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18 __th_ Day of Nova_

128 I.E.

Arion looked at the report that was handed to him by Shinn, and he let out a heavy sigh. Mithril Port, the largest harbour along Olaraa's coastline, had fallen to the Legion. Even with the might of the Olaraan navy and a full complement of mages in the city, it hadn't been enough to weaken the Legion's assault. The enemy's naval forces had simply been too numerous and too powerful to do anything more than take down a few ships before the entire port was in flames.

"Is it bad?" Shinn asked, waiting for Arion to say something.

All the monk could do was nod his head. The bottom of the report gave a brief scouting evaluation of the Legion's operations after the town fell. Enemy forces were pouring onto the shore and setting up camps. They'd likely be marching to Olaraa within the next couple days, by everyone's estimates.

"Shinn, gather everyone in the cloister," Arion told him, crumpling the report in his hands and tossing it aside. "It's time we prepared for war."

"At once, Master." With that, the ursar was sprinting down the halls of the Peacekeeper temple.

Arion strolled over to his balcony and looked out to the south as the sun was beginning its slow descent towards the horizon. The green fields were beautiful this time of year as the flowers were in full bloom, covering the grass in splotches of yellow and white. Once the Shadow Legion showed up, it would likely mean the end of such peaceful scenery. Things were only just starting to become peaceful once again after the events of the Gnoll Wars, and now an enemy hell bent on their destruction had appeared from out of no where.

Olaraa's military force was a shadow of its former self. Their numbers had been cut in half over the last decade. Though Arion wanted to remain hopeful, he had no idea how they could hope to stand up against an army much more powerful than the Darkpaw gnolls.

There was no telling how large the Legion's army was, how much magic they had access to, and how quickly they would fall upon Olaraa and its surrounding territories. Citizens were already fleeing the city in droves, heading as far away from the invading Legion forces as possible.

It's just as well, Arion thought, We can't afford to have the civilians caught in the cross-fire. Hopefully Gantors is planning to evacuate the city at the first sign of the Legion knocking on our front gates.

Arion's ears flicked when he heard the sound of the shoji being slid open. He turned around and greeted his mother with a weak smile. "Good evening, mother."

"Arion, is it true?" she asked, tears brimming around the corners of her eyes. "Are they coming here?"

"Yes. They could be here as soon as tomorrow," Arion admitted. He didn't see the need to hide the information from her. She'd find out soon enough.

The ursar broke down, her body wracking as she sobbed. "Haven't enough people died? I can't take running like this anymore. All our friends and family were lost on Yasuragi."

Feeling his eyes beginning to water, Arion approached his mother and hugged her. "Too many have died, mother." His voice cracked and wavered. There was no way for him to keep his composure around Aida when she was such a wreck. "But I'll protect you, and father, and Keri."

She wrapped her arms around Arion and held him tight. "I don't want to lose my only son!"

"I promise I'll be okay. I've been through two wars already." Pulling away, he looked her in the eyes and said, "I know I'll survive this one."

Arion rubbed Aida's back and let her get the tears out. Footsteps could be heard down the hallway and he looked up to see Shinn standing in the doorway.

"Everyone's gathered like you asked. We're just waiting for you." Shinn quickly excused himself after relaying his message.

"Alright, mother, I need to go and talk to my students. Will you be okay?" he asked.

Aida shook her head in response. He knew that he couldn't leave her alone with the way she was.

<Father,> Arion projected his thoughts to Daris somewhere in the temple, <Can you come collect mother and look after her please? I need to prepare my students for what's coming.>

After a moment, Daris appeared and took Aida away. He cast a long glance to his son, and Arion took it as a sign to read his mind.

<What should I do?> Daris asked, sounding in Arion's mind as worried and lost as he looked. Deep bags hung under his eyes and suggested he wasn't sleeping well. He'd even managed to lose some of the extra weight that he was carrying, but Arion bet it was more due to him not eating enough rather than actively running around since the invasion began. Taking care of Aida was likely sapping him of all his time and energy. The sight of the usually jovial and easy-going ursar looking so broken unnerved Arion, but he tried not to let it get to him.

<I want you three to flee to Sanctuary. Do whatever you can to get out of the city and get somewhere safe. If you remain here, you'll end up getting hurt, or worse. I won't force you to face the horrors of Xenaria all over again.>

<We can't make the trek by ourselves. We don't know anything about this country.>

Arion thought for a second, then said, <Wait for Sato Kangae and his family. I'll send them and the other non-combatants with you. They know the way to Sanctuary.>

Daris nodded, and ushered his wife out of the room.

If they're out of Olaraa, then I can rest easier and focus on the task at hand. I need to be able to focus only on defending our home, not on my worries and feelings.

Arion raised a paw and telekinetically shut the shoji behind him as he walked towards the balcony again. Below him in the cloister, he could see the gathering of his students clumped together in the center, waiting for him to show up. Clambering up onto the railing, he allowed himself to free fall towards the ground before cushioning his landing using his powers, hitting the ground with a silent thump of his foot paws.

As soon as he landed, he was assailed by questions.

"Master, is it true that the Legion attacked Mithril Port?"

"What about us? What about Olaraa?"

"We're going to head out into battle, aren't we?"

"We're not going to die are we?"

Raising his paws, beckoning them to silence, Arion said, "Please, calm down. I know there's a lot on your minds right now but I need you to stop and listen right now. You are all trained to remain stoic in the face of adversity, and right now Olaraa needs to see that those defending Her people are confident and prepared to face the dark days ahead of us."

A silence fell over them, and he continued, "I know most of us have been through a war before. Some of us have even faced the specter of death and lived to tell about it. And some of us are still green, unprepared for what's to come and not knowing what to expect."

"War is a frightening, and terrible thing. You will face death on the front lines, and may even be forced to kill to protect yourself. Remember our teachings always, that to kill to defend one's self or for the sake of an ally is not a sin. Don't cling so fervently to the ideals of pacifism that you grew up with. Instead, embrace the ideals of the Peacekeepers, and defend Olaraa with everything you have."

Arion began to pace slowly back and forth as he talked, keeping eye contact with his students as he passed by. "I cannot guarantee that any of us will live to see another day, but I can say with certainty that I will fight and give it my all to protect everyone."

Before anyone could speak up, Arion was quick to add, "Though we have our obligations to Olaraa for the charity they have given us here in their capital, I am not going to force any of you to join the defense operations. I know tensions are high between us and the dwarves, and I don't want that kind of animosity on the battle-field. Anyone who wants to flee should travel with the non-combatants leaving for Sanctuary in the morning."

A wave of relief overcame Arion after he said that, picking up on the feelings of the ursar before him. Even though only a few took him up on his offer, everyone else looked less tense. Perhaps having the option to leave Olaraa before the Legion arrived helped calm their worries a bit.

"What will happen when their army comes to Olaraa?" Asuran asked. "Where do we go?"

Arion hadn't spoken with the Highlord about defensive operations yet, but he was sure they would be working to support the Lightweavers, just as they had done in the past. It's what they excelled at. The Peacekeepers carried no weapons of any kind, but they could easily disable even an armed and armored foe and bring him down to the ground so the paladins could finish them off.

"We'll be on the front lines with the Lightweavers, as always," Arion told them. "You know what to expect in that regard."

"Line them up, then knock them down," Shinn said, punching the palm of his hand.

"We won't let Olaraa down," a lithe female named Rei told him.

Arion nodded to them. They were all good and loyal students, some more so than others. He looked over to where Marida and Hannen were standing with Sionache, and the pair seemed to be having a quiet argument about something. No doubt it was regarding their daughter's involvement in the battle, or rather, Hannen's preference to have her sent along with the civilians to Sanctuary.

He hoped that Marida would be able to convince her mate to allow Sionache to remain. He was counting on the young cub's unique yet powerful psionic skills to help him during the coming battle.

"Until the time comes for the call to arms," Arion spoke, "I urge you to get some sleep and to meditate. Keep your bellies full and your minds rested. I need you in top condition to be able to face the Legion when they arrive."

After that, the ursar began to disperse from the cloister, heading back into the temple proper and leaving Arion all by himself. His eyes locked on Marida's, and she looked triumphant about something. Arion guessed that she'd been able to convince Hannen to let Sionache fight alongside her, as she had always wished she would. Marida was nothing if not a traditionalist when it came to raising her daughter. She wanted the very best for her, but she also sought for her to grow up and be just like her.

With his duties done for the time, at least until the Highlord came to pay him a visit, Arion decided he'd take a bath and relax. What else could be done in the meantime? Anything else would just be useless worrying on his part.

<Matsu,> Arion said as he ascended the stairs into the temple, <Could you draw a hot bath for me? Thank you.>

While he waited for the water to be heated, Arion went off to find his family, and to say his goodbyes to them again. He never got the chance to wish them farewell when he'd left Yasuragi a decade ago, and this time he wanted to make sure he saw them off properly.

The Clothspinner family was inside the guest rooms, preparing the few belongings they had with them since they fled the homeland, as well as travel supplies Arion was giving to them. He leaned against a support beam across from the room, and watched them work together for a moment.

Aida was still on the verge of crying, and she kept sniffling as she worked. She would neatly fold a change of clothes she had borrowed from the Order and set it aside, only for Daris to unceremoniously stuff them into rucksacks. If his mother noticed what he was doing, she didn't say anything.

"Are you planning on just watching us all day?" Keri asked when she looked up at him, "Or are you going to help?"

With a small smile on his face, Arion pushed off of the pillar he was leaning on and stepped into the room. He began pointing at objects and bags as things began to hover around the room at his beck and call. "I figured you didn't need my help with anything."

"You could at least help like a normal beastman," Keri remarked, unimpressed by the display.

"Are you trying to get rid of us, Arion? We only just got here!" Aida said, walking towards her son.

"No mother. I'm trying to keep you safe."

"How do you know that this Sanctuary is safe?" she cried, "What if they follow us there, too?"

Arion was afraid he didn't have an answer to her questions. Fortunately, Daris was quick to rescue him from her questioning. He placed both paws on her shoulders and led her away.

"We'll figure it out as we go, love. Right now we need to get as far away as possible." He looked over his shoulder at Arion. "Right son?"

"Right. Don't worry, you'll be traveling with company," Arion explained, "They're other ursar. I'm sure they'd like to hear what the homeland has been like in the ten years we've been away."

As they finished packing up, Arion hugged each of them and wished them good luck. He did his best to appear strong, but in reality he was wishing to go back to a simpler time. An era when he'd learned about tailoring at his father's shop or fishing with Captain Timo, or the simplicity of swimming in the ocean or huddling together for protection during a hurricane.

Arion wished that he could huddle with his family and hide from the coming storm that was the Shadow Legion's arrival. There were a million things he'd rather face than to have to be separated from them again.

<Best of luck son. I know you'll need it,> Daris thought as he hugged Arion. <Please come back in one piece, or your mother will never be the same again.>

<That goes for you too, father.>

Once they were gone, Arion sat down on one of the beds. For a long while he didn't stand back up. The last thing he wanted was to have his students see him as such a wreck, to be acting like a hypocrite towards all the lessons of stoicism he'd taught.

The words from his father echoed in his thoughts, and images their reunion only weeks ago replayed over and over in his mind.

I don't think I can keep my promise, father, Arion thought as he rose, rubbing his tired eyes with his fingers. This situation is just too much to handle. This is bigger than us, bigger than Olaraa. We can't hope to stand up to this kind of enemy.

Arion let out a heavy sigh and strode out of the room, shutting the shoji behind him. It was about time for that bath. He descended to the bottom floor of the temple where the water was drawn from a creek that flowed around the building. The soft trickle of water was soothing to his ears. He opened the door to the bathhouse and saw it empty, save for the steaming wooden tub that was drawn for him.

The ursar stripped down and lowered himself slowly into the water, wincing as the heat enveloped his body. It was still rather hot, but after a moment he acclimated to it and was able to submerse himself up to his shoulders. He tilted his head back, resting it along the lip of the tub. Arion could still feel a knotting in his stomach as thoughts about his family and about the coming war entered his mind, and he decided it was time to get rid of them.

Breathing in slowly, he exhaled and felt as if his thoughts were expelled from his body in that breath of air. There was no use worrying over things he couldn't change. All he could do now was change how he felt about them. Or, as he often did with things he couldn't handle at the moment, he tucked them away and ignored the existence of such worries.

Arion could feel himself dozing off as he soaked in the tub. It was tempting to just fall asleep and let himself rest until the time came when he'd need to head into battle. The odds of him getting another chance to relax like this were low, as they often were.

Sure, there had been brief periods of peace, like the last year since the end of the second Gnoll War. But peace time had been too short for Arion's liking. It was rare for him to have a chance to sit back and simply relax. He wanted to be able to enjoy life without his other duties getting in the way.

Ever since he'd been taken to the Temple of the Mind and trained by the psion masters there, to the time when he worked in the Empress's court, he'd known little rest. Then, when he fled Yasuragi to assist Olaraa in their losing battle against the gnolls during the first war, and again when he had to deal with the subsequent exile of his order, he'd not rested.

He lifted up a paw and watched the droplets of water roll off his fur. Since his powers had manifested and he'd been detected by the Empress's agents, he'd lived from one battlefield to the next. It wasn't just war that had become a part of his daily existence. His battles were the never ending sparring lessons that he'd had first with his masters, and now with his own students here. He'd fought bureaucracy on the political front, both in the homeland in Empress Erosie's court, and in Olaraa against the Senate. And of course, the never ending stream of battles since his exile, when he had to take up arms against Olaraa's enemies.

His thoughts turned to Bartholomew, and he wondered how an ursar could possibly be content living like that. Arion was still young, and Bart even younger, yet the stresses of life and the path he had chosen had aged him terribly in recent years. He'd grown cynical about the world and its people, despite always hoping otherwise. The other ursar by comparison seemed invigorated by the rigors of combat and the stresses of life. He delighted in every moment of it. How could he not feel as burnt out as Arion did when he was a decade younger?

Arion sank lower in the tub and leaned back until only his nose stuck up out of the surface of the water. All he could hear was the beating of his own heart. It was quiet and soothing. He wondered if he might be able to stay like that, in a state of bliss, rather than preparing for war.

The temperature was slowly dropping as the day progressed, and he decided to resurface. When he came back up, he heard voices shouting from outside and down the hall.

"Highlord!" Shinn shouted, "I can't let you in there!"

"Bah, it be the same thin' every time I come in here," Gantors snapped back. "Either ye or that Hannen lad always tryin' t' keep me out."

"I insist that you don't disturb the master, not at this moment, sir!"

"It's important!" Gantors shoved the shoji open and was looking over his shoulder at Shinn as he walked into the room. "We need to discuss our defense plans Ario-"

He stopped mid stride when he saw the ursar bathing in the tub. The dwarf cringed and said, "The enemy be bearin' down on us an' yer takin' a bath?"

"I'm trying to relax and remain calm," Arion replied. He looked to Shinn and said, "You may go, Shinn. I'll look after the Highlord."

"Yes Master," Shinn said, bowing before he left.

Arion began to clamber out of the tub, and Gantors covered his eye sand sputtered, "Agh, I didn't need t' see that!"

"You said it was important!"

"It's not so important that ye need to address me wit' no clothes on," spat Gantors. "Just... just put your robe back on and meet me in the cloister."

The red-faced dwarf was quick to flee the room and leave Arion to getting dressed. The ursar could only shake his head. Dwarves, particularly followers of Lumine, could be incredibly prude. It was just the naked body. What was so bad about seeing it that always had them so squeamish to the point of being ashamed of their own bodies.

Arion shook himself dry as best as he could, spraying the walls and splattering the floor with droplets of water. He used a towel to dab up as much moisture from his fur as he could before slipping his robe on and leaving his leggings behind. He cinched his sash tight around the robe and sealed it as he walked through the halls and out into the cloister where the Highlord was waiting.

"Please tell me ye at least have pants on beneath that," Gantors grumbled.

"What's so important that my bath needed to be interrupted," Arion asked, annoyed. "There is seldom a chance where I can simply sit back and relax, and I hate to be dragged away from it."

"Well that be too bad. We got important things t' discuss," Gantors replied. As he spoke, Arion could hear the grunting of laborers nearby. "I trust ye wanna know what that sound be."

"Aye," Arion replied, then headed to the outer courtyard of the Temple, only to find several catapults being wheeled in through the gates. "Oh no. No no no no no." Arion held his hands out and telekinetically locked the wheels of the siege weapons in place. The workers lurched forward as the vehicle came to a stop, and they began to furiously inspect the wheels to figure out what was wrong, utterly unaware of the psion's presence.

"I won't allow weapons of mass destruction in my temple's walls!"

Gantors jumped up and pulled Arion's hands down, and the siege engines resumed moving. "It be for the defense o' Olaraa!"

A few Peacekeepers watched with blank looks on their faces as the catapults were wheeled into the temple. Their unease permeated the air and suffocated Arion. The psion called out to Shinn mentally, and he was by his side in an instant.

"What's going on?" Shinn asked, his gaze fixated on the catapults.

"Shinn, get everyone back inside. I need to speak with Gantors privately." The anger in his voice was barely hidden, and Shinn looked taken aback by his master's tone. The ursar bowed and scurried off to round up the stragglers and bring them inside.

The dwarves had been through many wars in recent years. They understood that war often came with great changes, and they were used to it.

Arion was not.

"I can't believe you're bringing catapults into my temple!" Arion roared once everyone was gone. He stomped in circles around Gantors. Few things angered Arion, and having weapons sitting in his temple was definitely near the top of his list.

"It be dwarven soil," the paladin pointed out.

Arion stopped pacing and spun to face the dwarf, his robe fluttering around him, "In a temple of peace!"

"That we gave to ye."

"It's our only refuge from the outside world." He pointed a clawed digit accusingly as the dwarf. "A world that doesn't want us here!"

"Refuge that ye were given in exchange for the sacrifices ye made fer our sake."

"Would you stop that?" Arion snapped. Gantors shrugged. "It's like an elephant just walked into some elderly woman's garden, and plopped itself down on her lilacs! And then it decided to defecate on said garden merely to add further offense to its presence!"

Gantors laughed, "Metaphors ain't yer strong point. Now you just sound silly."

"I'm not silly! My students and I are just as upset over it as that old woman would be."

"Well, that be too bad. Yer students can just deal wit' it. Right now we got an enemy bearin' down on us faster than we can prepare for an' we need yer Peacekeepers fer the comin' battle," Gantors said, then raised his voice like he was yelling at an insubordinate soldier. "Now quit belly-achin' like some cub an' be the stoic yer supposed to be!"

With a sigh, Arion closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, then exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, he was calm, he was focused, like the monk he had been trained to be.

"I apologize, Highlord," he said. He didn't speak in a monotone, but he showed as little emotion as possible. "Anger can wait."

"That's better. Now then, about the catapults..." Gantors began to say, testing to see if mentioning them would anger the ursar again.

There was a moment of hesitation before he responded. "If they are necessary, I won't object."

"Aye, it be necessary. Yer temple is one o' the few places in the city where we can set up," Gantors explained, "And we be hopin' that havin' the catapults inside the city will protect 'em from retaliation, at least for a while. We'll be getting' a few free shots before they figure out where they came from."

The Peacekeeper's Temple wasn't far into the city, just on the other side of the Market District, but there were no tall buildings between it and the defensive walls, and it afforded anyone operating a catapult a clear shot. Arion didn't like having a siege weapon occupying his cloister but he didn't have a choice.

"We be runnin' out o' options, lad," Gantors said. "Looks like we'll be on our own. Altair ain't wanting to get involved, an' Rogust is claimin' that they already sent enough troops durin' the Gnoll War that they ain't doin' so again." The paladin crossed his arms and anger flashed in his eyes. "Good for nothing humans. Kitair an' the Snowhoof are even further away, an' we likely won't hear back from 'em until after the enemy is already pickin' their teeth wit' our bones."

"So we're on our own then," Arion said grimly.

"That we are, an' that's why we be frantically plannin' fer their invasion. We need the Peacekeepers on the front lines, where ye excel," Gantors explained. "Ye'll be up with me an' the Lightweaver's Paladins."

"Outside the south gate? What about the rest of Olaraa? We can't defend the entire city with our forces. We'll be surrounded and fall that much quicker."

"Aye, we prepared fer that, too." Gantors nodded his head. The paladin was not the best at coordinating an assault effort, but when it came to defending a location he had no equal. None that Arion had seen, anyways. "Between our workers, golems, an' magics, we've gone an' dug out huge chasms out from the gate and to the west and east, cutting' off access to the rest o' the city. The enemy will have to come through the south gate."

"And if the Legion decides to cross the chasms anyways? Through levitation or whatever other means?"

"We'll shoot 'em down wit' our magic. Plain and simple. We got some mages on the ramparts with gnomish telescopes that will annihilate anything attempting to cross."

"Will it be enough?"

"It has to be. We've not got much to work with on such short notice." Gantors shrugged helplessly.

It didn't sound like the kind of solid defense that the dwarf was used to using, but given their lack of numbers and how sudden the attack was coming, Arion knew that Gantors was doing the best that he could with the resources that he had.

But would it be enough? Arion swallowed a growing lump in his throat as he watched the siege weapons being set into place. He had a sinking feeling that by the end of the week, none of them would be alive.