Gulrang & Tocsin

She could see them parading through the streets of the First City when she accompanied her mother to the factory. They were proud, and their armor gleamed beautifully under the sunlight. Even though she was pregnant with her yet-to-be-born brother, her mother continued to work. Sometimes, she would show her how she worked with wood using Alteration, seeking to instill in her the necessary knowledge to take over the factory. But as soon as the sound of boots echoed in the street, she would rush to the window to see the Aegis sentinels depart on patrol.

Sometimes, when evening fell, Venka would come over and stay for dinner. The veteran would then tell her countless anecdotes from his time with the Bravos. He had been injured fighting the Tumult, evidenced by a permanent limp and a pained expression when making certain abrupt movements. But that didn't stop Gulrang from eagerly soaking in his words, despite her parents' polite reprimands. The Aegis sentinels were there to help the population, to defend them against all threats. That's what she wanted to do. At just twelve years old, she had already found her calling. By fourteen, this dream had turned into certainty.

The bells rang out in the city, and the crowd gathered in the city squares. Holding her barely two-year-old brother in her arms, she sat next to an old statue of Rune to listen to what the street criers had to say. It was there that she first heard about the Expeditionary Corps and the Rediscovery Endeavor. Of course, the Ordis soldiers would be mobilized to venture into the Terra Incognita. They would ensure the safety of humanity's greatest venture…

In the evening, when Kojo was already in bed, she tried to convince her parents. Gulrang couldn't see herself working ebony like her mother, let alone running a neighborhood grocery store. When she was old enough, she would join the Aegis, whether they liked it or not. She wanted to climb the ranks of the Ordis and become an Aegis Paladin. She listened attentively to her parents' desperate sermons, trying to persuade her to change her mind. Yes, the life of a soldier would be dangerous, and yes, this existence would be hard. But that's what she wanted to do, and nothing would dissuade her…

In return, for the next four years, they would be able to rely on her completely. She would take care of the house, take Kojo to and from school, help him with his homework, prepare meals... But once she was old enough, she would join the capital's law enforcement. She stood firm against her bewildered parents; a rock that nothing would move. Faced with this stubbornness, Yawo and Tehea were at a loss. Their daughter was determined, but it just showed how much perseverance she could muster for something she wanted from the bottom of her heart.

Her trajectory within the Ordis hierarchy was spectacular. From a simple cadet, she became a recruit in just a few months. Venka's training and Gulrang's diligence had paid off. It took her only two years to become an official Trooper. On this occasion, she was marked between the shoulder blades with the Faction's Diamond, endorsing her membership in the Ordis and opening to her the Hive Mind that linked all its members together. The experience was overwhelming, as her mind awakened to the presence of others, on the edge of her consciousness. With a caress, she could call one of them. With a simple act of will, she could summon the presence of another…

Officially a full member of the Ordis, she continued to distinguish herself, to the point of being assigned to Asgartha's most perilous position: guarding the peninsula's borders against the Tumult spreading outside. When she first looked out from the Rampart, overlooking the Tumult expanse of Caer Oorun, she saw the next step of her ambition. That was where she wanted to go to bring Asgartha's security to that still hostile and unknown place.

But the hostile and unknown came to her instead of waiting quietly. The alarm rang in her barracks, and she quickly dressed. Arriving at the battlements, she saw the cause of all the commotion: an iridescent glow shimmered in the distance, announcing that a Tumult flow was about to surge toward the peninsula. Already, the Kelon generators were humming, shaping a shield against the Tumult, soldiers and Alterers rushing to the parapets to repel the chaotic effluents. With hearts pounding, the soldiers took their positions, ready to face the danger…

The wave crashed against the Rampart. Fortunately, the wave didn't have the power of the tsunami that had swept over Asgartha at the beginning of the century. But this time, the Tumult had brought Chimeras, which suddenly materialized on the magical wall's serrations. Two of them landed not far from Gulrang. One of them infused into a stone statue, which suddenly came to life, and the other took the form of a griffin with blue feathers. The two creatures lunged at each other, and in the crash of their battle, columns and stone bulwarks were overturned.

Without thinking much further, Gulrang placed her hands on the ground, calling upon Heka to inscribe into the stone the concepts that would help her triumph. Where she traced Glyphs on the ground, prodigious spikes sprang forth. Instinctively, the griffin spread its wings to escape the marble spikes, but it was too late. Two spikes pierced its flank, and it tumbled over the battlements, inert and lifeless. The Golem, meanwhile, struggled to rise, weakened, but still acknowledging the soldier's presence, as if thanking her in return. But the other sentinels surrounded it, threatening it with their halberds.

Without strength, the creature allowed itself to be captured without offering any resistance. Gulrang, on the other hand, was taken to the infirmary, although her wounds turned out to be superficial in the end. But despite the adrenaline, or because of it, Gul couldn't find sleep that night. She went to see the Chimera, who was waiting in its cell. She wanted to know why it had saved her. But communicating with it was another matter entirely. Nevertheless, by using the Heka Glyphs, the soldier and the sentient statue managed to initiate a conversation, expressing and deciphering ideas.