"Your humanity?"

Sin slowly got back up on her feet. "Our human forms are limiting, my master. We are kept within them to blend into the wider world, and to not be an affront to your eyes, my master. To shed it requires your permission, that is what I ask for."

Maria turned her head to gaze across the city beneath them. "Of course. I do not care what it takes, if only we can succeed." As the words left her lips she could feel the power surge within her body as her lore began to glow across her body. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her.

For a few moments the city was silent, save for the humming drone of Yggdrasil. Only to be shattered by the loud blaring of a thousand trumpets that swept across the city. In the distance Maria saw movement in the camps of the enemy as the trumpets sounded again.

"So it begins."

Maria turned around, her face brightening as she saw Elizabeth approaching them. The lady of Merlayne had forsaken her dresses for a black suit, her hair bound into a pony. "Impeccable timing, my darling. Though you appearing earlier would have saved us a lot of trouble, your servants tend to be quite an issue to deal with."

They embraced for a moment that the young master did not want to end. "I'm sorry." Was all she could mutter with a red face. Elizabeth ruffled her hair and let go, giving Maria a light smile. It quickly faded as she laid her eyes on the horizon.

"This is it, darling. Just like in the old stories."

The rousing of the enemy had whipped their own ranks into a frenzy. The black mass of monsters was writhing and moving, an ocean stirred into a storm. The trumpets were answered by frenzied howling of thousands of throats.

"It is a strange feeling, you know. All my life I thought that should this day come, I would be on the other side." Elizabeth let out a weak chuckle as she shook her head. "At the helm of the righteous host, marching on the fortress of darkness. And here I now stand."

The paladins were forming up in to wedge formations rather than a cohesive line. The banners of their chapters were held up high in the centre of the formations. Lions, Eagles, Gryphons and dragons, standing in defiance of the two queens.

"And I would not want it any other way, darling." Elizabeth stepped onto the makeshift bridge. "Take good care of her, Sin. I have an overgrown ape to punish."

She kept her hands in front of her, to hide how they were trembling. Before she could cross and continue her way, she was stopped by Maria running after and wrapping her arm around her.

"Promise me that you'll come back to me. Run if you have to, but come back to me. I wont forgive them if you don't."

"I have no intention of dying, darling." She laid her hand onto Maria's and gently pulled out of her embrace. "If I do not get to sit on the throne then I would have pushed the world into chaos for nothing, no? Worry not. I am not going to throw myself into the front lines, I will join your beasts further back in case they break through. I will be back before you miss me too much."

Head held high the young lady gave Maria a last look before she marched off further into the city, and all of Maria's hopes walked with her.

Sin laid her hand on Maria's shoulder, pulling her back into the here and now. "While they begin, it is time that we deal with the matter that is still open." Her gaze shifted to the large tower behind them, where they had found the crown. "The matter of truth."

It took Maria all her strength to pull away from watching Elizabeth walk away, to turn her back and follow Sin down the ramp. "Yes." She sighed, her stomach churning at the thought of what awaited her. But it had to be done.

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Armoire sat on the roof of a large tower at the very edge of the city, her feet dangling down the side. Beside her was one of the few field guns they had managed to set up and supply, manned by the remnants of Maria's personal retinue.

Hawkes stood next to her, watching the formation of the enemy through binoculars. "They actually went and drummed up every last chapter. And we are supposed to fight them and win?"

"It is inevitable. For every one of ours we will have a hundred replacements." Armoire bit her teeth together. The stone left and right of her was already covered in scratch marks.

"I am sure that will calm the lads down." Hawkes smile did not falter under the glare that Armoire gave her.

"We don't need undermining of morale here, lieutenant. You should keep that kind of defeatism to yourself."

Movement in the enemy ranks ended their bickering. At the sign of another trumpet, the forces began their march. Their wedges were formed in a loose line, three rows deep, with looser formations of combatants taking up the empty space between the paladins. Few had taken to the skies, on wings, wind-related abilities or with the help of gadgets.

Armoire rose back to her feet and grabbed the standard of their post. It was a replica of the black sun banner, yet despite this it was enough to whip the monsters beneath into a frenzy upon seeing it raised aloft.

"Drorgh yln Kyria! Drogh yln Kyria!" The roaring of thousands of malformed mouths was deafening. The horde underneath was a reflection of the fickle mind of their 'mother', only mildly restrained. They only had two, four or six legs, the more they possessed the larger they were. All were clad in thick scales, sharp claws, tendrils and teeth made up their lack of weapons. None had the head or face of a human, resembling any kind of animal instead, though horribly mangled to the point where correct identification was impossible.

Only the gaze of the eye on the banner held them back in their desire to throw themselves at the enemy for the glory of their master, each braying louder to outdo their comrades. Their ceaseless cries summoned more of their ilk from the west, a stampede of black waves. Not just the land, but the skies were soon filled with Menagerie´s creations, a black cloud of feathered and scaled wings swarming towards the enemy formation.

They would not reach them unanswered. Bolts of light surged out from the Paladin´s formations, piercing the clout of fliers. After passing the projectiles turned course to once more slice through the winged horde. By the time they reached the paladins to descend upon them, half of their number had been wiped out, leaving a trail of maimed, burned bodies to fall out of the air.

A bloody battle began in the skies above the enemy formation, but it did not slow down the Paladin´s advance. They marched through the field of corpses, their heavy boots crushing flesh and bone.

The horde could no longer be halted at the sight of carnage right in front of them. Armoire raised the banner aloft, her cry of havoc drowning out the host underneath. With one mind and one purpose, they were unleashed.

The trampling of foot, hoof and claw caused the ground to tremble almost as hard as the trembles caused by Yggdrasil´s machinations, as one great wave they branded against the enemy.

But they could not halt them. The heroes and students of Samdel outside of the armoured wedges were quickly trampled underfoot, but they could not break the Paladins. Their shining blades swung through the air as they cut a path through the ocean of flesh and claws. Greater monsters were felled by great shimmering arrows fired from the heart of the formations, while long spears warded off attacks from the sky. Their progress was a crawl, but it continued on.

"Aim for the centre of the formations in the front." Hawkes directed their field gun, and by a wave of her hand it was fired. The shell missed it´s mark, landing instead inbetween two of the wedges. Black blood and gore rained from the sky, revealing a hint of the pristine white of the ground before it was once more covered with the losses being replaced.

"That kind of aim is not acceptable at a faire, ladies!" Hawkes shook her head as the gun was reloaded. "You're not being paid for friendly casualties." The two other field guns joined in after their first shot. The next shell missed again, but the third hit the centre of one of the frontal wedges.

The force of the explosion scattered the Paladins, and while it was not enough to pierce their armour, it threw some on the ground, to get swallowed by the horde. Many of them did not get up, and the few that did not drown on their own began to slash out randomly, unable to reform and completely disoriented amidst the mass of claws and gaping maws that hungered for their flesh.

"Now that is what I am talking about!" Hawkes grinned and slapped her knee. "Aim for the next one, a few more hits like that and we'll be home before-" A golden arrow silenced her. It struck her near her stomach, she only stared at it in disbelief.

Armoire had already dropped the banner and leapt to her side, tackling Hawkes down. With one firm pull she dislodged the arrow and threw it off the building, where it exploded in a burst of light. "Stay down, stem the bleeding. Have faith, you'll make it." Her words were quick as she jumped to her feet, blade in hand as more arrows were searing through the air towards them.

She staid in front of the field gun, cutting or grabbing the arrows in mid air, allowing the gun to fire two, three more times. Another shot hit one of the wedges, but the other two once more missed.

By now the enemy had crossed half the distance between them and the city, close enough that Armoire could see leaders of the foremost formations. Her old chapter master, the lady of Hertiria, and at the helm of the centre-most formation, clad half in spotless white armor and wielding a massive lance, Samdel.

Two explosions behind them, the other two guns had been hit. Their gun was the last, and the arrow fire concentrated solely on them now. Armoire could not stop all of them. One hit the main gunner, the force of impact throwing him off the building, to their benefit as his body disappeared in an explosion of light first when he hit the ground. His spot was quickly taken by one of his comrades, but after another successful hit he was struck as well.

With a loud growl of frustration she tore down her hood, glaring down at the ever-encroaching enemy formations. "Get the lieutenant to safety, then rejoin your ranks." She barked at the second gunner-replacement, who quickly followed her orders and raced down the stairs with Hawkes crutching on him.

With them out of the way Armoire closed her eyes. She had felt the release, the loosening of the chains that bound her to her master. They had been unleashed. A dark crimson fire began to spread across her body, scorching her clothes. It fully coated and consumed her body, leaving only a shadowy form visible amidst the flames. With one great leap she soared through the air, a great ball of flame, illuminating the monochrome battlefield in a shower of red as she descended.

Waves of flames turned foe and friend alike to ash, leaving a great wide circle around Armoire. When she rose up, she showed an appearance that sowed fear and terror into the hearts of mankind.

The true face of a beast of Len-Fey.