Battle.

Your eyes snap open just in time to see Uklag, pursued by a woman in full plate, sprint into a cloud of ash and smoke. Another woman, this one wearing the white gown of a mage, turns to follow, her hands crackling with arcane power. Thinking quickly, you bound forward, your armor encumbering you less than you expected. The mage, surprised by your sudden burst of motion, twists in place, the momentum of her sprint morphing into an effective, if unrefined sidestep.

You blast past her, your momentum carrying you into the far wall. You feel stone crack, but you are uninjured. Lightning dances over the mages hands, and you realize that you are mere seconds away from ****. You push off of the stone wall, throwing yourself into a **** charge, hoping to get within her range before she gets her spell of.

Your hope was in vain, however, as lightning arcs from the mage's hands, leaping towards your chest. You prepare yourself for the end.

But it never comes.

The lightning crashes into your breastplate, and then, like a sunbeam hitting a mirror, in bounces off, striking a wall to your left.

You have no time to marvel, however, as you are still barreling towards the now very shocked mage. A moment later you are within range, and you raise your massive sword to cut her down. She reacts quickly, and a quick spell traps your sword arm in a pillar of ice. She let you get too close, and the fight is ended by your mailed fist landing in her stomach.

Tearing your arm free from the pillar, you glance around, and to your dismay, find yourself completely surrounded by Estaran soldiers.

You raise your sword into a ready stance, but as you do, the line of soldiers to your right is breached, and three bloodied figures come into view, Dorian, Catherine, and Kyra. Dorian, having seemingly picked up a few tricks from all those books, holds a ball of flame ready in each hand. Catherine, having trained under Uklag, swiftly alternated between lightning, ice, and fire. Kyra was an engine of ****, wielding a silvery sword adorned with runes in one hand, and a dagger of similar design in the other, she danced through the enemy, appearing more whirlwind than woman.

As you watch them, the very earth shakes with the boom of a massive explosion, coming from above you. The fight momentarily ceases as the Estaran soldiers look to the ceiling. Seizing the opportunity, you locate an open door behind the Estaran line. You point to it, booming:

"Break through, go!"

You then sprint into the eastern lines, intending to clear a path for your allies.

The fight is long and grueling, and you take multiple hits that would be deadly if not for your armor, but you make it through, and the four of you sprint up several flights of stairs, soon after finding yourself in the main hall. You find Uklag there, lying bleeding next to the woman in plate, now either dead or ****, and the smoking ruins of the supposedly indestructible gate.

You scoop up Uklag's **** form as you run, the sound of hundreds of charging feet behind you motivating you not to stop. The five of you cross the courtyard, and, barreling towards the portcullis, you are dismayed to find it closed once more. Desperation fueling you, you practically toss Uklag to Dorian, who, to his credit, manages to catch the mage without breaking his stride, and you get your hands beneath the iron bars of the fortification. Giving it everything you have, you gust barely manage to lift it and hold it for long enough for the others to get through. Once they are safely through, you step forward and let go, dropping the massive iron gate behind you, and placing you outside the walls. You cannot rest yet, however, as the soldiers still pursue you.

You and your allies desperately sprint for the tree line, exhaustion evident in your stumbling gaits. Despite your fatigue, however, you make it, and the five of you disappear into the forest.