear out as we went to go get a view of the ocean,” the general answered.

  She frowned. “So was I, but I didn’t hear anything noteworthy.”

  “They were pretty quiet, lass. I had to enhance my hearing with Ether by quite a bit, and then tune outthe excess noise.”

  Aria’s frown deepened to a scowl. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the man. Rather, she felt irritation that a human had outdone her with their senses. She had to remind herself that Zareb wasn’t exactly a normal human, even by Etherean standards.

  Ironheart cut in. “There’s somethin’ else ya should know, Zareb. That mansion that they took the mud-walker to? It’s the home of another Shadow.”

  Aria’s breath hitched. That meant that they had a total of three of them to deal with.

  The general nodded. “That is troubling, but I’m sure we’ll find a way to handle three of them.”

  “Four actually. But that’s not it, brother,” the dwarf paused for a moment, then revealed. “That mansion is the home of a specific Shadow. It’s Morpheus’s home, mate.”

  Aria saw Zareb’s face harden into an unreadable mask.

  That unnerved her. She’d never seen him react like that before.

  She looked between Ironheart and Zareb, then asked, “Why does that matter? Zareb? What’s wrong?”

  The dwarf raised a brow at the general, “Ya haven’t explained that bit to her, brother?”

  Zareb shook his head.

  “I can do it for ya, if ya like. I think she ought to know,” he offered.

  “No, I should be the one explain it,” the general took a deep breath, then looked to Aria. “Remember how I mentioned to you that Athanasius and the Dominion got my sister killed, lass? Well, I didn’t tell you what happened just before that. You see, Athanasius has many wives, and then even more concubines on top of that. It’s not uncommon for him, on a trip to a city or somewhere else, to find a woman who strikes his fancy. It’s also not uncommon for him to then take that woman, claiming her as either a wife or concubine. That happens regardless of if the woman is single, in a relationship, or already married.”

  Aria looked disgusted. “Void… as if I didn’t think he was evil enough.”

  Her eyes widened. She swallowed nervously as she realized. “Wait, then… your sister…”

  Zareb closed his eyes. “She was among the many women taken by Athanasius, yes. And after a wife or concubine bears him a child… to prevent the mother from influencing that child in a way contrary to what Athanasius would like, he has them executed shortly after the child is weaned.”

  Aria put a hand over her mouth in shock. Void… somehow, even in spite of her already low opinion of the false god, her hatred of him darkened and smoldered further.

  She shook, not with nausea, but with rage. Further horror joined those feelings of anger as she had another realization. “Wait, then… Morpheus…”

  “He’s the son of my sister, lass,” Zareb confirmed. “He’s my nephew…”

  Winds. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to have family on the enemy’s side.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered to him.

  “Thus far, we’ve managed to avoid a scenario in which Zareb here had to fight against his nephew…” Ironheart narrowed his eyes. “Until recently that is. I’m shocked ya never tried speaking with him back when ya worked as a spy within the Dominion. Back when ya were mentorin’ that mud-walker, Galen.”

  “Who said I didn’t?” Zareb sighed. “To be clear, I never revealed my true identity. I never even hinted at it. I did speak with Morpheus, however. Back when he was under the alias of ‘Milton’. I don’t know whether it was part of the act he played as a scribe or not… but void… he reminded me so much of my sister sometimes…”

  “One thing is clear,” Ironheart stated, “when we steal back Galen from the Shadows, we gotta make sure ya and Morpheus don’t meet.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me,” Zareb began. “I can do what needs to be don-”

  “No,” the dwarf interrupted. “Ya can’t.”

  Zareb glared at Ironheart, but he didn’t even flinch.

  “Brother,” the dwarf continued. “I know ya too well. Lusha does too. We both know that a part of yawants to save ‘im. But against a Shadow? That kind of sentimentality will get ya killed.”

  The general set his jaw, but didn’t argue further.

  “So what’s the plan, then?” Aria asked. “How are we going to save Galen?”

  The dwarf eyed her. “We? I wasn’t aware ya were comin’ along, lassie. I thought ya had yer own mission.”

  “A mission that will be for naught if the Shadows manage to take Galen back to the Dominion,” Aria stated.

  Ironheart looked her up and down, then raised a brow. “What else?”

  “Huh?”

  “There’s more to it than just that. I can tell. Now spit it out,” the dwarf demanded.

  Aria glared at him, but when the voiding dwarf remained unperturbed, she relented. “I… I owe Galen my life. He saved mine back when we first met, and he’s done so much for me since then. Now that he’s the one in danger… I… I need to pay him back. It’s what my mother would have done in my place.”

  Ironheart grinned. “See? Puttin’ your feelin’s to words wasn’t THAT hard, now, was it?”

  Aria scowled at him.

  The dwarf merely chuckled and shook his head with amazement. “An elf growin’ close and gettin’ attached to a human? Particularly for one as hard headed as you? Who’d have thought? Certainly not me.”

  She flushed at that, but bit her tongue. Clearly the voiding dwarf was just trying to goad a reaction out of her.

  “Galen and Aria sitting in a tree~” Redian suddenly spoke with a high pitched, sing-songy voice in her mind before then saying some strange, foreign gibberish sounds. “K. I. S. S. I. N. G!”

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  What in the void was that last part? she asked the Sentient Weapon. And why were you singing about Galen and I sitting in a tree?

  “Oh nothing. That last part was just me using letters from Galen’s language. English, as he called it.”

  She didn’t know what the letters the sword had used meant, but she didn’t quite care to know at the moment.

  Instead, she asked Ironheart with irritation, “So? The plan?”

  “Right, right,” the dwarf sighed. “So muddin’ serious…”

  “Tell me about it!” Redian agreed in her mind.

  Hush! she reprimanded.

  “I’ve got a few ideas rummagin’ around in me noggin’” Ironheart tapped the side of his head for emphasis. “But I was waitin’ for us all to get here first before comin’ up with anythin’ concrete.”

  “Well, we’re all here now,” Zareb pointed out.

  “Not quite,” the dwarf smirked. “Ya see, we got one more comin’ along. Should be here soon.”

  “Who?” Aria asked.

  “Me,” a new voice sounded.

  They turned to see Lusha standing by the stairs leading to the ground floor of the shop.

  “Lusha!” Zareb gasped, running to his wife and embracing her tightly.

  She returned the hug, before pulling away just enough to be able to kiss him passionately.

  Aria flushed deeply and looked away. She saw Ironheart chuckling at her reaction, but she ignored him.

  “What are you doing here, my love?!” Zareb asked after he and Lusha finally broke their long kiss. “You should be with the elves we helped rescue from the Dominion!”

  “Neldor took over that role,” Lusha explained.

  “How did you reach him so fast?” he asked.

  “Arvad,” she answered.

  “Ah,” Zareb chuckled and shook his head with a smile. “That man… that voiding man. I would hug him if he were here right now.”

  “Be careful what you say,” Lusha warned. “For all we know, he might pop up out of nowhere and take you up on that offer.”

  “Indeed,” a voice spoke behind Aria.

  She jumped.

  Startled, she reacted instinctively. Her hand flew to Redian’s handle as she burned Ether. She’d been about to unsheathe the Sentient Weapon to cut down whoever was behind her.

  That is, until she saw Arvad Malachi standing behind her with a mischievous smirk. “I do say, young one. I haven’t seen one as jumpy as you in ages.”

  “How did you…” Aria trailed off, a bead of cold sweat rolling down her neck.

  Redian! she mentally hissed to the blade. Why in the void didn’t you warn me he was behind me?!

  “Because I didn’t know,” the sword grumbled in her mind, annoyance at having been unable to detect Malachi evident in its tone. “One second he wasn’t there, and the next, he was.”

  “What in the void are you?” Aria questioned, contemplating drawing Redian and pointing the tip of its blade right at the mysterious man’s face.

  “A bard. A storyteller. A messenger. A guide. Many things, I am,” Malachi chuckled, as though amused by a joke only he was privy to.

  “Okay, Yoda,” Redian spoke in her mind.

  She didn’t know what this “Yoda” was, but she quite frankly didn’t care.

  She narrowed her eyes.

  “By the precious metals of the earth!” Ironheart laughed. “Ya really are like a mole, Arvad!”

  The bard frowned at that comparison. “My friend, that’s a rather insulting comparison, don’t you think? Moles are pests!”

  “I know what I said,” the dwarf smirked.

  “Well, it’s good to see you too, I suppose,” Malachi grumbled.

  The mysterious man looked to Zareb and Lusha, both of whom seemed stunned by his sudden appearance.

  Malachi grinned, then spread his arms towards Zareb. “I’ll take the embrace you offered now.”

  The Rebellion’s general blinked, then began to chuckle. “Alright then. Come here you!”

  Zareb wrapped his arms around the bard in a bear hug. He lifted the mysterious man off his feet, squeezing him tightly.

  “Damnation, man!” Malachi chuckled. “Did you miss me that much? Okay, actually, this is starting to hurt! Heavens, why are you squeezing me so tightly?!”

  “Because, my friend,” Zareb squeezed even tighter. “Just because.”

  “Void! You’re going to crack a rib!” Malachi protested.

  The general laughed, then released the bard. The man took a large step back while nursing his sides, regarding Zareb warily.

  Well that’s a shame, Aria thought.

  “What is?” Redian asked.

  I was hoping Zareb would’ve actually cracked a rib or two.

  “…You’re terrifying sometimes. You know that right?”

  Aria simply smiled in response.

  Ironheart clapped his meaty hands together to get their attention. Aria winced a bit at how surprisingly loud it had been.

  “Alright, now that we’re all here,” the dwarf glanced to Malachi. “We, plus an uninvited guest…”

  The bard gave the dwarf a look, which went promptly ignored as Ironheart continued. “I think the time has come for us to get a plan together and get this show started. So? Anyone have any ideas?”

  “I’ve the beginnings of one,” Zareb muttered.

  Everyone turned to him expectantly.

  The general thought through what he was going to say before speaking. “To begin, we have three goals we need to accomplish here. Firstly, we need to rescue Galen. We know he’s being holed up in the mansion belonging to the Shadow, Morpheus, across town. Secondly, we need to steal the airship coming here as soon as its repairs are done. Thirdly, we need to use that airship to get Aria to the Boundary of Axis Mundi and into the Void Sea.”

  “Easier said than done…” Ironheart grumbled.

  “Don’t whine you grumpy dwarf,” Lusha smiled. “We all know you’re probably looking forward to the big showdown more than anyone else here.”

  “Sure, but that don’t mean I can’t note the difficulty of the tasks,” the dwarf defended.

  “What’s the first move we need to make?” Malachi asked.

  “We need to fully scout out the town and determine where exactly that airship will be landing,” Zareb answered. “We also need to know just how many Shadows are present. Forming a cohesive plan will be difficult unless we know that. Luckily, there’s someone who might already have that information.”

  “Who?” Aria asked.

  The general smiled. “Why, Galen of course.”

  Aria frowned. “It’s not like we can just ask him. If we could, then we’d just spring him free from the Shadows, wouldn’t we?”

  “I’m afraid not, lass,” Zareb sighed. “You see, timing will be everything here. The three goals I mentioned earlier will need to be done in quick succession. We’ll need to nab that airship right after we save Galen. Then, you’ll need to depart on it immediately.”

  The general leaned forward, looking her in the eyes. “And in the worst case scenario, we’ll need to be ready to have Galen go with you.”

  Aria hesitated for but a moment before nodding. Assuring him she was ready for that possibility should it come to pass.

  Zareb continued on. “The moment we rescue the lad, the Shadows and whatever other Dominion forces lying in wait in this town will spring on us. While I’m confident we can each hold our own, the Shadows are our biggest concern. We NEED to know how many are here already. We need someone who’s great at being unseen and unnoticed. Someone who’s an expert at getting into places they shouldn’t be at. Someone who has the best chance of slipping in and out. Someone who can serve as a messenger.”

  Everyone slowly, and simultaneously turned to Malachi, who’d been walking backwards, seemingly trying to slip out of the room.

  He froze when he noticed everyone looking to him. He sighed in a dramatic fashion. “I don’t know that I’m the best choice. I mean, you all turned to me before I could leave the room!”

  “If you REALLY wanted to slip out unnoticed, you would have,” Lusha pointed out.

  “True enough,” Malachi smiled, then bowed. “Very well. I shall get a message to Galen Daxton and return with intel.”

  Ironheart raised a brow and stroked his beard. “That’s strange… normally you’d raise more a fuss…”

  Malachi’s smile remained on his lips, and a twinkle could be seen in his eyes. “Well, my dwarfy friend, that’s because normally I have somewhere I need to be. I don’t always know what exactly I need to do once I arrive, but I know I NEED to be there. This time, however? I KNOW I need to be here. I know I need to help you all. And I know that I need to aid in Galen Daxton’s rescue.”

  “For what reason?” Aria asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  The strange man looked to her, his knowing smile irritating her. “Because I have been guided to do so.”

  “By whom?” she pressed.

  “By the Maker, of course,” he answered.

  “You really expect me to believe that?” she asked.

  “Believe it or not. It makes no difference. For it is the truth,” he responded.

  Aria had been about to argue further, but Zareb stopped her. “Enough, lass. We’ve been working with Arvad for years. He’s no traitor.”

  “How do you know?” she asked.

  “Because if he were, we’d be dead already. Plain and simple,” he answered. “If you can’t trust him, lass, then trust in the fact that I trust him.”

  She hesitated, but nodded in acceptance.

  “With that done, I should get going,” Malachi readjusted his feathered hat. “Breaking into the home of a Shadow while multiple of the nuisances are present will be no small feat. Even for me. Pray for my success. For if I fail, then this whole operation is halted before we even begin.”

  He strode towards the stairs, leaving the basement.

  “As he does that,” Zareb looked to Ironheart. “I’d like you to show me and Lusha what intel you’ve gathered during your time here.”

  “Righty-o,” the dwarf nodded.

  Aria shuffled her feet. “What… what should I do?”

  The general looked to her, then glanced to the pommel of Redian’s sword poking over her shoulder. “Speak with Redian. That sword can create Arts for its Wielders. See what you two can come up with. The more Arts you have in your arsenal, and the more you can refine what you have, the better it will be for when we get this show on the road.”

  Her mouth fell open, surprised that the Sentient Weapon was capable of such a thing. Then she nodded. She went looking for a quiet, barren corner, where she sat cross legged and in a meditative position.

  She was going to do more than just create new Arts. She was going to grill the sword into telling her everything it, and its kind, were capable of.

  The more she learned, the more information she’d have to give to her people should she manage to make it to Vindanna.

  No… I WILL make it. I have to… she thought as she prodded the sword. Redian?

  The Sentient Weapon responded eagerly, “Present! We have A LOT to discuss.”

  She and the sword went to work.

  Next chapter will be released Thursday, February 19th, 2026 at 3:00 PM PST.

  A huge thank you and special shoutout to my Page Tuner tier Patron, LOOKOUT, and my Lore Master tier Patrons, Mountain Knight, Conman2731, ThoMiCroN, MCE 2 Munchen 2, Voltrus, biburussus, and Daniel Krol. Your support is sincerely and greatly appreciated.