All the knights of the FIDELIUS group then followed the informant linked to Bonnofal, being guided to the "Great Passage", the entrance to the Meclithic Valley. The journey lasted about 3 hours, including a stop to replenish water in their canteens.
When they arrived, they felt the dust of the valley beneath their feet and the dry air on their skin. They stood at the entrance to the Meclithic Valley, a vast battlefield covered with the bodies of soldiers and knights who had fought tirelessly for a futile purpose.
The sounds of battle echoed from every corner, intimidating those who were a little anxious. However, Leslie reinforced her thoughts, and they decided to move forward.
"Sirs, I present to you the Meclithic Valley, a testament to the sacrifices made in this senseless war. But we have a mission to fulfill."
This marked the limit beyond which the informant could not follow them. Leslie requested his return to a safe point.
"Leslie, this is where I say goodbye to you," the informant said.
"Please don't die."
"Okay, you did good, Owl…" Leslie replied.
After a considerable amount of time had passed since the informant's departure, Leslie once again communicated the risks to the knights.
They decided to proceed and once again swore oaths with their swords.
"Stay alert, everyone. Our path may be treacherous, but we march with purpose."
"Remember what I said, know how to choose your battles, avoid any unnecessary battles."
"Right—!" they exclaimed together, in unison.
The group split into two teams of six. Rudra led Alyfir, Bart'Olimios, Connor, Edgar, and Humbert, while Leslie led Edmund, Caspian, Lloyd, Augustus, and Gael.
The battle had begun. On one side, many soldiers, riflemen, and infantry faced off, while on the other, knights stood at the front line and mages cast powerful spells.
"This is where we will split up, Rudra—!" Leslie announced.
"Okay… I'll take care of mine." – Rudra replied.
Thus the two halves dispersed to their sides. Leslie and his party faced their first encounter, while Rudra and his team continued on horseback. Galesian infantrymen emerged to challenge Rudra's party. The conflict unfolded, and under Rudra's expert guidance, the horsemen acquitted themselves well.
"Missing the battlefield, Rudra?" Alyfir asked as they advanced, avoiding clashes.
"I certainly didn't want to be back."
They continued fighting, and as they advanced, Connor was hit in the arm by an arrow.
"Connor–!" Alyfir shouted.
Bart'Olimios retaliated, killing a Galesian archer with his bow and arrow. Despite the injury, Connor assured him it was nothing.
"Just a scratch..! I'm fine."
Rudra reassigned his position with Bart, requesting him for a sudden function while they rode.
"Bart, I need you to be our sniper." Rudra declared.
" Woo– what!?" Bart shouted.
"Eliminate every sniper that gets in our way, from both sides."
Bart swallowed hard, but accepted the task set by his team, and so they continued, with Bart eliminating every shooter who intended to shoot at his teammates.
"That's it, Bart–!" Humbert exclaimed.
"...They are doing a great job, I think we can speed it up…" – Rudra asked in his thoughts.
"Knights–! Advance with me!" Rudra announced.
Watching from afar, Leslie saw that Rudra's group was handling the situation well. The knights continued their journey, trying to avoid unnecessary conflict.
"Great… They're in good hands…" Leslie said.
"Let's go ahead too, boys—!" Leslie exclaimed to his group.
Both sides advanced triumphantly, avoiding fighting and clearing obstacles in their path when necessary. However, the further they advanced, the more soldiers gathered, blocking the easy passage on horseback. As they rode, more Galèsian soldiers appeared, and the FIDELIUS soon found themselves cornered, with limited options.
"Damn it! Everyone, grab your swords!"
The knights on both sides found themselves surrounded by Galèsians, with no chance of getting out of that situation alive. Rudra looked at Leslie, waiting for a decision, be it strategic or irrational.
"It seems like everything went wrong…" said Leslie, disappointed.
"Captain?" asked Rudra.
"..." – Leslie remains silent, as he notices around him, many armed Galèsian soldiers.
"I don't see any other option… We'll have to fight–!" Leslie was soon interrupted by a voice.
Suddenly, Bart starts stuttering in fear, looking up:
"G-guys..! Look at that!"
Everyone's attention was drawn to a colossal figure. "Dunessa Amitae" , a Dune Whale, and "Arreto Nortuas" , a dune ray, emerged from the sands, levitating all kinds of debris hidden beneath the sands, as well as spreading large waves of sand.
The knights were thrown off balance by the fall and impact of those colossal beasts. Debris buried in the sands was also suspended in the air, with a chance of hitting one of them.
The knights, who were close to the ray, realized that it would rise into the air and, to get rid of the enormous wave of sand, they had to avoid the seismic activities generated by the shock of the colossal monsters that collided with the ground.
Many soldiers from both sides were buried by the sands, or even crushed by the rocks that emerged from the ground. The knights of the FIDELIUS group rode in anomalous directions, with no escape route.
"What now? How do we get out of here?" Connor exclaimed.
Leslie observes the few opportunities around him, and with no choice, he announced to his companions:
"Knights, we will have to cross this Valley."
"What is it!?" – exclaimed Alyfir.
"How do you expect us to cross this chaotic valley with these monsters throwing sand and rocks everywhere!?" Edmund asked, highlighting the adversities that lay along the way.
"W-We're going to die here!" Bart shouted in panic.
Leslie turns his horse toward the eye of the storm, and says:
"Whoever wants to follow me and die a clear honorable death, come! But those who want to stay and die in shame, feel free."
Leslie's words took over the rational minds of the knights present, making them make a risky decision. Rudra directed his horse, as did Leslie.
"What are the orders?" asked Rudra.
"What–! Are you crazy, Rudra!?" Gael exclaimed.
"If any of you have a better option for survival, step forward." Rudra replied, leaving the rest of the group in silence.
"*Huff…* He's our leader at the end of the day." – Edgar sighed.
So, one by one, the knights directed their mounts into the eye of the storm. Leslie gave instructions on how they would navigate the chaos that lay ahead.
"Here's the thing, we will always move forward, avoiding as many projectiles in the air as possible."
"If any of you have to avoid something nearby, do so."
And so they set off. Waves of sand, large rocks and heavy debris, in addition to the presence of colossal giants fighting. The knights followed in groups, the same ones formed previously so that they could continue to the crossing point, the forest beyond the valley.
"Rudra–! There are many rocks in our path!" – exclaimed Edgar.
"Just keep moving! Only deviate when necessary!" Rudra replied to the group he was responsible for.
And it happened that, because of the great amount of shocks between the giants and the ground, some horses remained agitated. Alyfir lost control of his mount, making him fall to the ground.
"Arghhh–!" Alyfir shouted.
"Alyfir!" exclaimed Humbert.
Soon, Rudra ordered his group to continue following the path, while Rudra returned to look for his companion exposed in the dangerous field.
Alyfir, a little dizzy from the fall, looked up and saw a giant piece of debris heading towards him and despaired. Rudra with his horse drew Alyfir's attention to himself.
"Alyfir–! Take my hand!"
Alyfir turned his gaze towards the approaching Rudra, and with his strong arm, Rudra managed to grab him, sharing his horse with the knight Alyfir.
"Ah... I–! I'm alive…" – Alyfir sighed, frightened by what he had witnessed.
"It's not over yet, we have to meet up with the rest of the group." – Rudra replied.
Leslie's group also found themselves in trouble due to the creatures' proximity to them. Due to the monsters' collision with the ground, cracks opened up in the ground, creating crevices in the ground.
"The ground is opening up–!" Edmund warned.
"Come on! We're not far from the border!" Caspian replied.
Avoiding the cracks that opened, the FIDELIUS found themselves on the path, and close to the border between the Valley and the Dense Forest, but a large crack had opened in the path of the border.
"A big crack! In the way!" Rudra announced.
"We'll have to jump our horses!" Leslie replied.
The main idea would be for the knights to jump the gorge due to their weight and propulsion. Rudra's horse had double the weight due to Alyfir, and it would be almost impossible for both of them to get out of that situation alive. So, Rudra takes a rope with a hook from his bag.
"Hey–Hey–Hey–! What are you doing!?" Alyfir exclaimed.
Leslie looks at Rudra, asking about his actions:
"Are you sure about this?"
"Everyone has a moment of redemption… right?"
Rudra's words to Leslie made him think. Soon Leslie laughed heartily and said:
"You guys are really going to surprise me–!"
Arriving at the border, blocked by a large crevice, the knights prepare to make a long jump with their horses.
"Ready–?!" Leslie exclaimed.
"Yes–!" they all replied.
So, one by one, the knights jumped and crossed straight across, very close to the edge of the ledge. The last ones to cross were Alyfir and Rudra.
"What are you going to do!?" Alyfir asked in panic.
"Alyfir, you will have to cross alone, I will cross with this long rope, holding onto the rock in front."
Rudra was standing on top of the horse, balancing himself with his arm on Alyfir's shoulder, and preparing to jump at the right moment.
"Ruuuudraa–!" Alyfir exclaimed, expressing his anxiety towards the abyss that lay before him.
"Not yet," replied Rudra, who was waiting for the right moment to jump.
The crevasse was ahead, and Rudra quickly jumped off his horse, leaving only Alyfir to cross.
In free fall, Rudra threw the rope with the hook onto a rock on the other side. Alyfir had managed to pass through the large crevice successfully, and Rudra, with his rope, was suspended in the air, however, the hook did not seem to be firm enough, causing the golden-eyed knight to fall into the precipice.
"Rudraaaaa—!" Alyfir watched his companion in freefall, as debris caused by the two colossal creatures dropped debris into the large crevice.
In freefall, the knight contemplates his purpose along with his oath before the noble leader Magnusson, while his memories flash before his eyes, along with the massive debris that falls beside him.
Closing his eyes, Rudra probed his memories, which echoed in his mind, "...Are you going to give up so soon...? Is this how your story will end?". The knight soon opened his eyes, while performing inhuman acrobatics on the debris that was suspended in the air, thus gaining momentum to rise.
"I can't die here… Not before I fulfill my purpose…!"
His maneuvers were risky, but well calculated, where a single slip could lead to him being crushed by the rocks. On the surface, his companions observed the abyss, hoping to locate their companion who was unsuccessful in crossing.
"...!", Alyfir remains silent and distressed because of what happened, when Edgar and Bart observe something moving through the rocks. "It can't be...! It's him!", said Edgar, astonished by the resilience of his companion Rudra.
Leslie then ordered the others to use their ropes, tying them into a single one to give Rudra enough length to grab it when he was close to the surface. The knight continued to use the momentum of his legs on the rocks, supernaturally, to climb up.
"He's coming—!" Throw the rope, now!" They did so. The rope, which was firmly tied, was thrown over the precipice, and Rudra, who was near it, stretched out his hand in a desperate act. "He'll make it—!" exclaimed Edmund, but before he could grab it, a rock falling above him struck his arm, fracturing it slightly.
Without thinking, Rudra extended his right arm, and stretching it with all his strength, managed to grab her, being pulled by the others immediately. Now on the surface, Rudra could finally rest in relief with his companions.
"What the hell was that–! How did you do that–! If it were any of us, we would have died for sure–!", exclaimed Alyfir, who remained in disbelief with what Rudra had performed. "Let him breathe, you rash man.", said Gael, who pushed Alyfir away so that Rudra could catch his breath.
"…", The knight remained silent for a while, not knowing what to answer, as he also did not know what had happened to his body.
"...If you don't know, imagine me… in that fall… it's as if time had slowed down for me…"
In order to restore the mood, Edgar approaches, "Rudra, are you okay?" – asked Edgar.
"Y–Yes..! *Huff*... *Huff*…" – Rudra replied, panting due to the adrenaline rush that had passed.
Leslie and the other knights were relieved at Rudra and Alyfir's worrying crossing, and quickly rushed to pull Rudra across. With the successful crossing, Leslie and the FIDELIUS turned back, looking at the disaster that was the valley.
"That—was… insane." Humbert said, perplexed by what he had witnessed.
"Expect more of this from now on," Leslie said, announcing to her companions the imminent risks of the trip.
Leaving the chaos caused by the creatures behind, Leslie and her FIDELIUS group rode their horses to their next destination, to the Dense Forest, the path after the Meclithic Valley.
GLOSSARY:
Dunessa Amitae: Dune Whales, colossal beings that roam the sands and feed on desert creatures. They are most active in Veros and Carmina (seasons that represent the summer season).
Arreto Nortuas: Sand Stingrays, are colossal beings, which, like their enemies Whales, roam the desert sands.
The War on the Meclithic Valley: A war that lasted 3 days between the Galèsian infantry and the Aleonian cavalry residing in Hault, a military region, unfortunately had a tragic end for both sides.