9 | Sabotage (I)

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2412, Diori 08, Reshpe

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2412, Diori 08, Reshpe

Canelis eyed the changing sky, dreading the time it would take to disable the enemy's weapons. She, along with three other pixies whom she barely knew, were tasked to go all the way from the barrier towards the enemy wall at the foot of the Glass Mountain.

Not exactly a tactical move but Canelis wasn't in any mood to argue. Even her battle-hardened mind had concluded they really were at a disadvantage now that the barrier had been brought down.

Still, sending one of their own into an enemy camp with slim chances of returning showed they were desperate. Canelis had never been with Reeca and the others for long but she analyzed their speech patterns and nonverbal gestures and got quite an accurate representation of them in her head.

Reeca spoke like an entitled brat Canelis sometimes disdained. These were usually the blood of lesser colonels in the Riogener's ranks who project a strong exterior to inflate their self-importance. The result was usually a mix of impudence and arrogance to rival the loft of the Temple of Light and Darkness by the peaks of the mountains in Xai-Ren.

Canelis snorted, careful of letting her companions notice her amusement.

Still, it wasn't entirely Reeca's fault. Canelis understood Reeca had to be that to be able to convince herself she was doing the right thing. Compound that with years of inflicting said belief on oneself, even if someone did mention it to Reeca, it would take years more to grow out of it.

Elred, meanwhile, was a force of nature and that's coming from someone who has seen much such as Canelis. The shard fairy didn't like showing it but she didn't like it when her side was at a disadvantage. Perhaps the nature of the Valkalin family and their long history of power-grabbing and betrayals have been ingrained in Elred's mind that she has to always be one step ahead. Always wiser and wilier than her enemies.

So this particular blow on the barrier has taken its toll on Elred. The shard fairy had never once talked about glamour or midnight soaking sessions since the barrier collapsed (though, for the record, Elred talked about beauty and perfection about sixty-five percent lesser than an average member of the Valkalin clan). Elred had only been focused on making a move that would mean something against their enemies.

That's how Canelis found herself with three under-trained pixies and out of the camp.

Lastly, Geradine, almost the matriarch of the Ice Sprites army, wanted nothing but to finish this war so she could relax. Canelis had been studying the ice sprite general with fascination. How could someone with so heavy of a burden be so calm?

However, after seeing how Kennen Jarmez, the ice sprite heir, could take in the damage of war with a passive stare, Canelis concluded it's natural of the Ice Sprites to be calm. After all, according to an Ice Sprite proverb—to succeed in life, always be cool.

Geradine, to Canelis, was like the Renagener—loved, respected, and idolized. Canelis had observed how the other ice sprite generals had a certain twinkle in their eye whenever they talked to Geradine even when she was giving orders. Such expression was something Canelis only saw in the young pixies' faces when they first saw the Renagener in the mass induction or in the memorial parade.

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