“Alright,” Jerik said, pushing his seat back and rising to his feet. “I accept.”

Max and Jel-Kenna looked a little surprised. The Elder spoke first. “We haven’t explained what your job will entail, though.”

“You don’t have to,” he said. “I know what has to be done. And if I’m the commander, then I’ll lead the force the way I lead the Smoke Brigade. I assume that won’t be a problem?”

They hesitated for a second or two, sharing a silent message between each other. Then Max nodded. “Not a problem. That’s why we chose you, after all. Sel-Kenna has been monitoring how you trained your soldiers, and she thinks you’ve got the skills needed.”

“Then let’s get started,” he said quickly. “Well, after Nicholas is back, that is. The sooner we finish this campaign, the sooner peace can come, and the sooner I can get home.”

They still looked taken aback by his sudden acceptance. Max especially. “What happened to the guy who tried fighting me to avoid taking part in an unknown ritual? You really trust us this soon?”

“Trust has nothing to do with it.”

“I disagree. You can’t lead people if you don’t trust them.”

“Actually,” Jerik said, with a small smirk, “It’s the other way around. I have the Smoke Brigade to protect me if you turn against me. You’re the ones that need to trust me if this is going to work. And the best way I can arrange that is to prove my worth. So, in summary, I accept. The sooner we start, the better.”

“It will take us a week to get everyone here,” Jel-Kenna said. She seemed to have accepted his position without another hint of doubt or confusion. She put one hand on Max’s shoulder to interrupt his next comment. “What do you need to get started?”

“Give Morgan the details on everyone involved,” Jerik said. “She’ll be able to sort them out into what role they’ll play best. Then she can connect them with the people already doing that role in the Smoke Brigade, and we can start on the basic training. By the time we reach the second General, they’ll be ready to fight.”

“But it’ll only take a week to travel that distance,” Max protested. He seemed unable to help himself. “You think you can get five hundred people ready to fight in that time?”

“I don’t think. I know. But the more important training will be done by the officers. I’ll have to brief my people. In the meantime, gather that information. As well as whatever you have there.”

He pointed to the papers on the table when they looked confused, and Jel-Kenna nodded in understanding. “I suppose I should give them to this Morgan? She sounds like an intelligent lady.”

“She’s the logistic backbone,” Jerik agreed. He turned to Athena, who had remained still during the entire encounter. “After I get some rest, we’ll go find Nicholas. If he’s not back in time, that is.”

If you think that’s wise.

That was enough to give Jerik some pause. “What’s got you so agreeable all of a sudden? I thought you didn’t trust me yet.”

I was waiting to see if you have the skills and force of personality necessary.

“And you think this short chat gave you enough to know that I am?”

She didn’t reply, but the answer was obvious. He was touched, in spite of himself. “Right. Well, best if I get some rest. I’ve been up a while, and I’ll have a hellish week ahead of me.”

He left Max and Jel-Kenna without another word, pacing around the large stone building that was the Elder’s home, and made his way to the campsite that Max had mentioned. Knowing his soldiers, he expected to find a hot meal and a soft bed waiting for him. He wasn’t disappointed.

“So you’ve finally decided to join us,” Morgan said dryly as he appeared. The command group was clustered around a cooking fire, eating their share of the morning meal. Benji worldlessly offered him a bowl, which he accepted gratefully. “What did they have to say to you?”

“Same thing, more or less,” Jerik said. “I’m expected to lead their force.”

“Is adding a dozen untrained members really going to make a difference?” Katrina asked. “I thought the goal was to use a small strike force like we have, and assassinate Kan-Menora. I thought we weren’t wasting time on a long march.”

“We’re not,” Jerik said. An idea had occurred to him when the Elder had summoned him to talk and offered her information. He was fairly certain it would work. “We’re still cutting a direct path. But we’re changing the end objective.”

“I’m all ears,” Katrina replied, leaning back on the stump that served as her seat. Benji and Morgan also showed signs of intense focus, so he wasted no time.

“We’ll draw Kan-Menora out,” he said. “If we pull him out of his den and into the open, the Menoran Army will make killing him much faster.”

“How?” Morgan asked with a scoff. “That goes back to my problem. Even if we could give them sufficient training, which we probably could, what difference would fifty-”

“Five hundred,” Jerik said firmly, interrupting her. Morgan’s jaw dropped open, showing the same surprise he had. “Yep. Training doesn’t matter if they’re all equipped. And I had a glance at their plans. They can equip all of their soldiers with Rare-Class or higher equipment.”

Benji let out a short laugh, more out of nervous energy than any actual amusement. “Five hundred people at Rare-Class? That’s powerful.”

“Exactly,” Jerik said, nodding emphatically. “That’s guaranteed success. The Golden Dawn had less than half that, and they nearly won. We don’t have a traitor in our midst.”

“So,” Morgan said, with the air of someone who was patiently waiting for her chance to open a present in front of her. “Are you going to introduce us?”

She gestured to Athena, who was still sitting silently behind him. With a smirk, Jerik craned his neck to look at her. “Why? She can introduce herself.”

There was a short pause, and he heard Morgan, Benji, and Katrina gasp in surprise. Athena had sent them a message. He saw the same message, a short greeting, pass across his field of vision. The three of them were in awe. As he expected, Morgan was the first to recover. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Athena. You must be powerful. I’ve never heard of a Tek Griffon, much less thought I’d actually meet one. We’ve only seen one Griffon, and it nearly killed us all.”

Yes, I’m aware. I heard you tell Jerik the same. I also know from his memory that you took its head as a trophy. This makes you exceptional hunters.

“The fact that we killed a Griffon doesn’t offend you?” Jerik asked, slightly surprised. “I would have thought that was a bad thing in your eyes.”

Just because I am a griffon does not mean that I care for all. Magik beasts are crude creations. It is only fitting that it died at the hands of an accomplished Tek hunter.

“You’re going to make me blush,” he said with a laugh. “Morgan, Jel-Kenna will be giving you all the details on their forces as soon as they have it. Think you can sort them out?”

“Why not?” She asked but clearly didn’t expect an answer. “It’s my job, after all.”

“Thanks,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “Now I’m off to get some sleep. Behave, everyone.”

Benji and Katrina both laughed, and the younger sister gave him a small wave as he departed the fire. One of the platoon had indeed already set up his tent, and he unzipped the entrance, pausing only long enough to pass a final message to Athena. “Sleep if you want. Let me know if something interesting happens and I’ll come out. Otherwise, see you in a few hours.”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she promptly laid down where she was, a few feet off to the side of his tent’s entrance, and rested her massive head on the soft grass. He was surprised to find that she did in fact sleep. He’d never seen a Tek creature that did. But, as he flopped down on the soft camp mattress inside his tent, he could see the purple light she emitted through the tent start to fade, then eventually go out. It was like all life had left a statue.

Maybe she was just shutting down like a computer, he thought with a quiet snort of laughter. Computers had to restart every once in a while to remain healthy. Maybe it was the same for Tek monsters. Maybe, he thought, the reason that they never slept was because of the Monster Winds. And that thought did what very little could. It sent a shaft of pity and sadness through his chest. It made him want to do everything he could to ease that burden. It made him want, even more than ever, to kill Kan-Menora and cure the sickness the King of Monsters had spread.

Seconds later, or so it seemed to him, he was jerked awake by the sound of a yell very close to him. He shot upright at once, his hand reaching for the rifle that was normally slung across his back. It wasn’t there, of course, as he’d taken it off before bed. He snatched it up from beside his mattress and rushed to the entrance of his tent. A quick jerk with his free hand saw the flap opened, and he stepped through with the rifle level, ready to fire the instant he saw an enemy.

The village of Haven was in an uproar. Residents were running out of the settlement with shouts of fright and confusion, their faces pale and their eyes wide. Something had terrified them, he thought. He swiveled his aim towards the center of the village, where he could see a large cloud of dust. Something large and heavy was moving around in the dust, only visible as a vague blurred outline. He couldn’t make out any more details.

He flicked on the infrared display of his helmet as it formed around his face, and that allowed him to make out the shape of a human in the middle of the cloud. That wasn’t what was making the cloud, he was sure of it. He couldn’t make out the other creature though, except when it moved between his vision and the figure in the middle. It was clearly lunging at the person, trying to attack, but whoever it was was dodging easily. They ducked, rolled, and jumped to avoid each attack.

“What’s going on?” Jerik barked loudly, to nobody in particular. “What’s attacking us?”

“It’s not attacking us!” Max shouted. He was also fleeing the village, on Vernex’s back. The dragon had a nasty cut on its right flank but seemed fine. Well, apart from the fact that it was practically spitting with rage. “It’s attacking Nicholas!”

“What?” Jerik took a few steps forward before he could even think about the action. “Why are you abandoning him? We need to save him!”

“No!” Max said, holding a hand out to stop him. A futile gesture, Jerik thought. His bullet was faster than Vernex could ever hope to be, and nothing could stop it. But then Max spoke further, and he understood. “He’s trying to bond with the monster right now!”

“What kind of monster is it?”

“I’ve never seen its type,” Max admitted, speaking more quietly now that he’d drawn level with Jerik. He still made no attempt to stop him from firing. “But Nick told me not to let him deal with it alone. He’s got the drug, so it’s up to him.”

Jerik clicked his tongue in annoyance, and finally lowered the rifle. He wanted to help the young man, but he also knew that, if he wanted to succeed, he had to do so alone. But a second later, any concern he did have was wiped away as the creature was thrown clear of the dust cloud to land with a yowl on the hard ground. Nicholas burst out of the dust after it, and quickly pinned the monster to the ground with the weight and strength of his suit, then jabbed a thick syringe into the base of its neck. It finally stopped struggling as he got off, and limped a few feet away, shaking its head as it started to fight off the poison of the Monster Winds.

But now Jerik could see what kind of monster it was. And his impression of Nicholas improved significantly at that moment. It was a Displacer Beast.