****

**

***Viram***

**

****

Viram scowled at the charred corpses in front of him.

"Those fools didn't fight me right. Why would you group up against me if you can't even combine your power and work together right?" The anger in his face made his natural smirk seem crazed, "D*mned weaklings."

Viram looked in the direction the wind runners took Leilatha. The steam from the rain flash boiling on his flames was obscuring his vision and wasn't helping his mood at all.

"Those runners are fast. It would probably be irritating for me to chase after them and the rain will have probably put out my fires trapping the treasure convoy."

He raised his arms and created two clones. One he sent to chase after Leilatha and the other he sent to track down the treasure. If this pile of dead bodies was any indication of the local gods' strength, then he had little to fear in splitting his power. As his two clones dashed away after their quarry, Viram looked down at the charred corpses still smoking in front of him. He walked up to what was left of Perin.

"Charred on one side and cooked through just right so that the juices still remain. Just the way I like it... Perhaps I'll take a moment to have lunch."

...

Viram's clones both had the same thoughts going through their head.

[It really is miserable for a fire creature in this weather.]

It would take time and effort for Viram to rally his dispersed and spread out forces in this fatal deluge. He wasn't too worried but it would be bad if the enemy was able to gang up on and take his troops out piecemeal. So his clones sowed what chaos they could across the city as they looked for his prizes and stronger enemies.

The wind runners, for their part, had a lifetime of experience maneuvering through the dense forest so weaving around objects and obstacles that suddenly appeared out of the thick roiling fog was a skill that came naturally for them. They also knew the city and terrain better than Viram, something Viram admitted as obvious when making his decision to send just a clone after them. The wind runners were only slowed by carrying Leilatha through the deeper flowing waters and were also devoting their power not only running but also to withstanding the storm.

Viram's clone would really have to work to catch up as it rampaged through the city after them.

****

**

***Alex***

**

****

Lucius caught himself reminiscing about the past instead of instructing Alex. He let out a deep breath as he cleared his mind of an old soldier's distractions.

"Where was I?"

"You were explaining why you don't use guns here."

"Ah right, let's see... There are other weaknesses in firearms that aren't found in more traditional weapons. For example, gunpowder's chemical reactions can also be manipulated by powerful gods or gods with certain abilities. To defend against this and to power up the attack, you would need to imbue enough power into the chemical reaction of the exploding gunpowder. This is power that isn't going directly into the attack or used in defense and is therefore wasted. Which is a large part of why guns are less efficient."

Alex still wasn't convinced. All this fancy talk about needing too much manpower and such wasn't enough to shake his faith in the all mighty gun yet.

"But isn't firing the gun attacking with it? What do you mean the powers not being put into the attack?"

Lucius was a bit happy that the boy had enough guts to argue with him. It was a good sign when a student was able to ask questions and challenge their teacher. Even if it could get annoying.

"I mean that the power used isn't power that would directly compete with the target's defense. Let me put it this way, when two gods stab each other and put power into their attacks and defense, their powers compete. If the attacking power is weaker than the defensive power it gets canceled out but drains a proportionate amount of the defensive power."

Lucius was trying to think of a way to demonstrate this concept when he remembered the small pit he made in the boulder.

"Here come over here." He had Alex get close enough to see the damage of his two attacks better. "Do you see the small smudge that the smaller chunk of wood left? I used less power in that one but this hole here was made by the bigger one. The rock has power throughout it which canceled out the power in the wood."

"If the power canceled out, why is there a hole then?" Alex was just getting more confused.

"I was just getting to that. Power's canceling out is just the most basic concept. There are methods of attack that concentrate power to overwhelm the local defenses."

Lucius saw the confused look on Alex's face stubbornly clinging on.

"For example, if I punched the sand, the power in my wide fist is more spread out than if I stabbed the sand with a sword. Swords generally go through flesh easier than fists do. Understand?"

Alex thought for a moment as he tried to reconcile what he'd learned back on Earth with what he was being told now.

[Its like he's Y*da and you're L*ke. Your preconceptions of what can and can't be are just making it harder to learn all this Alex. Knives cut easier than spoons because of their sharp edge. It's like that with concentrated power too.] Angel put in.

"This is another reason why armor is still useful." Lucius continued after allowing a moment for Alex to absorb the info. He wasn't aware of the inner dialogue in Alex's head. "Good armor can still diffuse the force of an attack."

"I've seen the guards wearing different types of armor walking through town and training here. What's the difference?" Alex had always seen soldiers wearing standardized uniforms and using the same basic equipment. He'd been curious for a while now about the differences he'd seen in their gear.

This question made Lucius smile, which did nothing to improve the scary impression his face usually made on others.

"Hmm, not all armor is made the same, but at least for our troops, the style is mostly up to the commanders. That is, some troops will wear good old lorica segmentata or Roman plate and others will use the simpler Greek linothorax. The more material and pieces the armor has the more utility it can have but mostly the choice comes down to romantic sentimentality or a desire for simplicity. Many commanders want their troops to wear cool looking armor, others want their troops to be able to move better and so choose lighter armor or armor that allows greater freedom of movement and flexibility."

Lucius realized that he'd start to rant if he was to go into further details and stopped himself.

"Why don't you just wear full plate mail then?" In Alex's mind, a knight in a full suit of armor would dominate the battlefield against this ancient armor.

Lucius had to smile again. He loved talking about weapons and armor, he could also go on all day about the different design tactics and their uses in different situations.

"Some people still do, and the suits that are well made can indeed provide excellent protection. It mostly comes down to personal preference. Powerful Gods like Zeus don't want to wear such bulky armor all the time. They feel it makes them look weak if they need such protection all the time, among other reasons haha."

[It might be a little early to teach the boy about formations... Ah well, nows as good a time as any since we're talking about standardized equipment.]

"Listen up, I wasn't going to get into this topic until later but one of the reasons our different forces have different equipment is because their duties are different. What I mean is, the guards you see around town are only light combatants, they aren't expected to leave town to fight a pitched battle against an organized enemy. They are here to police the streets and keep order so they don't need heavier armor."

Lucius crouched and started drawing in the sand.

"The soldiers that are sent out to destroy an enemy army are specially trained to fight in formation with one another. You know, standing shoulder to shoulder with shields overlapping. Formations are the bread and butter of the civilized soldier."

****

**

***Back on Earth***

**

****

Karl closed the door of his roofless jeep and combed his hand through his blond windblown hair. He shook his aching leg before walking up the steps of the apartment building.

*knock knock knock*

It was about half a minute before a brown-haired hazel-eyed young woman cracked the chained door open.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

"I'm Karl Addams of Mark's Public Investigations. Here's my card." Karl slipped his card through the crack so the lady could take it. "I'm here to speak to Marry Weatherford on behalf of Alexander Crosby's parents. May I know if she's in?"

Karl already knew he was speaking to Mary from the description given of her.

"Why do you need to speak to her?"

"She was the last one seen in public with Alex and I'd like to ask her some questions concerning his state of mind and possible wearabouts."

Mary's visible eye widened in shock.

"Alex is missing?"

She'd been calling out sick from work to avoid Alex for the last couple of days and didn't know a thing about his disappearance. Indeed, Alex's body was nowhere to be found and there were no signs of a struggle or a murder. The police said they didn't have the time to look into it yet, believing the young man had just left on a sudden vacation from work life or something. So his parents hired a private investigator to track him down.