Without warning, the earth erupted, quaking with a fury that tore across the Basin of Life. The ground's loud roar deafened all other sounds, drowning out even the ecstatic cries of the mad earthmelders in Magnagora who howled along with their patron element. As if tearing at itself with miserable claws, great crevices were riven into the very earth. Walls of rock were shaken loose from their moorings in the mountains, collapsing onto the roadways below.

Then suddenly it was still, and only the shattered ground and a deafening silence remained. All across the Basin, people held their breath in trepidation, waiting to see if the earth's fury would be roused again. But soon the animals calmed, and their tentative calls soothed the anxious mortal races, and people slowly resumed their normal lives, cleaning up the after effects of the earthquake, convinced that all the damage was already done.

===

"You heading out, Eiken? Make sure you bring me back something good this time, 'kay?"

Behind the counter, Valsha stood with her broom, sweeping up detritus as she watched Eiken grumble and go over his gear one final time. He was something of a local celebrity in their tiny burg, having had several successful relic hunts which his patrons in Southgard had summarily taken all credit for. The dwarf was good natured about it, certainly, laughing that they could take his finds, but they could never take his freedom. And now, as he cinched a length of rope about his shoulder and strapped a shovel and pick axe to his back, he was prepared again to indulge that freedom.

"That's the plan, Val. That quake loosened up a good deal, and I think I can find something nice if I head out now. There's a particular area near one of my other finds where a crevice has opened up. I've got a good feeling about this one."

"Well, drinks on me when you get back, hon. Stay safe out there."

Eiken ran his thick fingers over his beard, caressing the beaded braids thoughtfully as he finished his review. Then he smiled at Valsha, pointed two fingers at her with a wink, and headed out the door of her bar. She simply sighed and shook her head, then returned to cleaning up her now dishevelled tavern.

Outside the tavern, a light wind blew through the mountain paths that marked the tiny burg. All along the eaves, Valsha's hand crafted wind chimes clanked together jovially, setting Eiken into a cheerful mood, one made better by the sight of his giant leaning against the sturdy porch railing.

"Temmo, my lad, good to see you ready to go so soon. We need to make an early start today if we want to get anything done!"

The tae'dae turned slowly from where he rested as though making a point, then peered unscrupulously at his diminutive friend. With pointed movements, he pulled a silver pocket watch from his coat and checked the time.

"It's half past noon," he said mildly, snapping the watch case closed to punctuate his statement. "What happened to early, again?"

Eiken laughed and patted the tae'dae's arm. "I started in the bar, remember? Now let's not hold things up any longer."

===

Eiken and Temmo carefully worked their way down the slope of the mountainside. In the distance below, they could see the vast expanse of the Grey Moors laid out before them. But that was not their destination. As he had told Valsha, Eiken had found a few small relics in the area. They hadn't been anything major, just broken panels of crystal circuitry, but the dwarf had dated them to the time of the Holy Celestine Empire, and his patrons had sold them to a Hallifaxian historical society for a tidy sum. And since it was on those patron's beneficence that he could make a living as an explorer, he was doing them a favour and searching for more of what they liked.

As he searched for a foothold nearby, there was a loud crack, and the wall of rock he clung to shuddered and shook.  He held fast, and the aftershock was fortunately brief. Nearby, he could hear the tumbling clatter of rocks falling down the mountain.

"You alright down there?" Temmo shouted from above. "We need to get off this sheer part quickly if the aftershocks keep coming."

Eiken just grunted in affirmation, then resumed his descent. Soon enough, he found his way down to a small outcropping. He gathered up his climbing gear, then flopped down to wait for his friend.

As he sat, he noticed a glint in the dirt, and instantly was on it, pulling out his brush to sweep loose earth away. "I got something," he shouted up the cliff side, not waiting for a response. A moment later and he had uncovered his first treasure, a broken ceramic plate with two cracked sapphires connected by a web of silver. Gently, he wrapped it in cloth and nestled in his satchel for safe keeping.

Above him, Temmo slowly clambered down towards the out cropping, saying something about the find that Eiken barely heard, as busy as he was scouring the outcropping. So busy that he was in no way prepared when another aftershock hit, and the rocks beneath his feet suddenly fell away.

Eiken tumbled through the air in a shower of rocks, barely seeing Temmo clinging to a rope and pick axe, before he slammed into a slope which caved in beneath him, and then filled up above with an avalanche of mountain stone.

===

With a groan and a start, Eiken jolted awake. He slowly and gingerly stood, knocking away an assortment of small rocks and gravel as he rose up. He peered around in the dim cave, noting the pile of boulders somewhat up a shallow slope from him. He could only guess that he had rolled on landing, and it had saved his life.

Rubbing his back, he inched along the tunnel, his eyes adjusting easily to the light given off by the phosphorescent lichen on the walls. The tunnel was clearly man-made, he noted, rough as it was, and as he went further in, his suspicions were confirmed. Here, a section had collapsed in the earthquake, though some rotted timbers jutted from the rubble as proof the cave was not natural. Further in, Eiken began to notice masonry that had been used to shore up the passage. Soon the composition of the walls changed entirely, and he entered a weathered brick hallway, leading down to a stone door marked with ancient inscriptions.

Eiken barely had time to consider his incredible find when he suddenly heard a wild scrabbling against the stone behind him. He whirled, just in time to see a giant mantis swinging a viciously hooked forearm at him. Acting on pure reflex, he whipped his pick from his back and jammed it upward, catching the mantis's claw and throwing it off balance. Swiftly he put his booted foot to the bug and gave a mighty shove, knocking it back a few feet.

Finally able to get a good look, Eiken's eyes went wide as he studied the creature. About his height, it was a mantis in appearance only, covered in a diseased looking emerald carapace that gave off a sickly green glow. A brackish wind swirled around the crystal bug, adding to its foul aspect.

The creature cackled and rushed forward, swinging its scythe-like arms straight for Eiken's chest. Again he tried to parry, but this time the beast was ready, striking in such a way that it cut clean through the iron pick head. Eiken swung what was left at the mantis, cracking the shaft into pieces and stunning it long enough for him to bolt further down the passageway, heading for the door.

Eiken ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, though the mantis took flight and raced after him, trapping him at the stone door. Eiken reached behind himself and pulled his shovel off, then with a grunt swung it at the speeding bug with enough force to break the shovel and smash the mantis into the wall. He dropped the rest of the shovel, and pulled on the door with all his strength, prying it open and scrambling inside, then pulling it shut behind him.

===

The room inside was dark and still, and nearly quiet save for a mild humming sound and the scrabbling of crystal claws against the door. The humming grew louder, soon replaced by a mechanical whirring and the faint crackle of energy. As the noise grew, lights around the perimeter began to flicker on, and refracted through an array of crystals suspended on metal wires. In the centre of the room was a massive blue crystal, faceted at least a hundred times and suspended in a horizontal ring with numerous strange cables leading out of it. Several large cracks marred the crystal surface, oozing a black tar from the wounds.

A crisp, monotone voice echoed through the room. "The presence of excorable anomaly designation 'wind shear' has been detected. Initiating defences." The whirring escalated to a high whine, and high above a circuit blew, showering sparks down around the crystal. Eiken looked up towards the source, and saw an exposed bolt of energy streaking across where the sparks fell. Behind him there was a hiss and a cracking sound, and he turned in time to see the door become encased in ice. Outside, the banging of crystal scythes halted.

Eiken shook his head, and began to look around. "Ice to seal the door. What manner of atelier have I found? Some sort of sorcerer's laboratory?" Everywhere he looked there was a marvel of ancient engineering, and most of it still in reasonable repair.

The voice sounded again, startling him from his gawking. "Diagnostic scans complete. Aerolith integrity is at critical status. Initiating Stormwind Protocol."

A ring of gemstones banded in silver descended from the ceiling, surrounding Eiken and shining multi-coloured lights over him, despite his protests. Then lights suddenly turned off, and the device rose again.

"Subject compatibility rated at sixty-two percent. Compatibility deemed within acceptable limitations." The voice shut off, and the mechanical whine returned. Four crystal spires arrayed in front of the large crystal began to arc beams of energy between them creating a humming ring of light. The ring descended, and as it touched the floor there was a flash, and a boom. As Eiken's senses slowly recovered, he became aware of a brown-winged trill looming over him, and staring down with a very displeased expression on his face.

"What," the trill said in as angry a tone as Eiken had ever heard, "are YOU doing here?"

===

The trill whirled angrily, sending flickers of light cascading about that revealed his insubstantial nature. He stared broodingly at the cracked crystal in front of him. "A clangoru, with only sixty-two percent compatibility. Wonderful. And here I thought the world might not be destroyed on my watch."

Eiken bristled, tugging on his beard with a displeasure that matched the trill. "I don't know what you're talking about there, and I don't really care to. I'm just an explorer, and I want no part of what you're selling."

The trill turned to face him again, pointing an accusing finger at the dwarf. "No part, clangoru? We don't have a choice in the matter! Even sixty-two percent is a better chance than nothing, and I will not simply fail at my objective just because you are woefully inadequate. There isn't enough time to find an actually valid alternative."

Raising his hands towards the ceiling, the trill flickered and vanished. Silence fell over the room, and Eiken realized he was holding his breath in anticipation. He forced himself to exhale, then began to look around again, ready to dismiss the entire incident.

Before he could move, however, the crystal spires suddenly flared to life, each firing a shining beam directly into his chest. The wind was knocked out of him, and he had a vague sensation of being flung through the air, but the feeling was indistinct. New sensations crowded into him. He felt like he was flying, soaring above the Crystal Sea, rising above the pristine stone of Magnagora, and turning his sights to the crystal spires of Hallifax. He felt like he was one with the clouds that surrounded him, and they responded to his will, affecting changes to barometric pressure and weather patterns. And he felt the pride of being chosen, among all his peers, to lead the aerolith project.

He became aware of a voice shouting at him, as though over a great distance, and he strained to hear it. "Get up!" it yelled, "We don't have time for this!" Eiken's eyes shot open, and the uplifting feelings vanished in an instant, replaced by a pain in his back and head as he realized he was again on his back.

"Get up, clangoru! This is a crisis!"

Eiken struggled to his feet, feeling suddenly very leaden. "What... what just happened?"

There was a brief shimmer in the air, and the trill re-manifested in front of him, gesturing towards the giant crystal. "The aerolith needs to be stabilized. Already there has been a catastrophic discharge of accumulated energy, and the core is close to rupturing. I hate to think of what happens if it does, but the end of the world is probably the start. Now please, we don't have much time."

The dwarf shook his head. "Nah, nah, look, I don't know what your situation is, but it's pretty clear from the age of these machines that whatever apocalypse you're trying to prevent is long since resolved. You don't even seem real, yourself, and I might just be dreaming anyway. So, I'm going to go. Good day, sir."

The trill screamed in exasperation. The noise rattled the confines of the room, and a backflow of energy surged through the apparatus. Sparks flew everywhere as circuits overloaded under the strain. Then, over it all, Eiken heard an ominous cracking sound. A gap appeared in the aerolith, and foul black tar began to ooze from it.

Amidst the chaos, a calm monotone voice could be heard. "Complete system failure is imminent. Containment breach is expected. Immediate attention is required."

===

A sudden gust of wind blew through the room from the walls to the aerolith. It mixed with the ooze on the surface, turning foul and putrid. The wind swirled about itself, and in the midst of the whirlwind, a mantis formed from diseased green gemstones appeared.

The image of the trill vanished, but he could still hear the voice in his head. "Clangoru, that's a wind shear. It's a highly dangerous creature formed from excorable energy and elemental air. Stay focused, and you can defeat it before it causes too much damage. Now hurry!"

Eiken instead backed up, tripping over a small pile of rubble and attracting the wind shear's attention. He grabbed a small rock and threw it at the mantis, where it clattered harmlessly off. "How am I supposed to fight these things, trill? Magic?"

An exasperated sigh filled his head. "Yes, precisely. Clear your mind, and focus on heat. Gather it in your hand, and release it."

There is said to be no motivator quite like imminent danger, and the sight of a wind shear rushing towards him was enough for Eiken to put aside his doubts, and focus on thoughts of heat in his hand. In his mind's eye, he pictured himself crushing a Verasavir ghost pepper, and to his surprise, he felt the heat radiating through his closed fist. He raised that fist, and punched out at the approaching mantis. A blast of pure elemental energy slammed into the wind shear, searing its carapace, and sending it stumbling back. Eiken had no time for shock, instead repeating the visualization, and blasting the mantis again. The creature spasmed a final time, and then collapsed into a mound of smoking crystal.

Shaking with adrenaline, Eiken stared at his hand. His mind reeled. There was no ghost pepper, no heat of any kind, and yet, with just the force of his will, he had destroyed the thing that attacked him. He looked up to see the trill staring dispassionately at the wind shear.

"Adequate. Nevertheless, you performed better than expected, clangoru."

"Eiken. The name's Eiken Hoek, not 'clangoru'."

"Ah, yes. I suppose, given the circumstances, we can use proper names. You may call me Professor Cress Stormwind, the Silver Storm, from the Centre for Aeromantic Engineering."

Eiken began to dust off his trousers. "I can't say that I'm pleased to meet you, Cress. I'd really rather just leave this all behind. But it seems to mean a lot to you, so I guess I can help. Can you kindly explain just what is going on?"

===

"You're looking at the remnants of the Automated Excorable Refractory Output megalith crystal, called the aerolith for short. It was my project, one commissioned by the Holy Celestine Emperor Himself to explore the potential uses of wellsprings of excorable energy found in various places throughout the Basin of Life. There was hope that the energy provided could be used as an alternative power source, but alas, it was not to be.

"We didn't have time to study why things went wrong; we only know that they did. But needless to say, excorable energy doesn't like being tampered with. It created the anomalies we call wind shears, massive armies of them, and while alone they can be dangerous, in groups they are impossible to deal with. Like locusts of hate.

"In the end, we had to reconfigure the apparatus to create a recycling of the energy so it would not get free, but my calculations showed that with time, instabilities in the energy flow would cause catastrophic damage to the aerolith. If the core ruptured, then the energy would release all at once, and it would be like a dam breaking. All of the pent up energy could be enough to overload reality, and destroy it.

"I locked the system to a particular code specific to my energy resonance, and then entombed myself within the system, so I could continue to work on the problem and upkeep the system. I knew one day the solution would be found, and at that time I could bind myself to a host, re-key their energy signature, and fix the aerolith. But I lost contact with my assistants in Hallifax after some time, and eventually, needed pieces of the apparatus were lost.

"There has recently been a discharge of excess energy stored over the centuries, and the system is mostly cleared. If I had the time vector generator, I could restabilise the aerolith with a closed time loop, and recalibrate the system to remain functional for at least a while longer. It's not much, but it's all we have right now."

===

Eiken slowly shook his head and sighed. "So you've turned me into a key for this atelier? That's not something I need, you know. How about I find you someone more suitable and you can convert them to this whole thing? I can go to Hallifax, explain the situation..."

"Impossible. First, as I keep mentioning, we're running out of time. Secondly, I expected that whoever succeeded me would actually be suitable, so I only stored the energy configuration once. Due to your... lacking compatibility, I couldn't possibly successfully reproduce it."

"Alright, fine. I'll go get the thing you need. Can you give me any idea as to where it is?"

Cress smiled briefly, a wave of relief passing over his features. Then he regained his composure, and began tinkering with a console nearby. "According to sensor data, it's within the local vicinity, and near the surface at present. Where ever it was stored must have been exposed by the earthquake. I'm going to transport you to the surface, though I will remain in contact while I use your positioning to refine the location scan. Fair winds, Eiken."

The dwarf had no chance to respond, as he was surrounded by bolts of energy and a furious gale that forced his eyes closed. When the wind subsided and he could see again, he found himself standing on a low grade slope further down the mountainside from where he had fallen.

Immediately, Eiken broke into a run, charging across the rocky terrain, heedless of any danger. He shouted for Temmo as he ran, hoping his friend was still close by. His efforts were rewarded when he heard his name shouted in return, and crested a small ridge to see the tae'dae standing near a collapse of rocks with a pick in hand.

Temmo dropped his pick axe and ran up to his friend and enveloped him in a massive bearhug. "I thought you were a goner, with all that rock that fell on top of you. I still hadn't figured out what to tell Valsha. I'm so glad you're safe, Eiken."

Eiken laughed as his friend's furry arms nearly crushed him. "Temmo, do I have a story for you." He quickly related the events in brief, leaving Temmo frowning in thought.

"And you're sure you didn't hit your head?" he asked warily.

"I most certainly did, possibly twice. But I don't know how else I would have gotten out from there, if it wasn't the truth," Eiken said laughingly.

"Eiken... I don't know that you should get involved in whatever this is. Let's just report this place to Southgard, and let them handle it."

Eiken sighed. "I mean... I agree. But I'm already involved. If I can find this vector generator, then I can put the whole thing to bed, and let Hallifax handle it. So I need you to either help me look for it, or go tell Valsha what's going on."

"Not a fair set of options and you know it. I'll help you, but I won't be happy about it. Now how do we find this thing?"

There was a shimmer in the air, and motes of light leached out from Eiken, coalescing into an image of the brown-winged trill. Temmo let out a strangled cry at the sight, but the trill ignored him, turning to the dwarf. "I'm glad you're coming around, Eiken. Sympathetic energies enhance the compatibility, and make our job easier. Now, let me recalibrate the sensors, and we can begin."

Motes of crystalline light began to pulsate around Cress as he scanned the area. But the pulsating quickly grew erratic, and the image of the trill began to flicker and waver. He tried to say something, but the communication was garbled, and then in an instant he vanished. There was a brief rumbling sound, and then the side of the mountain exploded outwards, sending rocks and smoke showering outwards. Eiken and Temmo were both bowled over by the shock wave, which saved them from being smashed by the worst of the flying stone.

As gravel and ash pelted around him, Eiken closed his eyes and focused his thoughts as he had in the atelier. He felt the earth beneath him, the feel of the stone on his hands. Something in his mind clicked, and he channelled that feeling though himself. The flow of energy toughed his skin, making it hard as rock, but still as supple as flesh. The hail around him now clattered off harmlessly, and he stood, emboldened. But as he stared at the smouldering gap in the mountain, his heart sank again.

Hundreds of wind shears floated in the air, screaming, cackling, and buzzing as the massive swarm began to descend on the Basin of Life.

===

Panic and dread nearly overtook Eiken at the sight of the massive army of wind shears descending on him. Then unexpected feelings began to well up in him, feelings he suddenly recognized as belonging to Cress - but also now his own. Anger, indignation, and determination swelled in him, and he focused the heat of his emotions on his balled up fist again, channelling the heat into it. With another punch he released the blast of pure elemental energy at the nearest wind shear, knocking it from the sky and sending its charred remains plummeting down.

Temmo finally managed to stand again, looking up aghast at the swarm. "There's too many of them. Eiken, what's going on? What do we do?"

"Just fight them, Temmo! Anything you have, anything you can do. I don't know if we're too late or not, but we have to hope that Cress is able to get back to us and help find that generator."

The burly tae'dae nodded, then picked up a rock and threw it skyward with a heave. It crashed through several wind shears, even breaking appendages, but the swarm kept descending. Several landed on the rocks nearby to be met by fierce punches from the tae'dae. The blows knocked them towards Eiken, who blasted them to cinders with channelled heat.

Despite their efforts, the wind shears were too great a number, and their attacks too slow. The more they killed, the more attention they attracted, and soon several dozen surrounded the two. Temmo bellowed in pain as their scythes slashed into him, tearing his fur, and even Eiken began to wince as they slashed at his stone skin.

Eiken panted, the feelings that stirred him to act seeping from his body, and his mental strength slowly giving out as he continued to blast at the creatures. He was moving more slowly from fatigue, that much he knew. But then he noticed something. It wasn't just him moving more slowly. The wind shears also seemed to be moving at a decelerated pace, and their swinging claws were like molasses.

Just as he realized the slowing effect was unnatural, it was gone, replaced in his consciousness by a deep, electric noise. Bolts of glowing blue energy slammed into a wind shear that was about to slash him, disintegrating it in an instant. From the point of impact, three more bolts of blue energy lashed out, each arcing to another wind shear, and spreading a chain of lightning that crackled around the dwarf. In an instant, the wind shears on the ground were gone, with nothing but the acrid scent of ozone in their wake.

===

"Wow, that worked after all! I am a genius!"

A voice floated down from the sky, carrying with it a young trill woman who soared down to Eiken and Temmo on wings of deep blue feathers. She landed somewhat clunkily, stumbling forward and trying to use wild wing flapping to reverse her momentum. She wobbled uncertainly for a moment, spreading and retracting her wings for balance, then having found it, offered her hand for shaking to the dumbstruck dwarf.

"Junior Fellow Chalsi, at your service." Without waiting for Eiken to shake her hand, she turned and looked back at the now hesitating swarm of wind shears, twirling a thick ebony rod in her off hand. "Hey, that energy discharge worked pretty well, don't you think? I don't think this thing can do it again, though. Not sure why it could do it at all, but it seems to be a by product of some sort of temporal energy process" She turned back to the dwarf and tae'dae, ignoring the wind shears as they began a steady descent down towards the group. "What are your names, by the way? Pretty rude to not introduce yourselves."

Eiken shook himself out of his stunned state. "Ah, um, yeah. Sorry about that. Name's Eiken Hoek, and this is my friend Temmo. Thanks for saving our skin there, but I hate to say, it might not have been enough."

Chalsi nodded slowly in understanding. "Boy, you guys sure are lucky I came along. I'm doing research on temporal anomalies, and there was a massive surge here when that earthquake hit. I've mostly tracked the temporal radiation to this rod here. But like I said, it may not be able to discharge stored energy by-products, but I am a genius. I think I can use it for a few more tricks. "

Chalsi glanced skyward as if measuring the distance between herself and the rapidly descending swarm, then casually pulled several gems from her satchel and released them. The gems floated upwards, taking up orbit around her head. She then began to chant an intricate formula while turning the rod over in her hands. Eiken was filled with a palpable sense of time distorting around him, then with a sudden popping sensation, everything returned to normal and the swarm of wind shears was nowhere to be seen.

"What did you do?" Temmo blurted incredulously. "How did you get rid of them all?"

The trill woman folded a wing in front of her and began preening it nonchalantly, straightening out her dishevelled wing feathers while ignoring the unkempt mop of feathers on her head. "Genius. Also they're not gone, I rewrote their temporal vector and displaced them. They'll catch up with us again, and then we'll be in trouble if we don't have a better solution. So, boys," she said, folding her wings behind her and facing them with arms akimbo, "what happened here? I know you know something."

"I can explain better than he, I think." Cress's voice crackled through the air as his image reformed in front of the group.

"Cress!" Eiken exclaimed, relief surging though him. "You're alright."

"Alright is a relative state of being in this case, clangoru. I'm a consciousness bound to a dying crystal and projecting my image on light waves. I've been better."

"Well, but this means the crystal isn't destroyed. Yet. I thought the explosion was the end of it."

"Nearly so. This girl holds the time vector generator, and her little experiment bought us a bit of time. Now, I need you all to come with me, quickly."

Eiken looked between the two trill, cursing to himself that Chalsi hadn't arrived a few hours sooner and it been her dealing with everything. "I still have to come, don't I?"

"Yes, Eiken, I've explained. You have the proper energy signature to activate the aerolith. You're responsible for it now. And if something happens to it, it's on your shoulders."

"Alright, alright. Let's get to it then. Come on Temmo, let's save the world."

The big bear looked doubtful, but stepped forward anyway, joining the group as a blast of wind surged around them and whisked them away to the aerolith chamber.

===

The winds dispersed around them, blowing wisps of cloud around the room. Almost immediately they were set upon by wind shears. Temmo threw a wild swing, punching one away, but it simply flicked its wings and flew back at him. Eiken threw an elemental blast and scorched the wind shear, then turned to Cress and Chalsi. "Hurry and do what you need to do. We'll fend these off until you're ready."

Chalsi offered a chirp in return, then ran after the already moving image of Cress, approaching a large console to the side of the room. Eiken raised his arms dramatically, channelling elemental water and adjusting the temperature to create a wall of ice around the two trill.

A shrill siren began to wail as Chalsi began making her adjustments and inputs. An ominous presence could be felt throughout the room, and even the wind shears began to scatter. Eiken turned towards the aerolith, which had grown dark and lustreless. Bolts of blackness arced across its surface, and for a moment all the light in the room seemed to be siphoned to a singular point in front of the crystal before being snuffed out. There was a terrible roar in the darkness, and the blackness receded, unveiling an awful beast.

A massive, four-winged bird armoured in steel rose from the darkened crystal, shrieking triumphantly. The bird's metal feathers bore dark and sickly colours, like a negative rainbow arrayed across its wings. In place of tail feathers, the foul bird had a thickly armoured tail capped with a giant scorpion stinger. It flew at Eiken, and he barely had time to throw himself at the ground and avoid being stung.

He quickly prepared a blast of elemental energy, but the beast was too swift, nimbly dodging out of the way before swooping down again and raking Eiken with savage talons. Even the stoneskin charm he had cast was no match for the beast, and the skin of his arm shredded easily beneath the attack.

Temmo joined the fight, swinging his pick axe with ferocity, but the bird simply flapped nimbly out of reach. Swing after swing was dodged by the bird, and even the addition of Eiken's blasts didn't slow it enough to be hit. Then it struck again, lashing out with its tail with such force that Temmo's pick was broken when he tried to block. The tae'dae picked up the pick axe head and threw it at the bird, but it glanced off harmlessly. The bird struck again, stabbing Temmo viciously with its stinger. The bear wavered for a moment, before collapsing to the ground, breathing heavily.

With another triumphant cry, the beastly bird shot into the air, flying almost to the ceiling and sending an array of silver and gemstones crashing down to the ground. Behind the ice wall, a muffled shout of frustration was heard, attracting the beasts attention. It folded its wings tightly and dived at the barrier, slamming into it forcefully and sending ice showering everywhere. Ignoring the dwarf and wounded tae'dae, it began hacking and slashing at the ice wall with its wings, talons, and tail, trying its best to get to the trill.

Eiken punched forward, sending one more blast of heat at the bird, and it suffered the blast, not even flinching as it continued to tear down the ice wall. Smoke rose up from the impact site, but the bird looked entirely unharmed, and unfazed.

Looking from the rapidly crumbling wall, to the lustreless aerolith, to his crumpled tae'dae friend, and back again. In the distance he heard the scrabbling of wind shears trying to make their escape. He knew now that it was over. The wall would fall, Chalsi would be killed, the aerolith would die, and then so would everything else. For what was supposed to be a simple expedition, he thought ruefully, it certainly had ended badly.

===

"No," he whispered, and the quiet word pierced the noise of the chamber. His fists clenched and unclenched as something stirred in his memory,  and he looked straight at the demon bird and repeated his words. "No. I will not give in, not even if you win today."

He thrust two pointed fingers at the beast. "Listen to me, creature. I am Eikenwald Hoek, the Silver Storm, and I am the guardian of the aerolith. You stand in my domain, and so you must face me. If you want to get to them, you have to go through me." He thrust a fist skyward, and elemental energies swirled palpably around him in response to his will. A new wall of ice formed underneath the bird, forcing it to take flight and turn its attention to Eiken.

Eiken breathed out slowly, the moisture in his breath mixing with the air around him and serving as a catalyst for rapid condensation. Soon the room was flooded with billowing clouds. His eyes flashed blue as he swept the air with his hand, merging his spirit with the clouds and becoming one with the location. His senses opened up, and he could see the bird from all angles.

The beast attacked, but Eiken could feel its movement in his clouds, and he effortlessly sidestepped. He thrust a palm towards the bird, blasting it with a tempest of icy winds that battered it about and knocked it from the air. As it struggled to take flight again, Eiken approached, and behind him, the wind shears had gathered, now bent to his will.

"I told you, beast, this is my demesne. The winds, the very air itself, answers to me. Even at its most foul and negative, it is mine to command. This is my world, and you're just in it."

Eiken flicked his hand towards the creature, and the wind shears descended, swarming around him as he directed them to their quarry. Though the beast vainly buffeted several away, it stood no chance. More wind shears began to form off the crystal, coming in response to Eiken's will, and their scythe-like claws slashed into the bird's armour, tearing off the metallic plates and rending it down until there was no life left in it.

Immediately Eiken dropped his hand, leaving the wind shears to swarm about each other in confusion. He ran to Temmo, who lay sick from poison on the ground. He rummaged through is bags, pulling a vial of alchemical antidote out. It had been a present from Valsha, to be part of his first aid kit, and it was time to hope it worked. He uncorked the vial and poured the solution onto Temmo's puncture wound. The tae'dae immediately visibly relaxed and looked more hearty, though he was still on the brink of consciousness.

A muffled voice sounded from inside the ice wall. "Eiken, we're ready! Activate the sequence from the main panel."

He left the bear and ran to the panel, pressing his hand to a hemisphere of crystal. A mechanical whirring filled the air as generators activated again, and sparks flew from circuitry networks in the walls. Echoing from somewhere unknown, a monotone voice declared "Time vector phase shift initiated. Beginning temporal loop synchronization."

Light rippled across the surface of the aerolith as power flooded into it, and it began to shine almost blindingly. An energetic crackling was heard in the air, and then everything around Eiken lurched violently as a shockwave of temporal flux erupted from the aerolith. The shockwave tore through Eiken and the wind shears, and the crystal mantes were instantly destroyed. Eiken fared better, feeling for only a moment as if he was an elderly man at the end of his life, before the wave passed, and everything began to settle.

===

A sense of calm and quiet descended on the atelier, which was now in much better condition from the effects of the time vector generator. The aerolith glowed brightly, with a clean, fresh wind swirling around it. The cracks in its surface were gone, and no more foul tar oozed from within. Above, the damage to the circuits and crystal arrays was undone. Chalsi stood near a crystal console, beaming with pride, while Temmo rested peacefully on the floor.

"We did it!" Chalsi ran to the dwarf, grabbing him in a big hug that involved her wings as well as her arms. "Well, a lot of it was me, and Cress too, but you guys did great, too. We make an excellent team, you know. Me the brains, and you... hmm, what's wrong?"

Eiken was frowning, looking around at the quiet room, "You mentioned Cress, but... where is he? He should be here, too." He put his hand back on the main panel, and several crystals nearby began to flicker.

"Please state the nature of your request," came the voice.

"Ah, bring Cress back here, will you?"

"Insufficient information. Please define 'Cress'."

"Professor Cress Stormwind, the guardian of the aerolith."

"The name Cress is not recognized. The guardian of the aerolith is registered as Eikenwald Stormwind Hoek."

Eiken's hand slid away, a sad smile crossing his features. "Well, he should be happy, then. The crystal is safe, and he has been properly succeeded." His smile brightened, and he turned to Chalsi. "Let's get this bear some sunlight, shall we?"

***

Temmo groaned as the two sat him down on a large rock. He had recovered consciousness, and was slowly healing from his wounds with the help of Eiken's first aid kit. The sun shined down brightly on the three as they took a rest from the adventure they just had.

Chalsi laughed as she saw Eiken in the warm, natural light. "Your beard, Eiken! You've gone grey!"

Worriedly, Eiken grabbed a braided lock of his beard and turned it up so he could get a good look at it. Mixed between the coppery reds he was used to were numerous streaks of silvery grey. "Argh, it must have been from the time vector shockwave. I didn't just feel old, then! I guess now I'm closer to really being the Silver Storm, eh?"

Chalsi laughed, and even Temmo managed a chuckle, but then the trill grew serious. "So Eiken," she asked, "What's your plan now, hmm? You're the guardian, right?"

He nodded. "I guess I head home. I can make trips out here to check on things from time to time, but it should be fine now, for the most part. Right?"

"Yeah, about that. See, Cress had some pretty good instructions and all, but I've been going over some calculations, and I don't think the time vector generator will hold forever. If it breaks, we're back where we started, only worse. And with Cress gone, we don't have a whole lot of information on the system. So, I think you should come with me to Hallifax. You can explain what's going on, and maybe study a bit of Aeromantic Engineering yourself. It could come in handy, you know."

To the side, Temmo laughed bitterly. "Do that if you want, Eiken, but count me out. Demon birds, crystal bugs, the end of the world? I just want a simple life. I'm going to go home, and rest."

Eiken nodded slowly at Temmo, showing his understanding. "I can appreciate that, friend. But she's right. I've got a duty here and now, and I'm not up for it the way things are. I need more training. And besides, a big city like Hallifax? That's not an every day occurrence, you know. So I'll see you home safely, but I have a destiny to pursue."

The trio gathered their things and started the journey home, with Eiken stopping to look out at the horizon, and think of the adventures that awaited.