Fanfic:Nathaniel's Great Stairs
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THE YELLOW STAIR
How long was it since Nate was last in Mayene? It felt like it was recent, but on the other hand this Mayene was nothing like what Nate remembered. He trudged down familiar streets, wearing the clothes he wore before the Grey Tower - a pair of shorts and an unbuttoned red shirt - but it wasn't the same. It felt darker, colder, as if Tear were planning an invasion or something rather than just threatening to every so often.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what was going on.
Propaganda posters were slapped on walls and billboards everywhere. "Mayene needs YOU!" "Fight for your right to Mayene!" "Put the ‘Man' in ‘Mayene', join the Winged Guard today!"
The thought of Tear taking his homeland made Nate sick to the stomach. How did they plan on attacking them? The marshes to the north were too difficult to navigate, and there was no way Tear had worked out how to launch a naval assault. Nobody could navigate the waters south of Mayene without knowing the routes.
Nate found himself at his brother Tristan's home, where he had settled with his wife and proceeded to have three happy, healthy children. Nate let himself in as if he did this all the time, going to sit in the kitchen with his brother and sister-in-law. Marion looked worried as she turned to greet him, though she put on a smile for the children when they ran in to see "Uncle Nate".
"We weren't expecting you to be back so soon," Tristan said. "When I sent the letter I thought it would be weeks before you could get here."
"I said I'd be back," Nate assured his brother. Tristan was a sturdy man in the Carridus way, heavyset and strong, though right then he looked smaller and thinner than Nate remembered. The Mayener gave his brother a pat on the arm, "I don't know what I can do, but I'll do what I can. I'm glad Ma and Da aren't here to see this. A Tairen invasion! How are they going to attack us?"
Tristan opened his mouth to answer, but then there was a heavy rapping on the door.
"Oh blood and ashes," Marion swore. "Not again." There was another knock and she went to open it.
"What's going on?" Nate asked Tristan.
"The Winged Guard Enlistment. They're getting... persistent."
"It's your choice," Nate said.
"Try telling them that."
Marion opened the door with a shake of her head, squaring up to the liveried men outside. "I already told you, Tristan is not interested and you can't make him. He's a crafter and a builder, not a soldier. He has a family!"
"Be that as it may Mrs Carridus," one of the men said, "we're under new orders. One man from each household, that's the law now."
"That is ridiculous!" Marion spluttered. Tristan got to his feet but Nate was quicker, moving to the door and gently nudging Marion aside. That was enough to quieten the guards momentarily as they had clearly been expecting Tristan, not his older brother.
"So it's the law now?" Nate asked. He held a hand out, "show me."
One of the men handed Nate the scroll, and it was undeniably accurate. One man from each household was expected to serve the City-state. Exceptions were made, but as Tristan was not old, alone, injured or any of those things, there was nothing Tristan could do.
"He has a family," Marion said, her tone pleading. "Nate, Tristan isn't a fighter. He'll die out there and I can't... I can't do this without him."
Nate turned to give Marion a small smile. "It's alright, Tristan isn't signing up."
The guard made an indignant noise. "But it's the LAW!"
"It is. One man from each household." Nate gave a small smirk, spreading his hands. "Nathaniel Carridus. I'm the man for this house."
"Nate!" Tristan appeared in the door as well now, looking up at his brother. "I can't ask you to do this."
"You don't have to ask." Nate's tone was matter of fact, "you, Marion, the kids, you're the future of the Carridus family and I said I would come back to Mayene and protect you. So I'm doing this Tris, deal with it. I can channel, and I can use the warhammer. Your place is here."
THE GREEN STAIR
Tris looked up at his brother with worry lines creasing his forehead. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm sure." Nate gestured to the guards, "let's go."
And that is what they did. As they walked, the guards filled Nate in on the specifics:
The Tairens were using channellers to navigate the marshland north of Mayene, and were planning a terraform assault before sweeping in with their troops. The channellers could have used a Gateway to get into Mayene, but no, this was about opening up trade routes, possibly. Or just the Tairens wanting to deal with Mayene fully and properly once and for all. Nate gave the guards a bemused look as they made their way to the Winged Guard's headquarters. "Have you petitioned to the Grey Tower? Or even the White and Black Tower. Where are these channellers from?"
"The Black Tower we think," one of the guards said. "But you can stop them, can't you?"
"Not on my own!" Nate exclaimed. "And forming the land in the marshes - how do you fight that? Burn me, I need more channellers. I'm no Earthsinger."
"But the White Tower have refused, and the Grey haven't replied," the guard said. "I mean that's what the Captain says. The Captain wouldn't lie."
"Of course he would," Nate muttered, but the men chose not to hear that remark. However, they did hear Nate's request to see the front line, and they were more than happy to indulge.
Nate stood at the edge of the marshlands, making a face at their surroundings. Here, civilisation had given way to the power of nature. Boggy uneven ground, gangly loamy trees, dangerous swampland, where did it begin? Mayeners of the past tried to make a life here, ignoring the beginnings of nature. The roads were uncared for, ruined buildings littered the area, and it stank. It reeked of mould and decay and mud.
"It's supposed to be raining," Nate realised. He stood there, hands on his hips, of a height with the Captain even as the man wore his tall, winged helm. Nate looked down at the stalwart fellow. "It should be raining right now and it's not. Have you noticed the difference in the weather patterns? And how did you expect to combat this? They must be manipulating the weather conditions in their favour." The man scowled, "It's going to play havok on the ecosystem."
"We were going to intercept them here, hold them off and focus on their channellers. Hopefully we can keep them at bay until the weather draws them back. Here, we have the territorial advantage."
"Only until they turn up and dry the land out and clear the trees," Nate said. But really, what else could the Captain do? They were waiting to be invaded, but now they had one channeller - Nate - and they thought they could use him as a secret weapon or something. If only! Nate was a decent channeller, and he certainly had a knack for telling the weather, but he was no master of weaves. He did well enough but he'd never really excelled, that was the simple truth of it. Not everyone was born to be extremely talented, anything but. Still, he was more use than a large number of soldiers combined, and he had agreed to help however he could.
There was a way he could be more than just one man though. "Captain, I'm going to need a map of the area, and leave to get some backup."
"But you just got here," protested the Captain. "What if you don't come back?"
"If I don't go, then you have no chance of saving Mayene," Nate said. He clasped the man on the shoulder and his tone was friendly, but there was nothing kind about what he said. "Besides, I'm not asking for your permission, I'm giving you an order."
There was a sharp intake of breath from the soldiers standing behind them, and the Captain looked up at Nate with outrage etched across his sun-darkened face. "You may be able to channel, but I am leading this defence."
"I'm not taking your role as Captain, you can keep the fancy title and all the accolades. I'm telling you the best way to utilise your precious lone channeller. Because I will not be enough on my own, not against what you say they are doing to the land. And if defying your instructions in order to get the desired result is what I have to do... then so be it."
The Captain still looked rather cross, but he did give a begrudging nod. "Alright," he said. "We'll reconvene in the map room at the palace. I'll give you until sundown."
"That's all the time I need."
THE BLUE STAIR
Wearing his black uniform, Nate made his way to the M'Hael's office. He hadn't got a meeting, but the man was determined to press upon him the importance of the Grey Tower's support in battling Tear. The last thing anyone wanted was for Tear to take over Mayene, so he was sure that the M'Hael would listen to reason. Light, he probably had a plan already!
Murdock was sat at his desk and he looked up from his book as Nate stomped on through. "What is it?" he asked.
"I'm here to see the M'Hael," Nate explained as if it was obvious. "Is he in?"
"He is, however, he doesn't simply see anyone on a whim," Murdock pointed out. "He has a slot..." the man looked at the small diary he kept, "... in four days. If his haircut is quick."
"Four days?!" Nate exclaimed.
"That's right. One more than three, one less than five." Murdock took up his pencil, "shall I book you in?"
"Burn booking me in," Nate growled, "this is important." He strode to the doors and shoved them open, much to Murdock's dismay.
"Hey! You can't just wander in whenever you like!" he squawked, standing up with his stick to hand. "Just because you and the M'Hael are friends..."
"That has barely anything to do with it," Nate said dismissively. He gestured into the room where Alric was sat at his desk, looking up with a very unimpressed expression on his face. "See, he's not happy to see me!" But he was the perfect person to talk to about Tear.
Alric rubbed a hand across his face and made a gesture Murdock clearly understood, as the Far Maddinger nodded his head and sat down with barely any grumbling. He was of all Ajahs and none, but Nate knew that there was still a significant portion of Alric that was Brown. He was a fairly active one though, and there was enough of the Green in him that Nate knew he'd probably come help Nate combat the Tairens personally.
"Scruffs, he's right you know. You shouldn't be barging in." Alric didn't sound upset, just a little bemused.
"I wouldn't if it wasn't super important," Nate assured the man, striding over and giving an appropriate bow. "It's about Mayene. The-"
"The Tairen forces are moving in with intent to take over using terraforming weaves on the swamps to the north." Burn the man, such a know it all... Alric let Nate kiss the ring on his finger as was normal, though for a second it looked as if Nate was going to tear his arm off by the socket. "What? You KNOW about this?"
"Of course I do, I'm the M'Hael," Alric grumped.
"Then why aren't we doing anything about it?" Nate demanded. "What in the bloody Light are the Grey Tower doing to help? Flaming ashes- bloody, stinking Tairens-"
"Are you quite done?" Alric asked drily.
"I, er... no," Nate folded his thick arms. "I came here to get Grey Tower support. You know we have to help Mayene, Alric. It's not right what the Tairens are doing!"
"Now listen here," Alric said, "when we went through the Arches, we gave up where we came from, in service to the Grey Tower. In becoming M'Hael, I removed myself from my Ajah as well. Look at it objectively. The Tairens and the Mayeners have been at one another for years. This is another ploy by the Tairens, and the Mayeners will find their way out of it. I have false Dragons, Seanchan, and an Ogier uprising to worry about, Mayene is not high on my list and we don't have the resources."
Nate worked his mouth open and closed, responses hitting his throat but never quite making it out. The Mayener - because that's what he was - had no response that would be appropriate to say to the M'Hael, and so he rather wisely kept his mouth shut. For about thirty seconds. "I know what we were told in the Arches," Nate said, "But I don't believe for one bloody second that you've let go of Mayene like you sound like you have. I know I haven't. If you got that report about the Tairen invasion and felt nothing... then you know what? Mayene doesn't want you. Burn it all, I'm going to protect Mayene even if it kills me!"
"And it will," Alric said matter of factly. "There are laws and procedures I have to follow, you know? I can't just swan off and fight a nation because I was taught not to like it growing up."
"WELL I CAN!" Nate growled. "There are people who need evacuating and protecting. There are Tairens who need blowing up. And I'm doing it whether the Grey Tower likes it or not because that's what I promised Bells I would do. Protect those who needed it. Help those who can't help themselves!"
"You would make an appalling Grey," Alric remarked, a small smile on his face. "I won't try to stop you, but I can't condone it either. Whatever you do out there, you do off your own back."
"That's fine by me. And I didn't come to the Grey Tower so I could hide behind its walls all day watching the world go to shit. Wish I could say the same for you." The burly man gave a formal bow and turned on his feet, stomping out the way he came.
THE INDIGO STAIR
Now just because he didn't have the support of the M'Hael, didn't mean that he couldn't use the resources of the Grey Tower to his advantage. There had to be some ter'angreal that would help him with manipulating the weather, give him that edge that he sorely needed over the Tairens. If the land was a swamp still, they couldn't do anything to get to Mayene. It was as simple as that.
Only, access to the vaults was easier said than done.
And when the Aes Sedai guarding entry to the vaults was a Tairen, you knew you were going to have a bad time.
There was no love lost between Patrice Sedai and Nate either way. The woman was Tairen nobility, but more importantly, she was a massive bitch and Nate had no time for her. He knew he wasn't great at much, including ter'angreal creation, but she'd been pretty snide about it when he tried it out, and it had stung the eager Dedicated's pride.
"The M'Hael warned us you might come and pay a visit," the woman said.
"Great. Now, I need a ter'angreal that will help me with Cloud dancing..."
"You know I'm not going to give you access to the vaults. I know exactly what this is for."
"Uh huh. But... but when you became an Accepted you let go of all ties to your homeland. You should be impartial to this, Patrice."
"As impartial as you?"
"No. I'm going to look after the people who need my help. I'd do the same if they were Illianers. Or Cairhienin. Or Seanchan. Or if Mayene were dumb enough to invade Tear. I go where the people need it." Nate stuck his chest out and wore that stubborn look he'd adopted since Viadulo. "Besides which, not letting me in would be in direct violation of your duties as an Indigo. This sort of personal bias will be reported to your Head of Ajah and from what I hear the hormones are making her an even bigger bitch than usual so, I'll just swing on by and see what Elia's up to. I bet she'll love to see me between bouts of morning sickness."
Patrice sighed, but she did take a slip of paper and pass it to the man. "Here. Fill this out and then we can see about getting you a ter'angreal." The Indigo paused, watching as Nate began to scrawl over the sheet he had pressed against the wall. "I don't think-"
"Nobody asked you Patrice!" Nate growled.
The ter'angreal itself was a long, slim rod, seemingly made of glass. It was cool to the touch, and as Nate put his hand around it the inside shifted like rippling clouds across the sky. He grinned as he held it up.
"This is perfect," he said.
Patrice raised her eyebrows from where she was observing the man. "Do you know how to use it?" she asked.
Ah.
THE BROWN STAIR
So Nate went and found out how to use it.
THE GREY STAIR
Having seen Alric, there was only one other person left for him to go see. Well, two people he supposed, seeing as they were stuck together at the hip now. Warders!
Nate didn't mind all too much. He couldn't blame Bells for taking a step back from them and their friendship after one too many blow-outs. There were only so many times you could be attacked by your best friend before you had to reconsider spending time with them, but that didn't make Nate miss Bells any less.
He went to the Green Ajah quarters to where he understood Fiona's rooms were. Nate hadn't ever actually visited since Fiona and Alrim bonded, opting to let them have their non-violent space doing whatever it is that people in love did. Alric had made a wry comment about Fiona not being the only green person in this relationship, and Nate couldn't entirely refute it. But it didn't matter now anyway.
He rapped on the door with a heavy hand, easily identifiable. Even so, he felt the need to add "Bells, it's me. Open up it's important yeah?"
A bit of shuffling later and the door opened, revealing Bells in his Warder-like glory. Dressed for a day of teaching in the yards by the looks of it, the Borderlander's expression was grim. But part of that was probably the hammer-shaped bruise across the right of his face that had never been properly Healed away. It made Nate cringe slightly every time he saw it, but he owed it to Bells to actually look him in the eye when he spoke to him. He gave a small smile, and the Gaidin said "what is it Brawn?"
Funny how nicknames could be used as a term of endearment, but then you could just... swap the tone over and all of a sudden they were a way of keeping away from real names, as if personal business was no longer something you could do together. Nate swallowed the lump in his throat that he didn't realise was there. "I'm going to Mayene. The Tairens, they're trying to invade, and I'm gonna stop them. I probably won't be back for a long time." The man stuck his hand out, "I just wanted to come along and say... y'know... bye. And that I hope you and Fiona have a good time doing Green stuff in the Borderlands. I mean it!" he insisted as Bell's eyebrow shot up (the one that could still move).
Bells did shake his hand at least, though he sounded dubious when he spoke. "Alright then. Good luck in Mayene."
It was so impersonal, so... so far from what Nate was used to, that he couldn't help but press it further. "Aren't you sad that I'm leaving? That I could die out there?"
There was that look across Alrim's face, momentarily, but it was quickly gone. "My place is with Fiona," he said, "and that has to come first. I'm sorry you're on a suicide mission Brawn, but at least you'll go out the way you want to? Defending Mayene and all that. Have you asked anyone to accompany you?"
The temptation to say "I only wanted to go with you," came to mind, but was dismissed. "No."
"Go talk to Gretchen then. She'd go with you I'm sure."
"I'm not a Red."
"You'll be facing rogue channellers. Like it or not, you need a Red." Bells looked up at his former comrade, "you've got a fair bit of Red in you as well, no? You might be all about helping the helpless but you'll do it mowing down the bad guy first. I've seen it first hand." Felt it first hand, was the unspoken additional statement there.
It was true though. Nate folded his arms. "If I ask Gretchen to come along, will you do me a favour and go see a Yellow?"
Bells started to lift a hand reflexively to his hammer injury. Why he hadn't let FIona take care of it was beyond Nate, but then what did he know about bonded men? A lot less than he thought he did. But eventually, the Borderlander nodded his belled head. "I will."
"Okay." Nate was going to clasp the man on the shoulder, but there was something that said this might not be all that welcome. Instead he bobbed his head in a slight bow, "good luck in the Borderlands."
"Don't die on the first day, Brawn."
THE RED STAIR (WITH ADDED WHITE I GUESS)
Gretchen was not an easy woman to get a hold of and once the message was sent and he got a response, Nate wondered whether or not he was in need of a Red at all. But from the start the woman seemed keen to impart violent justice upon the Tairens and their abuse of power, so who was Nate to argue? Unlike Patrice, Gretchen took a dim view of the invasion, regardless of her own opinion on Tairen and Mayener politics.
"It matters little whether I agree with the principle or not," Gretchen said as they stood together on the Mayener marshland. It was just the two of them and the Cloud Dancing ter'angreal, though the WInged Guard were close enough to respond to a flare signal should they raise one. Gretchen looked like she was out for a stroll, her flowing red dress hanging from her skinny frame in a way that flattered it as much as a figure like hers was able to be. Taller than most men, she still had to look at Nate when she spoke, though she often looked away at the landscape instead to keep watch. "There is the matter of balance at play here. The Tairens are taking advantage of channelling forces to get what they want and I have it on good authority that these are not people of any Tower."
"Rogue channellers, being used by Tairens. The people who hate channelling almost as much as the Seanchan." Nate grunted, trying to sound amused.
"They must have been working on this for some years," Gretchen said. "And whether these are Darkfriends or not is irrelevant. We will deal with them."
"The Red way," Nate said with a smile.
"That's right. You wouldn't make a bad Red, you know. Probably not an excellent one, but you'd get things done." High praise indeed from the woman.
"I know," Nate replied. "But-" he broke off with a start. "Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"The weather... it shifted. It feels like it's going to be sunny here indefinitely, and that's not right."
The skies were still ominously clear. Gretchen shook her head. "What is it, weatherboy?"
"Someone is doing something to the weather," Nate said. "The Tairens. I'm going to use the ter'angreal now - you know the plan?"
"I do," Gretchen said. "As much as you can call it a plan."
"Well there's two of us and a lot of them so it's all I have, alright?" Nate growled. "Just do your part and we'll hopefully get out of this alive."
Concentrating, Nate seized Saidin and began to channel through the ter'angreal rod. The bright sunny skies in the rod began to change, turning dark and cloudy because symbolism. The Tairens thought they could change the weather here? Did they not realise what they were doing to the environment? Nate knew better, knew that he was restoring the natural order of things.
Clouds began to gather overhead, spreading far and wide, more than Nate could manage alone. It was effortless. The ter'angreal made his weaves much more potent, and it was almost scary how quickly it began to rain.
"Making up for lost time!" Nate told Gretchen as fat drops began to fall in earnest. He would hold this until he couldn't hold on any more. Meanwhile, Gretchen kneeled down, one thin hand feeling the ground beneath her feet.
As far as women went, there were few better at Earthsinging than Gretchen. Between them they had come up with an excellent idea - flood the shit out of the Tairens and make the swamps as difficult to pass through as possible. Gretchen channelled, and Nate watched as ahead of them and into the swamps proper, the earth began to crack open in long, skinny slivers. Rainwater would soon fill these.
"This isn't going to be enough!" Gretchen said as she worked, looking up at Nate from her position at his feet. She controlled the earth, he manipulated the sky, between them they were quite a team. "We need to get closer. If you want to take on the forces and remove them from the equation, then you can't stand here and wait for them to arrive."
"I can't go in!" Nate told Gretchen. "This weather is going to affect the north of Mayene as well - I need to overlook the efforts there. This rain should hold and the Winged Guard will have a ranged advantage."
"They have channellers, Nate. They will come."
"Then let them!" Nate growled. "You do your Red thing, and I will do my... Not Red thing. If I don't help Mayene then there'll be nothing worth saving and they didn't ask for this!"
The Red was still channelling into the ground, and Nate was still making it rain, harder and faster and for longer after he released the source. It would do more harm to the Tairens... but the Mayeners would need help as well. The longer Nate stood there the more he felt like he was in the wrong place, that this was not a battle for him to fight. It was one battle, but the wrong one.
No, that wasn't quite right. Nate would do whatever he had to do, go where he was needed most, and offer his services in whatever way felt the most appropriate for the situation. The gleam in his eye when he knew what he had to do, did not go unnoticed by the Aes Sedai. "I'm not going to like this am I?"
Nate grinned toothily. "You're going to love it. Me and you vs. a bunch of rogue channellers? That's practically a date isn't it?"
This was met with a flat look.
Undeterred, Nate went on, "signal the flare and tell the Winged Guard to go and evacuate the north, as much as they can. We're going to take the bull by the horns and show them what for for messing with Mayeners!"
"You mean, show them what for for misuse of the Power?" Gretchen asked, as she straightened up and shot a bright flare into the sky. Red, of course.
"Whatever your cause is," Nate replied with a wave of the hand holding the ter'angreal.
Shortly after, Nate and Gretchen were approached by the oncoming forces of the WInged Guard, though it looked as if they had some company as well...
Fiona looked as regal as ever on her mount, neat green skirts still dry as she sat beneath a dome of Air. On the other hand, Alrim was soaked, bells and water weighing his long hair down, but he had a look of readiness to him.
"What in the Light are you doing here?" Nate asked them both.
"Why, we're here to assist," Fiona said matter of factly, giving him a smile. "Neither of you can Heal, and it's going to be dangerous out there. Besides..." Fiona gestured to Alrim, "it was by his request."
Bells nodded his head, dismounting his own mount and making his way over. "Bells and Brawn's biggest adventure so far," he said. "You won't bloody bond me so let's make the most of this one if it could be our last." He clasped Nate on the arm, and the Mayener pulled him in for a violent hug.
"Let's flaming do this!" he told the group. "The four of us vs. the Tairen channellers. We'll show them what for, because... because of our own reasons I guess." Gretchen nodded brusquely. "It doesn't matter what our personal goals are. Together we're doing the right thing, and that's what's important."
Fiona displayed a surprising amount of skill at battle planning, though Nate should have known better given her choice of Ajah. He always thought of her as a Yellow who picked the wrong side, but here she was proving why she chose the Battle Ajah. Looking from Fiona to Gretchen, short to tall, blonde to brown, the man tried to see himself in their Ajah. But ultimately, it didn't matter. He was here to get the job done and whatever he was supposed to be would come along afterwards.
Nate and Gretchen would go to high ground, and make their standoff there. It would help them both with their channelling, though it would single them out as a target. That was fine. Meanwhile, Fiona would stand back and deflect what weaves she could from the Tairens, and Alrim would flank them to take out any loose channellers at the back. They wouldn't be expecting that and hey, it was all they had the time to plan. There were several options for points to have this stand off, and Nate led the way as he had a map of the area with the Winged Guard that he had memorised. Besides which Gretchen seemed to be able to tell, Earth sense or whatever. Nate trusted her when she gently nudged him to stomp a little more to the east. A rocky rise just over the natural tree line was just what they needed, but they weren't close enough to the Tairen forces there.
They continued deeper into the marshy swampland. Rain fell heavily around them as Nate continued to channel, and he could tell that this was going to have quite the lasting effect. Why, if they could halt the Tairen advance here, they might not be able to advance any further at all by the time they recovered. Nate sure hoped so, and he channelled more intently into the ter'angreal as they walked. They were all soaked to the bone (with the exception of Fiona, who walked over the swampy ground with neat walkways of Air as well), but Nate didn't care. It was right that the land needed to make up for lost time, rain that the Tairens had denied the earth.
But it wasn't cold. Wet, yes, but not cold. Yet. Mayene was still Mayene, and one of the hottest places in the civilised world that one could live.
"This isn't what I expected Mayene to be like," remarked the Arafellin Warder, shaking his head.
Nate shrugged, "It's not always being invaded by Tairens," he pointed out. "After this is over, go and see the city-state proper. Head to the sea. Enjoy a drink in a tavern on the beach, gamble away all your coin. Enjoy it under Mayener rule!"
Eventually they came to a rise, and at the top of this miniature cliff face, that was when Nate saw the Tairen forces. His heart fell to the floor. It felt like Tairen flags were painting the entire horizon in their hideous intrusive colours, rows and rows of Soldiers. In the middle, a path was being worked through for some machinery of sorts, trees being blasted aside with the Power. They moved slowly, and the rain couldn't be helping matters at all, but they were a lot closer than Nate liked. They were a lot more formidable than expected as well. Even with the work Gretchen had done cracking the earth, it hadn't been enough to stop them, only stall.
But there was nothing else to it - time to do what they came here for.
"Everyone ready?" Nate asked. "If anything happens... thank you for being here. I don't think I would want to do this any other way than with my friends."
Gretched clicked her tongue. "I'm not your friend," she pointed out, but it wasn't with the usual acid tone. With that she kneeled down and put her hands to the ground. Nate lifted his ter'angreal to the sky, drawing on as much of Saidin as he could and weaving together Air and Fire to rain lightning down upon his enemies. They might all die here, or they might somehow make it out alive. But either way Nate knew he was where he was supposed to be.
There was channelling in the distance. Their rogue Tairens were coming. As the scene began to fade and Nate realised what was happening, his final thoughts on the matter were: raise a ruckus, Bells. And don't let Fiona boss you around too much.
