The Comrades watched them go. They descended on Gief, while many were leaving the town to tend to the countless wounded.
They landed in the town square, surrounded by rubble. They now went through the almost routine operation of repairing the city and improving it with gun turrets and similar. In the centre of the square they put a memorial to the fallen in the Battle of Gief, a towering object where the lists of the hundreds of thousands who died were written on it. It had stairs and people could climb to the top, passing all the names (which were listed by category, different lists for those from Alterna, the mines etc.), and look around and see all of Gief and the immediate surroundings, seeing what people had died for as well as freedom. At the very top was a black flag that was in tatters, one from the battle field itself that had been dropped, soaked in blood from many people, friend and foe, flapping in the wind and protected by a preserving spell that would last forever. The flag itself was 5 metres by 3 metres, one carried by a horseman of the Black Guards, and plain black originally. It could be seen from everywhere in Gief and the surrounding area.
Standing on top of the memorial, which was now the tallest object on Gaian, taller even than the tallest mountains (which was why the higher areas were surrounded by a shimmering shield like spell, a spell that kept the air pressure high enough to breath. The only high area not affected was the highest point, with the flag, so it could fly, and it did constantly due to the high winds at that altituded), tall so all the names would fit. There was a lift leading back to the ground for those (the majority) who did not want to endure the climb up (in years to come there would be annual races up to the top of the memorial, up all the steps, lasting many days. The winner would then give a speech at the next years event about the battle, as the races always started on the anniversary of the battle, and then would spend a few days walking up after the years contestants, and would then kiss a replica 5x3 metre black flag that would then be his own to keep, a year after his win. The replica flag would be a little lower than the original, and would be reached by all the contestants of the years race after the current winner).
To their west they could see the lava fields where Laus once was, within which was the lava surrounded Redvik fortress. They all looked up at the flag, and then kissed near the bottom of the, very high, flagpole, as they were standing as they did this. They sat down and stared towards the floor of the top of the tower. They all looked absolutely furious. Makhno looked up and said, "When I find out who was responsible for this I..." He pulled out his sword, Vincent's blood still on it. He stuck his tongue out and licked the blood off, and then swallowed the blood in his mouth. "I swear that I will kill the owner of this blood I have consumed, and anyone else responsible for this attack, and then eat their bodies." He then smashed his sword against a wall at the top of the tower, leaving the two snapped pieces sticking out of the stone and embedded in it.
He jumped onto the surrounding wall of the tower and jumped of, summoning a horse under him that started to gallop on the air as he rode towards Redvik, his eyes red with sorrow and rage, and disgust.
Haraldur turned to the other two. "It seems that we cannot allow the Grey Empire last any longer. Durruti, go back to Alterna and ensure their safety. Tesla, as you come from near here, you look after this region. I am going to confront the Greys with a few... old... friends... ..."
Tesla sat at the highest point within the pressure spell, keeping watch on everything while holding his rifle. Durruti flew south to his home of Alterna. Haraldur flew off to the East, towards the signal of Zeros' and Duilin. This might be their last chance. If they did not aid him, he might regard them as his enemies, forever...
