Raln had just missed being beheaded by a Mechanist's axe when the mace dropped into his hands from above. He saw a flash of dark wings in the rain before his opponent swung again. Raln smashed his head in, and continued forward into the growing battle.

Occasionally he saw her dipping and flinging weapons; her huge wings confused the enemy, and some of them shouted [i]"Demon!"[/i]

With accustomed skill, Raln mowed his way through the masked and metallic soldiers. More of the citizens of the city had joined in the fray, and fought with everything from kitchen knives to pitchforks. The Mechanists wouldn't have it so easy.

He noticed a group of enemies in the distance shooting projectiles at Solara; she couldn't dodge them forever. Raln smacked his latest opponent to the ground, then stood still and breathed out slowly, calling silently to the thundering sky. He suddenly dropped to his knees. In an instant, a bolt of lightning [i]cracked[/i] down upon him -- a blinding light and searing heat -- and tendrils of electricity sparked across the ground and fried a dozen of the Mechanists, including those who had been shooting at Solara. All this happened in an instant. As the sizzling enemies fell, Raln got to his feet.

He picked up a longsword from one of the smoking Mechanists and held the hilt up for Solara to take. He pointed at the airship. "Tear a hole in that balloon," he called over the clash of battle. "Bring it down!"