Catch up.

Chini, the bubbly pink harpy, is nearly completely concealed by the raven black wing of Chula. The latter stands guard, protecting her girls with a piercing stare outwards over the edge of the battlement. Behind her is also Chila, the shorter, purple-feathered harpy, and a distance behind, Patricia, the newer one of the bunch with rosy red hair. None of them are flying now, and you can feel the tension from here.

"Is anyone hurt?" you ask before Bek can continue.

"Ah no. The birdies here stopped flying as soon as an arrow came at them," he answers.

Tom is up as well, though on the opposite side of the gate. He stands beside Snow, and both watch intently with their bows in-hand.

"They're already almost here," Bek says. "From where they were spotted, they'll be here at any moment. First we'll hear the thunderous beating of a dragon's wings, and then the arrows will fly. But it's not all bad. We got a decent look at the army approaching at least."

"How'd they get here so fast?"

"Magic," says Vivilia from behind. She holds the brim of her cap as the wind picks up--jet black dress billowing as she waits a moment for the noise to die down. "We should have known Lord Vraelion would mages among his powerful connections. They must have opened a portal big enough, and for long enough, to march a small army through straight to the base of the mountain. They hope to catch us off guard, which I admit they have, but that doesn't mean they'll win."

"Apparently it isn't a lot of mortal men," Bek explains. "They saw demons, golems, and things like that mostly, but they did say they saw a few mages, so watch for that."

Peering down at the ground, it appears that everyone has already gathered, with the last few making their way down the winding paths of the village.

You don't have much time. With a foot up against the battlement, you project your voice loud enough for all below to hear. "Lord Vraelion is approaching!" you shout. "Snow and Tom, our masters of the bow, will stand guard up here, on opposite sides of the gate. Eva, behind Snow! Vivi, behind Tom! As soon as I give the signal, unleash all the arrows and spells that you can muster. But if things get dicey, fall behind to ground level immediately. Laira, Luna, Jelly, Fava, Stax, and Dixby, head to the Throne Room and meet up with Catherine immediately!"

Snow's feline ears twitch. "I hear something," she says softly.

Meanwhile, Tom makes his way over to your side to join Vivi. On the other side, behind Snow, you see Eva climb her way up.

You continue. "I want our frontliners behind the gate, ready to fight! That means Niki, Dajy and her succubi, Bek, Summer, Taiga, Fang, Mipa, Sen-nu, Rabbit's Foot, Delphi, Shivra, and Malakae, with Amara closely behind. I doubt these doors will hold for long, but with our Shard of Draconax, we should be able to take a lot of them out before they're able to push themselves through. Lastly, I want Yin, Peony, Alice, Koblix, Mela, and all four harpies in the middle. Your job is to assist the rest. Use your own intuition to decide where you're needed most. Cat, you too. The sun is rising, so I know that complicates things. Now prepare yourself for anything!"

Lynx is still presumably all the way in Tolis, and for all you know, Nyllia and her party are still out there somewhere, perhaps in Avana, but if the army never passed through, then nobody may know it's here except for everybody here. Still, your numbers are great, and you have a defender's advantage.

Right as you turn around, you hear what Snow thought she may have moments ago. Coming up over the shadow of the mountains are massive golden wings. You've seen them before. Lord Vraelion is here, and before him is a small army marching swiftly along the path winding up to Castle Phoenix. It may not be massive, but it is led by a mighty dragon. At the front are about a dozen brutish creatures you haven't seen before. They have dark, furry flesh and muscles bulging with pulsating veins, and atop their heads are horns like a ram. Each one wields a club in both hands. On their shoulders, gremlins. You've definitely seen them in the past. They're incredibly quick but tiny demons with razor-sharp claws that fire themselves at their enemy like the most deadly of arrows. For him to use such dark, evil creatures to exact his **** truly shows what kind of man he is, if such a thing wasn't already obvious.

Behind the demons march automatons. There are rolling spheres, some of which already formed into serpent-like machines, as well as a few ALICEs wielding swords and shields. There's Elok Daven's influence. While he may not have lent him many, there looks to be a couple dozen metallic balls approaching with the rest of the army, which still bolsters the attack **** quite a bit.

Along with that, you see some monsters--goblins, bugbears, and behind them, a few gnolls with muzzles binding their hyena-like snouts.

Lastly, there are only a few mages marching in the back, and each is garbed in a dark robe and wields a staff of dark oak.

Malakae lifts herself up to stand at the edge of the battlement beside you. She stares towards the sky just as Lord Vraelion soars higher. Behind him, two other smaller dragons also with glistening golden scales tail behind. "Bastards!" she curses.

"Quick, get back down with the rest--" you try to say.

"He brought two of my cousins. And are those demons? This is an insult to the Vraelion family name. Ooh, when I get to my dad, I'll smack him down to the ground and make him eat dirt for all he's done!"

"We'll make him pay, but I need you to join the other frontliners. If you fly in first alone, you'll be shot down immediately. Wait for my signal. Fight with the others, and when I say, transform and join in proper."

Red in the face with rage, she stares into your eyes with a piercing golden gaze for a long, tense moment before cursing beneath her breath in a tongue you don't understand. She turns back to the ladder and nods. "We better not lose."

"I said I'd protect you, Malakae. Believe me. And if you don't, today I'll prove it."

She brings a hand back through her hair--a nervous tic--as she turns a single eye back to you with a slight smile forming across her lips. "You better."

"Hold!" you shout with your sword drawn high in the air.

Just then, you feel a rush of power. Your morale feels bolstered by the strengthening of your body and spirit. Unseen energy flows from each and every person here. You take in a deep breath, and it's as if you've taken your first. Such a sensation is near overwhelming. Everybody here--they're with you, united. The steel of Lauo burns with a radiant pink hue, as if it were ablaze with the hottest flame. Your hair stands on-end, your nerves calm, and it feels as if your senses are even sharpening. This is your power yet again, but instead of a hot flash of sudden magical strength, it's like a slow burning star awakening in your heart. It tingles down your arms and legs, and you can't help but smile despite the danger ahead.

The army is here.

"Lord Vraelion!" you shout. Somehow, your voice carries even farther than usual. It echoes out like the booming words of a giant, even combatting the deafening flaps of such a large dragon's wings above. "Both you and Elok Daven can crawl back into whatever hole it is you came from! He's tried to defeat me before. Tried to chase me away. But we rose back up, started anew, and now we're stronger than ever before, just like a phoenix!"

The applause from those around you is like a thunderstorm that empowers you further. They cheer and holler. You hear weapons clang, and hands clapping. They're ready.