Grim engagement

There’s little you can do but watch and wait as the dust cloud closes in. Finally, it’s close enough that you can see the approaching ****, and you shake your head at the sight. Not only are you obviously outnumbered, but they’re clearly better equipped. Now that they’re in sight of you, you watch as they spread into a battle line, blades and armor reflecting the grey light of day. Completely covered in armor and hooded cloaks, they barely seem human.

On your side, everyone makes final preparations. There’s no wavering, despite the odds against you. A glance either way shows looks of grim determination, and resolve. You look at Alex, and she grins, unsurprisingly. You doubt that anything could truly worry the solar elemental. Beside her stands Sarah, who has Forgebreaker in hand. There’s a glint of anticipation in the hellhound’s eyes, as she prepares to once again take a measure of vengeance against her former captors. And finally there’s Ferra, already shifted into her combat form. The golem girl is leaning forward slightly, taut like a steel cable, and her orange eyes are ablaze. She’s clearly ready to be unleashed.

You stand straight, hand on the hilt of your sword, as the opposing **** comes to a halt, and the tension is thick in the air. The front rank splits, and a grotesque figure limps to the front. Immediately you recognize the charred and half melted form of Cairus. His armor fused to his body, he doesn’t move with any fluidity or grace, seemingly still suffering from the wounds you’ve inflicted. Still, he hefts a massive sword on his shoulder, carrying it with an ease that shows the monstrous strength in his ruined form. You can’t see much of a face behind his twisted helm, but he levels the sword at you and nods, singling you out. In response, you draw Caliburn, returning the gesture.

Even from here, you can hear the laughter from within that horrific helmet, and he raises his blade to the sky. There’s a long pause, and then he brings the sword down, starting to lumber forward, charging directly at you. All around him, his army starts forward as well. There’s no battle cry, only the sound of clattering armor and thundering footsteps.

You raise your blade as well, and wait, judging the distance.

“Ready….”

The enemy comes close, their blades coming up as they approach. You bring your sword down with a shout, commanding the countercharge.

“Now!”

You leap forward, focused on Cairus, who moves towards you deceptively fast. The lines collide with a crunch, and battle is joined. You don’t have time to observe, dodging aside from a heavy blow. You feel a surge of power from your armor, and you mentally thank Lilith. You receive a wordless pulse of gratitude in response, as you slash at Cairus with Caliburn. His charred flesh parts as you cut along his ribs, but if you hurt him, he doesn’t show it.

Ferra is off to one side, mercilessly cutting through nearby enemies, keeping them off your back. Sarah does the same on the other side, the boom of Forgebreaker echoing as she shatters shields and caves in armor. Alex, meanwhile, seems to be gathering hers, her dark eyes locked on Cairus. One arm is coated with flames, and the other rimed with frost, as she watches your fight progress. The air about her is charged as she slowly lifts her arms, pointing at the half melted general.

You don’t have time to watch, locked in your duel. Cairus hammers an elbow into your breastplate. The armor holds, but the **** of the blow knocks you back a step. You’re **** to roll aside as his blade comes down, carving a furrow in the earth where you once stood. You react quickly, thanks to Lilith, with an upward stroke that takes off his sword arm at the elbow. Once again, he doesn’t miss a beat, snatching his sword with the other hand, and slamming the stump of his arm against your head, knocking you to your back.

Despite the stunning blow, you manage to deflect his attack, knocking away the strike. In response, he stamps down on your sword arm, pinning it to the dirt. You feel the armor flex, but it protects your arm. Cairus raises his sword high for the killing blow, one you have no way to avoid. Sarah and Ferra are too far away to stop him, heavily engaged with the surrounding enemy.

But Alex is right there.

All sound seems sucked out of the air as a ball of darkness gathers in her outstretched hands. Black as the void, and shot through with streaks of red, yellow, and blue, the ball of incredible energy pulses with gathered power. Time itself seems to slow as she hurls it towards Cairus, a look of fury on her usually smiling face.

The ball strikes him in the chest, and he staggers back away from you. The energy seems to stick to him, following him back. There’s a horrible, crunching sound, followed by a sound you never expected.

Cairus screams.

You watch as the very air around him distorts, and he seems to shrink. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, his body is pulled inward towards the ball, with more crunching and grinding sounds. Soon, he vanishes within, and the ball winks out of existence. Cairus is gone, as if he were never there. The only evidence that he was here is his sword, lying where he dropped it before being consumed by the energy.

You climb to your feet, turning to look at Alex. The solar elemental is grinning, clearly exhausted by her efforts. She nods in satisfaction at the spot where Cairus once stood.