Through the dark smoke created by the great fire, Black Rabbits glided through the ranks of the battle, making their way to King Dallin. Under the cloak of low visibility and the chaos of the ensuing battle, the fifty Black Rabbits made quick work of the unsuspecting Silent Ones, causing the ARO members to react in order to protect their Silent One allies from being completely swallowed by the ambush. The circles were broken.

Elucard, Wiccer, and Avalon swiftly attempted to join the fray with their men. However, they were deterred by a new set of shadowy figures. Legion, Inle, and Vada intercepted the three, catching them off guard.

Legion swiped in a horizontal arc, pushing Elucard away from his companions. Legion chased after him, locking his great sword with Elucard’s own blade. Inle ran and drop-kicked Wiccer into the chest, sending him flying backwards. Inle drew his blade and slowly approached him, grinning under his mask.

Avalon stood motionlessly facing Vada.

“Make your move, Sister,” smiled Vada.

“I take no pleasure in this, Vada,” replied Avalon.

Avalon ran headlong into Vada, caressing her blade against the grassy ground, ending in a furious slash. Vada dodged to the side and followed through with her own attack, but frowned as Avalon easily parried the strike.

Avalon circled around Vada and lunged forward. A quick slice connected into Vada’s side. Avalon followed up with a side kick that sent her Blade Sister sliding backwards. Enraged, Vada charged forward and leaped over Avalon’s head, landing a slash to the Silent One’s cheek. As she landed on the other side of Avalon, Vada flipped and kicked off the ground with her feet to boost her speed.

Avalon inspected the gash on her cheek with barely enough time to dodge the next attack. Avalon twirled around and slashed at her Blade Sister’s back, landing a gruesome strike. Vada tumbled across the ground, seething in anger.

“You can’t win, Blade Sister,” spoke Avalon, a hint of sadness trembling in her voice.

“The day isn’t over,” snapped Vada.

Avalon sighed before dashing at Vada once more. The two traded strikes with each other before Avalon sidestepped and grabbed Vada by the back of the neck, thrusting her knee into Vada’s face. A brutal crack let the assassin know her nose was broken. She tried to break free, but Avalon launched her other knee into a heavy blow under Vada’s chin.

Vada sailed through the air, landing hard on her back. She lay motionless in a complete daze. The side of Avalon’s sword slapped her cheek to awaken her from her stupor.

“I learned much from the pits. I learned to fight better than you. Much better,” Avalon said coldly.

Vada tried to scoot backwards to escape her sister’s edge, but Avalon held the blade firmly at her throat.

“I’m prepared to end this,” Avalon continued.

“Then end it!” spat Vada.

“Join me. I will fight you no longer!”

Vada narrowed her eyes, “Join you or die?”

Avalon tossed her blade to the side, “Join me or kill me. I am done fighting you.”

Vada grabbed her sister’s blade and swung it at Avalon stopping a hair’s inch from her throat. She furrowed her brow and snarled, “Damn you, Avalon!” she threw the blade away and embraced her long lost Blade Sister in a tight hug, “I won’t fight you any longer either. I’ll join you. I’ll join you.”

***

Legion swirled his large blade in an arc, keeping Elucard at bay while cutting into Elucard’s chest. Elucard jumped further backwards before dashing into the edged fray. Catching the great sword in mid swing, Elucard grunted under its immense weight as he pulled a dagger from his belt and struck out to Legion’s gut.

Legion smiled fondly before spinning around Elucard and slashing at the elf’s back with ease, “You haven’t been training as hard. A common disadvantage to training the youth.”

Elucard growled as he attempted a set of slashes followed by spinning across the grass on his knees and jumping up with a ferocious upper slash. The combination of attacks surprised Legion as he desperately avoided the final slashing attack, catching a slice to his armor and chin.

“I didn’t have a scar there yet. I was wrong, you have grown stronger, my student.”

“Why do you toy with me?” Elucard shouted, his voice shaking and tired.

Legion unleashed a vicious kick to Elucard’s chest, sending him onto his back. Legion stomped down, cracking Elucard’s ribs.

“I don’t want you to die here,”he said as he looked around, sensing an unworldly power emitting from somewhere in the battlefield, “The tides are about to turn, I can feel it. It’s like a force I’ve never felt before… It frightens me.”

“So you’re running away, I’ve never known you to be such a coward!” spat Elucard.

“If you still wish to finish it all, meet me in the place where it all began,” said Legion before thrusting his sword into Elucard’s thigh.

Elucard screamed as he grabbed his leg in agony, “There will be nowhere you can run, Legion! I will find you!”

Legion walked away, but called back to his student, “Trust me, I’m not going to run.”

***

Wiccer dashed angrily at Inle, slashing savagely at the shadow elf. However, Inle parried before catching Wiccer’s right wrist. With a flick of his hand, Inle ruthlessly held Wiccer in a painful wrist lock. Inle put more pressure on the now numbing wrist and rendered Wiccer to his knees.

Inle smiled, “Little White Cloak is now a Red Rabbit. My, how the world has changed.”

“Damn you! I will have my vengeance!” Wiccer winced.

Inle pulled Wiccer’s arm forward and drove his sword at his opponent’s stomach, but Wiccer was quick and grabbed the blade’s edge firmly. Wiccer grunted under the sharp pain of his slicing hand, but raised his deathly eyes up at Inle.

“Ruining the fun?” sneered Inle.

Wiccer stomped a foot into the soil from under him and slowly rose with a rush of strength pumping through his blood, “The fun is just about to begin!”

Inle twisted Wiccer’s wrist to its breaking point and attempted to thrust his sword into Wiccer’s stomach again. However the sword did not budge. Wiccer roared as he rammed his shoulder into Inle, toppling them both over and freeing him from the clutches of Inle’s torment.

Wiccer made sure to move a knee against Inle’s chin. The pressure put the Rabbit’s face against the ground. Inle thrashed his hand around wildly trying to grasp Wiccer’s red cloak. Wiccer grabbed Inle’s arm with both hands and fell to the side, locking Inle in a straight arm bar.

Inle desperately struggled to free himself, but Wiccer mercilessly pressured Inle’s elbow until his arm snapped in the grim hold. Inle screamed in pain, rolling over to favor his splintered arm.

“We’re not done yet, clown,” Wiccer spat, as he situated himself on top of Inle.

“No, I think we are done,” giggled Inle half-heartedly, as he gestured to the Black Rabbits now overtaking King Dallin.

Wiccer watched in horror as the Black Rabbits pushed back the remaining Silent Ones and surrounded ARO, who desperately guarded the king. Wiccer looked over to the battlefront to find Estinian reinforcements thundering though the Varisian ranks and powered onward to a sure sighted victory.

“It’s over, Red Rabbit,” chuckled Inle.

***

From the fog of the black smoke, fifty Black Rabbit trained Estinians rushed the Silent One lines. Their blades were furious as they overcame the holy warriors. The Silent Ones fought with the force of twenty men each, but these new Rabbits were able to adapt to the style of Jedeo’s knights.

Adema fought hard as she parried and slashed. A set of knives were flung at her side as she retreated back into ARO’s lines. More Estinians rushed her as she struggled to hold her own, eventually falling onto one knee. She grunted as sweat stung under her eyes. The immense weight of several swords clashing down upon her was too much to bear.

A barrage of arrows flew past and relieved her of her strife as the Watchers sprinted to the aid of the Silent Ones. Elisa somersaulted to Adema’s side as she slashed the neck of an oncoming Rabbit. She helped Adema to her feet.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to fighting those who used to be my allies,” huffed Elisa as she spin kicked a Black Rabbit off his feet.

“I said the same thing when I killed my first demon,” said Adema as she inspected her blood soaked side.

“Worry not Silent Sister, the are no demons here,” said Calsoon, giving a sly wink.

Adema nodded awkwardly, unsure if Calsoon knew of her linage. She wobbled on her feet as the pressure of the daggers ached in her side and thigh. She dislodged each knife and focused on her silencer until it glowed a bright white. Laying the blade on her wounds, she grimaced as her flesh seared and closed shut.

Calsoon watched curiously while deflecting several attacks around him, “That’s a useful trick.”

Elisa rolled over Calsoon’s back dodging several shurikens, “You two can talk later. We have business to attend to!”

Adema groaned as she limped back into battle, “The shadow elf is right. Enough chatter! Let’s get these Rabbits cleared from the king!”

Calsoon nodded happily, “I suppose we should do that.”

Timber let loose several close ranged shots from her bow as she hopped nimbly from side to side. Behind her, Lear gracefully danced, disarming Rabbits and diving forward lethally with his sword. He grunted as one hand held onto his stomach. He frequently checked the hand for any sign of his stitches breaking.

Timber glanced behind herself and called to the cat folk, “Essie is going to murder you herself if you keel over now.”

Lear chuckled. The light threat reminded him of his shameless begging not to be left back in Stonewall, “Fret not, Timber. This yikahti can handle a bit of bleeding.”

Timber dodged a wayward arrow, leaning backwards against Lear so that it would miss him too, “Well ‘this yikahti’ better take extra care of himself.”

Lear kicked away an Estinian soldier, “Cheeky,” he replied, amused by Timber’s impression of him.

Rulan jumped backwards and clattered down his sword against a pair of Estinian attacks as Essie slashed her sword across the two Rabbits. She slid back to the side of her brother and wiped her brow.

“I miss those days where we just followed Trek in the woods all day. This is too stressful,” sighed Essie. She looked upon the battlefield and found that despite their hard work, the Estinian forces were still encroaching closely to King Dallin, “Rulan, we might not survive this.”

Rulan grunted as he locked a Rabbit in a head lock before snapping his neck, “Essie just do your best and watch my back…”

Essie growled as an Estinian rushed her with a spear. Grabbing the pike with both hands, she leapt backwards and landed hard on the ground. The enemy unsheathed his sword and raised it to strike down on the medic, but fell in a heap as Rulan drove him through.

Rulan knelt down next to her shivering sister, “Like I was saying, watch my back and I’ll watch yours. All we have is each other now.”

Essie smirked and reached to flick the tip of her brother’s ear, “I can live with that.”

Blayvaar held the final ranks next to King Dallin, watching as the Rabbits continued to push through the two lines of Silent Ones and Watchers. His hands were moist from the sweaty grip of his daggers. His mouth was parched from his crumbling nerves. His heart pounded, still weak from the weeks before. As more and more Estinians broke through the lines, his adrenaline finally overcame his fear. Lunging headlong into the fray, he diced left and right, slicing into necks, arms, legs, and chests of Estinains. Finally, a slash ripped into his side, bringing him onto his knees.

He looked up into the autumn sky, watching as the sun set, perhaps for the last time. However, as he began to faint from the trauma of his wound, a blurred shadow drove his spear into several oncoming Estinians. Blayvaar collapsed into the shadow’s arms. He heard a familiar voice as he began to bleed out.

“You can die later, Rabbit. The twelfth Spearmen are by your side, now!”

Blayvaar smiled as Rith dragged him to the safety of the medical corps, “You glory hounds.”

Rith chuckled, “You got us read like a book, Rabbit. Rest now, let us have a shot at these guys.”

Blayvaar nodded as he laid back to let the medics work on his large wound.

***

“Sire, we are being overrun! We need to retreat!” Marcus grunted at Koda as he pushed away yet another attacker. Bodies piled all around the circle of White Cloaks as Koda sat propped up by his familiar, both breathing heavily.

“This is not how it ends. Not here, not today,” Koda wheezed, exhausted. He struggled to stand, resting one hand on Marcus’s shoulder.

“There’s nothing we can do. We’ve been overwhelmed. We need to retreat.”

Koda limped past the circle of White Cloaks, a large horde of enemies rushing toward him with spears poised forward. Koda was steadfast as he raised his hand outward, “It’s time I let go,” he whispered.

A shockwave exploded from the young mage’s feet knocking the rushing soldiers off balance. Koda raised his other arm and pointed away from his side, pulsing an energetic, invisible force that pushed hundreds of enemies in a wave across the ground. This got the attention of Aric and Athar.

The two trotted toward the weakened Koda on the backs of their cream white horses. Athar gingerly approached Koda, “What are you doing, Koda? The battle is lost for you. Do what must be done and surrender already!”

Koda’s nose bled profusely. Sweat dripped and soaked into the ground creating a small puddle at his feet. He was hunched over, bleeding through his now drenched side and down his once vibrant emerald robes.

“I-I w-will not f-fail my father…” Koda murmured, half conscious now.

Athar smirked, “It’s far too late for that.”

Koda’s eyes snapped open and rolled to the back of his head, unleashing a blood curdling roar, “I will not fail my father!!!”

A teal aura turned bright red as it exploded all around Koda, sending thousands of orbs of Magi streaming through the ground and up the feet of every enemy soldier on the battlefield. Each of the still attacking Estinian and the Long Whisper forces struggled in vain as they found themselves frozen by the alien energy.

“Vhat es de meaning of dis Athar?” Aric screamed at the top of his lungs to his ally.

Koda’s eyes burned an array of vivid colors and flared much like the magical flare his wolf gave off. He slowly lifted each of the captured soldiers into the air and suddenly clenched his fist. A resounding crunching sound rang through the ranks of thousands of soldiers as their bodies twisted and contorted. Athar and Aric could only watch in grotesque horror as their once overwhelming force was reduced to crumpled up corpses.

“Enough! Please, Koda!” Marcus’s terrified scream called out to the unresponsive mage.

Koda’s eyes sparked and sputtered out less and less Magi as he reeled his fist closer to his chest, flinging both Athar and Aric closer to him until they were eye level.

“Do you yield?” Koda growled, his voice booming a loud echo across the field.

Athar and Aric looked at each other’s frightened faces, before stuttering a ‘yes.’

In unison the lifeless, mangled Estinian bodies fell to the ground like a heavy rain. Koda stumbled forward as his eyes returning to normal before he collapsed in complete exhaustion.