CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
MAELUN — CONSOLIDATION: Preparing to return to Earth
The next two weeks blurred together in a flurry of activity. First, we honored our dead properly.
ARi had constructed funeral pyres on the hill outside the bunker, overlooking the city below. The cohorts who’d fallen—the legionaries who’d sacrificed themselves against the suicide bombers, the Praetorians who’d died defending the bunker, the rogue who’d fallen at the keep—were wrapped in white linen, each with a banner bearing their unit’s colors draped across their chest. The Praetorians bore banners of red and gold. The legionaries, red with two black stripes. The single rogue, black with two gold stripes.
The native kobolds who’d died in the fighting were honored the same way, their pyres placed alongside our fallen cohorts, wrapped in simple white linen. The Matriarch stood with us as we gathered, her people lining the hill to witness.
“In the ancient ways of my people,” Anithea said in careful English, “we return the fallen to the sky through flame. Their spirits rise with the smoke, freed to find their rest.”
The surviving cohorts formed an honor guard along the path to the pyres—shieldbearers with their polished bronze gleaming in the afternoon light, rogues in their dark armor standing at attention. Red and Charlie stood at the head of the formation.
Tim and Kyle carried the first stretcher—a Praetorian who’d died defending the bunker entrance. They laid him gently on the pyre. Tanya and Yumi carried the next, one of the legionaries who’d marched toward the suicide bombers. One by one, the fallen were placed with honor.
When all were laid to rest, ARi moved between the pyres, placing her hand on each one. Flames erupted, clean and bright, consuming the funeral wrappings and banners. The cohorts slammed their spears against the ground in unison—once, twice—their salute to the fallen.
I stood with my arm around ARi as we watched the smoke rise into the sky. She was crying quietly, tears streaming down her face. The native kobolds placed their fists over their hearts, their own gesture of respect for those who’d died defending their city.
When the flames finally died and only ash remained, I raised my hand and summoned a Control-Node in the center of the gathering—smaller than the territorial markers, but no less permanent. The obsidian column rose from the ground as my stamina drained, and I steadied myself against the familiar exhaustion.
“I promised once that I would remember the fallen,” ARi said, stepping forward. “That I would place their names where they could never be forgotten.”
She waved her hand, and a large bronze plaque materialized on the face of the Control-Node. Names appeared, etched deep into the metal—each legionary, each Praetorian, the rogue, each civilian, each native kobold who’d fallen in the defense of Maelun.
At the top, in larger script, were simple words:
“They will be remembered.”
The cohorts saluted again, spears striking ground. The native kobolds bowed their heads.
“There should be another,” I said quietly to ARi.
She nodded, understanding. She raised her hand again, and deep in the bunker below, in the great hall near the hearth, another bronze plaque appeared on the wall. The same names. The same inscription.
“One for those who stay to guard this world,” ARi said softly. “The bottom of the second plaque inside had the added inscription.
“Live free and in peace. We will return.”
Later, as the crowd dispersed and we stood alone on the hill, ARi leaned against me.
“I hate this,” she whispered. “I hate that we lost them. I hate that their names are on that memorial instead of standing here beside us.”
As days had gone by we mourned, but we also rebuilt.
ARi threw herself into restoring Maelun with an intensity that worried me. She barely slept, spending every waking hour phasing rubble, reconstructing buildings, recreating what had been lost. I think it was her way of coping, her way of doing something concrete while everything else felt uncertain.
I found her one afternoon working in the ruins of an ancient library. The building’s stone walls still stood, testament to kobold craftsmanship, but the interior had been gutted during the Fall. Shelves torn down, scrolls and books destroyed by a thousand years of exposure.
Jack was with her, carefully sifting through debris. The Matriarch stood nearby, her expression a mixture of hope and heartbreak.
“Anything salvageable?” ARi asked as Jack lifted a piece of rotted material that might have once been a book.
“Nothing intact,” Jack said quietly. “The moisture, the time… most of it’s just organic matter now, Ward.”
ARi knelt beside a pile of what looked like compressed sludge. Books that had degraded beyond recognition. She placed her hand on it and concentrated, her abilities activating.
The matter shimmered, phased out of existence, then reappeared on a newly-formed shelf. Now it looked like a book. Leather bindings restored, pages crisp and white. But when Jack carefully opened it, we could all see the truth.
The first few pages held faded text, barely legible. Then blank pages. A few more scattered paragraphs. More blanks. Even ARi’s abilities couldn’t recover what was fundamentally gone.
“I can restore the physical object,” ARi said, her voice thick with frustration. “But if the information was already destroyed…” She trailed off, staring at the blank pages.
“You’ve given us miracles already, Guide,” Anithea said softly in her improving English. “Buildings that were dust now stand. Walls that were rubble now protect. We are grateful for every word that you recover.”
Jack set the book gently on a shelf and turned to ARi. “Ward, could we speak? Privately?”
ARi glanced at me. I nodded and slipped out, giving them space.
I found Kyle in the agricultural district outside the city walls, using his earth manipulation to help native kobold farmers prepare fields that hadn’t been worked in generations. He moved tons of soil with casual waves of his hand, terraforming entire plots in minutes.
“This is impossible,” one of the farmers said in broken English, watching his field level itself. “True magic.”
“It’s not magic,” Kyle said with a grin. “Just really weird physics.”
Not far away, I spotted Red and Charlie in deep conversation with a group of legionaries and the newly-promoted squad leaders who’d earned their ranks during the final battle. I moved closer, catching the tail end of their discussion.
“…When the Architect calls, we may need to deploy instantly.” Charlie said to Red.
“What about those staying?” one of the new squad leaders asked.
“Those staying,” Charlie answered. “Will maintain combat readiness here on Aedaea. You will eliminate remaining threats, and train the native population to defend themselves.”
“And when the Champions return?” another asked.
“They’ll have a fortified position waiting,” Red said.
“The key,” Red continued, “is maintaining combat effectiveness in both forces. Those in Stasis will go in ready for immediate deployment. Those staying here maintain active training, keep gathering intelligence, stay combat-ready for threats that might emerge while the Champions are gone.”
“And if something goes wrong while they’re gone?” someone asked quietly.
“Then we handle it,” Jack’s voice came from behind me. I turned to see him approaching the group.
Red saluted Jack. “You have command of those staying, brother. Use them well.”
Jack returned the salute. “They’ll be ready when you return. You have my word.”
That evening, I found ARi in the bunker’s library section, sitting alone among the knowledge tablets and partially-recovered books. Her eyes were red from crying.
“Hey,” I said softly, settling beside her on the bench.
“I hate this,” she said without preamble. “I hate that they’re staying where I can’t be. I hate that something could happen and I wouldn’t know. I hate all of it.”
“ARi—”
“Don’t,” she interrupted. “Don’t tell me it’s okay. You don’t know that.”
I was quiet for a moment, choosing my words carefully. “You’re right. I don’t know if they’ll be ok. But I know they’re not making this choice lightly.”
She was quiet, tears streaming down her face. “What if something happens to them while we’re gone?”
I took her hand. “Then they’ll handle it. And when we come back—whether it’s been days or decades—they’ll still be here with stories to tell.”
ARi leaned against me. “I’m still going to worry.”
“I know. That’s what makes you who you are.”
Three days before our scheduled departure, I sought out Tony in the embassy section. I’d noticed the notification in my architect interface—she’d reached level 5 and was waiting for her class selection. I found her alone among the knowledge tablets ARi had created, running her fingers along the carved inscriptions.
“Tony,” I said as I approached. “You have a class selection waiting. I wanted to go over your options.”
She turned to face me, and for a moment I saw hesitation cross her features. “Architect, I… would it be possible to wait? Erica and Maddie are out scouting, and I know that whatever we choose will set the path for the others. I’d like them to be here when we make that decision.”
I nodded, understanding. “That makes sense. When do you expect them back?”
“We’re here,” Erica’s voice came from behind me.
I spun around to find both Erica and Maddie standing in the library entrance, giggling. I hadn’t heard them approach at all.
“Let’s do this,” Erica said.
I pulled up my architect interface and projected the selection window above us so they could all see it clearly.
[SYSTEM WINDOW:] CLASS SELECTION
Congratulations, Architect. Your Viṣakanyā cohorts have reached Level 5. Having already undergone specialization, you may now deepen their discipline through formal Class selection. This choice does not replace prior training or inherited traits.
Once selected, this Class will be adopted by all Viṣakanyā.
Architect: choose one Viṣakanyā Class.
Shadow Dancer
Shadow Dancers emphasize speed, misdirection, and survival through motion. They excel at rapid infiltration, sudden disengagement, and chaotic repositioning, using shadow to deny enemies reliable targeting. Shadow Dancers favor movement, deception, and evasion over sustained confrontation.
Class Skill: Phantom Step. Instantly displace through nearby shadow, reappearing within a short distance. Leaves behind a brief visual afterimage that may draw hostile attention.
Wraith
Wraith-bound Viṣakanyā abandon restraint in favor of predatory momentum. They move through darkness aggressively, chaining stealth, poison, and violence into a single, fluid approach. Shadows do not slow a Wraith—they accelerate it. Wraiths thrive on close proximity, sudden emergence, and relentless pursuit, striking again before their presence can be fully registered. Existing venom disciplines are not tempered or refined; they are unleashed.
Class Skill: Phase-Walk. Momentarily desynchronize from physical space, allowing explosive movement through solid matter or shadow before reemerging directly into lethal range.
Venom Adept
Venom Adepts focus on expanding the Viṣakanyā mastery of toxins, treating poison as a flexible and adaptive weapon. Through control and modification, they tailor venom delivery and effect to targets and conditions while maintaining full stealth and infiltration capability. Venom Adepts excel at precise eliminations, incapacitation, and controlled outcomes.
Class Skill: Toxin Synthesis. Convert available biological or alchemical materials into tailored poisons, selecting potency, delivery method, and effect profile.
This selection is permanent.
The three rogues studied the window in silence. I watched as they moved closer together, their heads tilting toward each other as they spoke in low voices.
Tony’s eyes were fixed on the Wrath description. “Girls I feel like Wraith is the right path.”
“Phase-Walk,” Erica said, pointing to the ability. “It’s like this was made just for us.”
“Predatory momentum,” Maddie added with a smile. “I abandoned restraint a long time ago, but Phase-Walk sounds awesome!!”
The three were quiet for a long moment.
Tony turned to face me. “We choose Wrath, Architect. The others nodded in agreement.
I selected Wrath.
Immediately, they began to glow with dark light, shadows coalescing around their forms like living things. The transformation was almost beautiful in a terrifying way. Darkness gathering, swirling, then sinking into their bodies as if being absorbed.
When the glow faded, they looked… changed.
Their eyes had transformed. They were darker, more intense, with an otherworldly quality that made me instinctively take a step back. Their presence had shifted too, carrying a weight that hadn’t been there before. When they moved, shadows seemed to cling to them for just a moment longer than they should.
“How do you feel?” I asked.
Tony flexed her hands, dark wisps trailing from her fingers before dissipating. “Focused. Like everything unnecessary has been stripped away, leaving only purpose.” She looked at Erica and Maddie with those changed eyes. “Do you feel it too? This… clarity?” The others nodded through predatory grins.
ARi’s projection appeared beside me. She looked at their transformed appearance, and I saw tears already forming.
“You’re really doing this,” ARi said softly. “You’re really staying.”
“I am, Ward,” Tony said. “Someone needs to guard what you’ve built here. The knowledge. The people learning from it. I can do that.”
“You’ll be isolated,” ARi said, her voice breaking. “For years, maybe. Decades. And Tony, you look…”
“Dangerous!” Maddie said as she hugged her sister.
ARi stepped closer to Tony.. “Keep them safe. All of them. The knowledge. The people. This city.”
Tony bowed her head. “Until we fall, Ward,” she said. “Or until you return.
I watched as Tony stood with her sisters, shadows still clinging to their transformed forms.
“You chose well,” I said quietly.
ARi turned away, unable to watch anymore. I wanted to comfort her, but my hands would only pass through her projection.
“They’ll be okay,” I said softly.
“I know,” ARi said, her voice thick with tears. “I’m not worried about Tony or her squad. Those girls will do just fine here while we’re gone. I’m worried about the others.”
“Why?” I was surprised to hear her sudden confession.
Maddie turned and answered for her. “Because all of you boys are idiots.”
I held a look of mocked indignation while all four girls nodded slowly at Maddie’s declaration.
The final night before our departure, we held one last gathering around the bunker’s great hearth. Everyone was there, wanting to say proper farewells.
The mood was bittersweet. Food and drink covered the tables. ARi had prepared a feast. Kyle’s berry moonshine made an appearance, and even some of the kobolds tried it, to varying degrees of regret.
Red stood and raised his cup. “To Earth,” he said simply. “And to those who stay to guard what we’ve won. May we return to find this world thriving!”
“To Earth!” the others chorused.
Sawyer stood next. “To the Ward, and to the Architect, may your battles on Earth be swift and Victorious!”
More cups raised.
Jack stood, and the room quieted. He looked at each of us before speaking.
“You gave us life and purpose both,” he said. “The life to fight, and the purpose to choose our path after. Those who wait honor you by being ready. Those who stay honor you by keeping the peace.
Anithea stood beside him, raising her cup as well.
The night wore on, stories shared and plans made. Eventually people began drifting away to make final preparations, and to private goodbyes.
I found Sawyer on the bunker’s observation deck later, staring out at the wilderness beyond the city.
“You’re going to do cowboy shit the moment we’re gone, aren’t you?” I asked.
He grinned. “Hunting Kobolkai is just good tactics, Architect.”
“Good hunting, my friend. I look forward to seeing you when we get back so don’t die okay consider that an order.”
Sawyer nodded and I left him in the observation deck..
I found ARi in the library later that night, sitting among the tablets and broken books.
“I think they’re going to be okay.” I said, settling beside her.
“I know,” she whispered. “But Gavin… what if years pass? What if something happens and I’m not here?”
She leaned against me, and we sat in silence.
The next morning, we stood in the center of Maelun, gathered around the obsidian Control-Node. Native kobolds lined the streets, watching as we prepared to leave.
Those entering Stasis stood in formation. Red’s legionaries, Charlie’s Praetorians, most of the Principes and Velites, the Viṣakanyā and new Wraths including Maddie and Erica, all the newly-promoted captains and squad leaders.
Those staying stood apart. Sawyer and Jack stood with Tony and her squad.
I raised my hand and accessed my architect interface. The option appeared:
“Are you ready?” I asked the formations.
Red saluted. “Ready, Architect. We await your call.”
I selected the option.
One by one, they began to fade—translucent, ghostly, then gone. I could still feel them, though, connected through an intangible thread. Waiting. Ready to answer whenever I called, wherever I might be.
When it was done, only those staying remained.
ARi turned to Jack, and spoke quietly in kobold. Words I couldn’t understand but could hear the emotion in. Jack responded, then she pulled him into a fierce hug.
When they separated, ARi’s face was streaked with tears.
I pulled up the system window one final time:
[SYSTEM MESSAGE:]
Congratulations, Champions. You have completed the objective to quell the rebellion in Maelun and secure the progression node.
The progression node has been captured and converted into a Territory Outpost. Your territory’s influence has been anchored to this point and Its coverage now extends across the ancient metropolis. All technologies and schematics recovered up to this moment have been preserved and catalogued.
Because no active champions were lost during this operation you qualify for an extraction of a single active entity to your home civilization via a compatible cradle.
All participants must return to the Cradle before the deadline!
You may choose any single active entity present and eligible for transfer.
Warning: Selecting Your Guide for extraction may have unforeseen consequences. When this entity leaves the Cradle on your home world she will do so in her current form and maintain all knowledge and abilities granted via the Ascendancy. All participants must have an active guide. Your guide will become a human female. All rules in regards to participant death would apply to your guide the same as they apply to you. However loss of a guide in this form while not in the Cradle will result in permanent death and forfeiture.
Return to Earth.
[YES] [NO]
“You guys,” ARi said quietly, “maybe we should talk about this.”
I looked at Kyle and Tim. They both nodded without hesitation. Tanya and Yumi were already hugging ARi from either side.
“Yumi, squeezed ARi tighter.
“Oh, sweetie,” Yumi said, her voice thick with emotion, “there’s nothing to talk about.”
I selected YES.
The world dissolved into light. The last thing I saw was the garrison we were leaving behind. Sawyer raising a hand in salute, Jack standing beside Anithea, the four Wraths and the native kobolds of Maelun gathering to witness our departure.
Then everything went white, and we were going home.
THIS IS THE END OF THE FIRST CRADLE BOOK 1 OF THE IRON CRADLE SERIES BOOK 2 STARTS RIGHT HERE AS VOLUME TWO!