Editing Summary:The Sunlit Man

The city reorganizes into a colosseum and the captured people, along with Nomad, are pitted against ember people. Nomad is forced into a set of bracers. A particular ember woman with green eyes and black hair streaked with silver and a machete goes after Nomad. He evades her with assistance of a large red-headed man. Nomad can only use Aux defensively, but Aux changes from a crowbar to a barbell in a way that traps the ember woman. Then Nomad is frozen by the bracers.

Nomad awakens chained to a large plate of metal, and the Cinder King is feasting on the souls of the weaker peasants. A stronger peasant is brought forward, then stabbed with a glowing spear which turns her into an ember warrior. Nomad and Aux discuss whether the investiture from the spear could be captured, which might allow Nomad to form a Connection enabling language. Then the red-headed fellow is brought up to be embedded. Nomad breaks his own hand to get out of the manacles, and is able to throw Aux as a 6 foot sword, by aiming away from the Cinder King. The Cinder King is awed by the blade, but as he brings Nomad to the Cinder spear, an explosion rocks the arena.

In addition to explosions, an attack freezes all the ember people. Aux is able to protect Nomad from the bracers but the Torment prevents other weapons or tools that Nomad might use to escape the other manacle. Nomad mentions he might have practised more if not for his perpetual need to be on the run. People conducting the attack retrieve the green eyed, black and silver haired ember woman from near Nomad. They ignore Nomad until one of them is taken out by a rifle shot from Cinder King. He shields the surviving woman with Aux. He can use a rifle to a very limited degree, such as blowing away his other manacle. They retrieve red-headed man and flee at the rear of a pack of hovercycles, but the ember people wake and give chase.

Nomad notes that the ember people are targeting the ships core, so he shields that. The weird atmospheric pressure brings to mind his former master. He thinks of how Aux has changed since the night Brigade caught him that one time. He leaps to a pursuing vehicle and pulls their energy source, rushing their vehicle and gaining the energy for himself. His red-headed comrade is amazed but the hovercycle pilot missed his prowess.

Nomad lays on the floor healing while the leaders meet and discuss options, or lack thereof. 10 % of Beacon was lost in the fight.

Nomad tried to help Elegy and designs a steam engine. Aux mentions flight, and Nomad reflects on how Aux was all but killed due to the Dawnshard he took as a favor to Hoid. He examines a spent sunheart, described as smokestone.