Tread Lightly

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Elizabeth Stroudwater

Wind rushes around me as I swing through the air with Harvey and Renee from the hook latched onto a building. I chose the two people best for speed. Renee has multiple hooks that she can use to swing from buildings with. Harvey is incredibly fast, so I pick him for that fact alone. He has a duo of Rogue Sigils, making him a Thief.

Renne is a Rogue-Comanche mix, so she is fast with her hands, reactions, and senses. This allows us to swing multiple times north before we even reach the ground, although we get closer and closer to the sand below. The buildings of Rustbank aren't very tall after all, averaging at two or three floors and topping out at four.

A plan came to mind the second I heard where to go and how severe the issue was. Get us to Bonfire as fast as possible and send him and Wyatt back as quickly as possible. I assume Bonfire has a way of being quick on his feet; he is a 5th Sigil, after all. I don't need to return with them, nor do Harvey or Renee.

My eyes squint as we move past our third building and land roughly on the ground. I put up Ether to soften my landing, but the two I promised a large sum of money or weaponry catch me. Harvey quickly rolls and grabs my right shoulder to cushion my fall as Renee clips her hook onto a lantern on the side of a building and catches me with her feet on my arm.

This odd pairing ends with me on my feet despite our most recent swing's ten-foot or so drop. The two quickly recover and sprint down the barren street northward, where we see fire and hear gunfire. Every single person in this town who can fight, besides Primrose and Heath, who are in the basement of the Gate, is defending the surroundings of Rustbank. It is admirable how we can come together so quickly.

Now, sometimes you have to use force or compensation to make people work for you, but it's never impossible. You just need the right bait. For the two beside me, it's money and weapons. For most here, that's what it is. Now for some, it's ideological, like Johnny, but all that means is you have to allow them to spread that ideology.

I just hope that Bonfire will be easy to convince. He does know me from the black market attack, so hopefully, he will trust me enough to do what I ask. But there is always a chance he won't. After all, he'd be leaving his friends to fight alone. It'd take a lot to convince me to do the same.

I'm running as fast as I can, even enhanced by a rough use of Ether that can't even be called a skill. But it's not fast enough. Every beat of my heart makes me imagine Wyatt kneeling within an egg of burning flame, unable to get up or out. He's tough… But fire is fire. It can burn down even the most indomitable fortress with enough fuel and time.

I feel slightly sour about what I'm about to ask, but I rationalize it away quickly. The way I say it is also kind of rough, but I must use Yell for them to hear me at all because of the cacophony of battle around us. The Ether in my voice will hopefully make up for the rough tone.

"Both of you! Pick me up and run at full speed toward the man producing the fire!"

Renee looks at me confused for a second but understands what I'm asking faster than Harvey, who reacts slower than her. She twists and picks me up by swooping my legs out from under me, something I was not expecting.

"Ahh!"

I yelp in surprise as she picks me up, but she yells back at me.

"Thought this is what you wanted!"

I quickly confirm that this is indeed what I want. I also have to correct how she's carrying me. The bridal carry will likely only slow us down. And Wyatt is burning.

"Yeah! Just let Harvey help so you two slow down evenly!"

She makes an "Ahh" type of face at my words and shifts how she's holding me, allowing Harvey to help. It feels peculiar being carried by two people at horse-like speeds through the streets of the town I've lived in the past while. But I quickly get over it and start looking for the source of the furious flame.

We move past several streets in just a few seconds as we exit the inside of Rustbank and come to the edge. Where the horde has reached. But the only thing I see is a wall of flames that moves outward toward the monsters that seek our lives. The construct of fire is over ten feet tall and too thick to see through.

My eyes scan the expansive wall of flames that have been created at the edge of the town. Like a guardian of fire, the man stands alongside a group of four. I recognize them all. Cigar smokes a cigarette to generate smoke, Woody increases the strength of Bonfire's flames, Frozen helps ensure the fire goes in the right direction with bouts of cold, and Clumsy… with his stupid floppy hat. It's hard for me to notice anything besides the man's giant floppy hat despite his unheard-of aptitude for Kindling. The general skill he's gone beyond mastery on both increases the flames of Bonfire while also making foes slip and fall. He also gets angry if anyone calls it anything other than Grease. So, Grease it is.

Bonfire has gathered an entire team of friends that complement his already powerful abilities. Without them, he could probably only create a fire a quarter the size while at the same time struggling to control it. But with the whole team on his back, they manage something better than anyone could imagine.

This is the reason why Johnny gives the man so much autonomy. With his team, he's basically an entire Sigil higher. On his own, he's powerful, but with Cigar, Woody, Frozen, and Clumsy, he becomes a man worthy of admiration. It also makes me realize just how essential teamwork is.

My eyes take in his power, and I rapidly think of a way to make him move as we move toward him. He basically holds this entire side of town on his own. Only his team is here, after all. If he leaves, this side will surely fall, and his friends will likely die. His fires will dim and go out without his constant attention and input.

Is there a way for me to hold this side without him? And convince him of it? Maybe. Nothing is impossible. I just have to find a way. Wyatt taught me that, only he did it a bit more physically than I ever could.

The distance between the three of us and Bonfire rapidly shrinks down to just a few dozen feet due to their speeds. Bonfire is busy making wide sweeping motions that eject furious flames from his forearms. My mind rapidly seeks an answer for how to solve this seemingly unsolvable puzzle.

Four of Bonfire's men will be left, and there will be three of me, Renee, and Harvey. How can we hold the line against the horde with just us seven? Guns? No way. There is not nearly enough firepower among us. It would require at least three or four gatling guns like Earl has to hold the monsters back.

If not guns, then is there some way we can manage their abilities to work together? I don't think so. Bonfire is the string that connects them all. Without his fire, there is nothing. The three of us would just be useless.

At this point during my thought process, Renee and Harvey set me down next to Bonfire, who turns to us as he notices the movement. The wall-like fence of fire just a few feet from us immediately makes me sweat. I'm not good with heat, although it is a welcome transition from the cold weather.

He swipes at his head to get some sweat off of him that is clearly caused by the fire. Seems he's not entirely immune to his flames. Hmm. Good to know. Then, he calls out to me, asking why I'm over here. He also has to scream as we are so close to the raging wall of flames.

"Elizabeth! What are you doing here?!"

I go to respond, but I pause as I still do not have a good enough answer to convince him to leave his friends. He might not want Wyatt to die and for the demon to fall, but I can tell how he'd respond based on how he talks to his team. Bonfire would undoubtedly say no to leaving them for Wyatt. And while I respect that and would likely do the same, it infuriates me because it's my friend who dying right now.

The time is running out for Wyatt. He's been burning for about a minute at this point. I have no clue how long it takes to burn to death, but I can't imagine it'd take much longer than just a few minutes at the most.

I take a moment to think as he just looks at me. My eyes run over the entire surroundings as possibilities whizz by my mind without any sign of stopping.

Collapse buildings for cover? No, it would likely take too long and leave us injured.

Have Frozen freeze the Grease that Clumsy makes? Not that, either. We need to kill the monsters, not just slow them down. They'd make it to us like that.

Simply retreat until we find others to help us? That's the worst idea. It'd leave monsters in the town to flank everyone else. I'd kill myself if I was the reason a beast came up from behind and got Earl killed or if a monster snuck into the Gate and got Esther.

Just leave the fire to burn and act as a wall? Probably wouldn't work. It'd rapidly diminish in size and intensity without Bonfire. Not just that, but he constantly moves it side to side, stopping anything from just going around.

But the idea isn't so bad it should just get scrapped. We might not have the power to initiate the flame after he leaves, but that doesn't mean we don't have the other components. If he leaves, we might still be able to keep the flame going. Maybe even control it as well.

Bonfire looks at me oddly after I've just been looking around maniacally for the past ten seconds. He speaks to me once more as he sends more fire into the wall, increasing its heat even further. His actions spark ideas within my mind just as he sparks flames.

"Elizabeth! You good!? What's wrong! You two! What's happening?"

I ignore him a little longer and wave at Renee and Harvy as they try to speak for themselves. The two go quiet when I order them to as I glare at them. I turn back to my thoughts as I seek to finish them.

Cigar will create smoke to block the vision of the monsters, making them more likely to run into the fire as usual. He just needs to also send it into the hordes of monsters and focus it around their faces, preventing them from comfortably breathing.

Woody needs to keep using his logs and make the fire rage as long as possible. Keeping the wood in the center of the wall is probably the best bet to keep the fire hot enough to dissuade any reckless monsters from charging through it.

Frozen will be the one to control the wall. There is also room for improvement in how it's already being handled. They focus on moving the edges, but they can lighten the load by creating gaps in the middle of the wall. Frozen can do this by making the area cold. This will make monsters likely to charge through these gaps where we can shoot them, block them with debris, or spread the flame back with Clumsy's Grease.

Speaking of, Clumsy will be the one to work on the edges. He has to keep the sides of the wall just as hot as the center while simultaneously slowing down any monsters that might come. I remember him saying he could feel whatever touched his Grease as long as he was close enough. He'll have to be our scout, as only Bonfire can see through the flame.

While the four of Bonfire's boys do this, Renee and Harvey will be running to the building just by us and getting debris, even if they have to break it off of the walls. We need wood, stone, metal, anything to slow the monsters down so they burn longer in the fire. Everything is just so that if a monster comes through the flames, they are weak enough for us to quickly kill.

But with all of this must come perfect precision and teamwork. Bonfire won't be here to allow for mistakes. Somehow flawless communication and cooperation must be achieved.

That will have to be my job. There is nothing I can do to help other than shoot my shotgun, after all.

With the plan completed, I finally speak up to Bonfire, who, at this point, is severely worried for me. I reply with as much calm as I can muster so that my words come across cleanly. I need him to understand the stakes and how I can keep his friends alive.

"Elizabeth! SAY SOMETHING!"

"You are needed on the west side. Johnny and Wyatt need help. A fire is raging, and you must put it out. I and these two will help your boys keep this fire going. Even without you present, as long as we are meticulous, the fire will still rage."

He looks at me, bewildered, as his eyebrows raise and his eyes leave the fire. He waves at his friends as he refuses me.

"What are you talking about!? I can't leave! If I do, they'll die without me!"

His refusal is mainly expected, even with my words. My plan is impossible to explain fast, after all. So instead, I lean into my Sigil. I use everything I've learned since I got it just a few days ago. My mind spikes with pain as I use two skills at once, one of which I've never used before in a stressful situation.

My voice is imbued with both Inspire and Yell as I try to reach deep into Bonfire and make him see my reasoning. Each syllable from my mouth rings out louder and more powerfully than a bullet.

"This is an order from Johnny! You will go west and help him and Wyatt! I will stay here and keep the flame raging with your team! You are not required to keep the flame alive as long as they are here! I will take the lead and order them in your place! GO NOW!"

The man looks shocked at my words and takes a step back, an action that puts him closer to his wall of fire. My words seem to affect the man as he twists to peek through the blaze behind him. After a moment's glance, he darts back at me.

"Can the fire really go on without me!?"

I nod with confidence despite deep down not being sure. But I can't let him know that. Wyatt's life is on the line.

"Yes! Go! I will protect your boys! I promise!"

Bonfire gives me one last look as he puts his hand out. He's asking me to shake on it. I do.

When our hands' clasp, I feel the intense heat in his palms. I'm burned like touching an actual bonfire after just a second of touching him. He yells out toward his team. I grimace as I pull back, and Bonfire acknowledges me.

"I'll be back in a bit! Listen to Elizabeth! She will help you all keep the fire raging!"

He nods at me as I see a swirl of fire appears beneath his feet. Then, with a burst of flame, he runs toward the nearest building and, with another shot of flame, jumps all the way to the roof of two stories. The fire carries him all the way up like a lift for a mine but ten times faster and a hundred times more radiant.

I turn back to the wall of flame and the six people around me. Immediately I start barking orders, every single one imbued with both Yell and Inspire. My Ether can reach the men's and women's ears around me despite the noises while at the same time giving them just that little bit of an edge.

"Cigar! Use your smoke as lashes on the other side of the fire, and put your smoke around monsters' and Outlaw's heads! Clumsy! Help him with your Grease! Tell us whenever you find someone, and pair with Cigar to slow them down! Make sure the edges of the wall are scorching hot! Do not let them fade!"

I turn my attention to Woody and Frozen next from Cigar and Clumsy, managing their abilities sharply.

"Woody! Keep the center as hot as possible with your firewood! But keep on your toes! Frozen! Create cold spots around the wall so that gaps emerge in the fire! This is how we will funnel and distract the monsters now that Bonfire isn't here to move the fire quickly! At the same time, you will have to move back and forth around the wall to move the flame slowly!"

Then, I shift toward the two that brought me here.

"Renee! Harvey! Both of you, go behind us and get any and all flammable objects you can! Throw them into and through the wall of fire! Hopefully, we can catch more things on fire and prolong the flame!"

The power and confidence I exude when I use my Ether in my voice is fantastic. It's almost like I'm a new person. Everyone starts to follow my orders as I micromanage. I do everything I can to stop anyone from making even a single mistake.

"No! Frozen! Small gaps! Don't go any larger!

Woody! Help me if anything gets through before the fire spreads back!

Cigar! Lash in front of where Clumsy is pointing! Not in front of him!

Good, Renee! Harvey! Faster!"

I get the team of six moving like a well-oiled machine, flawless and efficient. For several minutes we work in harmony. We kill dozens of monsters that try to get through or around the fire one at a time. Nothing can even shake us from our groove, except for one thing.

Out of nowhere, in the middle of my barking orders, comes a thundering roar from the sky above, my entire vision lighting up from an abrupt radiance behind me. The rumble from the lightning strike is so ominous I fall to my knees.

Worry rises in my heart just as it starts to fade for Wyatt.

The bolt of lightning landed just about where he would be.