Boom.

Alex watched as the creature rose within the dome, its burning form standing on the water in a way that should have been impossible. The orange flames that flashed down its body didn't leave him with any doubt. It was as tall as a skyscraper back on Earth, and its formed laughed at any concept of physics.

It was Halogi, defender of the royal family.

"That's an Ikon, then," Alex whispered.

"Never even heard about them before this," Bolton spat on the ground behind him. "I wouldn't have heard of them if you hadn't dragged me into this mess."

Charles Bolton was a wiry man with fairly white hair and a long, bushy mustache that changed its formation almost as if it was based on his mood. Right then, it was long and curved, almost gentlemanly in appearance. He wore simple leather pants and a plain white shirt. A leather short-sleeved vest covered his chest but did little to hide the revolver on his hip.

"They need an education system," Alex sighed, though he knew why they didn't have one.

"What's the point in schooling?" Bolton shook his head. "I know enough to sail and enough to fight."

But could he read? Alex wasn't going to ask. He didn't need the argument. A flaming giant marched across the lake toward the gathered crowd. Everything depended on what happened next. Would they take down the barrier, or was it just a show of force?

Click.

"Get ready." Alex pulled out the aetheric radio Mari had made for them on a previous island. "I'll call A or B, over."

'Plan A' assumed that they would let the barrier down to respond to the protest. If that happened, they would be able to move past the gates and into the keep without trouble. 'Plan B,' on the other hand, was more difficult. It required them to hit the barrier as hard as they could across multiple points. That was the weakness of Artur's barrier curse, according to Harut. It could block normal attacks relatively easily, but multiple angles with strong strikes could break past.

His crew was split into five groups. Erin was with Captain Drake on the far side from Alex and Bolton's position. Sayed was with Harut to his right. Li Wen was with Captain Grayson to his left. Finally, above them all, Jean and Keita stood ready to drop down from above.

Ten hits, each set focused on a different side. He hoped it would be enough if they had to force their way in. Each one of them had a simple assignment: Find where Artur was being held and deal with any threats that got in their way. The castle was too large to search as one big group. They needed to split up either way.

Boom. Hiss.

The crowd rested between two of the four entrances to the keep on the mountaintop lake. Protecting that crowd was 'Green Tea' Kageken, along with the two lieutenants from the Military Police. Their job was to delay whatever came out long enough for the people to get out of there.

Alex didn't know any of the people on the water's edge personally, but that didn't mean he wanted them to die. It brought back the quickened heartbeat and shortness of breath from August. His plan there had cost far too many people their lives.

"It's almost to the barrier." Bolton's hand rested on the butt of his revolver. "Are you sure this plan is going to work?"

"I never know if it's going to work." Alex licked his lips.

Silence passed between them as the massive fire creature rose tall against the barrier. It was taller than the central keep, about half the height of a modern skyscraper on Earth. If they did let it through the barrier, the amount of destruction it could cause could only be described as a massacre. A solid weight dropped down into ALex's stomach at that realization. The burning figure standing on the water could crush those people with its hands.

Burning flesh. Screams. Cries for help. All of it was too familiar to him. He almost wanted to call off the plan. However, he didn't know any other way in. He didn't even know if 'Plan B' would work at all.

"But we can't stand here doing nothing," Alex said, standing up and starting across the open stone street toward the gate.

"Darnit." Bolton hissed before following after him.

Click.

"Get into position, over."

There was no response, but that was expected. They had only made two radios back on Aherlow. Making three more receivers had been the only option. Alex had given the only other radio to Li Wen because she could be trusted to follow radio protocols.

"Surely they'll open it." Bolton hissed as he stopped next to Alex. "Why call out that monster if they aren't going to use it?"

"Plans within plans," Alex said. "Maybe they're hoping to draw us out."

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"I don't see anyone else here, boy." Bolton spat.

"The other option is they do open it. How comfortable are you with letting some of those people burn to death?"

Bolton gave him a side-eye, his hand still on the butt of his revolver. When he was done, he gave Alex a lopsided grin, flashing his crooked teeth. Alex narrowed his eyes.

He shouldn't have been surprised. Bolton was an outlaw. He was a man who operated outside of the law, even though the law was miserable across the Empyrean. Not every person called an outlaw by the Military Police was a monster, but there were more of them than Alex cared to admit.

Like many in their line of work, Bolton was cursed. His curse allowed him to negate the effects of other curses, and he was the reason that they had been able to beat Miss Malone's memory manipulation. Monster or not, Bolton was an important piece of getting out of Grim Aegis alive.

"What's a few of them?" Bolton asked. "Not like I owe anything of them anything. You can say they owe us, even. We're the reason they're not a bunch of drooling puppets."

"Does that give us the right?" Alex sighed, raising one arm as he focused on the barrier.

"Strength makes that right," Bolton said, drawing his revolver and pointing it at the barrier as well. "Are we doing 'B' then?"

Boom. Bzzt.

Halogi raised two arms before crashing them down hard into the barrier. The clear dome flickered blue for an instant but held. It returned to its mostly transparent state. Screams erupted from the crowd, and people scattered. However, the barrier remained up. Halogi was caged.

Click.

"B," Alex said into his radio. "Time it with the next attack, over."

He slipped the radio into his pocket with a free hand and took in a deep breath. Alex opened his gate. An electric thrum raced through his body, like the bouncing beat of a speaker. Back and forth, the electric zaps jumped between the tips of his limbs and his gate.

"That thing is still here." Bolton raised his revolver, pointing it at the barrier. "You're sure?"

Alex wasn't sure. If they broke the barrier now, would Miss Malone call off the Ikon? Could she call it off? Maybe it would rampage through the people gathered near the shore. Maybe the two Lieutenants and Kageken could hold it off long enough for them to evacuate. He didn't know.

"You're going to sacrifice them? Cold as ice." Bolton shrugged. "I can't say I don't approve, though."

"I'm not looking for your approval," Alex hissed back. "Just be ready for when its arms come down again."

Aside from the risk, the balance of the idea was simple. Halogi hit the barrier hard enough to cause it to shake. If they timed their strikes with it, it would be more likely to go down for the time they needed.

Groan.

The world slowed as Halogi raised both arms. Alex formed an image in his mind, a long metal rod with a sharpened end. Electric power hummed through his arm as he clenched his fist. He called the rod into being above him. The fiery arms came crashing down against the barrier one more time.

"Rail Gun."

Bzzt. Boom. Bang. Thud.

Bolton's bullet flew. His metal rod slammed into the barrier. In the distance on his right, flames shot out high across the barrier. On the opposite side, ice cracked across the barrier. Alex couldn't see Erin's side, thanks to the keep itself, but from above, two massive thuds hit hard against the dome's top.

Bzzt.

The barrier shimmered. Blue light flickered across the dome as it held against the attack. Flames coursed across it from Halogi, and then it was gone. Alex grinned. He hadn't been sure the plan would work, but now it was all coming together.

Boom.

Flaming hands crashed down into the stone. For a brief moment, Alex couldn't help but watch. People fled and screamed, though they were too far to hear. Then, the first foot stepped through the broken barrier.

"Now or never, Ortega." Bolton ran for the gate.

Alex's grin faded. Memories of fire and screaming gnawed at the back of his mind. One thing he wished was that those lost memories had never included August. However, that was a part of him, just as much as everything else.

He ran for the gate.

One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four steps. Five steps.

In seconds, they were both at the black iron portcullis that marked the gate. Alex reached out without thinking, pushing up against it with all his will. Metal responded to his force, and the gate sputtered up along its rails.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Just enough for two people to get through. That was all he needed. He grunted as he planted his boots firmly against the ground and pushed hard.

"Go!"

Bolton jumped through the opening gate, and Alex threw himself forward right after. Alex rolled through the portcullis before it slammed shut behind him.

Boom. Bzzt.

Alex came to his feet as the barrier returned, a flickering blue light shimmering across the area. The portcullis was closed, and the way was shut.

All that was left was to find Artur.

"Uh, Ortega." Bolton tapped Alex on his shoulder, pointing his gun down the long bridge that led to the keep's first wall.

Alex followed the barrel. Knights in silver armor, marked with blue and white crests, stood by the gate, pikes in hand and shields raised. They were ready for a fight, which was a little expected. The others would face the same, which was why they had spread themselves out across the four entrances.

The other reason they had split up stronger fighters in each group was just in case the four remaining Fingers were stationed at each entrance. Alex had to admit that he might have done that, and he had no doubt that they would expect some kind of attack. The operation on the lower tiers of Grim Aegis hadn't broken up itself, after all.

"Save your shots," Alex said, stepping forward with a raised hand. "I'll handle them."

The knights marched in formation, their pikes held out in front of them and their shields overlapping. They had formed a defense assuming he might draw a gun and shoot, which would have been Bolton's aim. Alex didn't have to worry about that.

Alex's gate hummed with power. Between him and Bolton, he was the heavy hitter, especially for a group of armored knights. His curse allowed him to manipulate metal and, on the second level, create it. Sending armored knights against him was like sending babies against a pill box.

"Force Wave."

Clack. Clank. Thump.

Alex pushed out with a wave of magnetism, shaming it like a wedge as he marched through the center of the knights. Some tried to resist, but the force was too strong. With a push, they clattered together, falling into each other as an invisible wave crashed against their shields and armor.

Splash.

Alex pushed harder. The knights fell over the edge. He didn't stop until every last one was in the water.

"Should have kept one of them," Bolton whistled as he approached, holstering his gun. "We could have asked them questions."

"Doubt they're in much more than a fugue state." Alex shook his head. "They won't know anything important."

"What in tarnation is a foog state?"

"Don't worry about it." Alex sighed, looking up at the first wall. "Let's get this going."

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