The next hour was pure hell. Jacob was bleeding from multiple points on his chest and was in no condition to teleport. Rose flooded healing magic into his body as Xavier and her began the slow trek through the mountain.

The pirate was able to create a few bridges made of ice to get them past the more treacherous parts of the trail but between Rose trying to heal Jacob while also helping carry the young rebel they were already spread thin.

Xavier had been in gory situations before, particularly during ship combat that went south, but there was something so excruciating about watching his friend slowly bleed in his arms.

Jacob had at least fallen into unconsciousness so he wasn't awake to endure the uncomfortable journey back to the city.

There was so much blood and the fear in Rose's eyes despite her best efforts to heal him was enough to make Xavier want to break down. If I had just learned the damned healing spell! Xavier repeated in his mind.

Eventually, the bleeding stopped and the duo was able to get Jacob back to Heacha where he could get medical attention.

Rose quickly spun a lie that they were explorers on a Kingston-sanctioned expedition and were able to get a bed in the Kingston barracks for Jacob to rest in as well as the medical supplies needed to aid him.

There wasn't much conversation to be had as Rose worked around the clock to get Jacob in a half-decent condition and the boy remained unconscious for most of the night.

This left Xavier sitting off to the side in silence and replaying what had happened in front of him. Atlas had been captured by Crius and was now held prisoner within the Indigo Jewel... but why? Why not just kill Atlas?

And Crius had proven himself to be so powerful with the jewel in his hands that he managed to defeat all three of them and nearly wipe out Jacob before Rose had forced the Guardian to retreat.

It all left Xavier uncertain that they stood a chance against an army of Guardians, especially without Atlas. But Rose had still managed to send Crius running once the full force of her power was unleashed so that may still be hope?

Xavier was forced to dwell on those questions without any answers for the rest of the night and into the next day when Jacob was finally ready to travel.

The group didn't want to chance their lie being disproven so they hurried out and aboard Marius's ship as the sun ascended into the blue sky.

There wasn't a single cloud to be seen and the wind was slow which meant that travel took far longer than it needed to. At the very least, it left the group plenty of time to recap everything that had happened and the plan going forward.

They were going to need to immediately come out swinging. There would be no holding back if they wanted to beat those monsters and free Atlas from their clutches.

Jacob explained to them that Atlas was needed to fully power the Indigo Jewel. Which meant that Atlas would at the very least be kept alive and could hopefully be rescued.

They finally reached the Azure Cove after sailing for the better part of a day and regrouped with Marius and Cannonball to get the latest news.

"The Stormcasters arrived yesterday and they've gotten so many crews on board. We just might have a larger force than what Clamerates is bringing." Marius recapped.

Cannonball nodded. "Pretty much the entire cove is supporting the battle. Tempus wants you to meet up with him when it's time to start planning the invasion."

"Well, unfortunately, we first need to swing by Clamerates to get them officially on board. Jacob, you've got your new proposal?" Xavier confirmed.

Jacob shrugged. "Not really. I'm giving them an amazing deal already. I don't know what more they want from me."

"You've got to think of something or else they're not going to help us," Rose told him.

The rebel rolled his eyes. "I'm aware. I'll think of something. I need to get away from all this right now." Jacob marched off towards the cove's forge and Xavier had an idea.

"I think Jacob's going through a lot. But I know how to help him. Rose, be ready to leave by sundown." Xavier told her and he hurried after Jacob.

The boy was standing in the middle of the forge and admiring all the tools at his disposal. All of his movements were very deliberate to not disturb his still fresh wounds.

Jacob noticed Xavier come in and groaned. "I already told you, Xavier. I'll think of something. Please just leave me be."

The captain shook his head. "I'm not here to talk about that. I actually have a favor to ask." He produced the two main pieces of his gun sword that had been shattered during the fight. "Do you think you could fix this for me?"

Jacob inspected the weapon and nodded. The blacksmith got right to work in the forge and began hammering away. The room started to heat up which was particularly uncomfortable for Xavier but he persevered to watch the process.

It was a beautiful sight to watch someone move around the complicated room with such expertise and bend and contort metal to their will.

The craft was finally finished after a few hours and Jacob presented Xavier with his brand new gunsword. "I sharpened it myself so it should be able to cut through way more now."

Xavier returned the weapon to its rightful place on his back and nodded. "Thanks Jacob, that was some incredible work. Now I have to ask, what's on your mind? I can tell you're bothered about something."

Jacob sighed. "It's pretty simple. I let Atlas get caught. I could've saved them if I had just been stronger."

"I see," Xavier replied. "That's not true Jacob. You did the best you could when it was just the two of you. Atlas said themselves that nothing short of light magic will phase a Guardian."

Jacob glanced down at his sword. "That's the thing. Atlas was telling me all about Lumis and how it chooses a worthy hero... and how I could create my own light magic if I was just strong enough since it's just stronger fire magic. And I tried so hard. I put everything I had into the sword. And it didn't work."

Xavier nodded. "I see. Jacob, I'm telling you now that you can't hold yourself to that standard. You're a perfectly strong person. The blacksmithing you did alone proves that. And yet you also fight for a rebellion on top of all that. Just because you don't have firepower in you doesn't make you a failure. And we're going to be using all of your skills to bring down those Guardians and save Atlas."

Xavier seemed to have hit his mark with what he said because Jacob's demeanor changed a bit. "Alright. I've got an idea for what to offer Clamerates. I didn't want to do it but for Atlas, I've gotta."

Jacob shared the plan with Xavier and while it sounded like it would work on Clamerates, the pirate was terrified that the empire would demand more.

Xavier and Jacob planned to regroup at Marius's ship so they could set off for Clamerates while the captain went to go search for Rose.

Rose was found at the tavern planning out the invasion with Marius and Cannonball when Xavier approached her. "Jacob's got a plan for Damian and we ought to leave now if we want to continue planning for this battle."

Rose nodded and followed Xavier back to the boat. On the walk down, Xavier tried to think about how to broach the subject of what had happened yesterday. "Rose, I know I've been stubborn about learning healing magic but after what happened yesterday, I'm over that. When this is all taken care of, will you please teach me?"

Rose smiled and stared back at the pirate. "Of course, Xavier. It's simpler than it looks. I'm sure you'll have it down in no time."

They arrived at the docks and set sail for Clamerates. The wind was still slow as could be so Rose decided to speed things up by using her fire magic.

The morale of the group had improved from their earlier boat ride, but Xavier could still feel sadness in the air due to the absence of Atlas. They left a hole in the team that couldn't be ignored.

Regardless, Clamerates was reached in record time and the group was immediately taken to the Clamerates Council where Jacob presented his terms.

"Kingston will be excluded from all Caros trade, Clamerates will be given a better rate for docking and taxes than any other nation, and we'll allow you land on the north most point of the island near the Kingston-Caros Strait where you can build a military base just a few miles away from Kingston's mainland." Jacob presented the terms and held his breath.

Xavier could see that the council was conflicted on the proposed terms but Damian eventually relented. "Alright. We'll accept these terms in exchange for two fleets being provided in the upcoming battle. I'll send my best general to the Azure Cove to join you all in planning and preparations."

Jacob turned around to face Rose and Xavier and gleefully jumped up in down before turning back to Damian. "Wonderful. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

The leader of Clamerates nodded. "Yes, I just have one question. Where is the Guardian who was with you all initially?"

The group winced but Jacob spoke up. "They were captured by their Guardian siblings, but we're going to save them. No matter what."