Dalinar had rallied the forces at the walls, and left Marden in charge of the forces there. The man might no longer be able to channel, but he had a surprisingly level head about him when the pressure was high.

 

The Traitor's Tree flailed and thrashed wildly, its roots tearing great clods of earth from the ground and flinging them with deadly accuracy across the Training Grounds. Flying through the air, many of the projectiles were ripped apart or deflected now before they could reach their targets. Animated heads buzzed around haphazardly seeking warm, fleshy targets but their numbers were rapidly dwindling now also.

 

The sky was thick with dirty grey-brown smoke, and ash floated like a cloying blanket on the breeze. The sky was just barely beginning to lighten, Dali thought, or was that just a trick of the bonfires around the Farm making things seem brighter than they were?

 

Drawing in deep breaths, he joined the group on the Training Ground. Flaming ashes, the Tree should have fallen by now!

 

He saw some of the Tower's most experienced men there, Skechid, Andar, Covai and Ragnar among them. Why in the Light wasn't that Tree under control!

 

Skechid's thoughts echoed his own. The Tower could not fall. They had their part to play at Tarmon Gai'don. Whatever the outcome of this night, the Tower would make it through. It had to.

 

Andar staggered over to join them, his words gasping out between ragged breaths. The man was clearly injured, and Dalinar bit back a harsh oath as he took his friend's arm in a not entirely gentle grip that made the stoic man wince. He wove Healing once again and Andar muffled a low growl as the Power flashed through him, but when it was done his arm was whole again. He would be hungrier than the last Dalinar had Healed though, fatigue was wearing at his skill making his flows leaden and heavy.

 

Slowing the flood of saidin through him to a trickle, Dalinar stopped drawing through the figurine in his hand. He pressed it into Andar's hand. "You are much stronger with the Power than I," he said as Andar looked at him uncertainly, "And I want that Tree to come down. Whatever is bloody going on, I want it dead and buried. It seems to be the nexus of this madness, so make it fall." He closed the Asha'man's hand around the kneeling miniature.

 

Calling out, his voice raised and amplified slightly with the trickle of saidin that was left for him to command, he barked out orders to those who hadn't been close enough to hear. "Covai! Ragnar! Isha! Team up and organise your men. Follow Andar's lead!"

 

With that he stepped forward to Andar's side, Skechid stepping to the other. He buried the butt of his staff, still curiously tame, in the ground between his feet and wrapped his hands around it. "Do your worst, Andar," he said fiercely, "I mean it. We'll help however we can." This felt like old times.

 

Dalinarius Traachanshield,

M'Hael.

Shaking off dizziness and fatigue, the aftermath of being Healed, Ged´s ears caught the sound of men crying out in combat again and again and although something inside him told him he should stay where he was or even better return to his rooms and rest his weary body as fast as possible, he bit back a silent curse and headed to where the sounds of battle came from.

 

His path guarded him to the training grounds in front of the Farm again as he noticed in astonishment. A group of Asha´man, the M´Hael among them were fighting with all they had against what he was told was the "traitor´s tree" which now behaved so unlike any tree he had seen before, twisting and turning, flailing and striking to anything that was moving around it. Stupefyed, Ged had to restrain himself from gazing at the marvellous and horrible sight in front of him. He knew his eyes must deceive him, this couldn´t be true! Trees were supposed to stand still and give shadow, not come to life and try to kill people! Horror-stricken, Ged didn´t even realize he had seized Saidin again, only as he was creating a huge fireball, bigger and more destructible than any he had created in training before and sent it off to the tree, only to find it completely without any effect, Ged realized what he had done. Light! He had wanted to never use Fire in battle again and now he had done it again. Light, this curse would never leave him, it would haunt him forevermore and he lived in terror of what would happen if he lost control over it completely one day. Light, he hoped he would not live to see this day, he didn´t want to bring further death and destruction than he already had!

 

But his attention was once again caught by the trashing tree and the man around it, they were all full rank Asha´man and apparently not even them could stop the monstrous thing from its deadly endeavor. Light! Did he really think he could do anything to help them here? No, he had actually come very close to burn them alive with that fireball as they were too concentrated on their work. Ged stepped back, his knees still shaky and cast a desperate look to Noy who was just standing beside him as he noticed now.

 

Knowing they had better to get away from this place as soon as possible, something still kept Ged here as if he was rooted in the ground. Watching the Asha´man do their best to destroy the tree or make its thrashing stop, Ged heard the M´Hael shout commands to a man close by, but what was catching his gaze now, was a large branch of the tree just striking for the M´Hael´s head with a speed that it would crush him if it hit its target.

 

"M´Hael! Watch out! Duck!", Ged cried with all he had, the hoarseness of his voice gone all together suddenly. Already hearing the branch hit the M´Hael´s skull Ged only hoped the man would react fast enough.

 

OOC: Another post by a Soldier to attempt to get involved in the end (sorry for NPCing you a little, jason, but I tried to make it as little as possible ;) )

The M’Hael’s weave’s settled on him and he shivered, feeling his torn flesh close and his bones knit. An intense hunger settled on him as his body used up it’s reserves to heal itself. The feeling was not pleasant and he growled low in his throat as his knees threatened to buckle. Dali’s weaves faded and he pressed a small figurine into Andar’s hands.

 

Looking down and seeing what it was Andar’s eyes widened and he began to protest. "You are much stronger with the Power than I,"his friend and leader explained, "And I want that Tree to come down. Whatever is bloody going on, I want it dead and buried. It seems to be the nexus of this madness, so make it fall."

 

He nodded and shifted focus slightly to draw through the angreal. What Dalinar said next was lost to him as he was sucked into a whirling maelstrom of saidin. He drew to what he knew was his limit, but it just kept coming and coming. An exhilarated cry tore from his lips as he struggled to maintain his control. He wasn’t sure how strong the angreal was but he knew that he held more than he ever had before.

 

“Light!†he said to no one in particular, “I feel like I could take on the world.†He felt more than saw people move up alongside him and he turned his attention to the problem at hand. The tree seemed to be resisting all their efforts to destroy it, it was drawing strength from somewhere. He wove a complex weave, similar to delving for injury and probed at the living tree.

 

“Keep it off me, “ Andar ordered coldly, “I need to determine what makes this thing tick.†Around him shields were raised, blocking and deflecting the attacks of the tree, which as if sensing the danger had focused on him. He continued weaving and slowly, so slowly information began to trickle back to him. It was drawing energy from the earth. To destroy it they would need to cut it off entirely. But how, delicate weaves were not his forte, large bangs were more his style.

 

“We need to cut it off from the earth. It draws its power from there.†He let the probe fade and lashed out with a new weave. Earth and fire, tinged with spirit. The ground shook and began to buckle under the traitors tree, explosions tore the ground as he shattered root after root. The tree screamed, from where he couldn’t tell. It thrust branches deep into the ground, forming new roots, spreading them as wide as it could, growing with startling speed.

 

“LIFT IT!!!†Andar screamed loudly into the coming dawn. “BURN IT! KILL IT!!†All around him other mens weaves sprang towards the tree. He concentrated on killing the roots, his explosions grew larger tearing more and more of the life giving roots from the tree. Rocks and large clumps of dirt were flung at high speed towards him, but those shielding him held firm, as the traitors tree screamed loudly.

 

Wrapping a large weave of air around the trunk he added his strength to those trying to uproot the deadly plant. He sent more explosions into the earth at the base of the tree, ripping and loosening the earth, allowing the tree to be ever so slowly drawn into the air. It’s branches flailed and shook, reaching for the ground that kept it alive.

 

“Cut the branches, don’t allow it to touch the ground. BURN THIS LIGHT FORSAKEN THING NOW!!†He yelled to the men of the Black Tower as he began to weave a blazing firestorm that quickly took hold on the tree. Explosions and flame ripped into the abomination and it screams shifted and became wails as it began to die. He threw more and more saidin into it, his strength almost tapped out and with loud cracks flaming branches began to break from the tree and fall dead to the broken earth.

 

All sense of time passed, he had no idea how long the battle raged, but eventually the screaming stopped and the tree’s movements began to slow. It was finally dieing. Andar never saw the final moments of the tree, his limit was reached before that time and saidin fled from his grasp as he collapsed to the ground uncontrollably.

 

His stomach emptied and he groaned, the angreal slipping from his fingers as awareness fled from him.

 

Andar

Asha’man

Andar fell even as Skechid stepped up to take over where the man had left off. It did feel like old times. His hand wove deftly, with a skill that few in the Tower possessed. His strength in Spirit meant that he could tell instantly where the weakness lay.

 

"Take it, Skechid." Skechid frowned as Dali pressed the angreal to him next. Nodding he drew Saidin through the figurine. Rage mixed with frustration at having lost his newest recruit drew Power beyond what was normal for him. He could feel the shock of those behind him as Saidin drew close to the limit that even he could channel aided with the angreal.

 

Fire blossomed from the heart of the tree, so bright that some had to shield their eyes. Molten Earth poured from branches searing the air and covering the world with sparks. And still the tree resisted. Beside him he could hear Andar's startled oaths as Dali's Healing once again did its miracles.

 

"The tree is dying." Skechid said through clenched teeth. Indeed the top branches had burnt off only leaving the main trunk, which while continued to send forth twines, was almost torn in two. None of the traitors' heads remained, which in itself was a sorrow, but meant that the threat was lessened.

 

And suddenly as it had started, the tree exploded in chunks, with a force that sent some of the weaker Ashaman to their knees. Skechid staggered back and let out an explosive breath.

 

"Dali, I think it's done." He dropped the angreal in to the M'hael's hands. A sudden dizziness gripped him and he lost Saidin again. His knees weakened and it was all he could do to lean on Andar's shoulders for support.

Dalinar heard the cried out warning perhaps a moment too late, certainly not soon enough for him to avoid the blow from the Traitor's Tree altogether. He thrust his quarterstaff to the side just in time to save what should have been a skull crushing blow from making full impact with the side of his head.

 

As it was, the tree bough still made firm contact to his jaw with a sharp crack that drove him firmly to his knees. As he crumpled, pain blossomed and overwhelmed the Void, the One Power slipping from his grasp and out of reach as lights danced in front of his eyes like an Illuminator's fireworks.

 

Drawing a ragged breath, one hand went to his jaw. He couldn't move it. Not because of pain, it just didn't want to move. Fingering carefully along the jaw line he winced. Broken, probaby and... there yes, dislocated too. Inwardly he sighed - jaw dislocations were excruciatingly painful at best. And worse still, they often presented with long term problems if not well treated. Well, time enough for that later, Healing a jaw was hardly a priority right now.

 

He curled his staff up in the crook of one arm, braced his free arm against his knee, placed his hand along his jaw line carefully and took a dreep breath in. And let it out again, slowly even and then with a quick jerk he locked his jaw back into joint. The agony of it knocked what little air was left in him out of his chest and for a moment he felt winded and unable to draw breath. The lights danced dangerously, mingled with patches of darkness, in front of his eyes and then gradually faded. His jaw still burned fiercely and sought to claim dominance in his mind but with an effort he forced it down.

 

Hands on his staff once again, he heaved back onto his feet. Son of a leperous goat! Seeking the calm of the Flame and Void was not easy at all, and his head felt slightly fuzzy, but come it did, with a calmness that was familiar to him even before he began to train as an Asha'man.

 

Almost as quickly, saidin returned to him, and he focussed once again on the task at hand.

 

He must have been down longer than he thought, the Traitor's Tree was now lifting on more than a score of men's weaves that were raising it, ponderously, away from the ground. He could feel incredible amounts of saidin being wielded by Andar next to him, and then felt that flow ebb and wane as the man swayed slightly, and then withered in a heap.

 

As he fell, Dalinar's eyes darted to the Tree, and he saw it begin to fall again, back to the earth. Andar's channeling had been a substantial contribution to its ascent, it seemed. He scooped the angreal out of the collapsed man's hands and thrust it towards Skechid. "Take it!" And for Light's sake, kill it! He thought to himself. He knelt by Andar's side and lightly touched fingertips to his temples to Delve him. Thankfully, he was fine - just exhausted from the couple of hours of intense channeling that they had all endured. Dalinar left him be, it would be too dangerous for him to rejoin the fray that tired and he would serve noone well if burnt himself out trying.

 

With a cacophony of sound and light, the combined efforts of the Asha'man came to fruition. The Tree was torn apart by the Power and flung in every direction.

 

Skechid deposited the angreal into Dali's hand, and the Power faded from him as he did so. "Dali, I think it's done."

 

Dalinar looked around as the sun began to peek its way over the line of trees in the forest around the Farm to the east. Done? It had only just begun. A discoloured pall smeared the sky, fires were burning out of control across the Farm, here and there a few Asha'man with the strength and stamina left managing to pull the heat from the flames with the Power. In several places, the walls had been torn down, numerous buildings were destroyed or precariously damaged. Blood tainted the air and the cries of the injured could be heard all around. More than one child was wailing in the distance.

 

No indeed, it was never "done".

 

Dalinarius Traachanshield,

M'Hael.

 

OOC: This thread technically finishes I suppose in about 10 hours time hehe. But if we go over a bit with people's reactions and responses and so on then that is fine, and there will be, I hope, spin-off RPs from this one also. Some great RPing everyone!

"BURN THIS LIGHT FORSAKEN THING NOW!!â€

 

Covai kept his grin at hearing Andar. He needn't be told twice.

 

Extending his left arm Covai sent his weaves searing towards the traitors tree, already on fire from Andar's attack. The cracks as the branches broke away from the tree were far too loud to be normal. but in the choas Covai wondered why THAT, amongst all of the night's happenings struck him as odd.

 

Quickly tieing off his attack, Covai wove air and spirit to enhance his voice. Andar's attacks were starting to weaking. Covai knew the man never did anything in half measures, so it was probably stubborness more than anything else that was keeping on his feet right now. Dalinar and Skechid were with him though, so the three of them should be fine Covai thought. Light, if the three of them weren't fine, Covai didn't know of a Asha'man Trio that was.

 

Calling out to the Asha'man and the rest attacking the tree, Covai bellowed as loud as he could, the weave magnifying his voice so even above the flames and cries it could be heard. ""ASHA'MAN! ROLLING RING OF EARTH AND FIRE NOW!!!""

 

Covai could sense the sudden momentary pause in the offensive as Asha'man and some Dedicated alike starting weaving the same attack. Potent, powerful, and brutal, everything a weapon should be. Soldiers did their part and wove what shields they could to keep the last remain heads and branches at bay, but Andar's attack had already weakened the tree.

 

Slamming his weave into the ground, Covai through as much strength as he could into it as his attack, and the attack off almost all those around the tree tore across the ground towards the cause of tonight's cursed problems.

 

Cursing as his ears rang from the noise of the combined explosion, Covai barely managed to get a shield up in time. I'll be earning the breakfast tomorrow for sure...

 

 

OOC: Just adding in some stuff from Covai's POV. ;)

Ged shut his eyes and winced involuntarily as the tree hit Dalinar right in the face. Looking towards the M´Hael again though, Ged noticed that he stand upright, more or less upright at least. Gasping, his eyes widened though as he watched the M´Hael re-locate his jaw though. Ged could imagine how much that must hurt and he really didn´t want to think about that any further. After all the traitor´s tree was down now and although he had not really been able to contribute much to its fall on his part, Ged felt relief washing over him as it was done.

 

Still not only the tree but seemingly all the events of that night had left their marks on the Black Towe and the Training Ground as far as Ged could see.

Letting his gaze wonder across the Tower Grounds, there didn´t seem to be one spot remaining untouched and uneffected by whatever it had been that happened that night. Everywhere there were holes burned into the ground by the striking back of the Asha´man and their trying to fend off the omnipresent evil of the night.

 

Green eyes wandering over the destruction and desaster everywhere, Ged shuddered involuntarily as his gaze came to rest on the fallen down armory, its remnants now merely black ruins. Light if Drenn had come a little later, he knew he wouldn´t have survived this very likely. Flexing his muscles and ignoring their strained protests, Ged for now was glad he had lived through all this after all. He knew he had often wished to just be allowed to die and so he did still, but then he didn´t want it to happen like this. Not crushed under tons of stone, wood and arms. No, he still had something to do in life. A large burden to make up for. He had sworn he´d find a way to do good for all the evil he had done and somehow he would. If he died trying it or not seemed of little concern.

 

Slowly making his way through the fallen buildings, blackened ruins gaping like what he could easily imagine apt to the descriptions he had read about the Pit of Doom. Yes, doom it had been, nearly had doomed them all even before they would even have to worry about going mad. Yes, doom that night would have brought upon them who were already doomed to die anyway, in the Last Battle or before, what did it matter, really?

 

But still there was something more about it all. They had a mission, a duty to live up to and having seen all those Asha´man fighting side by side for their lives and their cause had somehow given Ged something new to believe in. Out of the ashes of this night, something new would arise. Buildings could be rebuilt, wounds healed and the dead would be mourned, but what counted was that they were stil alive, still walking on this world and the Black Tower would stand until the Last Battle was there and would either result in Shadow swallowing everying, plunging it into chaos, or they would help the Light triumph over all. There was hope.

Drenn watched in awe as the M'Hael layed weaves of such complexity that he felt ahsamed of his own ability. Watching the weaves everything moved so fast with such dexterity that he barely was able to see what was done and certainly knew that it was beyond what he could do. The weaves were hardly very strong which was what confused Drenn all the more. How could something so powerful be created through something so weak? He himself could have created weaves far stronger then that which the M'Hael weaved but then it dawned on him that this was something in which strength was irrelivent. Skill alone allowed for the miracles he was seeing.

 

The boy convulsed for several seconds before the thrashing ceased and he slowly began to blink. It truely was a miracle. when he had found the boy he hadn't expected him to pull through but the M'Hael had wrestled with death and death had been defeated. Drenn suddenly became aware of the other Soldier who had appeared and was now kneeling next to the boy whom the M'hael had healed. What had he called him? Ged? Yes, Ged. That was the boys name. As the M'Hael rose so did Drenn and suddenly remembering the events of the night began scanning about for and danger. He now remembered those leaves and the Ash all too well.

"You two, stick together. Watch each others backs. Remember you are Brothers." Drenn looked back as the two soldiers acknowledged the M'Hael's order before turning to each other. The M'Hael meanwhile turned to find where he would be of most use next. Drenn couldn't help an overwhelming feeling of respect for the man.

 

"What happened, Noy? The weapons just went wild and...Light! The whold armoury came to life and-" Once again Drenns attention was brought to the too young men before him. Weapons coming to life? What had happened to the kid? Whatever it was must have stopped once it thought it's opponent was defeated. They had no time to waste on idle conversation and quickly realizing this Drenn began to run after the M'Hael.

 

"Take hold of Saidin and fight Soldiers!" he called back to the two behind him but didn't wait to see if his orders were taken. He could feel Saidin being channeled particularly strongly ahead of him and knew that help would be needed. Strength. something he could help with.

 

It was a horrid site he encountered when he reached his destination. The Traitors tree which had earlier held the heads of every traitor to the tower who was caught was now swining wildly at anything and everything it could reach and leaving nothing but destruction. what was even worse was that there were a few heads flying around taking bites at people where they could. given the amount lying on the ground he guessed the Asha'man had been killing them for a while now. How could one kill the dead. He didn't waste time trying to find out he merely lashed out with everything he had. As he joined the fight against the tree he nearly lost a chunck out of his arm when a vicous head of a mna he had once known flew at him with its mouth open. He barely managed to dodge it in time and when he got to his feet he sent a stream of fire at it so hot that it briefly rippled and then exploded in a mass of torn skin and broken bone. No blood was left to spatter. Turning his attention back to the tree he launched fire and earth at it with as much strenth as he could must but although it lit aflame it didn't burn and the earth merely shattered off of it. How was that possible? it should have erupted like the head.

 

"We need to cut it off from the earth. It draws its power from there." Looking over Drenn saw a man whom he didn't know all to well weaving weaves of such impossible strength it paled even Drenn's power. suddenly he noticed the tiny figurine the man held and understood. He held an angreal. He bacame aware of everyone around him using weaves of air too lift the tree directly out of the ground. It seemed strange but Drenn put his efforts into their new task. Slowly the tree began to float above the earth it so deperatly needed to maintain its efforts. Suddenly it slumped significantly and fell nearly back to the earth. Looking over Drenn saw the man who had held the angreal fall to the ground from exhaustion. The power he had been exerting had been immense and obviously had taken its toll. A new voice took up the direction of the fight. A voice Drenn barely knew from a long time past but remembered all the same.

 

""ASHA'MAN! ROLLING RING OF EARTH AND FIRE NOW!!!"" The order was given and Drenn obeyed. Pulling everything he had from his core Drenn unleashed it on the tree. Great masses of earth began to rise up and strike the tree with power not seen since the breaking and fire scortched so hot the creator itself would have balked. All met at one point and caused an explosion so great that even with a shild raised to block the shockwave Drenn was knocked to the ground. When he finally managed to drag himself too his feet he saw the small remnants of the tree floating to the ground on currents still drfiting about. Everything suddenly seemed to grow quiet as the terrors of the night died with the tree and with it so did the fighting and the death. An unnatural quiet as everyone paused and waited. wondering if it was all truely over. After a few moments it seemed that everyone let go a breath that they had all been holding and people began moving about slowly to clean up what was left of the tower. As dawn came its light broke the horizon to reveal destruction on a level boyond what anyone might have beleived. It was going to be a long day...