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--donation bonus (day #30, post 5/5)--
Conall spun in the air, seeing Helen and Hector below, as well as the iron sword flying toward his gut. The man encased himself in aluminum. The blade shattered on impact and knocked Conall farther away, into a group of still-standing trees.

They pursued. The Queen held her hand out toward Hector as they ran, and he created a sword for her.

The strained light of the forest darkened even further as metal appeared above her head. For a moment, it was difficult to tell whose it was, but she didn’t have to guess.

“That’s not mine!” said Hector.

‘Split up,’ said Mehlsanz.

Helen ran right, and Hector ran left. The aluminum crashed down between the trees. Conall probably would have liked to follow the attack up, but the man no doubt realized by now that Harper would tear his comrades apart without him. And that was the game here. They didn’t have to defeat Conall--only distract him.

Helen spotted Conall again and chucked the sword with all her strength. It flew straight and true. Conall was forced to shield himself again, allowing Hector a few moments to circle around. A horizontal pillar shot out of Hector’s gauntlet with a pointed tip.

Conall launched himself up with an aluminum pillar, clearing the treetops for a fresh view of Harper, where he took the opportunity to make fresh shelter for his comrades. Another iron sword shattered against his aluminum coating and knocked him away again. As he fell, he retaliated once more.

A flurry of aluminum spikes flew toward Helen. She took refuge behind a burly tree trunk, which did manage to stop the spikes but only just. The wood was left skewered in multiple places, sharp tips poking out through splintered holes.

Then Karkash reappeared, swooping low over the treetops. Roman was not far behind, though he was missing an arm now.

Hector raised an iron spire to catch the imminent lightning, but it didn’t work. The lightning eagerly went for the aluminum spikes instead, making Helen’s tree explode.

The impact knocked her off her feet, countless scraps of wood tearing into her.