In a cave at the bottom of a cliff in the forest.

Leiza had a very strange sensation in her body, as if she was carrying some weight that seemed different than usual. Mity was stirring around her with joy, and she felt like she could understand what her dog wanted to tell her without even having to look at him. She sensed that the huge canine was asking her to mount his back to get back to the camp. She followed her guess and climbed on top of him and then Mity ran at full speed to the exit of the cave, sniffing their way back up through a steep ascent. In a few hours, they were back in the area guarded by the stone giants. A pair of those colossal guardians stood up and watched those who sought to enter the camp. They recognized them as part of the group that arrived weeks earlier with Zaz and let them in. Mity continued all the way to the tent, where Luespo was sleeping deeply. Leiza descended exhausted and entered to rest. As she began to undress while remembering what happened with Tebh in the cave, she perceived a soundless message that entered her mind.

-What did you do?  Now I can understand you.

-Who are you?! What are you doing in my mind?! -Leiza answered in fear.

-Look up.

Leiza leaned out and looked all the way up until she stopped at that distinctive green eye of Zaz, who was resting as always in the top of a tree. The communication between the two was flowing without the need of any voice, messages were clearly understood in each other's minds. For the first time, Leiza was able to know the impressions of her ally, who among all its severe bodily damages, had its vocal cords shredded.

-You have Goan. Where did you get it, and how did you learn to communicate with it so quickly? Most Goan wielders can never do it. -Zaz questioned Leiza.

-Is that you, Zaz? Can you hear me? Everything is so strange, I think there is blue Goan inside me.

Zaz's wounded face twitched when it heard the answer. It came down urgently from the tree and turned to Leiza.

-Blue Goan? You mustn't tell anyone! You're in danger! Don't even think of using it in public... I must teach you to master it as soon as possible. We may have to leave the camp now. Wake up Luespo, we're out of here.

Leiza did not understand the situation, but she saw Zaz acting in a serious and determined manner. The four team members grabbed the few belongings they had, looking to go somewhere else.

-Why don't we stay here? They have been very kind to us and have given us asylum and protection.

-We don't know them that well. I can tell you that stone giants are trustworthy beings, but I can't guarantee that all patrollers can be trusted. Your life is in serious danger if you let anyone know about your blue Goan.

They tried to exit quietly through the front of the camp, but that was impossible, because a few meters from the entrance a great hubbub started between the voices of the colossal stony beings guarding the access.

-Everyone, stay alert, get up quickly and be on guard! - A stone giant communicated.

-This is serious, we may have to fight! -Another large guardian replied, rising with urgency.

Leiza, Zaz, Mity and Luespo were shocked by the loud noises generated by those stones moving with forceful, earth-crushing footsteps. They knew that after those loud sounds, a stealthy escape from the camp was impossible, but little did they know that, at that moment, they were the least of their worries.  The patrollers flocked out with Seip and Dartio in the vanguard, all stopping at the entrance and looking up at the sky. High above, a battalion of kingdom guards, mounted on griffins were flying in. In command was General Fyrod, accompanied by General Dannak.

The tension became absolute, Seip instructed a group of patrollers to run to the other end of the camp to call the remaining stone giants guarding that access. It was not the time to save any power, they were facing a major threat. From the heights, General Fyrod was watching the movements of the stone giants and the patrollers in the camp with seriousness. He was familiar with almost all of them, having lived and trained with that group for years. His former allies were able to identify him from the distance, experiencing deep anger to know that the ultimate traitor had returned. A stone giant could not contain his fury and threw a punch at him as soon as he recognized him. Fyrod anticipated it by moving his griffin to the side, dodged the attack and immediately sent a message.

-So now the rebel camp is set up here... We are not here to fight you, Seip. We just want to pass through, we have an urgent mission more important than you.

- We are no longer rebels, you killed the rebellion. Maybe you don't want to fight, but we have dreamed of an opportunity to have you in front of us to make you pay for the cowardice of murdering your own brother. -Seip the spider answered him, with a wrathful look on his face.

-This is not the time, Seip. Just make a passage for our battalion and no one will get hurt. I'm a man of my word, nothing will happen to your camp if you don't do something stupid.

-Are you kidding? -What word can the greatest traitor in history have? You murdered Rioya from behind, you couldn't even respect your family! Your honor is worth absolutely nothing, you scum. 

With complete equanimity, Fyrod continued with the conversation.

-Seip, you don't represent opposition to us. Two Generals and several elite soldiers come in this battalion. You would be condemning your troops to be exterminated by us. Don't waste our time, it was difficult enough to convince the King to authorize us to kill one of the historical heroes, it is unnecessary to bring him the news that we ended up assassinating two legends. Leave that privilege exclusively for your friend Prince Dorba.

-Are you an idiot? You also want to kill Dorba after all he did for us? That goddamn Moal uses you as his servant to kill all the worthy men from that senseless fight we took part in.

-Dorba is not the same person he used to be, Seip. He is a threat to the kingdom, the decision has been made by the King and you know it is unobjectionable.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Zaz asked Leiza, Mity and Luespo to escape at that moment. They moved as stealthily as possible, but the cat's glowing eyes in the dark revealed their location to one of the guards in the air.

-They are the giant dog and cat! Generals, the King is also in pursuit of those animals!

Fyrod noticed that they were the mascots who consumed the stolen potion. So he added a new comment to the rebels. 

-Seip, those animals of enormous size are fugitives from the kingdom. The Goan inside them should already be fully assimilated, it will be impossible to recover it; nevertheless, they should be hunted for having defied the King and his men. But I insist, we have a priority mission to accomplish, free the path and I will also overlook that sighting on this occasion.

General Dannak did not agree with her colleague's opinion and interfered in the conversation.

-Don't underestimate our forces, Fyrod, we can do both missions without a problem. Finishing off those animals and taking their corpses won't take time.

The woman gave orders to three guards to descend and kill the dog and the cat. The men flew quickly and leapt from their griffins at the location where the escaping quartet stood. Zaz received the first of them with a Goan charged blow to the chest and took him as its opponent, the other two assailants went after Luespo and Mity respectively. They were first level soldiers, the animals could hardly put up any resistance to these skilled fighters who were trying to end the battle quickly. Leiza tried to put into practice what she had learned in her defense lessons and launched herself with a swift kick towards the Goan amplifier attached on the right hand of Mity's aggressor. The soldier noticed this and intercepted her with an elbow to the face that knocked her to the grass, then focused his attention back on the dog by charging his hand with Goan in the form of electricity to launch himself at the giant canine's body. Mity was surprised by the speed of his opponent, receiving a large electrified slash that splashed an enormous amount of blood in an instant. The animal's pain was evident, it tried to bite its rival, but could not reach him. Despite the brutal damage, it sought to calm down and contain its power because Zaz had asked it not to show its violet aura to any enemy. However, his obedience was about to cost him a lot, the soldier had knocked him to the ground and was trying to rip his head off with a quick cross-cut. Leiza saw how they were about to kill her dog, her eyes turned furious and she had a change of countenance. Her hands generated blue energy and she screamed with anger:

-Leave Coro alone!

She released a massive discharge that resembled a lightning bolt, the darkness of the night turned blue for a couple of seconds and the man on top of Mity was completely disintegrated. Both, rebels and soldiers, watched what just happened. They realized that the small woman possessed blue Goan. Generals Fyrod and Dannak knew the importance of that new discovery, even capable of postponing their mission to attack Prince Dorba. Seip was also conscious of the magnitude of the event, forcing him to make quick decisions.

-They are going to throw themselves against the girl, protect her!  -He instructed his patrolmen and the stone giants.

General Fyrod focused his attention on Leiza as well and modified the strategy.

-Do not be afraid. The girl hasn't stopped emanating blue aura since she launched the beam, it means she's a rookie, we'll be able to deal with her. Divide into two groups, the first one will be under my command and the second will follow General Dannak. My men and I will go after the girl, the other group will attack the rebels.

Both Fyrod and Seip were moving their tactical pieces. The patrol leader asked Dartio to take command of the team in his absence, because he would go join Leiza, Zaz and the others to try to help them escape. 

-Patrolmen, I need you to resist this onslaught! If that battalion manages to catch that girl, this world will be lost. -These were Seip's last words before separating from his allies.

Fyrod noticed him moving in the direction of the girl with the blue aura. He tried to organize his men, but when he was about to shout a last instruction, he could not do it because everyone was forced to disperse when the stone giants began to throw blows in the air. The General decided to start the flight towards his main objective, followed by a group of soldiers who accompanied him. They had to stop their progress once they were intercepted by patrolmen mounted on griffins who were shooting at them with cannons from a distance. The fire was directed at General Fyrod's head, whom everyone despised for his actions in the past. He dodged the aggressions with no problem and took time to give instructions to his men.

-Don't get overconfident just because these guys don't have Goan, they are exceptional fighters. Stay grouped together and on the defensive, I will tell you when it is time to move forward. 

Seip caught up with Leiza and her allies, who were now facing only one soldier. The spider released the four incandescent arms on his back to trap the remaining adversary, letting Luespo finish him off with his sharp red Goan-covered claws. Then the five of them ran into the forest trying to get out of the area as soon as possible. In the aerial zone, General Fyrod's men were repelling the aggressions of the patrollers, but he stood watchful, analyzing the situation at all times. Meanwhile, on the other side, General Dannak was facing the stone giants and the patrolmen led by Dartio. Seeing how her troops were suffering facing those huge solid beings, the General led by example and dismounted from her griffin, jumping in the direction of a stone man. With her leg covered in red aura, she struck the giant's chest with a kick, landing on top of it as it collapsed to the ground. She could handle them, but unfortunately not all of her soldiers possessed the same strength as her. Taking down all the stone giants was going to take time, and Dartio decided to stretch it out even more, confronting the General directly, in order to slow down the strongest member of their group, she didn't hesitate and took up the challenge. The duel was very one-sided from the beginning; within a few seconds, Dartio was receiving the most brutal blows and kicks his body had ever endured, experiencing on his own the strength of a King's General. 

Fyrod observed how the clash between Dannak and Dartio was unfolding. Knowing the power of both, he anticipated that it was only a matter of time before the General finished him off, so he changed his mind and quickly returned to the center of the action.  He asked his partner to switch their assignments.

-I think you'd better go get the girl, let me tear apart these guys myself. Don't take that pleasure away from me. They wanted to face me, I'll give them the opportunity.

General Dannak agreed and regrouped her team to fly swiftly towards the side of the forest where Leiza and Seip were escaping. Halfway through their route, Fyrod had one last idea.

-Wait... how about if I kill Seip first and then come back here?

Slowing down to hear that ambitious request delayed Dannak's movement, giving the fugitives precious seconds in their escape.

-This is an emergency, Fyrod! We can't fulfill all your whims now. I'll destroy them myself, there's no more discussion.

The groups of both Generals swapped positions, and it was now Fyrod who was at the forefront of the clash against the stone giants and the patrollers. He gave instructions before initiating the attack:

-I know every weakness of these fellows, I trained with them for years. We will defeat them with ease, but make no mistakes, I don't want you to kill them quickly! That would be a privilege for them, these guerrilla fighters must suffer, they should go through a living hell. Anyone of you who kills a single one of the rebels, will receive the same fate from me. I want you to cause them wounds, to leave them defenseless. At the end I will be the one responsible for burying them with my own hands, only I must fulfill that task.

He explained to his soldiers that the stone giants could be defeated by consistently attacking the same spot on their body. The rocky surface was their exoskeleton, a rigid and protective layer that once breached, exposed their vulnerable organs.

-The stone giants can feel a lot of pain, to a level that no human being could withstand. I want you to break through that stone and get to their insides, and then go on a rampage beating them in that spot until these huge creatures can no longer stand upright. 

The soldiers hovered around each of the stone giants like a swarm of wasps surrounding the victim of their painful stings. The reddish piercing flashes crashed over and over again against the rigid body, while another group of soldiers fought on the ground versus the patrollers. The elite troops dominated and whittled down the strength of the opposition, as the battle unfolded with recurring deafening impact sounds in the background, produced by the stone giants collapsing one by one.

Before the night was over, General Fyrod's hand was clenching Dartio's bloodied face. He released him from his grip to let him fall to the ground, then directed a few last words to his soldiers.

-It is time for the final touch: to bury this entire group alive. Let Mother Nature herself kill and absorb them. 

Fyrod used his energy to generate a powerful wind that lifted the earth, creating a trench of increasingly colossal proportions. He dropped the bodies of all his defeated opponents - both humans and stone men - into it and then covered the hole with earth that buried them completely.