Beneath the darkened canopy of the Ja Tiika Heartland, two pairs of eyes swept across Gok Draak Descent. Ever vigilant for threats lurking in the gloom, they kept watch for trespassers on behalf of the Landsguard. Such was Bakool Ja Ja's new duty.

His heinous acts during the rite of succession saw his life irrevocably changed, and his freeing of Valigarmanda, the Skyruin, was chief among them. To have unleashed such terror upon Urqopacha was a crime that, by rights, demanded he pay with his life...yet that was a punishment Vow Wuk Lamat was unwilling to impose. Not after coming to understand the unconscionable price of blessed siblings─the countless lives sacrificed for a desperate dream. Sacrificed so Bakool Ja Ja might one day live.

Thus did the Vow of Resolve command him to join the Landsguard, that he might atone through service. And if Bakool Ja Ja could redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow Turali, however little, he would certainly try.

But he knew well that his crimes were too grave to be redressed by merely standing guard. The weight of his sins demanded far greater feats. So it was that during the recent attack on Tuliyollal, he threw himself into the fray, cutting down as many mechanical invaders as he could find in defense of the citizenry.

"I never thought you of all people would come to my rescue," a breathless soldier had said after Bakool Ja Ja saved him. "Thank you."

Those simple, unfamiliar words had kindled the flame of hope within his breast. For the first time in his life, he felt like part of a greater community, and in that instant, he realized. By wielding this power born of terrible suffering to ease the suffering of others, he could perhaps honor his unborn brothers and sisters...

He spent the remaining hours of his shift in solemn reflection. His daily tasks ended without incident, yet the embers of purpose burned within him still.

Though he was off duty the next day, Bakool Ja Ja awoke at dawn, leaving the shade of the Ja Tiika Heartland to walk the rocky mountain passes above the canopy. By the afternoon, the lofty cliffs of Urqopacha towered before him. The biting chill of the blustering winds began to seep through the Mamool Ja's scales, to his mild discomfort. Having been raised in the forests of Yak T'el, the frigid air was enough to make even someone of his stature shudder.

Not far from him was Wachunpelo, home of the diminutive Pelupelu. He felt as a giant passing through its gates, regarding the small stone buildings lining the hilltops. He had come with newfound purpose to the settlement. To aid a people he had mistreated during the rite of succession.

Eyeing a pair of Pelupelu chatting by the entrance, Bakool Ja Ja made his offer without preamble. "Is there anything in town I can assist with?"

The Pelupelu stiffened at the sight of him, their hearts seized by fear before his words─or the intent behind them─could reach their ears. The bringer of the Skyruin loomed before them.

When Bakool Ja Ja broke the seal on Valigarmanda, the Pelupelu were forced to abandon their abodes with naught but the clothes on their backs. For a mercy, the tural vidraal was slain before all was lost, but the villagers would not soon forget those distressing events, nor the claimant who had set them in motion.

One of the pair whispered to the other and dashed off, vanishing into the hills. Perhaps they're calling for their leader. The lone Pelupelu that remained crossed his arms and glared at the Mamool Ja in a vain attempt to mask his trepidation.

"He won't take his eyes off us..." grumbled Bakool Ja Ja the Mighty.

"I expected as much," confessed Bakool Ja Ja the Mystic. "But worry not, Brother. Perhaps we might cull a few unruly beasts to demonstrate our good intentions?"

"A fine plan, Brother!" said the Mighty, for lack of any of his own.

The wary Pelupelu was joined by Tobli, head ledger of Wachunpelo. Bakool Ja Ja reiterated his offer, this time with greater care.

"I... I'm sorry. I don't expect forgiveness for all I've done, but...if there's anything I can do for your village, I would be glad to offer my assistance."

Tobli's eyes widened. Not what he expected when he heard the brutish Bakool Ja Ja had lumbered into town, I'll bet. Shocked though he plainly was, the head ledger grinned in reply.

"Well, now, that's quite kind of you! As it happens, I've a task that only someone of your talents can attend to. It requires a steady hand with a blade that few others possess."

"R-Really?" The two heads lurched forward in unison, their sudden enthusiasm enough to make Tobli and the other Pelupelu stumble backwards. "Then lead the way! Show us the fiend we must slay!"

Bakool Ja Ja's fiery zeal was tempered somewhat when he confronted his formidable foes. They were to be shorn, not slain, and his success would be measured in fuzzy spoils. Readying a pair of shears in each hand, he braced himself for a harrowing struggle. His battle cry was little more than a soothing whisper as he coaxed his first opponent closer.

"There's a good alpaca. No sudden movements, now─what did I just say!? I mean to shear you, not fillet you!"

Despite the occasional resistance, Bakool Ja Ja managed to trim each of the herd's heavy coats, and in time, he had harvested enough wool to fill five caravans' worth. To be sent to Tuliyollal and fashioned into clothing and carpets, no doubt. Though the bladework was far from what he had envisioned, he did not protest.

Assessing his assistant's performance, Tobli beamed. "You blessed siblings are incredible! You've the endurance of several Pelupelu...in the tens column!"

Bakool Ja Ja furrowed his twin brows. "What about this task was so difficult that only someone of my skill could complete it!?"

"Our apprentice shearer is still on the mend, you see... He was in Worlar's Echo, dropping off a delivery of wool, when Valigarmanda broke free of its prison. In his haste to hurry back and help villagers escape, he took a rather nasty tumble down the cliffs."

Bakool Ja Ja fell silent and looked away. Oh... He was suddenly aware that he was clutching the shears in his hands so tightly that it hurt.

"...How many alpacas still need shearing?"

"About thirty, I'd wager."

The blessed siblings resumed their work. They clipped and sheared without complaint, every motion measured and deliberate, lest they cause undue harm to more innocents.

When the last alpaca was finally shorn, Bakool Ja Ja gently laid down the shears, tufts of wool still clinging to his scales. Tobli reappeared, poised to shower him with praise, but hesitated. He considered the alpaca, who still loitered near the exhausted Mamool Ja, unperturbed and unafraid, and decided that an approving nod and quiet smile would suffice.

His work completed in Wachunpelo, Bakool Ja Ja pressed on towards steeper paths. At the end of the winding roads sat Worlar's Echo, village of the Yok Huy. In contrast to the Pelupelu, the Yok Huy stood several yalms tall, and with their large bodies and considerable strength had wrought sizable stone structures and cultivated vast fields of popotoes.

As before, Bakool Ja Ja addressed the Yok Huy as he entered, immediately stating his purpose.

"If there's anything here I can help with...anything at all─"

The Yok Huy would not look at him. They said nothing as they turned their backs and walked away. I don't blame them. But despite the cold reception, Bakool Ja Ja still wished to help. To bring some semblance of peace to at least one soul in this village. Undeterred, he spoke to every Yok Huy he passed. Most paid him no heed, while those few who did replied with scathing refusals.

Eventually, he came across a Yok Huy woman willing to accept his offer. "My son left the village this morning, but has yet to return... His father's mortal vessel recently ended its journey, so you may be able to find him at Proof."

"Consider him found." The Yok Huy mother thanked Bakool Ja Ja and wished him well as he set off for the upper valleys.

As the paths carried him higher, a veil of mist descended, transforming uncomfortable footing into treacherous pitfalls. From time to time, flurries of snow obscured Bakool Ja Ja's vision─a clear sign that he was nearing the carved headstones of Proof.

Upon his arrival, he surveyed the nearby graves, but saw no sign of the Yok Huy he sought. He then circled around to check behind the headstones, and there spied a tiny, trembling Yok Huy crouched in the shadow of a monolith.

"Not to worry, little one. I'm a friend. Your mother sent me to find you."

The boy shook his head vehemently. "I-I can't go home. She'll see me... And she'll see you too! Hurry─you must hide!"

There was no time to grasp the weight of the warning, only his warrior's instinct for impending danger. Bakool Ja Ja leapt to shield the boy with his body, wincing as an intense burning pain blossomed in his back.

As he turned, the furious buzzing of wings threatened to split his ears. The queen hawk bore down upon them, her venomous stinger glinting in the light. Counted chief among the most dangerous marks, she was a terror well known to the Landsguard─one he would now have to face alone.

"I'll hold her off," said Bakool Ja Ja, moving to stand between the terrified Yok Huy and the beast. "Run, little one!"

The boy nodded. "Please... Please don't die!" he cried, before disappearing into the mist and snow. The Mystic breathed a sigh of relief, while a beat later the Mighty snorted in amusement.

"Heh... 'Don't die.' Who does he think he's talking to? I... I am..."

The words caught in his throat. No longer did he need to prove himself superior, nor flaunt the title of the "elevated chosen." An old, foolish habit. We know who we are─who we want to be.

"I am─we are Bakool Ja Ja! Warrior of the Landsguard and guardian of Yak T'el!"

With this proud battle cry, the blessed siblings sprung into action, charging the queen hawk. Bakool Ja Ja the Mighty dealt the beast a furious blow, but the blade simply bounced off her iron-hard carapace.

"All right, then... How about this!?"

Bakool Ja Ja the Mystic raised his staff, tiny embers growing into massive flames above it. The white-hot projectiles raced towards the queen hawk, leaving trails of steam as they cut through the falling snow, and a smoldering crater where they struck the earth. Yet his prey survived, her charred abdomen still holding fast against the magicks.

"So it'll take more than that to kill you, eh? Fine by me!"

In answer, the queen hawk aimed her stinger and spat poisoned needles at Bakool Ja Ja. He dodged to the side, rolling into a crouch, and saw several needles were lodged in his left leg.

"Hmph... Is that the best you've got?"

The battle raged on. The queen hawk was tenacious and relentless. Yet as Bakool Ja Ja continued his assault of fire and steel, cracks began to show in the queen's seemingly impenetrable carapace. Not long now... Just one more hit, and she's finished!

But time was of the essence. The poison was sapping his strength, and Bakool Ja Ja's limbs grew numb and heavy. Every step took greater effort, every attack was more taxing than the last. His eyes clouded, and the queen became one with the mist.

"She's tougher than I thought..." Bakool Ja Ja the Mystic grimaced. "We just need to take our shot and hope it finds its mark."

But before the Mamool Ja succumbed to desperation, a voice rang out.

"Left! She's coming from your left!"

The young Yok Huy had returned.

Bakool Ja Ja whirled, harnessing fire with his staff, and conjured one final barrage. The resounding explosions echoed through the mountains, into the mists...and then, silence. The incessant buzzing had ceased. Naught remained of the queen hawk but ash.

He fell to his knees, unable to rise again. The boy rushed to his side, thrusting a clay vessel into his claws.

"This will cure the poison. Drink it, quickly!"

Bakool Ja Ja threw back the draught, wincing at its overpowering aroma and bitter taste. Warmth filled him as he drank, and the pain faded with every passing heartbeat.

When next he opened his eyes, Bakool Ja Ja found himself surrounded by several Yok Huy. He must've summoned others from the village. To help...me... As he gradually regained his senses, he saw the boy was watching him, not with fear in his eyes, but genuine concern. Seeing his savior was awake, the young Yok Huy stepped forward and held out a pale red flower.

"Thank you, blessed siblings... This is for you."

Bakool Ja Ja took the tiny bloom into his claws and could not help but smile.

Having recovered from the ordeal, Bakool Ja Ja resumed his duties at Gok Draak Descent the next day. A gentle breeze wended through the deep blue foliage of the canopy, stirring the boughs to rustle and sway.

Cradled in his claw was the pale red flower. He could not bear to part with it.

"Thank you, blessed siblings..."

He had committed great sins. Sins that may never be forgiven, no matter how much he did to repent. And I can live with that. For so long as there were people to save and to protect, Bakool Ja Ja would wield the power he once cursed to defend them.

This we swear.