Wati shielded her eyes from the wind brushing against her face. Soft haze blanketed the scenery ahead. The sun steadily peeked over the distant mountains.

  Wati inhaled a stream of cold, refreshing air. Daylight began unveiling the plains ahead, which shimmered in green and golden hues. The ridges and hills were still a sight for sore eyes. Wati felt welcomed. The giants gazed at the views with their mouths agape, an amusing sight for Wati.

  A convoy of carriages rode down the road nearby, their coachmen gazing at her. Sorrow touched her, and she couldn't help it.

  She saw herself and Aryo inside one of the carriages, traveling down the same road two years ago. The errands given by the coachmen then, in exchange for a trip to Nur-Fadhil, were often exhausting. Wati remembered catching a fever because of them. Nevertheless, they succeeded — they became a soldier of the PNS, something that they had left home for. If only Aryo had the chance to tell his side of the story…

  Wati shut and rubbed her eyes. Despite her illness then, Aryo kept her in his embrace, as if saying she was his and his alone. His warmth kept her going, and she couldn't be more grateful. That was the first time she confessed to him. She wished she could return to that time.

  Gray Katie cruised through the gilded highlands. Her presence attracted many eyes. Her fort-like size allowed her to drive over plateaus or hills that everyone normally had to navigate around. When they came across towns or villages on the slopes, the tank would tread carefully.

  Gray Katie then stopped at a passage flanked by cliffs. Wati swept her gaze from the base to the summit. The cliffs stretched as far as her eyes could see. Groups of rocks occasionally disengaged from the dark gray cliffs and shattered on the ground. The visible peak was as tall as Fort Ndelosor’s citadel.

  “Are you sure we have to go through that?” Gray Katie said.

  The cliffs’ jagged crowns looked like a bunch of spears that tried to pierce them from underground and got stuck. The deep echo that crawled from the passage sent shivers down Wati's spine.

  “You can still fit in there,” Wati said, pointing at the passage which was wider than Gray Katie.

  “Are you certain that the path is reliable, and wouldn't lead to a dead end?”

  Wati studied the Skawan-N. “We use this road to supply Fort Nungging,” she said.

  Genesis and Caitlyn glanced at each other.

  “Why would I lie to you?” Wati said, gesturing.

  “Very well,” Gray Katie said.

  Gray Katie entered the passage, her engine rumbling louder than before. Wati clasped her hands and rubbed her fingers. She never thought she would ever see the face of her enemy — those who had sworn fealty to the Traitor House. What if she fell to their dark magic?

  Wati shielded her face from the occasional shower of ash eroding from the cliff. Foot-sized creatures brawled over the remains of dusty carcasses lying on either side of the trail.

  “I'd love to be here again,” Genesis said.

  “Really?” Wati turned her attention to the giant. “Foreigners hated this place.”

  “Well…their loss.” Genesis chuckled.

  Caitlyn pointed at Genesis. “She loves hiking,” Caitlyn said to Wati.

  “Don't you hike for the…” Wati gestured. “Openness and the sense of freedom that the mountains give you? You’ll rarely find that here in Firdha Ridge. Unless you can levitate…”

  Caitlyn gazed at Genesis. “Well…Genesis isn't normal.” A smirk spread on Caitlyn’s face.

  Genesis snorted. “Says the one who confessed their love to a tank.”

  “What?” Wati tilted her head.

  “Hey,” Caitlyn gestured at Genesis. “He did it first. Also…he was lovely okay.”

  “Oh, yeah sure…” Genesis rolled her eyes before glancing at Gray Katie’s turret. “I want to see you putting a necklace on Gray Katie.”

  “Don’t listen to her, Katie,” Caitlyn said.

  “I see no issue with that though, Genesis,” Gray Katie said. “A token to honor our friendship will always be appreciable.”

  “I told you…Genesis isn’t normal.” Caitlyn gestured at Genesis. “She has one hundred new admirers every month. Why then, she hasn’t got a boyfriend yet?”

  “Oh…” Wati covered her mouth with her right hand.

  “Don’t listen to her, Wati,” Genesis said.

  “Are you…” Wati was unsure whether it was appropriate to say it.

  “Am I what?”

  “Are you into the same gender?”

  “No,” Genesis said immediately.

  “How do you even fall for the same gender?” Wati said.

  “Like I said…” Caitlyn said, smirking. “She isn’t normal.”

  “Shut up, Caitlyn.”

  “Anyway…” Wati said. “Can you tell me what’s delightful about this place? Maybe it could raise more attractions.”

  “Certainly,” Genesis said.

  “Would you be interested in hearing from me too?” Caitlyn said to Wati.

  Genesis pointed at Caitlyn. “You don’t appreciate this place as much as I do.”

  “I just don’t show it the way you do,” Caitlyn said.

  Eventually, they arrived at a prairie. Massive finger-like basalt boulders stood like a wall identical to what Wati had heard about the Hong Teng. Something about being able to see leagues ahead felt refreshing after hours of being obstructed by the cliff.

  Gray Katie continued cruising through the dark gray landscape until she stopped in an elevated position.

  “Visual on a structure, straight ahead,” Gray Katie said.

  “I don’t see anything,” Wati said.

  “Come here.” Caitlyn gave her hand.

  Wati stepped on it and was brought back inside. Caitlyn positioned her hand in front of Gray Katie’s central screen. The picture was a little blurry, but it cleared itself out in seconds. In the distance, Wati saw a tall basalt tower with a crescent on the top — the citadel of a fort. Wati studied the Skawan-N.

  “Yes, that’s it!” Wati said. “That’s Fort Nungging.”

  Caitlyn ordered Gray Katie to take up the higher elevation nearby.

  Wati’s eyes widened. Banners of Great House Thong flew before Fort Nungging. Soldiers of the Traitor House vigorously attacked any manned palisades and stakes on the field. The ground was exploding beneath the garrisons — black smoke billowed from where the explosions occurred. The charred bits of the victims twisted Wati’s stomach. Yet the men of the Sultanate still stabbed at every Wankers who dared touch the palisades.

  “Gray Katie,” Wati said. “D-do your thing!” She pointed at the screen.

  “I can’t do it. Your people are too close to the enemy.”

  Wati grabbed the case that Tangguh gave her. “Tangguh, come in!” she said with the case opened and close to her mouth.

  “What do you need?” his voice was heard through the crystal.

  “Gray Katie is in a position to relieve Fort Nungging, but our soldiers are currently engaged with the Wankers. Could you…” Wati flattened her lips, feeling awkward that she had to ask a colonel for help. “Could you please tell the garrison commander to withdraw?”

  “I tried,” Tangguh said. “But General Senopati Saben Dino Panandur Bakti is a Pringgitan. That’s why you have to give the scroll to the general.”

  “H-how?” Wati said. “The enemy is on full assault. How am I supposed to get there?”

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  A brief silence ensued.

  “Additional relief forces are arriving in three days. For now, I want you to figure it out yourself. You must not fail.”

  The light emitted by the crystal dimmed.

  “Tangguh, wait!” There was no response.

  She closed the case and put it back in one of her pouches.

  “T-take me there, quick,” Wati said to the giants.

  “We can destroy them from here,” Caitlyn said. “If they see us coming, we’ll lose the opportunity.”

  Wati turned her attention to Genesis. The golden-haired giant looked at her reluctantly.

  “Caitlyn is right,” Genesis said.

  “B-but…” Wati rubbed her fingers together, her mouth shaking.

  “Wati,” Caitlyn said. “We are going to help you, but you still have to do your part.”

  Wati inhaled deeply and flattened her lips. Once she was clad in her armor, she raised her hands and prayed to Visha. She put the scroll in her pack and slung it on her back. She then picked up her sword, spear, and shield before asking for a lift.

  “The Primus bless you…” the giants said to her.

  Wati thanked them.

  “We'll try to get closer once the enemy withdraws,” Genesis said after putting Wati down.

  Wati ran toward Fort Nungging. The wind brushed against her face. Her spear leaned on her right shoulder. She regulated her breath as her world wobbled. Thanks to the punishments frequently given to her, weathering the fatigue was a lightwork.

  As Wati got closer, the explosions sounded more eerie. A lump of despair bloomed in her heart, imagining the bloody remains of whoever was hit. Wati briefly closed her eyes. The time between her breath shortened as she quickened her pace.

  Wati stopped at the sight of an enemy rider. Noticing her, the rider solemnly approached.

  Wati planted the bottom tip of her shield on the ground. She rested the spear on the crevice at the right side of the shield, pointing the tip toward the Wanker.

  “Go away!” the rider said. “I warned you!”

  The rider was bare-chested. The right half of his body was overgrown with brown ligneous crust from his head down to his waist. It was visibly thicker than his muscle and looked tough enough to mitigate melee attacks. On his chest was a fiery pulsating orange sigil, shaped in a spiral. His right eye's color was juniper, a contrast to his bright amber left eye. The crust formed a helmet with a trident-like crown.

  Wati gulped. “You go away!” she said.

  Her fingers subtly rubbed the spear. Wati wanted to lament how a fellow Danker fell into the influence of the Traitor House. However, the way he glared drove her to return the spiteful sentiment.

  His nyambek let out an ominous growl. It looked no different from its rider — a crusted right half and a juniper right eye — but its sharper teeth made Wati uneasy.

  “Second warning,” the rider said. “Leave!”

  “Or what?” Wati said.

  The rider frowned. “I will feed you to Kuro.”

  The nyambek growled.

  “Consider that your final warning!”

  Wati took short yet deep breaths, calming herself. He wasn't just any criminal or a beast of the island continent. He was a soldier of Great House Thong, the dominion that had caused suffering all across the Sultanate. A fight was the only way forward, just as Vahsani promised.

  Wati studied the rider. She pointed her spear at the left half of the rider’s body. After one more heavy breath, Wati stepped forward.

  The disgruntled rider kicked the crusted leg of his mount. The nyambek screamed to the sky before galloping. Clouds of dust billowed with each stride. The rider’s brown fur cape fluttered, stretching his presence. He lowered his lance, holding it with both hands and pointing it at Wati. The blade quickly arrived before her face.

  Wati lifted her shield in reflex, shoving the tip of the lance upward. A disorienting clank rang in her ears. The shock toppled her. Wati quickly rose, her breath was quick and short. A little late and her head would be stuck on that lance, free from her shoulder.

  The rider turned around and aimed his spear again. Wati noticed that he was twisting his body to the left, concealing his crustless left half. Sweat trickled down her temples. That side was indeed vulnerable, but he knew it as well.

  Pain crawled on her back and head, but Wati ignored them. She held her shield firmly and concentrated as the rider galloped toward her. Wati positioned her spear so that the nyambek would crash head-first against it. This time, she would strike first. She lowered her body behind the shield and waited.

  The rider suddenly turned right. Wati sprung, thrusting her spear forward, but she barely hit him. She quickly realized that she was exposed, so she pulled her shield. The rider struck the shield and turned away.

  Wati studied the rider. His lance was longer than her spear. Her shield arm felt nothing from the strike. She could keep doing that until his lance broke. It might take a while, but she would then be free.

  A distant explosion caught her attention. Wati glanced over her shoulder and gulped, realizing that the rider didn’t have to defeat her. He just needed to stall her from reaching Fort Nungging. Wati slightly looked upward. Gray Katie’s sight was obstructed. She took a deep breath.

  Wati ran up the incline to her left. The rider followed her in parallel. As the rider turned toward her, Wati readied her spear and shield. She glanced to the left, to a ridgeline where Gray Katie supposedly could see her. Wati couldn’t sprint for it with the rider on her tail. She braced herself as the rider closed in.

  The rider charged from the higher ground, the slope propelling his mount. This time, he raised his lance over his head.

  Wati gripped her shield tighter and raised it. She aimed to hit his crusted side. It might not be as formidable as she thought. Wati focused on the rider’s lance. Once it landed, she would strike immediately.

  However, the rider raised his lance instead. Wati kept raising her shield, anticipating a strike from a higher angle. She suddenly realized something, but it was too late.

  The rider’s nyambek crashed against her, throwing her down. Wati yelped as the creature trampled her. A wave of crippling pain surged from her chest.

  Wati gasped for air, feeling her ribs in her lungs. Her spear fell from her grip. She groaned as she slowly rose to her knee, using the shield as a support. Wati pressed her right hand against her chest as the rider circled around.

  She thought of using the healing Mantra. Then, she remembered that page in her textbook.

  The rider turned and charged.

  She could either cast a spell to alleviate her injury or attempt to cast that strength enhancement spell. Her Tjakra was insufficient to do both, and there was also a high risk of failure for the latter.

  The lizard’s strides grew louder.

  Wati regulated her breath. She shut her eyes and recited the Mantra, which she only recalled to some degree. She filled the gap with prayers to the Goddess of Love. Her heart began to boil and her body began to tremble. Her muscles convulsed in a painful manner, threatening to shatter her concentration. Her flesh felt like it was being cut from within. Wati clenched her teeth, her face contorting.

  Wati screamed when suddenly, she heard a hiss. Her muscles cooled down and the pain dissipated. Glowing pale golden wisps revolved around her.

  The rider closed the distance in no time. Wati inhaled deeply. As she felt the nyambek’s breath, Wati let out a furious cry. She swung her shield, shoving the lizard’s head aside. The rider dropped his lance and tried to control his staggering mount. Almost immediately, Wati unsheathed her sword. She swiftly stepped forward and pierced the base of the nyambek’s head. The creature fell to its side along with the rider, its cedar-colored blood gushing out.

  The rider struggled to move away from his fallen mount. Wati grabbed her spear and pointed it at him.

  “W-wait…” the Wanker said, raising his hands. “I surrender.”

  Wati thought of what he had said earlier. She kicked up dust at his face before pressing her spear against his chest.

  When Wati raised her spear, the Wanker raised his left hand. He grabbed his dagger and stabbed the pulsating sigil on his chest. The dagger’s snaking blade dismantled the wooden crust with each strike, exposing whatever was glowing within. He then threw away the dagger and gestured at what looked like his heart.

  Wati struck it. The Wanker grunted before his whole body lay still. Wati then stepped back before collapsing.

  Wati groaned as she pressed her hand against her chest. An irritating pain reverberated through her muscles — a product of overexertion in casting the strength enhancement spell. Wati lay on her back, heavily gasping for air. She wanted to stay there for a while, but then she heard the explosions.

  Wati slowly rose, despite her chest injury.

  “Ah…” Wati fell again. She began losing air with every gasp, yet she had to keep going.

  Wati used her spear as a support. She held on as if her life depended on it.

  “By Visha…” Wati said as she limped onward, leaving her shield behind. “By Visha…by Visha…”

  Her vision became blurry, and the world began to sway. Her eyes widened as she heard a lullaby. Wati couldn’t find the singer, but when she looked up, she saw a glimpse of a woman with a serene face.

  “M-mother…”

  The tune came from her mother’s mouth. Wati shut her eyes, amplifying the tender voice in her head. Tears began to fall with every step. Though Wati understood no word, she felt comfortable, her worries vanishing. Her body unconsciously followed the gentle swaying. She longed to be there, in her arms one more time.

  Lulled by the tune, she tripped and fell. When she looked up, her mother was no longer there. Wati raised her right hand as the tune dimmed. She closed her eyes again, trying to bring back both her mother’s image and the tune she was singing. But like anything else, it failed to work in her favor. Wati lay there, crying, weeping.

  “Mother…”

  She kept telling herself to rise, but her body refused. Every urge to stop crying only made her tears torrential.

  A while later, two riders emerged on the hill ahead. Wati wiped her tears, before waving her arms overhead. The Shield-Riders galloped their mount to reach her. The riders dismounted and began attending to Wati's injury. Wati quickly denied them, insisting on reaching Fort Nungging as soon as possible.

  The riders heaved Wati on one of the nyambek. They then set off toward Fort Nungging.

  They rode through a narrow trail that allowed a view of the battlefield. The Wankers’ push was progressing. The grounds exploded more frequently, tearing friendly formations apart, and creating gaps in their line.

  Wati almost passed out, but she kept holding on, for the sake of the soldiers who did the dying down there.

  They entered Fort Nungging through one of its underground entrances. Officers stationed there did a check on the content of the scroll before they let Wati into the citadel. Supported by one of the riders, Wati climbed the citadel staircase. The rider, Rahmi, offered to give the scroll to General Senopati. Wati refused.

  The two eventually burst through the room where the general and his staff resided. Wati crawled and raised the scroll before the general, her hand shaking. The general looked at her in perplexion, his visage blurring due to Wati's fading sight. As soon as the general took the scroll, Wati collapsed.