For some, the years most spoken about for Roxxa Norradóttir were the years she held the additional Title "Who Seeks Defeat." As the Title implies, she spent several years searching for an equal opponent in the Northern Tribes before turning her sight towards Crescent City, marching upon it alone in search of Shoss Avalanche, Crescent City's defending Titled One.
To her dismay, the Avalanche had been temporarily assigned to HaiFeng City in the aftermath of an attack from the Formosan Islands. Roxxa climbed Crescent City's walls and invaded the City Lord's Mansion where she declared herself a guest, waiting for the Avalanche's return so they could duel.
She received her duel several days later, but the one who answered her challenge was the Prince of the Empire.
— Excerpt from Those Who Serve, by Scholar Tory
Third Street, ZhiXia City
Primrose wasn't entirely sure what to think about Molam's hurriedly explained plan. But there was no time for disagreement as Molam continued talking. She resolved to see how things played out, but promised herself that she would absolutely kill him if they died.
"We'll need to stay flexible as we approach, but there are three things of note to keep in mind," Molam held up three fingers. "First: the OutCast has established her Domain outside of mine, but her Domain seems limited to the ground. If you're not protected by my Domain, stay off the ground whenever possible. Second: do everything in our power to enable the echo, but steer clear and don't get close if the echo is engaging the OutCast. Its attacks won't differentiate if we get in the way of its target. Third: if I ever give a command that makes no sense, remember the first and second items and act with one rule in mind — you are your role."
They fanned out in formation. Just like when they had approached the City Lord's Mansion in JiangXi, Molam had once again assigned them roles based on the pieces in dragon chess so the five of them could arrange themselves based on their identifier. Shurra was the Vanguard, responsible for engaging on the OutCast and staying close to her. Martyker was the Spear, looking for a chance to strike a critical blow. Primrose and Scarlette were the Assassins, lethal if ignored, meant to keep the OutCast searching and wary of her surroundings at all times.
The clash between the echo and OutCast sent a loud shockwave of energy rippling through the street, and Primrose gripped her daggers firmly. Despite the echo's loss of a hand and the OutCast's copious injuries, their fight was still something to behold. The echo was good, no doubt about it. A splendid display of spear and staff arts, with the hooked end of the staff being a tricky problem to deal with. She could appreciate the surprising difficulty of not only dealing with the staff's reach as it jabbed at an opponent, but needing to be aware of the hook as it was yanked backwards each time.
"Now." Molam's clear voice ordered, and the five of them approached the OutCast from behind, under the protection of Molam's Domain. Primrose dashed to the side and leapt up a stall, bouncing to the roof of a nearby building, taking care to only leave Molam's Domain when she was far away from the ground. From the corner of her eye, Primrose saw Scarlette take a similar path on the other side of the street.
The first phase of Molam's plan: get past the OutCast. Either they would aid the echo and slip past, or they would engage the OutCast directly and push past by force.
The OutCast turned as they approached; Shurra jumped on her the moment Molam's Domain provided cover. Roxxa met Shurra's charge with an angry snarl, but Shurra's force drove her two steps back, giving the echo time to free itself from the poleaxe pinning it to the ground. With a tremendous shove, Roxxa forced Shurra backwards, then held her hand out. The poleax, having been thrown to the ground by the echo, quivered and flew back towards Roxxa's hand.
But Shurra would be caught in its return journey. Primrose launched two daggers — one to intercept the weapon, and the other off to the side. Scarlette had scattered a barrage of needles at Roxxa from the other side, and the Titled One protected her eyes with her free arm while the metal pieces bounced off her skin.
Primrose's first dagger clanged against the poleaxe, throwing it off its trajectory just enough to spare Shurra from being impaled by the returning weapon. Poleax in hand, the Titled One looked up at Primrose, then looked down again, her glowing orange eyes narrowing in concentration at the approaching dome of flames that heralded Molam’s approach. Roxxa raised her weapon, then flinched as the other dagger swerved in at an impossible angle and buried itself in the back of her shoulder blade.
Martyker's aim had been true. Primrose felt a rush of relief; Molam had suggested it on a whim, but for Martyker to be capable of maneuvering a blade like that on his first try impressed her.
Primrose and Scarlette immediately disappeared over the rooftops. Scarlette would probably do what Molam had asked; listen for any individuals who needed help and help them away from the fight. Primrose would relocate her position as needed, staying in the OutCast's blind spot atop buildings whenever possible.
Truth be told, Primrose thought of the OutCast as one of the worst opponents for her and Scarlette's skills. She had already broken four of her blades against the OutCast's skin; no doubt Scarlette's needles had also found little penetration. The OutCast's reinforcement seemed impenetrable so long as she knew their attacks were coming.
But thankfully, that worked both ways. Molam meant for their role as Assassins to keep the OutCast wary and uneasy, always on the lookout for their next attempt. Primrose dashed to the next roof, leaping over the gap between buildings. The rest of the group was relying on her to fulfill her role.
***
Molam watched Roxxa drop her weapon and make a vain attempt to reach the blade buried in her back; unfortunately for her, the hilt was buried deep at an awkward angle where her hand could not reach.
The echo took this chance to attack her from behind — but its forward step gave away the jab and Roxxa sidestepped it. A twist of the wrist brought the hook around the side, and a backwards yank aimed to trap Roxxa's neck; she brought up her arm to block the loop, then twisted the arm out to pull the echo forward alongside its weapon while delivering a backwards kick into the echo's stomach.
The echo attempted to pivot away from the unaimed kick and took a glancing blow, throwing it off balance. Roxxa spun around and brought her mangled hand down onto the echo's shoulder in a brutal chop, sending it to its knees. Before it could recover, the OutCast had shoved it down again and reached for its throat. The two scuffled, with the echo prying apart Roxxa's hand to prevent her fingers from closing around its neck.
Shurra entered the fray, her sword slicing at Roxxa's neck. The Titled One leaned backwards to dodge it, but Shurra stepped into the swing, bringing her other foot backwards in a wide kick towards Roxxa. The kick landed straight into Roxxa's stomach and the blow sent her sprawling backwards a short distance, landing on her back. Molam briefly hoped the fall would cause Primrose's weapon to bury deeper into her back before the ground beneath the Titled One surged like rippling water, catching the Titled One as she landed.
A flutter of bright colors near the rooftop saw silver flash through the air, forcing Roxxa to roll to the side. She spun around, dodging the flying needles then ducking under the dagger aimed at her heart. Upon touching the ground, Roxxa spun around to snag the second dagger — thrown by Primrose and curved by Martyker — out of the air before it could pierce her neck.
Molam had taken that chance to run as fast as he could down the street, barely taking the time to kick the echo's fallen weapon towards it as he passed the first cross street. The hardest part had been to get past the OutCast. Thankfully, it seemed she had thought they came for a fight. They had successfully maneuvered around her without losing anyone and now just two more streets stood between them and Sanctuary.
When the cross section of the second street came up, the ground in front of him rippled. The street itself lifted — one, two, three, four stories high, becoming a solid wall of earth blocking his path forward. He looked to the left and right — solid buildings with a few tiny alleys. Before he could make a move, earth spikes exploded into the interiors of the buildings and the alleyways. They left holes too small to squeeze through, effectively sealing them off.
He swiveled to see Martyker and Shurra backing up towards him, the Titled One bearing down upon them. Roxxa's poleaxe pointed straight at the earthen wall she had summoned as their blockade, a limp in her walk as she bled from multiple wounds, one eye closed from the blood dripping from a gash in her eyebrow. A large rock formation behind her could only be imprisoning the echo.
"You're proving to be a bigger problem than I expected." Though she panted with effort, Roxxa's glowing orange eye gazed steadily on Molam. "Your little diversion has cost ZhiXia City dearly. Do you value your life so much that you are willing to spread misery to others?"
Molam ignored her biting question. "Martyker, hold the line — the Assassins will attack the moment the OutCast shows an opening." It was half a bluff; he didn't know where Primrose and Scarlette were hiding and could only hope they were nearby. "Shurra, come here."
Martyker took a step forward, his greatsword gleaming at the ready. He stared down the approaching Titled One, "Don't put the blame on others, Roxxa. This destruction stems from you alone."
Meanwhile, Molam pointed to the spikes near the building out to Shurra. While the raised street in front of him posed a smooth wall with no purchase for climbing, some of the spikes jutted out of the buildings. Combined with the preexisting windows and ledges, Molam saw a way up. Shurra frowned, clearly unhappy that this was what Molam wanted, but nodded with understanding.
"Martyker." Roxxa limped forward, walking towards the edge of Molam's Domain. "Your father doesn't care for you or your ideals. The Prince even offered you a place with us after you tried to kill him because he saw value in what you want to do for Oasis, don't you see that? The Prince understands you, so enough with this nonsense." She coughed out more blood, but did not take her eye off them. She wiped the blood from her eye with the back of her hand. "Step aside, and when we're finished with our business here, the Prince will help you with Oasis when he wakes up. He has always kept his word."
"It's not that I don't trust his promises. But it has been several decades since he spared me after taking my right arm," Martyker paused, watching the OutCast limp forward. "I've seen more of the world outside of the Endless Sands in that time. Everywhere I went, I saw that Oasis isn't the only City with problems. Every time I look into why, it always comes back to the actions of the Empire." Martyker flourished his greatsword, drawing a line at the edge of Molam's Domain with the blade's tip before stabbing his sword into the ground behind it. The line sent a clear message to all who saw it. "Don't you understand, Roxxa? The Empire's success is built upon the pain it inflicts on others."
"But I completely understand." Roxxa lowered her poleaxe as well. She paused near the edge of the line, right outside the red Domain. Even stooped from limping, the Northerner stood taller than the Oasian. "I also hail from a region compelled to enter tributary agreements following the Frost Saint's Rebellion."
"Then why? Why betray your people?" Martyker asked. "Why betray everything the Frozen Saint fought for?"
"I don't see my actions as betrayal." Roxxa's voice bristled into a growl. "They're too focused on their own pain and wounds to see that the Prince is right; that it is Creation itself that needs to be changed. The Great Mother was misled by the Oracle and brought more pain upon the people — yours, and mine." She put her weapon under her arm and held out her good hand to Martyker. "And now, your father is too focused on his own pain to care about you. But the Prince understands, Martyker!" The hand reached forward, palm up. "He left you alive because he believed you merely needed time to see the world as it is now, in order to understand what it could be."
"I do see what the world could be." Martyker reached out his hand as well, but only to grasp the hilt of his weapon. "One where the people don't worry about the next warpath the Empire takes in its folly to reach Heaven. One where the general populace, those who just want to live their lives, aren't disregarded just because they inconvenience some grand plan." The greatsword gleamed as he grasped it, pulling it out of the earth. "We chose different paths, Roxxa. Our values are completely different."
"I see." Roxxa, her hand spurned, reached slowly for her poleaxe. "That's the third time you used my name."
"I see nothing wrong with that. Names have a purpose," Martyker replied. "We should use them for their intended purpose."
"I'd like to see you address the Prince by name."
The swordsman paused, then said, "Perhaps I will if I ever see him again, Roxxa. Just to see how the rest of you react. But if you so insist on being addressed by your Title," he stepped closer to the Domain's perimeter. "Then the Armed Swordsman will address you by your Title, OutCast."
"The 'Armed Swordsman?'" Roxxa did not seem impressed. "You gave yourself a Title? Are you even deserving when you cower under another's Domain?"
Poleaxe swung and greatsword flashed — their weapons clashed in a firework of sparks, each ear-splitting ring heralding another round of heavy swings and nimble parries. Roxxa feinted a blow, then stabbed forward with the tip of her poleaxe. Martyker pivoted to the side, the poleaxe piercing through the space where he would have an arm and brought his blade up in a speedy cut, using the greater reach of his blade to slice at Roxxa's body. The Titled One, still maimed, failed to react in time and greatsword's tip drew a large gash across the inside of her thigh.
Yet the OutCast didn't flinch. "Your resolve fails you. You weren't willing to step into danger to capitalize on that opportunity." Roxxa stepped forward, pushing through the Domain's perimeter and ignoring the flames that attacked her body — her mangled hand found Martyker's wrist, her working thumb applying all of the pressure in the grip. "Let me show you how it's done!"
Silver flew through the air, aimed at Roxxa's eyes. She leaned backwards, avoiding the needles as she yanked Martyker out of the Domain to throw him back towards the earthen cube containing the echo. Sharp earthen spikes emerged from the cube at Martyker's uncontrolled approach; the swordsman flung his sword, then made a pulling motion. The greatsword curved through the air to shave off the spikes just before he slammed painfully into the cube.
Roxxa's gaze had already honed onto Molam and Shurra, who were almost finished scaling the building together. The OutCast pointed at them with her poleaxe, but the earth within the red Domain did not answer her call. Roaring with frustration, Roxxa raised her arm then slammed the point of her weapon into the ground, sending spidery cracks throughout the street.
The earth groaned, then the center of the street shuddered and caved in; the buildings on either side of the street tilted inwards, threatening to keel over.
Slam. Again, the OutCast struck the ground, the buildings teetering further.
Shurra and Molam, caught on the underside of the toppling building they were scaling, redoubled their efforts. Molam hung on for his life as Shurra made one final lunge to reach the top.
Crack.
The flung poleaxe shattered the ledge Shurra had aimed for. With no further handhold, the two of them tumbled back towards the ground, the building collapsing down onto them.
***
Sanctuary
They are worse than disasters. They understand the consequences of their actions, yet proceed regardless. What is that but willful destruction?
That was how Komura's mentoring Priestess had once shared her own experience surviving a close encounter in a fight between Titled Ones, but Komura had always found it hard to believe. Yes, Komura had seen the geographical remnants of some fights, but it had always been something where the knowledge was told, rather than experienced.
And though she had heard the OutCast was in the City, the explosions and scenes of destruction had seemed smaller from far away. Perhaps a bit rougher than the battles of other auramasters, but the distance proved misleading. When the ground quaked and one of the streets collapsed in on itself, Komura did not know what to think. Instead, she acted almost on instinct, rushing forward alongside her fellow Priestesses to save as many as they could of those that hadn't yet made it into Sanctuary.
The faster of the Priestesses rushed past first, their white robes a blurry streak over the crowd of incoherent residents who screamed with fear, trying their best to outrun the imploding street. ZhiXia City's own peacekeepers, known as the Sharks, were already in the fray, doing their best to save as many people as they could. Panic permeated the crowd that lined up in front of Sanctuary, and people screamed and begged to be let in for their safety.
The other Priestesses did what they could to secure the people without crushing anyone in the panic. Priestess Komura even saw the older boy that Molam had brought back from JiangXi, the one named Bryce. He had joined hands with the Sharks to help.
But none of them could stop buildings from falling.
***
Second Street, ZhiXia City
Primrose fought to run towards the building that had collapsed atop Molam and Shurra. She signaled towards Scarlette, hearing a piercing whistle in reply as the two of them fulfilled their roles to prevent the OutCast from finishing off Molam.
"Until you see someone's dead body, proceed as though they're still alive and can fulfill their role."
Molam's guiding commands repeated themselves in her head as she vaulted over the scenes of destruction. She made a beeline towards the OutCast as the injured Titled One limped towards the building burying Molam and Shurra. On the other side, Martyker had picked himself up on the ground and was pounding away at the echo's earthen imprisonment.
With just four blades left; she flung one directly at Roxxa as she crested over some debris, not stopping to see if it hit while continuing her run down the shallow ditch. The sound of the blade clanging to the ground was all she needed to hear.
Ping.
Primrose veered at the sound of Scarlette's signal, dashing straight up a fallen beam and launching herself towards the OutCast, blades in both hands. On the other side, Scarlette had done the same — Primrose saw one of her earlier daggers in Scarlette's hand.
The two of them dropped down on the Titled One, and that was when she heard Shurra's voice shout from within the collapsed building. "Molam!"
Followed by Molam's primal, raw scream of pain.
Then Molam's protective Domain flickered out.
***
As the air rushed around their falling bodies, Molam experienced a moment of clarity. For every outcome, there was one last moment to make a decision to avoid it. And as the earth's pull took over, now was the last moment to make a decision if he wanted to reject the possibility of death.
He tugged at Shurra's shoulder, interrupting her movement as she instinctively twisted herself to attempt a landing. Their eyes met and the moment passed; he could only hope Shurra understood.
Shurra wrapped her arms around Molam's body and rotated them so she would take the brunt of the fall. They hit the ground, the impact sending the air out of Molam's lungs and further pain shooting up his shoulder despite Shurra using her body as a cushion.
Shurra rolled over immediately, getting to her feet and standing over Molam as he struggled to get his bearings. The collapsing buildings and earthen wall loomed over them, and she reached over to pick him up before she dug her feet into the ground, bracing herself against the toppling building.
"Molam, get up!" she shouted, looking up at the building on the other side as it leaned precariously over them. "Now!"
Molam willed himself to his knees, but it was too late. The other building, not designed to lean at this angle, cracked ominously. Shurra abandoned her position and ran over to shield him from the falling chaos. Bricks, stone, straw and planks collapsed around them, filling the space outside of Shurra's arms.
By the time everything had finished crashing down, the ground had rippled twice with tremors. Molam and Shurra panted with exhaustion, their arms, shoulders, and faces dripping with blood from where debris had struck them. Dust choked the meager air they had, filling his nostrils and coating his tongue with slime.
A large slab of wall leaned over them, which Shurra shouldered with shaking arms. The sound of clashing steel and shouts raged outside of the rubble trapping them, and Molam realized that he had no idea what was happening to Martyker, Primrose, or Scarlette. Had they been caught in the collapsing buildings?
"Molam?" Shurra's voice shook, tinged with exhaustion as she braced herself against the leaning wall. "Can't hold… forever."
Shakily, Molam found his bearings. Small rays of light poked through the debris. Molam looked for the largest. He pointed so Shurra would understand, then leaned back and kicked at the darkness above it, feeling something give. So it wasn't blocked on the other side. He kicked again, the force of his kick only doing enough to shift whatever it was. But it was enough to give him some space. He flipped himself, bracing his good shoulder and shoved hard.
The upturned table slid away. Molam crawled out of the opening and into a sideways family room; the fall of the building had brought it right on top of them. Shurra came up behind him, her larger size causing her to grunt as she pushed herself through the opening. The two of them looked at each other as they caught their breath, the sound of fighting emanating from outside.
"All hunts should be sensible," Shurra shook her head, wiping away the blood trickling down her brow. "And the Traitor says I'm stubborn."
"I think," Molam began, then cleared his throat and spat out a mixture that contained more dust and dirt than saliva before he continued, "I think it's a characteristic of you White Bears. Hereditary, even." He tried to scrape the sensation off his tongue with his teeth, but his mouth was too dry.
A loud creaking brought their attention upwards; a wall panel made of rock hung loosely above Molam.
"Molam!" Shurra shouted with alarm.
The two of them reacted as it fell — Shurra's hasty step saw her foot sink right through the cabinet she stood upon and she stumbled onto her knees; Molam fell backwards on uneven footing. He fell onto his back, choosing to use his working arm to protect his head.
The pain exploded in his midriff, traveling up his body and manifesting as the tangy taste of blood in his mouth. His throat felt raw, and only when Molam heard his own voice did he understand it was from his roared pain. Vision blurry, Molam coughed up blood as he stared blankly at the rock slab crushing his torso.
The overwhelming pain in Molam's abdomen made the pain of his shoulder pale in comparison. He no longer breathed, but choked painfully through the blood in his throat for air.
Shurra pulled herself free of the ruined cabinet and ran towards Molam, heaving the rock wall away from his torso. The vibration of the movement brought fresh pain searing through Molam, but all he could do was gag breathlessly through the excruciating agony.
After Shurra set aside the rock wall, she turned and swore at the sight of Molam's wound. Or at least that's what Molam thought he heard as he ebbed in and out of consciousness, then his vision went black.
The last thing he heard was Shurra shouting his name.
