Guild 2: Knight's Watch - JesterheadJohnSnow

"So, this year the Games end on a battle royale between the guilds?"

Senator Roan Clovis, a human male with graying dark hair, sat in the boxed section between two other politicians in the stands meant strictly for Tythan's elite. From this angle, they were closer to the action about to take place between the guilds and are also level with the competitors. In other words, it is as if they were with the Magi in the battle. The sun, already at its zenith in the sky, shone down with a blazing fury as the coarse and beige sand on the large coliseum glowed a bright yellow as if they were going to ignite into flames any moment. It was hard to believe that this C-shaped arena was situated on a private island located in the body of water east of Kypha.

"Aye indeed!" A fellow senator to his right, a Centaur with his golden hair tied back, smiled and leaned forward, grabbing hold of the purple railing that separated them from the participating Magi. " It's quite an appropriate conclusion to this year's Games, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, it seems that you and I can actually agree on something, Foley." The senator to Clovis's right, a Nymph by the name of Opanne, giggled.

"Yes, it is convenient for you both to agree on something for once." Roan smiled. "Which guild do you think will end up victorious. My money is on the Knight's Watch."

"Psssh, I am going with Miria." Foley leaned back into his seat.

"You both have a screw or two loose." Opanne giggled. "The only guild that has what it takes is Valkyrie."

----

"Welcome to the final round of this year's Games!"

Syliane and her four fellow representatives took their spots on the hot sand as Evina began her announcement from the red tower located in the middle of the dusty arena. She coughed and covered her mouth as a slight gust of wind blew sand around them, lowering the visibility a bit. She noticed the representatives of the other guilds standing in a semi-circle, ready to end the Games with a bang.

"First of all, give yourselves a pat on your back for making it this far. It is quite an accomplishment and you have served the Republic well by showing what your guild is capable of in addition to entertaining the citizens. Secondly, it was an honor to have you all in this year's Games. Now, without further ado, five representatives from the remaining guilds will battle it out in this wet and sandy arena. The winner will be the guild that has only their members standing. The use of magic is permitted as long as it isn't used to kill or maim anyone. Furthermore, there will be some additional obstacles used in this battle like wild animals and traps. There are sand dunes and water separating you from the crowd which you can use to your advantage if you choose. Okay, I said enough. May the best guild win!"

As Evina went quieted down. Syliane's eyes gazed at her environment. Since the arena was located on an island located between the estuary and the sea, the tide brought in water that surrounded the participants. The only thing keeping the blue-green water from pouring into the rest of the battleground was a five foot wall surrounding the distance between the crowd and the Magi. The Harpy's eyes landed on the metal bars located under the tower of the Gamemakers.

So that is where the wild beasts are kept. I know that they aren't supposed to be dangerous otherwise it wouldn't be legal to use them against us, but I can't shake this bad feeling I have. Was it just me or did Evina's enthusiasm sound a bit too faux?

Before she could ponder her question any longer, Rhengar pushed her out of the way as a fireball missed her by centimeters. She could feel where it singed her left shoulder. Startled, the Harpy glanced up at her guildmate.

" Keep your head in the game, Bucko!" Rhengar smirked as he turned to face off against the other contenders.

---

"Mira Mordor Mortis!"

A metal trap that Mordzar summoned snared the Warrior Sage from Iscariot Sin.

"Nice catch, mate!"

Valonn leapt over the Metal Mage as he bounded over to finish off their opponent. Mordzar glanced over to his right to see Rhengar and the Shapeshifter Sage from Crimson Shadow in his wolf form, clash in a flurry of claws and teeth, kicking up sand in the air. Hearing someone charge at him, he whirled around to face the Metal Mage from Miria.

"Mira Mordor Mahan!"

Mordzar and his opponent conjured up metal swords and started to clash. Mordzar ducked a blow and struck as well, resulting in his blow being parried. The Metal Mage leapt backward to evade a second blow from his opponent's sword. His opponent was pretty quick and nimble. After all, he was a Forest Elf. A great gust of wind blew, dispersing the sand around the arena. This miniature sandstorm lowered the visibility in the coliseum by a bit, making it difficult for Mordzar and the other Metal Mage to land marks on each other.

It seems like I have to literally take a stab in the dark here.

Letting out a grunt, Mordzar struck in through the sand-filled air to where he deduced his opponent to be.

---

Rhengar and his opponent rolled around the sand dune, both vying to dominate each other as the apex predator.

"Jardonkha!" The wolfman called out to his teammate. "Make yourself useful and help me out here!"

"Where are you exactly?" The Naga's voice carried in the dusty air. Since Jardonkha's magic wasn't offensive, she couldn't fare on her own in this face off. As a result, she couldn't be at the forefront and was reliant on someone to watch her back. In this case, it was Rhengar.

"On the nearest sand dune!" Rhengar called out as he and the other wolf grappled with each other.

"Where is that exactly?" The Naga responded.

Rhengar slammed the smaller wolf's snout onto the the hard surface of the dune. " For Lupa's sake, just conjure up some sort of distraction and stop asking to many questions."

Before long, the enemy Sage reared his head and turned to look at something in the distance. Rhengar used that to his advantage to pounce onto him, hoist him in the air, and heave him in the distance. The splash of water ensured him that his opponent was down for the count since there were walls around the water trenches that separated the combatants from the spectators. The water was only present due to the island's location at the mouth of the estuary.

Didn't Evina say that we could utilize the water? I thought the idea was rubbish due to the water being inaccessible, but what do you know? I made the impossible possible.

"Rhengar, look out!"

Startled out of his thoughts by Jardonkha's outburst, the wolfman turned to see a jaguar charging at him through the dust storm. This must be the other Shapeshifter from Crimson Shadow coming to avenge his guildmate.

Well, I haven't felt this exhilarated since my nocturnal hunts with my clan. I will make sure to enjoy this as I bring my guild the glory they deserve!

---

Coughing, Lady Lara put a piece of cloth to her mouth to avoid inhaling more dust particles. She viewed the final battle from the stands alongside the guild members who weren't representing the Knight's Watch.

This is outrageous! They are forcing Magi to fight in this hazardous condition. I can only applaud my five representatives for being able to brave this predicament.

It wasn't long before the dust storm stopped and the visibility improved once again. Suddenly, the bars under the Gamemaker's tower started to ascend while making creaky noises. All eyes turned to the new phenomenon as the battle paused briefly.

"I think they are letting in the beasts," Sypho said.

" Tell us something we don't know." Tyreen rolled her eyes."

Emitting growling or grunting sounds, the beasts sauntered out of their confines. There were a variety of them from across the galaxy, including a Rhynok and a Goth leopard. Letting out a variety of cries, the creatures turned to engage the Magi as the crowd cheered loudly.

"I hope the Gamemakers know what they are doing allowing such bestial beings into an arena." Lara grumbled, crossing her arms.

---

Ursa's fangs! Things have just taken a turn for the best. I am so fired up!

Valonn stood on his hind legs as he faced down the Rhynok. Their eyes locked onto each other, the massive beast snorted and kicked up dust before it reared down its head and charged at the Water Mage, knocking away a few Magi unfortunate enough to be in its path.

Lock and load!

Valonn timed his jump accordingly as he leapt into the air and used his bear claws to latch onto the raging Rhynok's rough purple hide. The Water Mage struggled to hold on as the massive herbivore tried its hardest to buck him off.

The time is now!

Once they neared the barriers that blocked off the water trenches, Valonn used his magic to borrow some of the water and drench the beast he was on. Leaping off the baffled beast, the white bear then murmured a freeze. This resulted in the Rhynok being encased in a block of ice.

I'm so glad I learned all the elemental properties of water before I joined the guild.

Before he could relish his victory over the beastly rhinoceros, a massive sound that sounded like the sound barrier breaking echoed across the vicinity. Valonn froze and glanced around with a frantic expression.

What in Ursa's name is going on? Is this a part of the Games?

All the other combatants in the arena had the same baffled expression he had. Even the audience had stopped its cheering, resulting in a silence that was filled with anxiousness.

"What are those?" The panther from Silent Phoenix pointed at the sky.

Glancing upward, the Water Mage noticed several flares in the sky that indicated foreign objects entering the atmosphere.

Please don't tell me a meteor shower is going to take place now of all times.

After a grueling several minutes that felt like hours, many small dagger-shaped objects representing dragon teeth began to appear. It wasn't long until they had appeared close enough to be recognizable as spacecraft. Valonn frowned as he scrutinized the incoming spaceships.

Those don't seem to belong to the Republic unless they decided to trade their purple and red color scheme to gray and green. Whoever those sleek ships belong to, I still have a very bad feeling about this.

----

Jardonkha stood between Rhengar and Syliane as the incoming spacecraft blotted out the sun above them.

"W-who do those belong to?" She stammered.

"That is what I would like to know as well." Syliane clenched her fist.

"I don't think they are here to be our friends." Rhengar bared his teeth. "Look at the aggressive way they are approaching this arena."

The Conjurer Wizard looked closely at the incoming spacecraft and noticed that Rhengar's assumption bore some credibility. Jardonkha counted about seven of the massive spaceships hovering not even a thousand feet in the airspace above the arena. They were painted either gray or forest green or a medley of both. No Republic ships had those color schemes or a distorted dagger/ tooth shape to their spaceships.

Who are these people?

Suddenly, a shrill sound like a firecracker launching echoed across the air as green balls of energy started to rain down on the arena. Massive explosions would result wherever the green balls would strike.

"We are under attack!" Someone from the audience shouted.

You don't say? The question is who and why?

Jardonkha was suddenly snatched up by Rhengar and pulled away to the corner of the coliseum. A few seconds later, a green ball landed where she was situated earlier. The Naga tensed up as the realization that her life was just saved by her guildmate hit her. If it hadn't been for Rhengar's on the mark perception, she would be vaporized already.

That was a close one!

---

Lady Lara glanced behind her to see what was left of several Magi and civilian spectators disperse in the air as an attack from the invading spacecraft made its mark where the unfortunate individuals were seated. She noted the three members of Guild Miria among the victims that were vaporized. Thinking quickly, she motioned for several of the Knight's Watch members that were with her to follow her lead and help the others, civilians and Magi alike, evacuate the premise.

"What about the senators?" Tyreen asked.

"Don't worry about them! That is what the Republic Guard is for. Just focus on protecting as much as lives as possible."

The reserve Knight's Watch members nodded as they went out to save as much as lives as possible. Despite Lara knowing that it isn't realistic to save everyone, they had to at least try. After all, that is the purpose of their guild.

"Shield Wizards, do your thing!" She ordered. "Anyone else with any type of offensive magic, take out the green balls before they reach the surface of the world. Get as creative with your magic as possible. Thousands of lives depend on it. Now hustle!"

'For honor! For glory!" The reservists shouted their guild's words as they got to work.

---

"I see that the attack has just begun. As expected, everything is going according to the plan."

Sha'Kil, Remi'i, and several other members of the Zhol army glanced over at Jhing'im as he addressed them. They were congregated in the woods outside Kypha as they viewed the planet attacked by their allies from the Dragon Empire. Sounds resembling the roars of dragons resounded across the sky as the Dragon Empire's starships released fighters that looked like metal dragons to further the death and destruction on the planet. However, Remi'i had learned that unlike the Zhol, the Dragon Empire had wanted more than just death and destruction. For this sole purpose, they sent in ground forces to secure control of the planet. Remi'i was surprised to learn that the Dragon Army also consisted of volunteers from races outside the galaxy.

" If I may interject." Sha'Kil rose from the tree stump he was seated on. "Why do we have to wait until the Dragon Empire and their alien allies complete their surprise attack until we move in?"

Remi'i couldn't agree more with his former guildmate. After all, he was itching to contribute to the bloodshed taking place as every Zhol should.

"Because that is when the Magi are most vulnerable." Jhing'im paced back and forth. "Moreover, you should keep in mind that our primary objective is to capture and turn the Magi. Killing them is a last resort only if they refuse to give in to the darkness."

Blast! I want nothing more than to annihilate the Magi scum! All they did was use me like a tool for their self-serving needs.

In his hands, Remi'i held what was left of his pet Salamandra. Since Zhols feed their power by absorbing the lives of other living beings, Sal had to be an unfortunate casualty. Remi'i clenched his fist as he thought of the bloody revenge he'd exact on the Knight's Watch.

"Now it's time for me to introduce you to the Lieutenant." Jhing'im stepped aside to reveal a dark-haired Zhol with a scar across his cheek. "He is the one that is responsible for planning our incoming assault and will lead a detachment of the Zhol Army into Kypha. "

---

Almost there!

Syliane glanced back as the enemy warriors, clad in metal masks, helms, and armor that resembled dragons pursued her in their boats across the estuary. Using her wings, she held the hands of two civilians she had rescued from the besieged arena as she flew them away from the carnage. Below her, boats ferried the survivors of the Dragon Empire's initial strike back to Kypha. The dark blue waters were now stained red in several places for reasons Syliane had already figured out, but didn't want to dwell on for the sake of keeping her sanity.

I...must..pull...through...despite...how..heavy...my...load..is.

Syliane felt like she was carrying an ox rather than two Halflings, but the teachings of the Knight's Watch ingrained in her mind wouldn't let her take the easy way out. She was barely staying out of range of the arrows and spears thrown at her by the enemy, but at least none have made their mark-yet. A few times, loud roaring sounds had shaken her focus as the dark gray fighters swooped down from the sky like dragons and annihilated some of the survivor's boats. Losing her focus for a second, she glanced downward when a searing pain ripped through her left wing.

"Argh!" She glanced at her wing to see a green arrow buried in the center of it. In her shock, she must have descended into the range of the pursuing enemy's arrows. A bloodcurdling shriek from one of the Halflings made her blood run cold. The Harpy noticed the male Halfling have a spear skewering him, but the female Halfling was untouched by the arrows although she was quite hysterical. Syliane didn't blame her as this was quite a traumatizing event for them all.

I...must...pull..through.

Before she knew it, she felt all her strength ebb away as darkness overtook her vision. She then began her freefall to the soiled waters below.

---

The chaos doesn't end here either!

Senator Clovis and his two fellow senators had suck together as the Republic Guard had escorted them from the island to the capital. Those fifteen minutes spent in the boat felt like fifteen hours as the enemy soldiers closed in on them. He tried not to think about what would have happened if the enemy had started tailing after them several minutes earlier than they already had.

"I thought the situation would improve after we fled that island, but it appears it has just taken a turn for the worst!" Foley moaned.

"Are those Ziridons?" Senator Opanne pointed at several horned humanoids with red and black tattoos fighting alongside the invaders who were adorned with dragon-clad armor against the Republic's soldiers.

"What kind of warriors strike down civilians?" Foley added, viewing the corpses adorning the ground on the burning marketplace.

"Ones with no honor." Senator Clovis seethed as he recognized a few children among the dead.

"This way!" The captain of the Republic Guard tasked with protecting the three senators led them through several alleys to avoid the invaders.

"Widdershins!" Senator Foley's eyes grew wide as he noticed several hostile figures ahead. "Are those Zhurans as well?"

Senator Clovis's eyes landed on a couple blue-skinned alien creatures with red eyes who were wielding daggers vibrating with electric energy join the dragon-armored invaders in blocking off the exit.

"Stand back!" The Guard's captain and the remaining members of the Republic Guard formed a protective circle around the senators. "We are to battle our way through this."

---

"Concentrate, Mordzar!"

Keeping his attention on the enemy soldiers, Mordzar muttered phrases as he and his sister utilized their Metal Mage powers against the enemy. Ever since they had landed on the banks outside Kypha's east, the remnants of the Knight's Watch were flabbergasted to see that the attack wasn't just limited to the island. In fact, it seemed to be a worldwide phenomenon. They had lost a few members to the enemy as they were protecting civilians back on the arena or fleeing the invaders and their alien allies. Mordzar wasn't sure if the aliens were part of the enemy force or a separate invasion force, but they were still a force to be reckoned with.

"Mira Morder Mihan!"

The nearby enemy soldiers screamed as they felt themselves get crushed by their own armor. It was convenient that the enemy forces mainly used metal for their armor. Mordzar huffed and puffed as he watched a large reptilian creature with orange scales burst into a bloody mess as his armor and chain-mail constricted him. He glanced to his left to see the strain on his sister's face as she used her metal magic to turn the armor of dozens of enemy soldiers against them. Rhengar,Valonn, Sypho, and others fought hard against the few invaders who wore no metal armor. Across the city, the Magi were spearheading the counteroffensive now since the Republic's soldiers seemed to be outmatched and outnumbered 100 to 1 by the dragon-armored invaders. No matter how much they fought on, they seemed to be no end in sight to the onslaught.

"Mordzar!" Tyreen called out. "I have just confirmed that the dragon fighters are made of metal. Perhaps by clearing some out of the sky, we can lighten the load for the Republic's space fleet. "

"That sounds taxing," The Metal Mage remarked.

"I know, but this is war and in war we must make sacrifices."

Hearing the roaring sound of the dragon fighters, the two Metal Mages glanced upwards toward the sky, or what part of it wasn't covered by starships, to see many fighters swoop down over the city like dragons. Grabbing each other's hands, Mordzar and Tyreen chanted a phrase in unison. in a matter of seconds, the fighters seemed to crumble like paper in the sky before imploding in metal debris. As burning scraps of metal rained down over the area, the siblings fell onto their knees, wheezing. The sheer amount of magic needed to accomplish that was taxing on their Mathanos levels.

"Never ask me to do that again." Mordzar wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

---

The Lieutenant approached Jhing'im as the latter observed the battles while standing at the edge of a cliff. Jhing'im turned around to address the other Zhol, his cloak blowing in the breeze.

"Report."

"The generals are in position." The second Zhol reported. " It seems the Magi are taking over the bulk of the Republic's counteroffensive and the tide is turning against the Dragon Empire as well as their allies. General N'zall has called on reinforcements from the Ye'ark Confederacy as well as the Tyzheran Systems, but will they be sufficient against the Magi? "

"This is precisely the moment we have been waiting for." Jhing'im cackled. "The Magi have joined the fray so now we will spearhead the rest of the Dragon Army's operations. It is as I have predicted."

"Shall we strike at once or surprise the Magi while hiding our true numbers?" The Lieutenant asked.

"Oh, that doesn't matter." Jhing'im's green eyes glowed really bright in the shadows cast by the starships blockading the sky above. "What is important is not what we do, but to savor it as we do it. It's like a feast. The question is would you swallow it all at once or do you take your time and enjoy the flavor while it lasts?"

---

Tikka!

Syliane had only one moment to glance back as she took off from the arena, but that was all she needed to see the Shield Wizard from the Knight's Watch just drop dead due to overexertion in holding up the shield protecting the other Magi and civilians in the coliseum. There was no time for her to mourn or think about as the enemy had troops landing in the arena to wrest it from Republic control. During her escape, she had noticed two Halflings who didn't make it on the boats on time. Instead of leaving them to their fate, Syliane decided to intervene and take them off the island with her to safety.

I'm aware that I should protect my own hide first, but selflessness is what my time in the Knight's Watch had taught me.

Below her, the dragon-masked enemy took potshots at her with their arrows, but none made their mark on her. One did come dangerously close when the Harpy decided to mock the enemy's inability to hit her by flowing within range. Suddenly, the rumblings of a dragon fighter was heard dangerously close as the gray-green object shot by her. From the corner of her eye, the Lightning Mage spotted the enemy attack craft fire on one of the boats, turning it into a fireball. Then, to her horror, it came to her that Zhanna and Don were on board the boat that was decimated. All that was left of them was a sprawling pool of blood in the middle of the estuary.

I must not look back! I must not look back!

The Harpy woke with a start as she took in her surroundings. She was in the middle of a grassy area of what used to be a residential area, but was now burning buildings around them. She then started coughing up a lot of foul-tasting water on the grass.

"It's alright! We fished you out of the water earlier. Nika took care of your wing."

Groggy, Syliane noticed three familiar shapes around. Her guildmates Mordhu the Light Mage , Nika the Healer Wizard, and Zyra the Water Mage glanced down at her with concern.

"W-where are the H-Halflings?" The Harpy rasped.

" I am afraid that the only person we found alive was you." Mordhu the Orc ran a hand through his orange hair.

"That is all that matters though." Nika the Pixie added. "We need to regroup with the rest of the guild now."

"Where are they?" Syliane started to stand up, but still felt lightheaded as she went back on her knees.

"They-" Zyra began when a large yellow stinger impaled her from behind.

"Zyra!" Mordhu and Nika shouted in horror as she was lifted in the air and thrown down on the ground. Behind her, a figure resembling a yellow arachnid with white eyes on stalks and a large stinger faced the Knight's Watch members. The Water Mage shook twice as her face paled and then lay still.

"That stinger must contain some potent venom." Nika noted. "Avoid it at all costs."

Feeling an intense rage rip through her as she watched yet another person close to her die, Syliane muttered a phrase and electricity shot out from her hands. Her attack made contact with the enemy creature, frying it on the spot. Mordhu and Nika glanced at her in awe as she steadily rose to her knees.

"These bastards mostly wear metal armor and metal is a good conductor of electricity," Syliane said. "It's time to give them the shock of their lives."

----

In a secret building used for witness protection, Senator Roan Clovis and his two closest friends remained under heavy guard by the remaining Republic Guard members. Their encounters with the enemy in the alleys decimated their guards greatly, but in the end, they safely made it to the safe house.

Who are these foreigners and where did they come from? Moreover, what do they hope to achieve by attacking us militarily. Surely, their intentions are hostile as they never sent an envoy to negotiate terms. Does this mean that they don't intend for an unconditional surrender?

Drinking from a champagne glass, which was ironic given the dire circumstances everyone was in, the three senators viewed the battle that was taking place in the air. Republic starships, shaped like doves with a purple color scheme, faced off against the enemy's dragon-shaped ships. Red and green flashes lit up the sky as each side engaged each other. Explosions lit the air as metal debris rained down on the city.

"The number of ships they have seems infinite." Foley noted.

"I wonder if only one group is responsible for all this." Oponne wondered aloud.

Suddenly, glowing green eyes stared back at them from the other side of the window. Before any of them could react, the window was shattered as the green-eyed figure entered the safe house.

"Protect the senators at all cost!"

Several Republic Guards ran forward to engage the intruder, but they proved to be no match for him. Using his battlestaff, the masked reptilian intruder downed two guards, hurled the third with his claw out the window to his death below, and snapped the remaining one's neck with his powerful talon-like feet. As the glowing green eyes behind the mask fixated on them, Senator Clovis backed away slowly. He felt a strong malevolent force radiating from the intruder, the senator instantly recognized him.

"You must be Sha'Kil from the Knight's Watch. What are you doing here?"

In response, the Shutaki warrior reached out and clasped Roan by his neck, causing the other two senators to gasp in horror.

"Call the rest of our security detail in!"

Before Opanne and Foley could escape, the door burst open, sending in the bodies of the two guards inside the room. Several hooded and cloaked figures emitting the same green aura as Sha'Kil entered the room.The hooded figure leading the group, presumably the orchestrator of all of this, threw a crumpled and bloody body in the middle of the room. Upon closer inspection, the senators realized that it was what remained of the captain of the Republic Guard assigned to protect them.

"Pardon us from intruding, Senator Clovis." The hooded character cackled, his glowing green eyes burning brighter than his colleagues. "We need to know something and you will cooperate with us if you value your colleague's lives as well as your own."

"Who in Titan's name are you?" Clovis asked.

He then felt Sha'Kil tighten his grip around his neck. Boy, the Shutaki warrior had a powerful grip.

"Who we are is none of your concern," The hooded figure said. "Now answer me this question. Where is the royal family hiding out?"

"I really don't know." Clovis answered.

"Yeah, he really doesn't know." Foley nodded nervously. " Nor do we."

The figure raised his hand and Foley's neck snapped. Opanne screamed in horror as her colleague fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"Lie to me one more time and another one of you dies." The hooded figure warned. "Now, where is the royal family?"

"Why does it matter to you?" Opanne snapped.

"Wrong answer."

One of the intruders raised a hand and a green shadow ball slammed into the Nymph, erasing all trace of her existence. The leader walked over to Clovis and Sha'Kil.

"Tell me, Senator." The leader of the intruders paced around them. "How much do you value life?"

Unable to cope with this anymore, Senator Roan Clovis decided to spill the beans. "They are hiding out underground in the exact center of Kypha. You can access it by removing a fake tree stump in the middle of the conservatory. "

"Excellent." The hooded figure rubbed his hands together. " Sha'Kil, reward the man for his service."

The Shutaki warrior hoisted his victim above the ground and hurled him out of the window.

"Wait! I thought you said I could live if I divulged you what you wanted to hear!"

The senator didn't hear his answer as the ground, which was filled with sharp pieces of broken glass, rushed up to him.

---

"It's juice and jam time!"

Klink the Plasma Mage felt the G-forces pull onto him as he took off from the launch bay of the magical Republic starship in his x-shaped fighter. The Knight's Watch member, who had been one of the few Magi who had volunteered to fly on behalf of the Republic's forces due to his previous experience as his guild's flyer.

"Come and get some!" The humanoid raccoon smirked as he and two other Magi flyers drifted through the clouds and flew to engage the enemy fighters."Plasma Torpedo!"

As the raccoon uttered those words, he placed a hand on a metal platform that was shining with a purple hue. His eyes watched as the torpedo, blazing a bright white color, streaked across the air and made contact with an enemy fighter, engulfing it.

"That's my first one for the day!" Klink cheered. "Who's next?"

Dodging green streaks in the air, Klink used evasive maneuvers to shake off his enemies and , in some cases, surprise them with an attack on what he assumed was their blindside. Since the fighters ran on magic, all the raccoon man had to do was give in order and the fighter would comply.

"No one can keep up with me!" He boasted as he watched his fifth kill fill the sky with a blinding white light.

Who's the man? I'm the man!

Suddenly, a streak of red and purple flame shot across the sky in front of him. To his horror, he watched his fellow Magi flyers get caught in the flames and vaporize. Leaning over the controls, he gazed out his window to see two menacing dragons, one purple and leathery while the second was purple and scaly, fly around the sky, roasting whatever Republic spacecraft they came across.

Where did they come from?

Klink was about to fly to engage the giant lizards when a massive gray starship appeared on his starboard side. Seeing another enemy to contend with, the Plasma Mage fired several plasma shots at the gargantuan enemy starcraft. His attacks only succeeded in minor scratches on the starship's hull. The enemy ship responded by sending a massive green ball toward the Plasma Mage. Klink knew there was no time to evade that so he took a quick breath and accepted his fate.

Well, there are worse ways to go.

In a matter of seconds, no trace of him or his fighter were left as the green ball overtook him.

---

Lupa's fangs! There are too many of them!

Rhengar was beginning to wear out as he and Valonn fought side by side against the dragon soldiers. They were in the center of Kypha where the main section of the battle was taking place and where the enemy was more heavily concentrated in. It was not only the dragon armored warriors, but several other beings like horned humanoids and crustaceans with massive blades for claws that fought on to the death.

"It seems that they avoid being taken prisoner!" Sypho shouted as he roasted a couple enemy soldiers with his flames.

"Tell me about it!" Valonn used an ice spear to impale a blue-skinned amphibian creature.

Soon, they were surrounded by dozens of the enemy in the middle of what was left of the city square. Sypho, Valonn,Rhengar,and Inna the Plant Mage stood back to back as they figured that they'd have to make a final stand in this situation.

"It was nice knowing you all." Rhengar began, conjuring a shadow canopy over them. "I don't know how long this shadow canopy can hold, but I know that there are way too many of those bastards to keep it up for long."

That was when a flash of electricity hit the center of the enemy formation before it spread to the rest of the soldiers who were donning metallic armor. Soon, the circle of dragon warriors was on the ground, smoke rising from their fried bodies. Behind them stood a smirking Syliane, flanked by the other half of the Knight's Watch Magi.

"Did you all forget that metal is a wonderful conductor for electricity?" The Harpy chuckled.

"Nice to see you alive and well, Syliane." Rhengar smiled.

"Save the pleasantries for later." The Lightning Mage rolled her eyes. "There are literally dragons on the battlefield."

"Like that one?" Inna pointed down the street.

A large dragon with onyx scales was tearing apart the Magi defense line. Rhengar viewed two Magi from Guild Valkyrie meet their end by the raging beast. One of them was torn apart like a chew toy while the second was smoothed by the massive claws as if she was an insect. The Shadow Sage believed they were known as Alkesh and Amarantha. He felt his blood run cold as the dragon lifted its head and let out an earth-shattering roar.

"We've slain dragons before." A Warrior Sage by the name of Azrael stepped forward, drawing his sword. " This shouldn't be a problem for us.

"But I think they will." Olga the Druid glanced eastward with a look of horror.

The Magi turned to see a pack of individuals who were emitting a green glow and riding steeds who were giving off the same glow bear down on them. Letting out an ear-piercing war cry, the one who was leading the charge drew a sickly green sword and smote down the nearest Magi, who happened to be Tila from Black Shadow.

"I don't know who they are, but they give me the jitters." Azrael's breathing began to get labored.

"It doesn't matter to me whether you piss in your pants or not." Syliane drew an electric cutlass. "We fight on as valiant knights. We will go down fighting if we have to. Who is with me?"

---

The Lieutenant stood by and watched as the Magi-cams fluttered around Jhing'im as he gave a warning speech intended for the Magi on the planet.

"Take a look around you. Your planet is besieged by an off world military force that you don't have to numbers nor the skills to match. Moreover, the Zhol army will be too much for you to handle. You are outclassed and outnumbered. Here is what became of your pathetic king." Jhing'im motioned to the Lieutenant , signaling him to hold up the king's severed head. "So do what is best for you and give in to your darkness. The pathetic Republic can't protect you and you can't run or hide as the Zhol army will find you. You have all been lied to your whole lives so you would be forced to repress your emotions in order to become more powerful. That is a fraudulent myth!"

The Lieutenant then spotted movement behind the rubble of what used to be the royal palace and noticed a Magi sneak behind Jhing'im. Muttering a phrase, he raised his hand and dark tendrils impaled the Magi. Jhing'im's would-be attacker withered away as the darkness ate him up.

"You can thank me by ending your long-winded rant and letting us embark on the hunt." The Lieutenant smirked. "We can't let the fledgling Zhols have all the fun, can we?"

"For once, you came up with a brilliant idea." Jhing'im cackled.

----

No matter how many Magi he hewn with his bladed staff, Sha'Kil's bloodlust kept growing.

Must spill the blood of the Magi scum!

Letting out an earth-shattering screech, the Shutaki Zhol stepped on the bodies of the dead Magi as well as a few innocent civilians who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of the Zhol onslaught. Sha'Kil utilized his new superhuman agility to dodge magical attacks and even counter them with his own dark powers. Each time he would feed off of a Magi's Mathanos, he would feel his power levels increase exponentially. Soon, he rendezvoused with another fledgling Zhol by the name of Syra. If he recalled, she used to belong to the Black Dragon guild prior to being turned.

"Where is the Knight's Watch?" Sha'Kil growled.

"Look to your left and you will see." His fellow Zhol sneered. "Remember not to overindulge though. You mustn't lose sight of our objective."

Sha'Kil just snarled in response as he bounded off to massacre as many of his former guildmates as possible.

----

"Zounds! There are way too many of them!" Syliane huffed as they retreated to nearby alley. She had to fight the urge to hurl after watching those dark Magi absorb slaughter a family of human civilians just for being in their way. She clenched her fist as the vivid images of the young children lying in a pool of blood played in her head.

"They are too strong as well!" Azrael added. "I don't think we are fighting a winning battle."

"Who are these dark Magi and where did they come from?" Olga asked.

Suddenly, a sickening cracking sound reached her ears. Glancing to her right,she saw her guildmate and longtime friend Llewelyn lay limp on the ground, his head bent in an odd angle. Towering above him was a familiar figure whose eyes glowed a bright green behind his warrior mask.

"Sha'Kil!"Syliane gasped, her pulse quickening. "What happened to you?"

All of the Knight's Watch members who had joined up with Syliane turned to face their former friend.

"I swear on Dor'ghu's spear that I will slaughter you all!" The Shutaki Warrior hissed. " In the name of the Zhol Army, I will avenge Rii'Khan!"

"Wait, what-"

Before the Harpy could finish her sentence, the Warrior Sage leapt in to the air and flipped behind her. Before he could finish her off, Rhengar had pushed the Harpy out of the way and engaged his former friend. Soon, the others assisted the Shadow Sage in combating the Zhol.

"Sha'Kil, you have betrayed us!" Rhengar shouted.

"No, you all have betrayed my trust by keeping my son's death a secret!" The Shutaki warrior proved to be quicker than anticipated. It wasn't long until only Syliane and Sha'Kil were left standing.

"I swear we had no idea about the events back on Aker." Syliane tried to reason with the Zhol. "If we did, you know the Knight's Watch would have intervened and called for a peaceful solution to the war. Heck, we would have prosecuted the perpetrators."

"Don't give me that rot!" Sha'Kil snarled. "Excuses won't save you now."

"It seems that the Sha'Kil we used to know is dead and gone." Syliane admitted. " I will have to take you down."

Letting out a shout, the Harpy drew her electric cutlass, but the Shutaki Zhol disarmed her in a flash and pinned her to the ground with one talon-like foot.

" Goodbye, Syliane." Feeling pressure being applied to her neck, the Harpy started to lose consciousness until she felt her neck snap like a twig. Darkness took over after that.

---

"Hold it!"

Walking alongside Jhing'im, the Lieutenant stopped and turned to face the voice who addressed them. Around the burning wreckage of what was once the infirmary, an old Dwarf, a Fairy, and Halfling stood facing the two Zhol. The Dwarf bore an angry expression looked like he was ready to fight to the death.

"Oh, if it isn't the so-called Gamemakers." Jhing'im cackled. "Come to meet your end?"

"I am prepared to die of it includes taking you and the rest of the scumbags you call allies." The Dwarf raised a silver war hammer that reflected the flames around them.

"That is most impressive, Dwarf." Jhing'im curled his hand into a fist. "But are your fellow Gamemakers prepared to do the same?"

The Lieutenant viewed the spectacle with awe as the Fairy and the Halfling had their necks snapped. The two limp figures then collapsed to the soiled ground among the corpses of Magi, citizens, and soldiers from the Dragon Empire as well as the Republic.

"Your battle is with me!" The Dwarf raised his weapon and bellowed as he charged the two Zhol. Both dark Magi leapt out of the way as the war hammer struck the ground with a surprising ferocity. The ground shook as if a dragon had stomped on the piece of concrete the hammer made contact upon.

"Hmm, it seems you will put up a decent fight after all." Jhing'im kept evading the Dwarf's attacks.

"How about you stop evading and face me like a true warrior!" The Warrior Sage Dwarf roared.

"Alas, the Zhol don't operate that way."

The Lieutenant then stuck out his hand, summoning dark tendrils. The tendrils then entered any open pore on the Dwarf's body before destroying him from the inside out. The noble Dwarf shuddered and convulsed violently for ten seconds before collapsing to the ground.

"Enjoy swiping another Zhol's kill?" Jhing'im glared at his fellow Zhol.

"I can't let you have all the fun." The Lieutenant cackled.

---

"I think there is a safe space here."

Hiding out in the shadows of a dark alley behind the remains of the Red Dragon Tavern, Remi'i had detached from the rest of the Zhol's army in order to hunt down members of the Knight's Watch.It wasn't long before Lady Lara, Jardonkha , and a Naga he recognized as Selene entered the alley. It was time to reveal his presence.

"Long time no see, Lady Lara."

The Knight's Watch leader looked horrified upon reuniting with her missing Gravity Mage. " Remi'i, what happened to you? Don't tell me you are now one of them?"

Remi'i lifted his head back and cackled. "Well, I am more powerful than ever. No thanks to you!"

Jardonkha and Selene gasped and exchanged glances as the Gravity Mage Zhol approached them, a gentle breeze flapping his dark green cloak in the air.

"Did you think I was merely a pawn for you and the other guilds to use a like a horse? Well, I've got news for you. I'm not!"

He raised his left hand in the air, throwing the three Knight's Watch Magi against an adobe wall. Standing over them, the former Gravity Mage glanced down at is ex-comrades, feeling superior for once.

"Do you have any last words?"

Lady Lara glanced up at him. "Remi'i, I understand that you feel marginalized by the guild, but I can't believe you have fallen. You could have been more vocal about it to me. That way, we could have handled any grievance you had."

"Don't give me that gibberish!" Remi'i pointed his finger at her, causing the Knight's Watch leader to feel constricted against the wall as if an invisible force was pushing her.

"Hey, leave her be!"

Jardonkha swung her staff at the hooded Zhol, but Remi'i used his free hand to clasp it.

"You shouldn't have done that."

With his other hand, he curled his fingers as he gazed at his former guildmate with intense hatred. A sickening crack was heard as Jardonkha's neck was broken. The Gravity Mage felt a massive surge of elation as he noticed the other Naga staring at him with terror-filled brown eyes.

"Yes, you should be afraid." Remi'i raised his hand to finish her off as well, but a gust of wind knocked him backward.

Lady Lara stood there, putting her hand out."If you want a fight, take it with me and leave Selene out of this."

Remi'i smirked as he decided to distract his former master. "Let's dance."

As he dueled with her, he watched from the corner of his eyes as two Zhols materilalzied from the shadows and abducted the startled Naga. This would take the number of Knight's Watch Magi abducted for recruitment to eight.

"Ugh!" He fell backward as Lara struck him with a gust of wind. He stared up at her as she stood over him. Even as a Zhol, he was still outclassed by her.

It's done, I feel pathetic already.

Suddenly, a blast of green plasma kncoked the Orc woman away from him. Another of his Zhol comrades had come to his aid.

"Come on, Remi'i. We have a planet to purge of Magi."

---

"Why are there so many dragons?"

Mordzar glanced outside of the blown-out window of what used to be a metal armory and noticed several dragons of different sizes and statures prowling the soiled streets or flying overhead below the massive spacecraft. Some dragons were even the size of humans and could look one into the eye if they stood on their hind legs.

"I am not sure, but these invaders seem to fancy these creatures."

"Very funny, Mordzar." Tyreen rolled her eyes. " We need to regroup with the rest of our guild. Do you know of a way to bypass these beasts?"

"Well, the dragons I knew were solitary creatures back on Castre." Mordzar tapped his fingers on the windowsill, his sapphire-colored eyes glancing around the vicinity. "Here it seems like that is not the case. We need to try a different approach to handling them."

"Like what?" Tyreen pursed her lips.

"Um, I think we don't need to worry about that anymore."

"What do you mean?' Tyreen frowned as she made her way over to her brother's side and glanced out at the scene in front of them.

The dragons seemed to drop dead or fall out of the sky in unison as several cloaked figures garbed in green came into view.

"Who are they?" Tyreen asked her brother.

"I'm not sure, but I have a bad feeling about them."

The two watched in a silence filled with suspense as the cloaked figures stopped right outside the remnants of the armory. Suddenly, the one leading the group vanished.

"Where did that one go?"

The Malthus siblings both glanced around their immediate vicinity, wary of an impending attack. Mordzar even stuck his head out the window to scan the adjacent buildings for any sign of the cloaked enemy.

"Mordzar, watch your flank!"

Just as the male Metal Mage turned his head to the right, an explosion of glass and metal sent the two careening against the wall. As the dust cleared, a cloaked figure glowing a sickly green color sauntered into the middle of the room. Glancing around the room with its glowing green eyes, the figure's gaze then settled on Mordzar.

"I have found you at last." It rasped with a hissing voice.

"Who are you?" Mordzar sent metal shards to the enemy, who in turn deflected them with a shield of darkness.

"I can't believe you don't remember me, cousin." The figure removed his hood to reveal a dark-haired human with a twisted smirk. What gave away his identity was the scar that ran across his right eye to the corner of his cheek.

"Stryker! How are you still alive?" Mordzar's heart skipped a beat. The last time he had seen his dastardly cousin, he was a soldier in Vaxon's military. He had fled Castre with the promise of revenge and it seemed that he had returned with a vengeance.

"I don't recall ever dying." Stryker cackled. The Zhol's eyes glanced over at Tyreen's crumpled form in the corner before returning to Mordzar. "I am now a lieutenant in the Zhol Army. Jhing'im approached me in Zarat system and gave me more power than I could ever ask for. In return, I kill Magi scum!"

A stream of darkness slammed into Mordzar, sending him flying outside the opening that used to be a door. The Metal Mage gritted his teeth as his cousin approached him.

"I have been waiting years for this," Stryker said. "Now it's time for me to indulge in fun!"

Mordzar crawled back to escape his cousin, only to be met with the foot of one of Stryker's soldiers. The fallen Magi grabbed Mordzar and threw him at Stryker's feet.

"Any last words?" Stryker smirked as a dark spear formed on his hand.

"D'arvit! You are and have always been a fiend!" Mordzar hissed.

"Very well, it's been a pleasure, cousin ."

Mordzar closed his eyes as Stryker prepared to strike him with the shadow spear. He was given a second chance at life and now that was going to end as well.

Well, I guess my borrowed time ends now.I was really beginning to enjoy it. I really wish I could have made the most of it.

Suddenly, a screaming sound knocked him out of his thoughts. To his horror, he saw Tyreen on the ground in front of him, laying in a pool of her blood. The dark spear meant for him had pinned her in the chest.

"Well, I didn't see that coming." Stryker cackled. Shouts then echoed down the street, capturing the Zhol lieutenant's attention."Unfortunately, I have to bounce, but don't think I will forget about you. Watch the shadows."

As soon as Stryker and his Zhol comrades fled, Mordzar fell on his knees, breathing heavily. It wasn't long before he was surrounded by Magi and survivors of the enemy attack. He gently took his sister's hand as tears slipped from his eyes. He felt the life slowly ebb from her body.

"Live...on." The dying woman struggled to speak through the blood dripping through the side of her mouth.

"B-but what about you?" Mordzar refused to believe she would be taken from him once again.

"I..was..given..a second..chance..to..live. I...fulfilled..my purpose..which was...to make sure you live on." Coughing violently, the female Metal Mage finally fell limp in her brother's arms.

"Mordzar, we need to go now!" Rhengar appeared and yanked him up. "We are all that is remaining and we need to take the survivors somewhere far from here. "

The Metal Mage kept quiet as he gazed after his sister's limp body, lying among the many other corpses in the street. Soon, she disappeared from view as the survivors entered the dark forest, the only set of refuge in the war-torn world.

---

"I did what you told me to," Kommissar told one of the leaders of the Dragon Empire as Sha'Kil, Jhing'im, and several Zhols watched on. " How will my guild and I be compensated?"

"You want compensation?" Jhing'im stepped forward. "Here it is, Elf."

Before the leader of the Black Hand could respond, he and the members of his guild had their Mathanos sucked out of their bodies and absorbed by the Zhols. Sha'Kil could only feel his energy levels increase more than he thought possible. It was the best feeling that he had felt in years. As a Zhol, he felt indestructible and revenge was something that wasn't unattainable. It all felt so good.

"What's the situation?" Jhing'im asked a hooded Zhol scout.

"The Magi and the Republic have been decimated, but a few managed to get away. Our side only suffered a few causalities inflicted on us by the vile Magi, but that is all. Nothing more to add."

Hearing the flapping of wings, Sha'Kil raised his green eyes to the sky to see a green dragon, its scales glittering against the dull sunlight that was blotted out by the thick smoke, flying around in circles.

More! Give me more!

Reaching out his hand, he was able to drain the creature from its Mathanos and feed his own power. Glancing toward the thick forest where he seen the Magi and the other survivors of the joint Zhol- Dragon Empire assault fled toward.

Run, Magi, run. You have only prolonged the inevitable. 

Guild 3: Guild Valkyrie - ariel_paiment1

Alistair stirred, his gaze roaming blearily around the cell. His body didn't ache nearly as much as it had when he'd been dragged in here, but he still felt like a sledgehammer had been taken to his head. He moaned, but his voice was a dry, nearly soundless croak. His gaze ran over ash-covered flagstones and bloodstains. After several moments of processing, he moved on to examining the rest of the cell.

The limp form of Kyren Asherex grabbed Alistair's attention. The Magi hung broken in the manacles and chains, but his feverish gaze was fixed on Alistair. "What'd they offer you to make you break?"

Alistair's fingers twitched, and he let out a wheezing laugh. "Offer me? Power to make up for murdering my wife. Prestige to bandage the wounds of growing up an outcast. A parent to shape my future in worse ways than my first set did. Sound tempting to you, Asherex?"

Kyren licked his cracking lips. "They did a wonderful job of persuading you. Just be careful you don't give into that rage, Bànach. Otherwise, you may become exactly what you despise so much."

"Shut up!" Alistair hissed. "I'll never become one of them. They've stolen everything from me except my soul. I won't sell that for what I can't get back." His voice scraped and broke in the back of his throat, and he wished for just a drop of water to ease the dryness. "I'm going to destroy them. Because if I don't, they will destroy everything we love."

Kyren croaked out a laugh. "No wonder you had all those weird abilities. Are you even Magi? Or are you like my father?"

Alistair blinked. "Like your father?"

"Zhol," Kyren spat.

"Neither. I'm half-Zhol, half-Elf."

"How did that happen?" Kyren's chains rattled.

"Easily. The Zhol leader raped my mother." Alastair's fingers curled into fists.

"So, if you're half Zhol, did the Zhol part not manifest?"

"You tell me." Alistair grinned. "Would we be having this conversation if I were? And would I be in chains on the floor of this putrid cell when I'm the son of their leader?"

"You could've done something to get on his bad side," Kyren pointed out.

"Well, if your father was a Zhol, maybe I should accuse you of being Zhol too." Alastair examined his manacles. Is there any way to break these things? "Do I need to worry about that? Because we have to get out of here to stop them from killing all of our partners. So, I don't need someone who's going to turn on me tagging along."

A growl emanated from Kyren's parched throat. "I fought long and hard to keep that side of me chained! Don't you dare suggest I'd give in now. And how do you know they're sieging the city?"

Alastair shrugged with a smile. "I won't accuse you if you don't accuse me. Look, we can't help our parentage. And I'm willing to bet you grew up ignorant of your father's true nature just like I grew up clueless about my real father." He tugged at his chains again. "As for the siege... My father appears to be quite a braggard."

Kyren looked away. "I see. How did you know I grew up without knowing the truth about my father?"

"Just a hunch. From what Eiridan and Jaeyria have said, I gathered Vaxon was the secretive type. Now..." He focused on his chains. "Any way we can get rid of these?"

Kyren rolled his eyes. "If there were, I would've gotten us out of here. Given our magic is the same, I could do as well as you, remember."

Alastair coughed. "Right, forgot that little detail. So, exactly why isn't there a way out?"

"Anti-magic chains."

"Ah." Alastair slumped back against the wall. "I'm going to kill those arrogant pricks."

"You can't do that in here."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Alastair smirked. "Which is why we're not going to stay in here."

"And what, precisely, is your proposed method of escape."

Alastair grinned. "Easy. I say I've changed my mind about their offer."

Kyren's eyes widened. "You're crazy."

A hoarse laugh bubbled out of Alastair. "No, I'm on the warpath. You have a better way to stop that siege, pal?"

***

"I don't want to go." Duana pressed her face into Eskandar's chest.

He caressed her hair. "I know, love. But we have to. If we don't stand here, then we will simply be slaughtered as we flee."

Tears pooled in her shining eyes. "Can this world never take a breath?"

Eskandar exhaled slowly. "No one can ever catch a breath in life because it is a collection of days filled with evil. Even those we love most have the capacity to betray us. This is just the latest example."

Duana smacked his chest. "Don't say those kinds of things. There's good in life too."

"Where is the good now, then?" Eskandar dropped a kiss on her lips.

"We're both still here, aren't we?"

"Yes, so that we can face an enemy we can't win against. They'll surround us soon. Sounds like a good thing for sure."

She rolled her eyes and yanked his head back down to kiss him. "Well, what about this, then?" She wove her fingers through his silken locks and pressed feathery kisses to his nose and then the corners of his lips.

A growl rumbled through his chest. "Hmm... Mediocre."

She bit his bottom lip gently for that one. "Take that back."

His lips met hers for a moment. "Make me."

Neither of us is going anywhere for a while, I guess. Duana smiled into the kiss. But this might be the last time we can be together if this mess gets anymore out of hand.

***

Yldara flung the door open with a huff. "Would you two please—" She gasped, turning around to face the hall. "Put some clothes on!"

Eskandar laughed, and Duana gasped too.

"Do you need something?" Eskandar sat up, slipping his shirt back on.

"I need you two to report to the arena! We're already going to be late because no one could seem to determine where you two were. Honestly, you two!"

"Well, we were just married, and we're probably going to die in the very near future if the current rate of deaths and disappearances continues, so can you blame us?" Eskandar tossed Duana her shirt, smirking when he saw the crimson tint her cheeks now wore.

"I...I..." Yldara floundered for an answer. "You know what, no. I can't..." Her fist pressed against the door jam. "I wish everything had turned out differently. But it hasn't. So be at the arena in fifteen minutes."

***

The five of them faced off against all the other guilds' representatives. Jaeyria and Eiridan glanced at each other, silently agreeing to have the other's back. She summoned Shadoburinga, and he whipped two obsidian daggers blazing with his mathanos from his belt. Both fell into a fighting stance while the remaining guild members all paired up to make sure everyone had a partner.

The three Gamemasters stood in a stand far above the arena. Evina held the horn to signal the start of the fight. Far above them, a clock counted down. 10. 9. 8. Eiridan took a deep breath, eyeing the other guilds who were also preparing. "We'll win this, Jae. So, just keep believing."

She smiled at him but didn't say anything. 3. 2. 1.

The horn blared, and the Magi jumped into action with the roars of the crowd fueling them. Eiridan blocked a strike from a girl's staff, following up with a strike at her hands with his daggers. One dagger just managed to nick her between her thumb and pointer finger. She hissed, eyes narrowed. "You think that's going to stop me, healer?"

Eiridan shrugged. "You tell me."

Her eyes widened, and her hands started shaking. "What did you do to me?" Her voice wavered.

"Don't worry. You'll only be out for maybe twenty minutes," Eiridan mumbled. "Sorry about that, but it's every guild for themselves, and no one said it was cheating." He whipped a hand out, slicing the dagger across a boy's chest as the boy raised a flaming ball to fry him from the side.

The boy shrieked, and the ball of flame dissipated.

"Did I forget to mention it steals Mathanos?" Eiridan raised a brow when the boy still tried to strike at him using physical blows.

His movements were weak and sloppy, and Eiridan took pity on the poor soul by draining the Mathanos faster so the boy fell to his knees and slumped over on the sand.

Jaeyria shouted over her shoulder at him. "You don't think that would be considered cheating, do you?"

"No one said it was." Eiridan sent a roundhouse kick at the next opponent's jaw.

The woman, a slender elf, ducked the blow and tried to tackle the leg he still had planted on the ground. Eiridan snapped his raised leg down, intending to bring his heel down into the small of her back. At the last minute, she sensed the impending blow and managed to redirect her course. She landed in the sand next to him and rolled to her feet. Just in time to land in the path of Shadoburinga's pommel. Jaeyria neatly slammed it into the side of the she-elf's head. "Oops."

Eiridan rolled his eyes. "Always were one for the dramatic, weren't you?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but she was distracted by the next opponent, and Eiridan scanned the arena, looking for the next opponent. The crowds were going wild as they observed the fights. Fans were waving banners in support of their favorite guilds, and many members of the crowd were pointing with wide grins at the fights Eiridan guessed were most interesting to them.

While he was waiting for the next eager opponent, Eiridan glanced up at the timer in the sky, wondering how much time they had left to the battle. High above the timer, he noticed a dark shape in the sky. He squinted, brow furrowing. "Jae!" He shouted at her, pointing. "What is that?"

By now, more of the strangely shaped objects were speeding into view in the sky above, and some of the onlookers were also noticing. There was a rumble of surprise and confusion. Fights in the sandy arena halted, and everyone craned their necks to see.

"What are those?" Jaeyria shaded her eyes from the sun with a hand.

Eiridan shook his head. "Ships." And they aren't our ships.

Jaeyria frowned. "You're right. But... Whose?"

That, Eiridan decided, was the question on everyone's minds. And he suspected they were about to find out.

***

The screams of Death rent the air, and strange, dragon-shaped metal ships screeched through the air. The first hail of magical shots burst from the ships and slammed into sand, people, and structures. Yells and wailing filled the arena, and the crowds in the stands began shoving to get out of the closed-in arena.

"Who's attacking? What do we do?" Someone near Eiridan screamed over the chaos.

More flaming bolts streaked through the air, slamming into the arena wall in a burst of flame.

"They're destroying the city!" Someone in the stands nearby burst into hysterical sobbing.

Eiridan stared up into the sky. Smoke poured into the sky from the palace, which stood on a hill high above the arena. The previously blue and white sky was now plastered with the oddly shaped ships, and the sun almost seemed blotted out. His ears caught the sound of children wailing and people screaming outside the arena. The people inside the arena were no better.

He swallowed hard and bowed his head. So, the chaos begins again. Will this be another case like the rebellion against Vaxon?

Beside him, he saw Jaeyria raise Shadoburinga. Back to back, they waited for the invasion to come to ground. The three Gamemasters stood frozen in the box above the arena, and Pimret's gaze locked with Eiridan's in that moment.

Eiridan's eyes widened, and he raised a hand to shout a warning to them, but his voice was lost in the crowd. He tried to force his way through the screaming, jostling crowd of Magi and onlookers to reach the stand. One of the largest ships hovered above the stand, its guns aiming straight for the occupants. He stretched out a hand, waving and shouting at the Gamemasters to get out of the stand.

Pimret frowned, cocking his head to the side.

A low whoosh boomed over the screams, and the ship unloaded its cargo on the stand. The Gamemasters' eyes widened, and they turned just in time to see the bowling ball of death barreling toward them. It spit and hissed flames, crackling with glee as it streaked onward. The Gamemasters scrambled for the exit of the stand as Eiridan watched, but they weren't quick enough. The blazing magic ball hurdled into their stand. The sound of cracking wood filled the air and then an explosion rocked the arena.

The screaming ramped up a notch, and people shoved past him, running for the exit. One of his daggers dropped to the ground, and he stared at the blast zone. They're gone. Just like that, they're gone. We're all going to die with them, aren't we? Jaeyria grabbed his arm and shook him. "Eiri, snap out of it! They're gone, and we can't do anything. We need to get out of here and find the high ground!"

"High ground?" Eiridan laughed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "They're in the sky, Jae. There is no high ground."

"Of course, there is, idiot man! They're dropping their men from those ships. Soon we'll be trapped and over run. Now, come on!"

He let her drag him toward the exit, and after a few moments, he found his feet, shoving the shock into the back of his mind. His fingers clung to Jaeyria's wrist as hers stayed clamped on his while they pushed and shoved through the crowd.

It's here. Eiridan's violet eyes ran over the panicking crowd. The beginning of the end.

***

Miyuki stood next to Duan on top of the stands, staring up at the ships.

"Remind me again why we aren't running for the exit like everyone else," Duan screamed over the crowd and the whine of the airships' fire.

"Because! Look, Duan." She pointed to the airships.

Creatures were pouring down rope ladders as the ships hovered close to the ground. Nearby, ships were also dropping men and creatures into the arena.

"Everyone who's running is now surrounded. By our people, sure, but also by those things. So, if you want them at your back, feel free to leave the arena like that." Miyuki examined the soldiers, who were cutting down the people in the back of the crowd. Some of the Magi turned to fight, and the bloom of magic filled the arena.

She narrowed her eyes. Some of the invaders also wielded magic, though most looked like they were normal soldiers. Stronger than average, perhaps, but not anything unusual. Yet. Where are they? She bit her lip, shooting a glance at Duan. I'm going to have to ditch him at some point.

Duan raised a trembling hand to point back to the arena. "W-what are those things?"

Miyuki stared where he was pointing. "Those?" She grinned as her gaze landed on the glowing green eyes of the opponent.

"Yes, those? They've got glowing green eyes!" The wind tore at his clothes as he turned back to her. "Why aren't you scared too?"

She smirked. "Are you kidding me, Duan? This is the perfect chance to get in on some real action! There's no time for fear!"

His eyes narrowed. "That's an awfully weird thing for you to say."

Miyuki turned away from him to hide the grin on her face. "Maybe you just don't know me as well as you think."

"Look," Duan started. "I don't think now is a good time—"

"But, I suppose I'll forgive that for now," Miyuki interrupted. "Seeing as we do have a fight to start." She hopped over a bench and into the aisle, running down the stairs at full tilt.

Sometimes he really is clueless. Scared? Ha. As if! She rushed toward the glowing-eyed creatures with a smirk.

They stared at her, sneers etched into their humanoid faces, but one of them broke off toward her. She heard Duan's heavy breathing over the screams as he slammed into her back. Guess he didn't expect me to stop.

"Now is literally the worst time to freeze up, 'Yuki! They're coming. You've got to do something. I can't protect you and everyone else fleeing too." His hands settled onto her shoulders, and he shook her.

Miyuki drew her dagger. I know now isn't the time to freeze up, moron. Her eyes flashed as the Zhols approached.

One of them spoke into her mind. Why have you left the boy alive? You had your orders. We have no time for foolish sentimentality. And you shouldn't have any feelings anyway.

Duan's fingers stiffened on her shoulders. "'Yuki? Are they talking to us?"

Miyuki didn't answer, her upper lip curling. So, they'd projected it for him to hear. Of course, they had.

You had one job! The captain of the Zhol unit stopped in front of her. And you haven't done it.

Miyuki smirked at him. Really? She whirled, ramming her dagger into Duan's chest. His eyes went wide, and his fingers groped over her wrist, scrabbling to pull the knife out. He coughed, spraying blood over her face.

"W-why?" His eyes glazed over with pain.

"I told you. You don't know me as well as you thought you did." Her eyes flashed green, and she grinned, baring sharp canines at him.

"B-but how?" Tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. "You were just a kid when you came to us. A-and you didn't remember a-anything. W-when did th-these things get to you?" Blood dribbled down the side of his mouth, and Miyuki wiped it away with her thumb. She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Whatever do you mean, Duan dear? Don't remember anything?" She brought her knee up and shoved him away, yanking the knife from his chest.

He stumbled backward, lost his balance, and landed on his back in the sand. Miyuki stalked up to him, and he tried to shimmy backward. She grabbed his foot and dragged him toward her. "You don't want one last kiss before you die?" She straddled his waist, her thighs pressing into his sides.

"Just e-explain why!" Duan's voice cracked.

"I've always been this way, love. You and the others were just too blind to see it. Or rather, I was too good at hiding it for you to figure it out. After all, who would suspect the weak little girl wandering around with cuts, bruises, and bloodied feet? No one, that's who." She leaned closer to him, teasing the dagger along his cheek.

He whimpered. "We never did anything but—" Coughs wracked his frame.

Miyuki smirked. "Love me? Sorry, but that's not something Zhols understand."

You don't really think killing the boy makes up for your failure, do you? The captain cut into her discussion with a bemused laugh.

Shut up! She snapped back. I waited until the perfect opportunity.

You were supposed to kill all of them. The captain's voice turned frigid.

Duan stared up at her with tear-filled eyes. He reached a trembling hand out to touch her cheek, spreading his own blood onto her skin. She flinched.

"You're in there somewhere, Miyuki. I know it..." He coughed again, spraying blood everywhere. "Please, don't do this."

She glared down at him. "Wrong, Duan. She never existed." Her blade glittered in the sunlight as it broke through the ships, and then it arced downward. She slammed it into his chest, twisting it when it went through the ribcage to penetrate Duan's heart.

He gasped, and she felt his heartbeat shiver up the blade then cease. His body went limp in the sand, his eyes wide with shock and his lips pressed together in a grimace.

I told you, killing him now won't save you.

Miyuki felt the pain only for a moment before her own black heart stopped beating.

***

Eskandar fought through the crowd to protect the rear as everyone fled the arena. The ships were everywhere, dropping men and creatures of all sorts faster than anyone could dispose of them. The Republic's own ship darted in and out of the enemy ships, engaging them in combat and shooting down as many of the invaders as they could.

His gaze was drawn to a cluster of creatures with glowing green eyes at the center of the arena. They were focused on something else at the center while the others were on a rampage, mowing down the retreating crowd.

Eskandar summoned his Mathanos, using his wand to create two giant serpents, which towered far above the arena. They hissed and spat at the iron ships. One of them grabbed a ship in its jaws and flung it into another, sending both down in a blaze. The other focused on the creatures attacking the citizens.

As Eskandar ran for the center of the arena and the enemies there, he saw a woman and her child fall to the sword of one of the invaders. Their blood splattered over the white sand of the arena, staining it red. The feet of the crowd trampled over the bodies as the invader moved on to the next victim who was fleeing.

His gaze was drawn back to the crowd when he heard a scream of pain. Eyes wide, he forced himself to sprint faster. He bowled into the group just in time to see the group's apparent leader slam his sword into Miyuki's back. She collapsed over another body that he couldn't quite identify from his position.

"No!" He yelled, using his wand to conjure a sword in his free hand.

Swinging it, he clobbered one of the enemies. With the element of surprise, he was able to take out two before the others realized what was going on and regrouped. The four remaining creatures hemmed him in beside Miyuki and Duan, who was the other body he had seen. Circling, they laughed at him. Making quick, darting attacks and then retreating, they tried to wear him down.

He fended off their attacks as his snakes continued to wreak havoc on the airships and the soldiers alike. His mathanos flickered then renewed its strength, and Eskandar realized Eiridan must still be somewhere in the vicinity, using his own life force to charge up Magi who were faltering. Eiridan, he thought. You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up.

Smoke billowed from holes in the arena wall, from the buildings outside, and from nearly every other structure. Eskandar's eyes watered as it drifted over him and his opponents. He noticed the circle pausing in their circular motions as the smoke became thicker. Taking that as his chance, he leapt at one of them. His opponent staggered backward, going down with Eskandar beneath him. The others attacked the instant they hit the ground, and Eskandar used the struggling creature above him to shield his own body.

The others slammed their swords into their comrade without hesitation.

He tried to throw the dying creature at its comrades then make a break for it. The creature's limp body smashed into two of the four, but the others remained standing to attack.

He rolled away from the first attack but into the second. The second creature's sword stabbed into his shoulder.

Eskandar screamed through gritted teeth.

Light exploded around him, and the creatures screeched in pain. Eskandar shut his eyes, choking down a sob. Familiar hands ran over him, found the wound, and pressed down. "Don't you dare die on me now, you fool! I just married you. You don't get off the hook that easily."

He smiled through his tears. "Duana, you really should leave me here and try to save others. The citizens—" His voice choked off in a cry when Duana pressed harder on his injured shoulder.

"Say that again? I don't think I heard you!" Duana glared at him.

"Stubborn woman." He panted.

His shoulder felt like it was on fire, and it hurt every time he took a breath. His snakes flickered as his concentration wavered. He reached his good hand out with his wand, trying to strengthen them. Their forms solidified again and continued wreaking havoc.

"You're going to get yourself killed. What were you thinking charging in here like that?" Duana yanked off her outer shirt and tore it into strips, bandaging the shoulder wound tightly to stop the bleeding.

The creatures and soldiers had left them behind for the moment as they chased after the easy targets and the Magi who were protecting them. Eskandar's gaze went to the fights between the intruders and the Magi on the rear lines. As he watched, a blue-haired boy and a fiery red-head he remembered from Black Shadow stood over a motionless citizen and his screaming toddler. They fought heatedly with the enemy, matching blow to blow, but Eskandar could see they were flagging. Their movements jerked, and their blows wavered. They're not going to last long.

Another of the green-eyed creatures came behind them, slashing its sword across the woman's back. She staggered, and one of the tall, scaled creatures he'd seen earlier slammed its sword into her chest. The boy tried to protect the two citizens on his own, but against three opponents, he didn't stand a chance. As he blocked one blow with a lightning bolt, but the bolt was too weak, and he took a knife to the gut.

Eskandar shut his eyes as the creatures stabbed the boy and moved on to the motionless father and screeching child. The screeching increased in pitch, and Eskandar heard a scream from the previously silent citizen. Then all the screaming cut off.

"Okay, you'd better get up now. We're going to have to get back into the fray. They're losing too many to the invaders." Duana hugged him tightly. "Stay alive!"

She stood and darted back into the fray, spraying light everywhere in a wide radius about her.

Eskandar slowly forced himself onto his feet, blotting out the pain in his shoulder. He re-summoned the sword, which had dissipated when he fell. With a war cry, he sprang back into the action. His sword soon met with the flesh of the invaders, who weren't expecting an attack from behind.

***

Jaeyria grouped together any Magi she could find in the city. She'd lost Eiridan when he turned to run back into the arena, shoving past people and dodging the attacks of the enemy. Her voice was hoarse from screaming after him and for others she'd tried to save. I can only pray he's safe, she thought.

Her focus shifted to the city and her small posse. The city was in ruins. Dragons and dragon-men rampaged through it, torching the whole place. She and her group huddled behind a wall, shielding a small number of citizens from the occasional attacks.

Scratches, nicks, and gashes covered her arms, torso, and legs. Her face sported a burn mark from one of the dragon-men. The skin stung every time she tried to talk or do anything that caused the skin to stretch. Her throat felt like sandpaper, and the acrid stench of the smoke did nothing to improve that situation.

The children whimpered and cried softly behind her. She heard their mothers shushing them from her one good ear. The other had lost hearing when a blast had blown apart the house next to them on the way here. Her grip tightened on Shadoburinga, and she checked her Mathanos reserves as they waited for the next onslaught. Getting dangerously low. If I'm not careful, I won't even be able to keep Shadoburinga summoned. She swallowed past the dry lump in her throat.

Magi from her guild ran past the opening, and she tried to cry out to them. One of the Magi—Xenia if Jaeyria recalled correctly—clapped her hands over Jaeyria's mouth. Jaeyria watched as a dragon stormed through the city, chasing after them.

She watched as her guildmates ducked under the dragon, five of them pelting it with magic and blows. The dragon bellowed, clearly unaffected but angrier than ever. It sprayed flames over two of her guildmates, incinerating them on the spot. Jaeyria gulped, and Xenia lowered her hands, most likely realizing Jaeyria wouldn't scream after them.

They huddled together in the corner, waiting to see what would happen. Unable to abandon their charges, they watched the doomed fight. The dragon crushed the third Magi with its tail. The Magi's broken body flew through the air with a single whip of the dragon's tail. The body sailed high above and thudded back down in front of the entrance.

Jaeyria's gaze remained glued on the fight. She couldn't bring herself to look at the corpse in front of her, but she knew others had out of instinct because she heard retching behind her. The scene before her was a massacre. Airships continued dropping men and other atrocities. Fire screamed from the sky, flying on flaming wings to bring doom to the petrified, injured citizens of Tythan. Smoke billowed from every orifice of the city, making the eyes of the survivors and invaders tear. The dragons flew from the yawning mouths of the ships, adding to the destruction.

Her eyes riveted on the ships above them. The dragons snatched the Republic ships out of the air, crunching them to pieces. Screams filled the air, and people ran everywhere on the streets. The dragon attacking her guildmates grabbed a few fleeing citizens, swallowing them down in one grisly gulp. The sole survivor of the original five Magi from her guild turned to run. The dragon swatted him into a building several yards away with a single swipe of its paw. Jaeyria winced, noting the unnatural angle of her guildmate's back and neck. I just watched five of my guildmates die in less than ten minutes.

The dragon's head whipped around to face them, and it bared blood-stained teeth in a wicked grin. It stamped toward their hiding place. Jaeyria's eyes met those of her companions and the two members she'd managed to find from her guild. She looked past them to the women and children huddling against the wall. "Get the women and children out of here now, Zenna and Benjo!" She barely managed to croak the words out over the din.

The two companions from Black Dragon nodded and began rushing the women and children out. Jaeyria raised a twitching, protesting arm to defensive position and crouched. The dragon roared, its tail destroying a building to their left. Its neck frills flared, and it hissed at them. They held their ground. Eivos and Sedra, the only two with her from her Guild stood beside her. Xenia, Carolyn, Bernard, and Artemis formed the remainder of the protective wall intended to keep the dragon from reaching the fleeing citizens and their guards.

She coughed as the wind blew the smoke in their direction. So, this is how it ends? Her bottom lip trembled, and she let herself shed a few tears. I always thought I'd be done with war once I escaped Vaxon and the rebels. Guess the universe has other plans. It really does want me dead, doesn't it?

***

When Kelyrs stalked into the cell, Alastair had to fight the smirk off his face. He forced a pained, defeated expression onto his face, refusing to meet her gaze. She grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at her. I hope she doesn't see the fire burning inside. Alastair bit the inside of his cheek to make his eyes tear up.

"Oh, the tough Alastair Bànach is crying now? Well, well... Have you given up? Lost all hope?"

Alastair stiffened. "You don't have to rub it in."

"So, have you rethought your father's generous offer?"

Alastair wrenched his chin from her grasp. "Yes. I'll take him up on it. Are you here to take me to him?"

She shrugged, the scars from the abuse prior to her turning glowing green. "Since you've seen the light, yes."

He smirked. "Good. And hurry up about it. We haven't got all day."

"Oh, shut it. You've got all the time in the world." She unshackled him from the wall and dragged him toward the cell door. As they headed for the entrance, she paused and turned to look back at Kyren with a sneer. "I suppose you haven't gotten any wiser, have you? I should just let your sister have a shot at you and that pretty family of yours."

Kyren lunged for her, but the chains dragged him back. He bared his teeth. "You stay away from them!"

Alastair shot him a warning glare.

Kelyrs just laughed. "Tsk, tsk. Such a temper. I guess the rumors were true. You are a Magi with Zhol blood. What an abomination."

Alastair took the opportunity as Kelyrs cackled over Kyren's distress. He yanked the chains from her grasp and slammed into her from behind. They both went down, their limbs tangling as he fought for control over her. He managed to pin her and wrap the chains around her neck. She snarled and scrabbled at his hands. Alastair twisted the chain, cutting off her air supply bit by bit. With nothing in the cell to draw on, Kelyrs tried to tug at his life force for the power needed.

The Zhol side of him stirred at the touch of kindred power. He hissed, forcing it back. He could feel the dark power trying to force out the Mathanos while his Mathanos fought back. Refusing to let go, he pushed back Kelyrs's magic. Kyren grunted, and Alastair glanced up to see his companion struggling against it as well.

The force weighed on his body, making his ears pop as if he were too deep underwater. Then it ceased. Kelyrs went limp beneath him, and he felt her previously frantic pulse stop beneath his fingers. He rummaged on her belt for the keys to his chains and Kyren's. Unlocking his manacles, he kept an eye on the door in case anyone had heard the struggle.

Kyren's face was red, and his fists clenched while Alastair unlocked his manacles and helped him down from the wall.

"No passing out or flipping on me now, Asherex. Got it?" Alastair slapped him on the back.

Kyren shook his head. "If they've done anything to Naya and Rya, I'm going to rip them to pieces."

"Now who sounds bloodthirsty?" Alastair muttered, shoving Kelyrs's corpse into a corner where it couldn't be spotted immediately. "Come on. We don't have much time before someone comes looking for her."

***

Eiridan managed to locate Jaeyria through their bond. When he found her, she was fighting to stay upright, and her companions were facing off against an enormous dragon. Eiridan could feel the aura of its Imperial controller pulsing around it. He cringed at the sickening green glow of the dragon's aura.

Running to his wife, he pressed his hands to her side, letting his Mathanos lick over her skin in search of wounds.

She batted weakly at his hands, her eyes opening and closing as she fought to breathe. "No, Eiri. You need your energy."

That was true, but it didn't matter. He could sense his own energy levels dipping dangerously low. Movement became more of a struggle, and he felt his mind fogging with sleep and mathanos deprivation.

Jaeyria's attempts to push him away became stronger. "Stop it! You'll kill yourself. I'm well enough to continue the fight." She sat up, clutching her side.

"You've still got a broken rib and a bad gash on your left side. You can't—"

"Eiridan, you're injured too." She pointed to his right arm, which was still oozing blood from a long gash.

"Yeah, but it's not so bad. Just a scratch." He smiled at her weakly.

"Look, I can stand. I have to help the others. You're on your last leg." She turned him around and pushed him toward the nearest standing structure. "Go hide."

He offered a weak murmur of protest, but he knew she was right. I'm of no use here. He tripped on his way to the house, falling on sharp rubble. The stones bit into his hands and knees. Dark drops of blood stained the bricks and stones beneath him. He picked himself up and continued onward.

***

Jaeyria watched Eiridan leave at her request. Her shoulders slumped, and she coughed into her arm. Her side ached and burned. The agonized roar of the dragon caught her attention. She whirled to find that Xenia had buried a weapon in the dragon's left hind foot. She wasn't sure how the other Magi had managed it, but she smiled when she saw it. Finally, a hit.

The dragon crushed all sense of victory in seconds. It raised its foot, taking Xenia's weapon with it. Before Xenia could move away, the dragon's foot came down, squashing her. Carolyn rushed in, and Jaeyria wondered for a moment what the woman was thinking. She tried to pull Xenia away from the dragon. Jaeyria shouted at her to move away, but she wasn't heard. The dragon whipped its tail around and hit Carolyn in the head. The spikes of the dragon's tail pierced straight through her skull, spraying blood everywhere.

She realized then that they couldn't win this fight. The villagers and their guardians were long gone, and now she just had to get Eiridan and the others out of here with a dragon on their tail. For the first time, she wished that she had Alastair's ability to make things invisible using darkness. "Fall back!" She waved at the group.

None of them saw her. The dragon lashed out at Eivas. The sun elf dodged the first attempt, and the dragon's maw opened in an angry roar. She felt the pressure building in the area, and she screamed for them to move once again. They still didn't heed her warning. She wasn't even sure they'd heard her.

The dragon screeched and sprayed fire over Eivas and Artemis. The others managed to run out of the line of fire quickly enough. The remaining two, Bernard and Sedra, realized the fight was useless at that point. They turned and ran toward Jaeyria. The dragon's tail snaked out and grabbed them around the torsos as they fled. Jaeyria covered her ears as the two screamed and flailed. The dragon constricted its tail, and she watched with a galloping pulse as the dragon lifted them into the air and dropped them into its cavernous jaws.

She turned while the dragon crunched on her friends, tears pooling in her eyes. Her steps felt leaden as she trudged toward Eiridan. His vacant gaze stared straight ahead at the dragon. She reached him and took his hand, dragging him behind the building. "Come on, Eiri. They're gone. We need to get out of reach."

***

Eskandar and Duana exited the arena. Circles of dead or dying soldiers lay in their wake. The couple gasped for breath past the smoke and cloying iron scent of blood. Dust plumed in the air, blotting out the blue of the sky. Ships zoomed past them, their guns blazing with magic. Dragons crashed to the ground as Magi managed to knock them out of the sky.

They stepped over the rubble, staring at the destruction.

"I've never seen anything like this," Duana whispered into the temporary calm in their area.

Eskandar's fingers shook on the pommels of the daggers he'd summoned. "There's no way we can hold this place. We're going to have to retreat. Everyone in command has been killed too from what I can tell."

Duana's arms ached, and the wound in her side flamed. Tears rolled down her cheeks as they watched their Capital burn. Eskandar's mathanos dropped too low, and his daggers dispersed. His shoulders sagged, and he shook his head. "I'm all out, 'Ana." He coughed, his throat burning from smoke.

She dropped to her knees in the rubble, sending up a plume of dust and ash. Tears made muddy trails down her cheeks. The glow of the fire burned on the horizon as the sun glowed red behind clouds of ash and smoke. Duana buried her face in her hands. "We can't get them all out in time, can we?" She began to sob.

Eskandar crouched beside her, his hands hanging between his thighs and his gaze on the ground. We've lost. It's only a matter of time now. "Probably not."

She turned to him with tear-filled eyes. "We should get as many of them rounded up as possible and retreat from Tythan."

Shouting disturbed the silence, and the couple looked up with weary frowns. Two Magi came rushing up, arms waving. They screeched to a halt in front of the kneeling pair. Both were younger teens. The girl had wild yellow eyes and dirt smudged all over her. The boy had violet eyes and ash-covered black hair. Blood smeared his face, and his eyes were vacant.

"The retreat's been sounded!" The girl pointed, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

Eskandar looked in the direction she was pointing. Giant passenger ships were trying to load hoards of citizens. A dragon or two rampaged nearby, and Magi were occupied with keeping the ranks of enemy soldiers away from the ships. As they watched, the ships in the sky took notice of the passenger ships and wheeled about, taking aim. Bright yellow bolts hissed through the air, colliding with one of the ships. The explosion threw bodies in every direction and caught some of the smaller fighter crafts nearby in the blaze. The remaining passenger ships threw up glittering blue shields. The enemy fire continued to smatter against the shields, but they were unable to reach the ships or the people within the shields for the time being.

The enemy throngs pressed in on the Magi guarding the retreat. The line of defenders wavered then held. Eskandar swallowed hard. "We don't have any Mathanos left," he told the two.

The girl shrugged and tossed him a spare dagger. "Hope you know how to use that then." She turned and sprinted back toward the fight.

The boy stayed, vacant eyes staring at them.

Duana waved a hand at him. "Hey, aren't you going to go with your girlfriend?"

The boy shivered, reaching out with groping fingers. "She isn't my girlfriend. She's a traitor. All she wants is to draw you into the fight to be killed."

"A traitor?" Eskandar blinked.

The boy's unnerving eyes remained fixed on some invisible point just beyond them. "I saw it."

"You saw it?" Duana struggled to her feet and took his arm.

He hissed, batting aimlessly at her hand.

He can't see. Eskandar's brows raised. No wonder he's got that distant look in his gaze. "Duana, careful. He can't see. You'll scare him."

Duana let go of his arm, but she kept her hands in his range. His trembling fingers met hers and ran over her arms. It seemed as if he were looking for something.

"How do you know she's a traitor?" Duana asked the boy.

The boy's eyes looked in her direction, but he still didn't respond to any stimuli when Duana smiled at him. How has he survived if he can't see? Eskandar bit his lip, eyes narrowed.

"The same way I know she's a traitor," the boy said.

Eskandar barely caught the words over the screams and the whine of the fire from the dragon ships overhead. But there was no mistaking the fact that the boy responded to his thoughts, not to any spoken words. "You're a Seer?" He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain screeching at him to stay still.

The boy nodded.

"Then you know how the battle will end?"

He shook his head. "No."

"How can you be ignorant of this disaster's ending? You're a Seer!" Duana gripped his shoulders, tears flowing down her cheeks.

He reached out and brushed the tears away. "I don't decide what I see, kind lady. But I know this. You two will be lost, and many more with you before the end."

"Lost?" Eskandar crossed his bloodied arms.

"The Zhols. They are coming." His fingers trembled against Duana's cheek.

"What? Zhols? Those are just legends though!" A tremor shook Duana's frame.

"They are reality." The boy pointed across the wasted city in the opposite direction of the loading docks. "Look."

The three stared out across the flattened, burning city. An army of creatures with glowing green eyes and jagged scars that seeped green energy flowed across the desolate plain. Walls and the remaining trees in the area exploded into ash as they passed, creating a cloud that made it difficult to make out their forms.

The boy took hold of their arms. "I will show you."

The two felt like they were hovering above their own bodies as the boy took them to see. The horde of monsters crossed the distance between themselves and the trio with alarming speed. Their mouths were open with twisted laughter. As they passed bodies in the area, the corpses also burst into ash like the trees and walls had. The stench of warped, darkened energy oozed around them, and their eyes were lit with an unholy green fire.

The trio saw a taller, muscled creature in the back of the crowd. He towered over the others, and his skin sported the same cracks that oozed nasty green mathanos. His blazing eyes seemed to stare right at them, and his mouth split open to reveal sharp, filed rows of teeth. The three could hear his cackle and the crackle of his energy over their skin as the boy pulled them back.

He trembled, tears welling in his eyes. "We will be taken."

Taken where? Eskandar's fists clenched. The sounds of battle crashed back in on them as the boy's strange magic wore off.

"To the stronghold." The boy settled on the ashy ground, crossing his legs.

Eskandar paced, running his fingers through his hair. Bits of plaster and stone showered out of it. Can we even trust this kid? He doesn't seem like an enemy, but he's strange. And how do we know he's good just because he's a Seer?

The boy dropped his head into his knees. "I only say what I see. To tell otherwise would be to lie or deceive."

"And how do we know that you're seeing things accurately?" Eskandar whirled to face the enemy. "We're being attacked by hordes of beings we've never seen. They fly an emblem we don't know. And we have no idea what they want, but they seem to be intent on wiping us out."

The boy's voice adopted a cutting edge. "My visions are never wrong. We will be taken by the Zhols approaching."

Eskandar's eyes narrowed. "What do they want with us?"

"They sense the weakness of your soul, and they seek to turn you."

"The weakness of our souls?" Duana's voice trembled. "What does that even mean?"

The boy stood to his feet, staring vacantly toward the invaders. "Not your soul. His. It's shattered. So, they will exploit it to take over his power. And they will use you against Eskandar."

"Maybe we should try running." Eskandar looked to all sides for an escape.

"There is no escape. We are surrounded. If you struggle, you will guarantee her death."

"What do I have to do to ensure she doesn't die, then?" Eskandar's voice cracked.

"Take her to the ship. It is her only chance. After she boards, I cannot see her future. Only yours."

Duana stared at him, wide-eyed. "You wouldn't!"

He couldn't meet her gaze. If this is the only way she can survive... The last of the refugees were boarding the airships. He made his decision that instant. Striding across the distance between them, he wrapped her up in his arms and swept her into his hold.

She burst into tears. "I won't let you leave me!"

"'Ana, love, please don't cry." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then to her lips.

"Please, you can't leave me. We'll stand together. We promised each other." Her fingers clenched tightly on the shreds of his tunic.

"I promised to protect and cherish you," Eskandar said. "Even to death."

She struggled against his grip, but even in his weakened state, she couldn't prevail. The boy followed along behind them, silent for the time being. Her sobs and panicked wails cut over the noise of the airships and the whizzing blasts still hitting the city. His long legs ate up the distance between the trio and the airship, but the Zhol army was gaining on them even faster.

He summoned the last bit of his mathanos as they neared the door of the ship. The doors were closing slowly, but a woman stood in the ship's door, frantically waving for them to hurry. Eskandar cradled his wife close to him. Will this be the last time I hold her?

He couldn't reach the ship in time, and if he used his mathanos to get her there, he would ensure his own capture. He ignored her hysterical sobs and his shaking legs.

A few yards from the ship, he could go no further.

His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees.

He protected her from the jagged rubble with his own arms when they fell. She sat in his lap, staring with wide, teary eyes at him and the army. He glanced behind them. The Zhols were almost on them.

I won't let her die too.

She clung to him and pressed her lips to his desperately. "Don't make me go. Don't leave me," she wailed between kisses.

He used the last of his strength to push her away and grabbed his wand from his belt where he'd stashed it earlier. "I'll find you again someday, love. Wait for me."

She screamed when he summoned a giant serpent and waved for it to wrap around her. The snake lifted her into the air, ignoring her fists beating against it and her sobbing please for it to let her go. It shot forward, rocketing her into the ship just in time.

Eskandar wavered, and spots danced in his vision. He watched the woman hold his wife back, and then the doors closed, shutting off his view of her tear-streaked face.

"You did the right thing," the boy whispered.

Their doom closed in on them. The boy sat beside him, cross-legged and in tears. He caught Eskandar's body when it gave out. Eskandar's head rested in the boy's lap. "Who are you?" He coughed, spitting out blood.

"Maertien, son of Kyrtis Algard, Valkyrie's weapons master." The boy's fingers wove through his hair.

"Why didn't I ever meet you?"

"I stayed in the shadows," the boy murmured. "Not many liked my gift much. Especially since I'm not exactly Magi."

"Not Magi?" Eskandar felt his mind drifting away from the pain blazing through his body.

Maertien sighed. "Just let the darkness take over, Eskandar. The pain will be less when they take you if you're not conscious."

Eskandar gasped for breath. His mathanos reserves utterly drained, the spell to save Duana had eaten into his life force. Excruciating, burning pain pulsed through him. He succumbed to the pain and darkness. His eyes closed, and he was spared the agony of being taken by the enemy.

***

Jaeyria accepted Duana's limp form when the woman who had been acting as the doorkeeper passed her off. Duana's arms carried gashes, scrapes, and lacerations. Her face had a smear of blood and a nasty scratch on the left side. Her entire left side was drenched with blood, and her clothing hung in tatters.

"Her husband sacrificed himself to save her. He probably won't survive the army," the woman informed her.

She almost lost her hold on Duana. Eiridan walked in just in time to support her weakening legs and to take some of Duana's weight on himself. Healer Magi who had survived the siege fluttered around the worst of the patients, trying to heal everyone just enough that they'd survive. One of them had helped Eiridan and restored his energy levels so he too could help heal the injured.

"Eskandar..." Jaeyria whispered. "He's tough. He'll—" She choked off in a sob.

Eiridan took Duana into his arms, nudging his wife toward the infirmary with his shoulder. "Jae, we need to take care of her now. Otherwise, Eskandar's efforts to save her were useless."

Jaeyria nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. She rubbed at them with a dirtied palm. "Do you think there's even a chance? I mean... I know he was facing that entire army. But maybe..." She trailed off.

Eiridan shook his head, lips thinning. "I'm sorry, Jae. But there's no way he could survive that." He deposited Duana onto an empty cot and began to heal the worst of the injuries.

Jaeyria watched. She forced herself to take deep breaths and to hold the tears at bay until there was time and space to do otherwise. Eiridan's soothing aura washed over her, and she knew he was projecting peace he didn't feel through their bond just to calm her. She grimaced. I should be able to handle this. I've seen so much death already. This shouldn't affect me. His violet eyes landed on her, and she felt the wave of sorrow wash through their bond.

He left Duana sleeping on the cot and took Jaeyria's hand in his. She let him tug her toward the small storage room they'd been given as their quarters. Pushing open the door, he led her to the heap of blankets they'd thrown out on the floor for resting and sleeping purposes. He pulled her down into his lap on the blankets. "I'm sorry," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair.

She shuddered.

He kissed the top of her head. "I wish I could take all the pain away. You've already been through enough."

She reached out to run the tips of her fingers over his cheek. "You can't take it all away, but you can help me to bear it."

"How?" His voice was strangled and pained.

Jaeyria tugged at the silken locks of his midnight black hair. A sad smile flitted across her lips. She arched up to press her lips to his. He bent his head to ease the tension on her, resting his hands on her hips. Unable to get close enough to ease the ache in her heart, Jaeyria turned to straddle his lap. "Like this," she whispered.

He whimpered when her teeth grazed his bottom lip. "This will help?" He inhaled sharply when she pulled back from the kiss.

"I need to know that if we all die today, at least I did so showing you how much you mean to me." Tears pooled in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

She cupped his face in her hands. If we have to die, it will be together. I won't let either of us suffer the way we did last time.

Eiridan's hands shifted on her hips to glide under her loose shirt. She gasped at the feeling of his hands and the buzz of energy against her skin. "W-what are you doing?" She closed her eyes.

"If you're going to show me how much I mean to you, it's only fair for me to return the courtesy, wife." His lips pressed against the side of her neck.

"You shouldn't expend mathanos on this."

"Shh..." His breath fanned across her neck. "If we are going to die today, it won't matter anyway."

She sighed as the warmth continued to trickle through her, heating her to the core and creating goosebumps everywhere his hands touched. He seemed more impatient than usual, and his fingers withdrew from her skin, leaving a chill and a yearning in her heart. He tugged at her shirt, and she let him pull it off. His hands went back to their previous ministrations, and she bit her lip, holding in a moan.

"I want to make sure that if this is our last time together, you'll remember." He pressed a soft kiss to her earlobe, nipping gently.

She began to cry, and she kissed him back when his lips landed back on hers. "I'll do whatever I can to make sure it's not our last time to spend together doing this or anything else."

His lips curved into a smile as he feathered kisses across her collarbone. "You better not be intending to try what you did when Vaxon fell."

Jaeyria licked her lips, salt invading her taste buds. Never... I would never put us through that again.

His breath tickled against her shoulder. "Promise that won't happen again."

She swallowed. His hands went back to her hips, still buzzing energy across her skin as he moved. "I promise," she gasped.

He shifted her so that she was lying on the blankets staring up at him. "Good. Because I won't allow it. I won't lose you and keep going a second time."

Her fingers tangled in his hair, toying with the waves gently. "Me neither," she murmured.

Eiridan's lips quirked upward. "Good. I'm glad we agree."

***

Alastair and Kyren stole into the loading docks of the ship. They had realized once they escaped the lower levels of the dungeon that they were aboard the mother ship in a fleet of ships.

If we're on the mother ship and the fleet outside the window is backup headed for that siege below us, then chances are our people are down there. Alastair pointed at the fires and smoke spiraling upward beneath them.

I can't leave Naya and Rya. Kyren mind linked.

Well, I'm not going to help you find them. I have a fleet to take out, Alastair said.

Kyren stood still while Alastair jogged toward the waiting ships. A Zhol stepped up to meet him, eyes narrowing. Alastair smirked. These idiots never learn, do they?

"Hey, what are you doing here? You're not authorized."

"I'm here on the order of King Ilkos Ardenan."

The Zhol gurgled in laughter. "You expect me to buy that?"

"If you want to enrage my father, feel free to keep getting in my way." Alastair shot a glance in Kyren's direction. "I was instructed to take this guard and a ship to go bolster the attack on the retreat."

What retreat? Kyren hissed into his mind.

The one I just made up. It's not too far fetched that they'd be retreating. Just look at that mess. They've already lost Tythan, Kyren. You're better off coming with me to take them out. Naya and Rya are probably already dead.

Kyren's outraged snarl echoed in Alastair's mind. I'm not leaving them! Beyond that, do you even have a clue how to fly that thing? Alastair ignored the question and turned back to the Zhol.

"Oh, of course... They are having some trouble with those ships, so I suppose they could use help." The Zhol coughed, his eyes and scars glowing green. "Forgive me for misunderstanding, Prince Alastair. Your father informed us earlier that you might be coming."

He did, did he? That sure I'd turn, was he? His thoughts whirled with anger. Alastair bared his teeth in a ghastly grin. "I thought you might see things my way."

The soldier ducked his head and marched over to a large fighter ship. "This way, young Master. The King instructed you be given the larger of the ships. He said you'd want a front seat to the assault on the retreat."

"He knows me so well," Alastair drawled.

Yeah, so well, Kyren snapped at him. How do we know this isn't a trap?

If it is, we're going to turn it around on them and rip their throats out. Alastair climbed into the ship.

"Young Master, didn't you say your guard was going to come too?" The Zhol looked back and forth between Alistair and Kyren.

Alistair sneered down at the Zhol. "What's your name, soldier?"

"Ah...Ahlethreft." The Zhol backed up when Alastair pushed the darkness at him. "If I may inquire, Young Master, why are you displaying Magi traits?"

Dense, isn't he? I didn't realize dense villains could survive in a place like this. Alastair's fingers stilled on the ship's controls. "That is classified information, soldier. No one gave you leave to inquire. Ask my father if you want to know." His lips tightened in a thin smile. "I'm sure he'll take well to you questioning his chosen methods or his heir. In fact, I'm sure he'll be happy to explain to you my heritage and exactly what I'm capable of." Alastair examined his nails with a shrug. "Of course, he'll gut you like a pig after, but I'm sure he'll be kind enough to answer the questions."

The soldier's complexion turned waxy. "F-forget I asked, Prince Alastair!"

"Consider it forgotten." He looked over at Kyren. "Are you coming, Captain?"

"Captain?" The Zhol turned to look at Kyren.

Kyren stared back, his expression blank. "No."

Alastair stared at him for a long, tense moment. If you don't come, I'll have to keep up appearances, Asherex. I'll order him to detain you.

Kyren's gaze dropped to the floor. I'll kill him.

I know. Why else would I order him to detain you? It's not like I'd do it if I were interested in keeping him alive. "Captain?" Alastair raised a brow.

"I said no. I've got better things to do." Kyren sneered. "Like interrogating the prisoners. Someone's got to."

Clever of you.

I don't have time to waste on killing this idiot, Kyren deadpanned.

Alastair shrugged. "Very well. If that is the case, I will not detain you. But I won't tolerate such disrespect in the future."

The Zhol stood gaping at Kyren.

Alastair rolled his eyes. "Soldier, report to your direct officer that the king's son has gone into battle as King Ilkos commanded."

"Right away, Prince Alastair!" The Zhol marched off to find his direct superior.

Alastair stared at Kyren. "You're not going to like what you find, Asherex."

Kyren looked away. "You don't know that."

"They've already killed them." Alastair pulled on his helmet and shut the reinforced hatch of the ship. These demons wouldn't leave them alive unless they planned to kill them in front of you. So, you'd better pray they've already been killed, Asherex.

Kyren turned and stalked back into the corridor. No, Alastair. They'd better pray I don't find a hair on the girls' heads harmed. Because if I do, there'll be hell to pay.

Good luck. Alastair's fingers flew over the control panel, sending mathanos into the machine's crystal power source to get it started up. When he looked up, Kyren had disappeared around a bend. Shaking his head, he pressed the throttle forward, and the ship skyrocketed out of the hanger doors into the sky with the other ships.

***

When Alastair arrived at the site of the Republic's hangar in Kypha, his fingers clutched the ship's steering sticks so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. The entire city which was once so resplendent with its flying buttresses and twisting spires was no more. His stomach knotted, and his eyes watered.

Even from this height, he could see the carnage that covered the ground. Bodies heaped skyward where soldiers and dragons had thrown them. Dragons scoured the streets, picking off survivors that hadn't made it to the launch site, and soldiers hauled away women into the remaining structures. He could almost hear their pleading screams and the cries of the little ones that were separated from him. The wails of the dead clung to his skin, and the Zhol side of him stirred with a maniacal laugh.

I will kill every single one of them even if I have to die to do it. No one gets away with killing like this! Alastair let a few tears fall for the fallen. His gaze fell on the field between the passenger ships that were under constant barrage and the arena where they had all competed against each other only a few short days ago. Two lone figures hunched in the field. One was a small child and the other a grown man. The Zhol army was closing in on them, but neither moved. Alastair flew in closer to get a better glimpse, using the ship's technology to zoom in on the two figures.

His eyes widened.

Eskandar lay in the field of rubble. The boy cradled Eskandar's head in his lap. While the boy was mostly uninjured, Eskandar was covered in blood, and the pull of his life force on Alastair's spluttered, dangerously close to going out.

The Zhol army surged in around them, grabbing the unconscious body of his friend and restraining the boy. Alastair's heart beat a staccato rhythm against his rib cage, and his eyes welled with tears. He slammed his free hand against the dashboard with a scream. "No! Not after everything else I've lost!"

The enemy ships kept battering away at the passenger ships' shields, and the sky was black above them with even more ships. Alastair's gaze flickered between his unconscious friend and the ships surrounding the Republic passenger ships. His throat clenched, and he slammed his fist weakly against the ship's dashboard again. Eskandar... Or the lives of thousands on those ships? His heart ached, and breathing became increasingly difficult.

He turned the ship toward the passenger ships.

I'm sorry, brother. But if you were able, I know you'd tell me to save them, not you. He swallowed hard and threw his ship into full gear, blasting at the ships surrounding the Republic's shields. The shields were wavering, and Alastair realized if he didn't punch a hole in the wall blocking their escape they would die. Every last one of the people on those ships, some of whom could be others from his guild, would perish.

Alastair let out a roar of fury and anguish. Driving the ship upward, he dodged the fire of the enemy ships as they realized that a rogue ship was now entering the equation. His blasts caught several ships in a row, sending them down in a shower of sparks and flames. Still, he didn't let up.

Lights flashed red on his dashboard, and the beeping of an alarm filled the cabin. He ignored it, forcing the ship to remain straight even as his left wing faltered and spit flames from the rotating blades that held the metal ship aloft. The crystals that kept the anti-gravity up on the outside of the ship shattered on that side, and the ship dipped sharply. He fired off three more blasts. Struggling with the controls, he managed to pull the ship back out of the spiral.

This isn't going to last long. The ships still circled and reigned brimstone down on him and the passenger ships. He reached inside for his mathanos, continuing to fight back the Zhol nature that his father had awakened. Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead and rolled down his face.

He fought for control of his mathanos and to keep back the cackling darkness seeking to overwhelm him. Wresting control from the darkness, he threw out tendrils of darkness through the window. It grabbed onto ships nearby and tossed them into other ships. The ships collided in a boom that he could hear even through the reinforced hatch of his ship. Explosions rocked his ship, and he once again fought to stabilize his ship.

The shields on the passenger ships flickered and went out. Alastair's heart lurched. I have to do something, or they'll be blown to pieces! He bit his lip. Do I have enough mathanos and control to do this? And if I empty my mathanos reserves, will the Zhol side take over like it did with Kelyrs? It didn't matter. He had to do something.

He gathered all the energy he had. And then he breathed out. Darkness spread out across the sky, filming over the windows of the ships and billowing around the ruins below. The Zhol nature stirred with an excited whine, and Alastair shoved it back. Not yet. Not yet. Just a little more and I'll be able to get them out. The darkness pulsed, and he flew his ship upward, creating a tunnel of light for the ships below.

He tried to project to the one person he knew would be able to hear him if he was still alive. Eiridan, get those ships through the tunnel of light as soon as you can. I'll clear the way.

The response came quickly. Alastair?

Yes. Listen, I don't have long, Eiridan. I'm draining all my mathanos into this. And when I do, I'll probably have to kill myself.

What? Eiridan's voice cracked.

All I have to say is that we can't help our parentage.

Does this have something to do with the Zhols, Alastair?

His ship continued to shoot upward. The left wing dragged at him, and he pushed the ship faster, using bits of darkness from around him to force the ship higher to where the mother ship now hovered, blocking the escape route.

Spiraling upward, he hauled on the controls to keep the ship in line with its target. Just a little further, he thought. I'm sorry, Eiridan.

Sorry for what? Eiridan's voice took on a more frantic pitch.

Sorry that I couldn't be trusted. And sorry that my father is the leader of these Zhols. But I swear to you that I will get you out of here if I have to die trying. Just make sure you take the opening the moment it comes before the ships realize what happened.

He cut the connection before Eiridan could protest.

***

The seer watched the lone ship struggle into the sky. His glazed-over eyes stared straight ahead in the blackness that blanketed everything. The Zhols shuffled and hissed in the darkness. Their few attempts to light lanterns failed. Alastair's darkness simply choked the life out of all light.

Maertien stood untouched by the soldiers now. When he hadn't moved or resisted them, they had let him alone. He already knew the end. The end of this entire sordid affair. Perhaps I should've told him. His mind's eye wandered to Eskandar, who had been thrown into a grounded ship like a sack of potatoes.

Shaking his head, Maertien plopped onto the ground. What would've been the point? He'll die happier not knowing. They all will. He shed a silent tear for those fallen and those yet to fall. If they only knew what awaited most of them, they would give up. So, he kept his knowledge to himself.

There wasn't anything anyone could do anyway. From start to finish, this had been coming, and nothing anyone said or did would've changed it. He had seen it coming a week before the invasion happened in a vision.

That was why he was here.

He had seen himself.

A shiver ran down his spine. Yes, if they had to bear the weight I do, they would not play their parts. And then all of this universe and many others would suffer the consequences. He bowed his head. This is the path things must take. And I will play my role to the hilt.

***

The klaxons wailed throughout the ship through the crystal sound projectors. Flashing red lights lit still other crystals along the passageway floors. Eiridan's heart slammed against his rib cage in rhythm with his echoing footsteps. He ran down the hall for the captain's quarters.

Shoes squealing on the slick surface of the ship's floor, he halted in front of the main deck's door. Guards blocked the entrance, fingers clutching the shafts of their spears.

"What is your business here?"

Eiridan gasped for breath. "I need to speak to the captain now! One of my guildmates just mind linked me with an important message."

They frowned and looked at each other.

"We aren't supposed to let anyone in." The second guard shifted back and forth on his feet.

"If you don't, then a good man is going to die trying to clear an escape route!" Eiridan stalked up to them and poured the mathanos he had left into both of them, sucking their mathanos reserves dry and dropping them both. "Sorry, but I have to see the captain."

He flung the doors open.

The bridge crew turned to gape at him.

The ship's captain crossed his arms and tapped a foot on the floor. "Who let you in here?"

"Not the guards," Eiridan huffed. "Listen, we have to be ready to leave now! The darkness came from a friend. He's cutting a path through the enemy ships."

The captain snorted, raising a bleached brow. "Really? All by himself?"

Eiridan clenched his teeth. "Yes. Look!" He pointed to the beam of light shining down in the pitch blackness. The ship was drifting in it.

"What of it?" The captain rolled his eyes. "It's a fluke. Either that, or it's a trap."

Eiridan ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, my friend mind linked me. He's going to sacrifice himself to take out the ships above us. I've seen what he can do. Just listen to me. Fly straight upward in the swath of light. When the moment comes, we'll know. And we have to be ready."

The captain ran his own fingers through his blond hair. "Look, kid. I get that this has been a strain. You've probably seen a lot of friends die. But—"

"Seen a lot of friends die?" Eiridan shouted. "I've seen an entire war on a scale you can only dream of. If you don't listen to me, we are all going to die!"

"Sorry, boy." The captain shook his head, turning back to the front window and the ship control panel. "I don't think—"

This time, Eiridan didn't have to interrupt. A loud boom echoed through the silent darkness and the following shock wave blew through the dark sky, sending ships flying around them. The crew on the bridge, the captain, and Eiridan all looked up to see the enemy's lead attack ship explode. Every ship in the near vicinity was caught in the blast, and before their wide eyes, the section of the fleet blocking their escape was incinerated.

The captain began hollering at the crew to hightail it through the gap and radioed the other ship to explain the situation in frantic bursts of conversation. The other ship's captain had seen the blast too and was close on their ship's tail. Both ships blew through the gap, narrowly evading the blast zone. They shot off into the sky above, leaving behind the destruction of Kypha.

***

Maertien shut his sightless eyes and allowed the Zhol forces to toss him into the ship alongside Eskandar's motionless form. In his mind, he saw the precise moment Alastair's ship slammed into the main engines and control hub of the other ship, causing an explosion that soon caught the rest of the ship's reactors.

Curling into a ball, the boy ignored the displeased hisses and bits of conversation passing between the Zhol forces. They have nothing to be displeased about, he thought. They have won. He bit his lip to hold back the sobs that threatened to escape. Even though he had known the fate of those involved in the escape of the survivors, it still hurt when he felt Alastair's life force flatline. It's for the best. He wouldn't have wanted to survive as what he was becoming. This way, he's a hero. They may not get out of the atmosphere because of the invading forces, but they'll find a place to hide.

But was being a hero worth losing your life?

Maertien squeezed his eyes shut more tightly, tears leaking down his cheeks. His mind's gaze went to the inhabitants of the passenger ships. Mothers hugged their children tightly, crying in relief when the captains came over the speaker crystals to announce a clean escape. Husbands kissed their wives, and families mourned the loss of their children.

His mind found Jaeyria, curled in a ball among the blankets where Eiridan had left her when Alastair had mind linked him for the last time. Her entire frame trembled with sobs, and he listened to her gut-wrenching cries for a long moment. She was so cold and stony when she came to us.

He didn't remember how he'd gained the information on her prior life. It had just happened one day when she'd come to his father's shop, and he'd watched her out of curiosity. He wished he hadn't seen what he had.

Maybe if I didn't know everything about each of them, this wouldn't hurt so badly. Maertien whimpered.

She curled in on herself as he continued to silently grieve with her. Not for the first time, Maertien wished he could send comfort to those that he wasn't with.

The Zhol pilot climbed into the ship, kicking him when he let out a single sob. "Shut up, boy. Otherwise, we might change our mind about turning you and just kill you instead."

He put his fist in his mouth and stopped up his sobs. But inside, he continued to cry.

His mind shifted again from Jaeyria to Eiridan, who knelt on the floor of the bridge. He too had tears coursing down his cheeks, and Maertien knew the healer had also felt the departure of a familiar life force. Well, he thought as the darkness claimed him too. At least one person will be able to share his bravery with the next generation. And at least one person will be able to pass on the history this day has etched into each of our souls.

He exhaled quietly. And so, it begins. The beginning of the end.

~~~~~~~~~~

Guild 4: Iscariot Sin - D-Willy45

Somniabunt Confringetur

(Dreams broken)

In peace, sons bury their fathers. In peace, fathers bury their sons.-unknown

The crowd claps at my presentation, albeit softly. But that doesn't matter to me right now, not ever since I saw HIM. After all of this time, he finally decides to show his face. One would think that after the time that we have been apart, that I would forgive him. But I haven't, not even close. I walk back to the waiting area where the others just stare as I stomp past them. A dark sense of hatred boils inside my stomach. He is waiting for me when I exit the building, his stance very relaxed. He lets on no emotion, he is a blank slate. I don't even wait for him to speak for the instance I get to within arms reach I punch him twice in the face. I then grab his shirt and slam him against the wall.

"You have a lot of balls, showing yourself here," I spit on the ground by his feet. "Et matrem irrumator praetor!"

His expression hasn't changed in the least, he is still near robotic. He just stares right into my eyes, he almost looks dead. Finally, after a minute or two of one of the most intense staredowns I have ever been apart of, Odinson pushes me away a few feet.

"Are you done? I didn't come here to fight. I came here to talk, to make things right... or at least done for."

"You will never be able to make yourself right in my eyes! We have nothing to talk about, meretrix!"

He nods his head in thought, but he does not let up.

"You know that if it was for the sake of your clan, you would've done the same. You were a great warrior, who was feared amongst all. You killed many people, including my father," I will not even try to deny that fact for I still would do it.

"You are psychotic You reviled in the blood of the innocent, I am nothing like you."

"Do I still look like a phyco to you? I have grown past those days, unlike you."

"That is easy for you to say! You weren't the one who had his whole family slaughtered by savages!" That one seems to strike home for him, good.

"You are wrong Thorson. I too was driven out of Aquaterra," He chuckles to himself slightly. "It's ironic really for I too became a slave. I worked on Infernum actually, just before you came yourself. I don't want your sympathy, I just want you to understand."

Just then Braith runs around a corner, screaming my name. She pauses for a second before addressing me.

"Thorson, I need you to come with me."

"Not right now Braith," I say, blowing her off.

"Thorson, now!" she replied sternly. I nod my head before jogging over to her. We are about to leave before Odinson calls out to me one more time.

"Thorson! Neither of us wanted to fight that war. We were both just puppets of our fathers and was sent to do their dirty work. But we are no longer controlled by them, so stop being their pawn. We will see each other in the near future, I promise you. I have something to return to you," And with that, he leaves.

*************************************************************************************************************

Nobody could prepare us for what happened. He's dead, he's really dead. Arthur's body was found inside the underground sewers, along with many others. Amongst the known dead were some from our own guild. Nobody slept that day, not even me. We all just went to our respective rooms to ponder. Silva came with me to my room to nurse my wounds as I meditate on the floor. She is definitely shaken from the news, yet she keeps strong and shows little of her sorrow. I know she never really liked Arthur, neither did I. But all of this death in one place, and at one time, it's definitely depressing.

"You should be in the infirmary, Conan," Silva removes another bandage off my back. It cut instantly hurts when it comes in contact with air. "Whoever killed Arthur could be the same person who did this to you."

"I am all right Silva. It has been a long time since I was scared of monsters."

"I am not talking about being scared, Conan."

She gently places fresh bindings on my wounds. She walks to my front and sits cross-legged like me. She then addresses the cuts on my chest and shoulders. Her warm hands seem to pulse a divine magic for just a touch seems to fade my pain away.

"All that I am saying is that they might come back for you. You would need as many people with you as possible, who knows how powerful they are."

"Thank you for your concern, but I will be fine."

"I am sure that's what Arthur thought too."

There is a long pause in our conversation. Our eyes lock, no one dared to speak yet so many words were spoken. I can tell that she really does fear for me.

"I have you, Briath and Thorson here for protection."

"You don't know if that will be enough."

"Yes, I do know."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

"Why are you so afraid Silva?"

"Because I can't lose you!"

She stops what he's doing before burying her face in my chest. Her tears fall down her face like rivers. I hold her close to me, not daring to let go. It has been a long time since I have felt this sorrowful. I can see now just how much I mean to her. What is, even more, is that despite my best efforts, I share her feelings.

"Silva."

"Yes?"

"If it will make you feel better, you can keep watch tonight as I sleep."

That night, she slept in my bed. I, on the other hand, was the one on watch.

*************************************************************************************************************

The next day came fast, at least for me it did. I don't know how I ever got over what had happened to Arthur, but he hardly crossed my mind. But that was yesterday, it's different now. The realization has just hit me, and it didn't pull its punches. I can't believe that he is really gone, just like that. Nobody has heard from Erza since we received the news and it's making me scared. I am done with everything by now, even this fight seems to be in the way back of my mind.

Every magi that are left in the games stand on different ends of a large circular arena. Conan, Thorson, Silva, Sayid and I all hold hands as we walk forward, just as everyone else is doing. The five of us wear a necklace with two different jewels attached. One is the Divine of the underworld, Osiris. And the other is the sign of the Divine of rebirth, Asa. They act like a sort of dog tag. The sign of Osiris is meant to be pulled off of the body of the dissected. It is on there that we have our names etched onto. Conan tries his best to stand straight up while he is walking, though his pain is very obvious. I can tell that no one wants to be here, not even the other guilds. Most of us just want to go home where it is safe where the spotlight isn't always on us.

When everyone stops walking once we get twenty yards from each other. A dull excitement makes my heart pound ever so softly. Everyone gets into a fighting stance, despite confrontation being the last thing we want. Even though no one said anything, a thousand apologies were given. We hear the countdown go from five to four, then three, two, one. Then something happened, stopping us before we can even start. In the distance, a large spaceship images, following it are many more escorts. Before people can even scream out in fear the bombs hit. It happens like a flash, faster than I can even process.

*************************************************************************************************************

After the initial barrage, the people were in chaos. It was in a matter of minutes before the ship was right above our heads. A republic ship is on its way to help but it doesn't have any chance of destroying the fleet. We have gone into an emergency evacuation as we try to lead everyone to escape vessels. Braith, Sayid and I run and to hold off the amassing army that has landed on the streets. Conan and Silva, on the other hand, are helping the people evacuate.

The majority of the magi are lined up already, ready to fight. We are outnumbered one hundred to one at least but we need to fight.

"I love you Braith," The quick sentiment burrows into my heart.

"And I love you, Thorson," She replies.

A painful shriek echoes in the air as both armies charge at each other.

"Don't separate, and protect each other," Sayid yells at us.

The front line crashes with a powerful explosion of magical energy. The three of us jump over the people in front of us and into the second line of soldiers. Even before we hit the ground, Braith starts shooting. With Sayid and I on either side of Braith, we create a form of fort.

The fighting starts right away with one of the monstrous invaders forming a ball of black magic in his hand. I grab his arm before he has a chance to do anything. Pulling a knife from a sheath on my hip, I plunge the blade into his throat. He falls to the ground and I move onto the next opponent. To my left comes a magical blade, aimed for my head. I am able to step back and strike the creature down with one quick strike from my knife. From a couple feet away, one of the monsters shoots a magical bolt in my direction. Luckily enough for me it just grazes my ear, it mattered little for the pain was still excruciating. It feels like one whole side of my face is being burned off. My head pounds, yet I push forward. From behind me, I can hear Sayid summoning the Phoenix, Alexander. It makes strafing runs across bunches of enemies, burning everything it touches.

To my right, another creature screams it's warcry as it wildly swings at my necks. Using my blade, I deflect the sword to the side. At the same time, I use my free hand to grab its neck and blast him with electricity. I turn over my shoulder and throw the knife in my hand into the skull of a creature Sayid is fighting. One of braith's guns fires right in front of my face and kills a monster instantly. I then use the storm clouds to strike down one last enemy. At last, the front line breaks and the magi are able to start pushing them back. Ally forces pass us by as the front line moves forward. The three of us look to one another with bloodstained faces. Braith just nods her head as we make our way back to the fighting. It is only until it is too late that I hear what's behind me.

"Thorson watch out-!" Sayid's words are cut off when he realizes he is too late.

Something has latched onto my back and is biting down on my shoulder. Again, I feel as if my skin is being burned to a crisp. Sayid quickly steps in and bashes it off with his staff. It's one of the things we were just fighting. It does move any longer yet Braith still makes sure to fire a shot straight into its head.

"Thorson yo-," Sayid is cut off yet again by massive explosions.

The ship that is above us is now in combat with the imperial battleship, though that does not stop it from firing down upon the earth. One such explosion landed not thirty feet from us. We get flown off our feet and hit the ground hard. The floor starts to crumble underneath us, revealing the dark catacombs. I start to slide down off the shifting stone yet I manage to grab onto a lamppost. From above me, I hear Sayid sliding down to me. We lock hands just as he falls, saving him just in time. He dangles there for a while before climbing up my arm.

Then with a loud, "boom!" another magical bomb blows up the building right in front of us.

Debre flies straight into us at dangerous speeds. I am forced to look away and close my eyes. A stone makes its mark about my eye as it gets launched by my face, blood starts its way down not a second afterward. I look back to Sayid when the dust clears, I am immediately stricken with horror. Multiple metal rod sticks out of his back, glass also marks his face. Blood seeps out of his mouth as he chokes on every breath. His grip slips a little so we are only holding onto each other's fingers. With stuttered movement, he rips the amulet of Osiris from his necklace and using his last bit of energy he throws it up to me. He lets go of my hand and falls down into the dark chasm. I am barely able to grab his pendant out of the air, I am far too shocked.

"Sayid..." I whisper in horror.

"Thorson!" Braith yells at me.

She pulls me up and helps me back up onto a flat piece in the streets.

"We need to get to the evacuation pods! There is nothing we can do now!"

I look over to the army that we were just apart of. They are being slaughtered, all of them. I can see some people from the games as well as from our own guild either dying to the sword or being taken away. It takes everything in my power to walk away, despite their cries.

People pour out of houses as well as other buildings. Many of them get shot down or sliced open. On the outer edge of the city rests the escape pods, their engines pulse with magical energy. We manage to get in just in time, right as the doors are closing. Outside, people get shot down like flies. From the sky comes crashing down the Republic battleship, it levels so many buildings.

"Thorson!" Braith exclaims. "Conan and Silva!"

People are still coming from the way they went. If I know Silva, she would never leave the people alone, and Conan would never leave Silva.

"They're dead," Odinson states from behind us. "They got crushed underneath a building."

He clutches three little children, as well as a woman about the same age as Braith. Many more people of different races huddle around him. Braith collapses in sorrow, I just stand paralyzed.

"And who was in the battleship?" I ask.

"The three game makers," he starts. "As well as many more magi, some that were competing as well."

"By the Divines."

"Thorson, come with me, I need to tell you something."

Guild 5: Crimson Shadow - Sara_R_Stark

"Three days," Xenia growled. "They've been gone for three days."

"It's alright, Xen," Marko murmured, rubbing her back soothingly. "Vance knows what he's doing, and I know he would never allow anything to happen to Jacob. Catelyn and Nora... well, you know those two. They'll likely show up in a few days without a scratch."

"But the final competition is tonight!" Xenia cried, feeling panic seep into her bloodstream. "We only have three participants! What are we going to do?"

"We know what we're doing," Michael grinned from his seat across the room. Xenia whipped around, fuming as Michael nonchalantly twirled a polished red apple on his fingertips. "If none of them show, then that's alright. I trust Vance. He would never abandon us."

"See, Xen? It's all going to be just fine." Marko gently nudged her towards the nearest couch, allowing the hysteric elf to curl up into his side as she attempted to control her rapid breathing.

The three Magi sat in silence for a moment, feeling no urge to do anything in particular. Michael was about to stand up and exit the room to bring the group lunch from the cafeteria when the door to the living room suddenly burst open, startling him back into his seat. In stormed Caroline, her normally perfect hair disheveled and her eyes wild. She slammed the door shut behind them before crumpling to the floor. Marko gasped and rushed to her side, carefully propping their guild leader up against the door as she sobbed hysterically.

"Caroline?" Xenia whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What's going on?"

"The raid was called off yesterday," Caroline whimpered. "All the Magi that survived were brought back last night." Everyone felt their hearts simultaneously drop.

"So where are they?" Michael asked, hope burning in his eyes. "Where are Vance and Jacob?" Caroline burst into another round of heartbreaking wails, and at that moment, they all knew.

Vance and Jacob never came back.

Michael's entire body seemed to freeze up. His eyes once filled with anticipation dulled as he dropped down into a chair, stunned. Xenia weakly turned towards him, watching as salty tears instantly spilled onto his cheeks. He sat up quickly, shielding his face and running into their connected bedroom, slamming the door behind him. From the other side, all three of them could hear nothing.

"They have to be alive," Xenia whispered, more to convince herself than anything. "They can't die." She sat back on her knees, coldness washing over her body. Feeling her energy suddenly drained, Xenia's vision tilted dangerously to the side. Before she knew it, she was on the ground, her vision fading as Marko yelped in panic somewhere to her left. Moments later, everything went black.

. . . . . . . . . .

Michael could feel nothing inside of him. He had been hoping and praying that somehow Vance and Jacob would return. He had spent countless nights awake sobbing into his pillow as he realized that he couldn't hear the near silent shifting of his friends in the beds next to him. It was as if his past was repeating itself.

He remembered vividly the day he decided to escape his home and seek out Crimson Shadow. It was a dreary day, clouds filling the sky and a promise of rain in the air. His farmhouse, damp with mold and chilled with the early morning breeze, was desolate. Somewhere outside, his parents sat at the small silver stone marking the location of his sister's grave. His beautiful younger sister, Lilith, to whom he was only four years older, had died three years previously. She was a rambunctious spirit, always craving adventure and wandering far out into the woods surrounding their home. Her beautiful silver hair was always tied back so it wouldn't get caught, and her crystal blue eyes, shimmering like the sea, were filled with mischief.

One day, she had wandered too far without anyone realizing it, and that night, she didn't return home. They sent out search party after search party. It took them seven days to find the location of her body. Deep cuts oozed stale blood all over her corpse and her beautiful hair was tangled with leaves and twigs. Her eyes... those beautiful blue eyes everyone adored, were dim.

Michael could see it clearly. He was merely seven years old. When he heard the bells announcing the return of the final search party of the week, he had dashed outside, expecting to see his father holding the hand of Lilith as she bounded through the streets, waving hello at the neighbours and charming everyone with her sweet smiles. But what he saw was far from his fantasies. The men all carried a thick wooden slab between them, their burly bodies hiding what was on it from view. As they passed the main square, though, Michael caught a glimpse of the small form lying on the board. A single pale arm hung down limply from the side, a pink and blue beaded bracelet visible on the skinny wrist for a brief moment.

It was Lilith's bracelet.

It was as if his entire world was shattering. A broken sob ripped its way through his throat, and he attempted to charge the men to see the remains of his sister, though a strong arm held him back. He whipped around to see a young elf with dark black hair falling to his shoulder and enchanting green eyes pulling him away from the crowd. He kicked and screamed, feeling hot tears rolling down his cheeks as he cried out in pure agony, through the elf held him steady. Later on, he brought Michael to his small rented hotel room and held the boy as he cried, serving him hot tea and chips until he fell asleep. The next day, Michael was lead home, and he didn't see the elf again until many years later when he decided to escape his home to join Crimson Shadow.

The moment Michael walked through the gate leading to the guild, he was greeted by a horde of Magi, all much older than him. They lead him to a common room with a blazing fireplace framed by long wooden bookshelves where Magi read in plush velvet chairs underneath them. One Magi in particular raised his head as Michael sat across from him in one of the chairs while the others left to fetch Caroline Crimson.

For the first time in four years, Michael was greeted with a familiar pair of emerald green eyes framed by shoulder length black hair. The man's eyes widened and the book fell from its position between his knees, clattering to the floor. Wordlessly, Michael shot to his feet, and with tears rolling down his face, embraced the elf who had showed him so much kindness during his hard time.

Feeling himself fade out of the painful memory, Michael found himself sobbing loudly. He tangled his hands in his hair and fell to the floor, curling in on himself. He missed Vance far more than he missed anyone else - even more than he missed his sister. He was the only person who had ever truly believed in Michael, and the only person who had ever taken the time to show him kindness when everything was falling apart.

Now he was gone, and Michael couldn't come to terms with that fact. Vance would never be coming back. He would never again see those brilliant green eyes of have Vance there to comfort him whenever the memories got too painful. He had just lost a brother, and he knew that deep inside, he would never recover from the loss of someone so important to him.

. . . . . . . . . .

The afternoon passed slowly. Crimson Shadow all sat in separate rooms, feeling their own grief and struggling to accept the fact that their close friends and guildmates were likely dead and gone. The upcoming competition no longer held any meaning to them. The Magi Games had lost all of its glamour. When the time came for them to attend the competition, they all dressed in silence. None of them talked as they made their way to the arena, and they were quiet the entire time as Evina explained the rules of their competition, all of them stuck in their own world of hurt.

Finally, they were all released into the arena they would be participating in that night. It was shaped like an elongated oval, the ground made of nothing but loose dirt and rocks. Around the fighting grounds were 20 meter walls that divided the competitors from the spectators seated all around to watch the battle. The crowds were filled with screaming, excited fans all more than happy to witness the semi-finals for the competition. They had been following these games for a long time, and it was finally the time to determine the winners.

Each guild was spread out amongst the other participants, all brandishing their weapons and preparing for the battle about to ensue. This was their final task. They were to battle as long and as hard as possible, and when they finally deemed themselves beaten, they would deploy a blue smoke bomb, alerting the other competitors that they were out of the competition. All magic was allowed, though it wasn't to be used to the point where Magi were getting seriously injured.

Michael had been given a small set of daggers to fight with. He gazed down at the shimmering weapons sadly. At the base of the blade's hilt was a single emerald, shining brightly from the high afternoon sun. He ran his fingers over the gem sadly, remembering the light green eyes of the elf declared missing earlier that day. He set his jaw and placed the blade in his belt loop, pushing his sadness far down in his stomach. Michael would win this competition for Vance and Jacob, and he would not allow them to go out in vain. Their names would be remembered all across the galaxy, and they would be praised as brave heroes.

Michael smiled sadly. Looking across the battlefield and not spotting the familiar face of Jacob or getting a small reassuring smile from Vance pulled at his heartstrings, yet he knew that he would win.

A large green clock was projected high in the sky, slowly counting down from 30. When the time ran out, the fighting would begin. At the moment, the crowds were screaming with excitement, obviously taking little to no notice of the depleted numbers of Magi in the ring. To them this was all a game. They munched on tasty sweets and drank the sugary drinks offered by the game's sponsors, and they were content.

Michael could hear none of their noises. Even the loud ticking of the clock beginning its final countdown from 10 was silent to him. He couldn't seem to pull himself out of the dark water that had engulfed him. It was drowning him, suffocating him, and dragging him deeper and deeper into his pool of self pity. He nervously clenched his fists, and his eyes glanced up at the clock just as the final glowing number faded from the sky. A gong sounded, and the competition began.

Michael stayed back by the wall, watching as the others charged in. He saw Marko, who was only five people down from him, charge towards Michael, carefully assessing the others running in the opposite direction. His curly blonde hair bounced behind him as he ran, and his blue eyes were filled with the thrill of the fight that Magi often felt. He skidded to a halt mere feet away, dirt and rocks flying over Michael's boots.

"They're all gonna fight right away," he whispered. "Let's wait until they're tired out and then jump in."

Michael nodded, feeling the animal inside him begging to be let out. After years of transforming into his jaguar, he was beginning to feel the effects of staying in his human form for long periods of time. During his weeks at Crimson Shadow, he would have to take constant jogs in their large woodland area, walking on all fours and appreciating the beauty of the forest from the perspective of one of its top predators. Marko would join him every once in the while in the form of his black panther.

After many moments of tense waiting, Michael spotted the first blue cloud spiral up into the sky. One of the Magi remaining from Black Dragon limped to the edge of the arena and fell through a shimmering pink portal likely leading to the medical bay where she would be treated for a bleeding gash on her leg. Marko quickly touched his shoulder, nodding his head towards the other fighters, and Michael instantly knew what he meant.

It was go time.

He instantly initiated the change, feeling his bones cracking and reshaping themselves. This part had gotten less and less painful over the years, though it was still an uncomfortable feeling to have your entire body moulded into something else. His hearing cleared, and his eyesight (which was normally perfect) seemed to sharpen. He grinned a toothy smile, feeling fangs poking at his bottom lip. Finally he fell to the ground, feeling his paws hit the dirt with a satisfying puff of dust, and from his right, another loud sound showed that Marko had completed his change as well.

Unable to deny the excitement of the hunt that seemed to be a permanent thought at the back of his head, he turned towards the panther to his left, watching as Marko stretched out lazily. With the anticipation of a small child, he gestured with his head for Marko to follow him as he quickly charged into the fight, carefully picking out the right target.

Instantly his eyes locked on a young mountain elf he recognized from Guild Valkyrie. He had messy black hair thrown loosely over his shoulder, a confident smile on his face as he sparred with another Magi from Knight's Watch. Michael grinned, prowling up behind him almost silently. He was too involved in his own battle to notice Michael as he quickly jumped up and clamped an arm around his sword arm. The Magi screamed in pain and dropped his weapon, stumbling forwards. The other Magi from Knight's Watch gave Michael a small smile before dashing off to fight someone else, leaving the two to their fight.

The Magi who Michael identified to be Eiridan Lightsword moaned in pain, clutching his bleeding wrist tentatively. Annoyance in his eyes, he hovered his hands over the wound on his arm, and Michael watched in fascination as green swirling energy encircled the wound until it was nothing but a pale scar. Eiridan smirked, picking his sword back up and getting into a fighting stance. Michael gave a cocky smile of his own, prowling about the Magi on quiet paws. The feeling of easy agility rippling through his veins was enough thrill for Michael to almost forget about the horrible circumstances of the battle, and he found himself feeling brief respite from the day's horror.

With an almost playful growl, Michael leapt up into the air, swiping his paw across Eiridan's upper arm. He slashed through the thick coat Eiridan wore over his required uniform, leaving a gaping hole where the fabric once was, though he didn't reach the skin. Michael landed on the ground and skidded a few feet before launching back into the attack, narrowly avoiding the shimmering silver blade Eiridan casually held in his left hand. He was clearly skilled with the weapon, and Michael was finding it harder and harder to keep up with the harsh swings. Joy filled him to his very core.

Michael was never one to back down from a challenge.

He landed on the ground to launch yet another attack on Eiridan, but stopped suddenly. The other Magi looked at him in confusion, halting his motions. Michael narrowed his eyes, attempting to locate the source of his uneasiness. It had nothing to do with the battle... so what was it? Almost without warning, the sudden sound of screaming machinery filled the air, and Michael gasped as a shadow passed over the sun. He looked up at the sky, watching as a warship filled the air and covered the entire Magi arena with ease.

In a panic, he transformed back, landing on his feet and yanking his daggers out of his belt. He was slightly drained from the extended transformation, and his limbs ached from the physical exercise, though he knew that this was no time for exhaustion. The entire crowd was silent, and the battles in the pit had ceased completely. The Magi all watched in horror as the glimmering symbol of a dragon appeared over the stands.

It was the symbol of the Dragon Empire, the most feared group of individuals known to the galaxy.

Screaming arose all at once as people instantly understand what was happening. This was more than just a single ship. Hundreds of black dots filled the air, gradually blocking out the view of the blue sky. They sank lower and lower to the ground, hovering above the surface of the planet as a protective blockade. No one would be able to escape with defense this tight. All at once, small grey ships began to filter out through hidden doors in the larger ships, zipping towards the ground in patterns. Crackling bolts of electricity launched from within the ships, hitting surrounding buildings and the highest points of the arena's stands. Fires erupted around the fleeing citizens, slowly spreading throughout the stadium.

The guild masters sitting in the stands quickly jumped down into the pit to join their guilds, and Michael forced his way through the crowds to find Marko and Xenia huddled by Caroline. The noise was deafening. People cried and shouted, and more ships continued to float down from the sky. They landed on the ground wherever there was room, crushing the fleeing spectators. Warriors of all species poured out of them, raising their swords and slicing through the crowds like butter. Within all the panic, Caroline managed to latch onto Michael's upper arm, and she began pulling him out of the stadium, the other two Magi following.

There was one large gate meant to let the participants exit the main arena, and it was momentarily empty as the Magi formulated game plans. Only the familiar faces of Crimson Shadow's Magi greeted them when they made it to the edge of the dirt. There were nearly fifty of them, all of them looking frightened. They had clearly come to view the final battle of the Magi Games, though the result of their coming was less than expected.

"We must protect the citizens!" Caroline shouted over the obscenely loud noises of the battle raging around them. "The Dragon Empire can't take over the city! We must take them down before they take complete control of Kypha!"

They all nodded, exiting the arena at a sprint with Caroline at the front of the battalion. Their young guild leader was the first to take down opposing enemies. She pulled a silver sword from a hidden compartment in her pant leg, slashing at the enemies as they approached by the waves. The first group was easy to take down as they were only non-magical species brandishing weapons.

More and more seemed to be coming, flying down to the ground in their advanced warships. The enemy had resorted to igniting the ships on the ground to do more damage to the Magi, each of them exploding in a fiery ball of debris, and this held back Crimson Shadow's progress. Their main goal was to reach Kypha's castle so that they could hide the remaining citizens and guard the perimeter on their own.

That's when their entire plan began to fall apart.

Another heavy cloud of dragon shaped warships flitted down from the sky, filling the streets and blocking their path to the castle. The entire guild halted, watching with utter fascination as the doors to the small ships opened and hundreds of people swarmed out. They weren't the Dragon Empire warriors the Magi had seen, though. They looked just like humans, yet something about them was different. Their skin seemed to be made of completely black energy, and a light green glow illuminated their emotionless faces.

"Zhols!" Xenia screamed from behind Michael.

One of the dark Magi stepped forwards, brandishing a glowing green sword. This Zhol was clearly a male, and he smiled eerily at the Magi's apparent fear. Caroline took a single protective step in front of the group, brandishing her sword wrapped in shadows dark enough to block out the swirling green energy emitting from the Zhol's form.

"Leave now!" Caroline shouted, and even Michael winced as her voice cracked nervously.

"Your land is ours," the Zhol replied in a voice as scratchy and unused as sandpaper. "Not even the Magi of the galaxy could defend this pitiful city."

At this moment, Michael noticed a large crowd of people assembling atop the buildings surrounding the street. They stared down at the interactions below, weapons raised nervously. Michael quickly recognized the brilliant colours of Guild Miria, though it seemed that none of the Zhols down on the street realized they were even there. Suddenly, a single Magi crept to the edge of the roof. His black hair reached down to his chin, and his eyes were narrowed down below. With rapid movements, he gestured for those behind him to move forwards, and without warning, the whole lot of them jumped off the roof and onto the army below.

Some of the younger Crimson Shadow Magi screamed as the Zhol's were instantly overpowered. The sound of metal against metal filled the street as Miria attempted to take down the enemy, though it took little time for the Zhols to fight back. Instantly Magi bodies began to fall. The black haired Magi's body fell to the ground first, blood ribboning down his chin. Then others collapsed to the ground. One member of Miria with a shockingly bright blonde hair was slammed into a wall as blood spiraled through the air, and three more fell in a heap right in front of Caroline. As if breaking out of a trance, Caroline let out a cry of battle and rushed forwards to join them. Her sword clashed against the Zhol leader's weapon, and as soon as they began an all out brawl, the rest of Crimson Shadow took up the call and lept into the right.

Michael raced forwards and quickly took to his jaguar form. He launched himself at the nearest Zhol, taking a heavy chunk out of his arm before flinging himself at him once more. The Zhol fought back hard, sending out sparks of energy that Michael could feel sucking away at his magic little by little, though this battle was life and death and he would not allow himself to be taken down. His muscles began to scream with lethargy as he jumped for the last time at the Zhol, the evil monster falling to his feet before him. Michael quickly transformed back, hand on his stomach as he crumpled against the wall. His strength was nearly gone, and it seemed to take strenuous effort to simply raise his head.

He'd heard about the Zhols. Their magic aimed to gradually steal their victim's life and energy until they were left with nothing. They would turn to dust and simply fade away, and the Zhol would move onto the next person. It was clear that this exact scenario would have happened had Michael not taken down the Zhol when he had. But his energy was so far gone that he found himself basically defenseless as the battle wore on.

No one seemed to notice him at first, he watched as more and more Magi fell to the roads. He saw members of Miria, dressed in the blue shades of their guild, drown in their own blood as their bodies were trampled. He saw members of Crimson Shadow, some he'd known for years, get impaled by the Zhols' enchanted spears and daggers. His old friend Nate who was his constant sparring partner back at the guild, as well as Lauren, Sofia and Zane, his friends who would visit his apartment every Saturday for movie nights, were killed. Their bodies were left on the ground, dirtied and limp.

Even some Magi he didn't recognize from his guild were found dead. He watched as body after body fell to the floor, soaking in mud and dust and kicked to the sides of the road. He watched the slaughter with dread, praying that he would be safe behind the growing pile of bodies accumulating around him. As soon as their guild's numbers began to drop, though, he realized that this would not be the case. It didn't take long for a single Zhol's gaze to wander, unwillingly meeting the eyes of the Magi cowering against the wall.

The Zhol smiled darkly, raising his glowing green spear as he stalked towards Michael. The Magi's heart dropped as he stared at the intimidating weapon, his stomach dropping as the reality of the solution suddenly dawned on him. He attempted to raise his arm and retrieve one of his daggers, but his strength had left him, and he slumped against the wall, defeated.

The Zhol seemed to stare him down, assessing his weakened state with glee. Michael could do nothing but stare him down, setting his jaw and willing the tears away. 18 years of living had come to this. All his pain and suffering, brief moments of joy, and struggles adjusting to the live of a Magi had lead to this... a brutal, painful end. He would never return to his guild and see the quad where he and Vance would hang out after their early morning runs. He would never again see the shop where Xenia and Jacob worked, nor would he get to visit Crimson Shadow's vast libraries. His whole life would be stripped away by this single creature, and he could do nothing to stop it.

Without warning, a single salty tear spilled onto his cheek. The Zhol smirked at this and raised his spear, taking his time prolonging Michael's death. Time seemed to slow down as the weapon suddenly whirled from the Zhol's hand, and it took Michael a moment to realize that the silver tip had penetrated his chest. The pain that blossomed at the site of the gash was immense, and he cried out in absolute agony as the spear was driven further into his flesh. His vision darkened, spots appearing at the corners of his eyes. This was the end, and Michael was terrified.

He felt his breaths begin to slow, and suddenly feeling even weaker than before, his head fell back and hit the wall hard. His eyes wandered up to the Zhol, still staring down at him with an unreadable expression in its darkened eyes. But that's when he noticed something. The shadows had blocked out the brilliant green irises underneath the length of black hair spilling into its eyes. That's when Michael realized.

Those were the eyes of Vance Whitewood.

With that final thought in mind, Michael felt his breath leave him, and his vision faded for the last time before everything went deathly silent.

. . . . . . . . . .

Xenia had never felt such pain in her life. She had turned away from the battle for a moment to catch her breath, leaning up against the wall as the fight raged on behind her, when she noticed a flash of silver mere feet from where she stood. Confused, she turned towards the source, and a scream caught in her throat as she realized that it was a Zhol holding a spear over the body of a Magi dressed in the colours of Crimson Shadow. She raised her bow, shaking nocking an arrow and preparing to take down the beast when she noticed the familiar silver hair lining the face of the Magi she had spent so much time with during the course of the games.

It was Michael, and he was dying.

Xenia felt her entire body shake with a deathly cold as the spear was hurled through the flesh of Michael's stomach. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, and it was as if her voice was stuck in her throat. Xenia could only watch as the glint of a tear spilled onto Michael's cheek as his body slumped to the side.

Suddenly she heard a scream.

Turning to the side, she had no idea what to expect. It took her seconds to register the fact that a Zhol carrying a sword blazing with green energy was charging at her from the left, malicious intent on its face. She could barely move, even as she felt the point of the sword dig in through her side. Someone shouted her name, though she couldn't identify whom the voice belonged to. Feeling lightheaded all of the sudden, she collapsed to the ground, feeling a comforting darkness nudging at her mind. Suddenly feeling the full extent of the pain, she eagerly reached for the darkness, allowing it to plunge through her body until she couldn't feel anymore.

. . . . . . . . . .

Caroline was overpowered. The three gamemakers had long since joined the fight, Evina being the first to flit down from the sky. The fairy had seemed to kind and compassionate before, but the look of murderous rage on her face was enough to melt iron. The two fought back to back, slicing down enemies as they chased after them. They were an unstoppable force, and it was seeming like they were managing to overpower the Zhols constantly filling in for the ones they took down.

It didn't take long for the others to get taken down, though. Out of the corner of her eye, Caroline watched as Primret bravely fended off a horde of Zhols with a sword, allowing a group of Miria Magi to flee the road to safety. Only when the final Magi escaped was Primret struck down, his body falling against the wall in a heap. Thulok, the dwarf who Caroline never realized shared any sort of bond with the trickster shouter in agony, launching himself through the square to take down those who had murdered his friend. Even he couldn't withstand their barrage, and he too was struck down as a dagger pierced his heart.

Caroline could hear Evina's silent sobs as she continued to slice down Zhols. It was clear the fairy was losing strength, as her maneuvers were getting sloppy, and she missed the enemy more times than she got a good cut in. Caroline knew that none of the gamemakers were particularly good fighters, and the fact that Evina had outlived her counterparts was a surprise in of itself. Minutes past, turning into hours, and even Caroline was beginning to feel the effects of fighting for such a prolonged period. Suddenly, she heard a yelp of pain from her left, and the paper thin wing of Evina brushed her leg. She glanced down, and with a cry of horror, watched as blood spilled from a wound on Evina's side. Golden tears spilled down the fairy's face as she screamed out one final word.

"Go!"

Caroline nodded, pushing down the sobs threatening to spill out of her at any moment. She cut a path through the Zhols, quickly making her way down the street to where the battles began to thin out.

"Everyone!" Caroline screamed. "Fall back!"

All at once, the Magi began to stampede out of the square, following Caroline as she began to sprint down the road. The Zhols attempted to follow, though those at the back fended them off just long enough for most of the guild members to make it out. Caroline turned around for a moment, allowing the Magi to breeze past her as she attempted to make out what was happening behind the group. She watched as a girl, Danielle, one of the youngest guild members who had been allowed to visit the competition, was dragged away screaming by two of the Zhols. 8 other Magi, not all from Crimson Shadow, were seen being carried down the road, kicking and screaming as they were taken from their people. Caroline quickly turned away, following her companions down the street and hopefully to a place where they would be safe for the night.

Guild 6: Black Shadow - Katie387750

Crystal's POV.

"Brandon and Tila are gone. Now, we have what seems like a sudden death battle! Maybe the gamemakers are behind all this killing. They're so casual. It's like they knew all this was going to happen!" Diane complained.

"Come on, Diane, just stop. We're all sad Brandon's a Zhol and Tila got rudely slaughtered, but we can't turn back time. Obviously the gamemakers weren't behind this, Evina's been terrified ever since the fun house," I fired back.

"I've been absent almost the whole first half, and I come back to Zhols and shit," Ethan replied.

Everyone looked at him with shock. "Why did you swear?"

"Can't you see? I haven't been in all of the fun times with these games! I've only seen people die left and right. I haven't gotten the full experience of these games, and I don't enjoy it at all. Everything's super orderly and time consuming."

"Time consuming? We have a task two times everyday, it's not that bad."

"Two times per day? How long ago was that? Now, we're having a super intense one everyday, and we all die!" Ethan yelled.

"Ugh, well, we have a death match, all guilds against all guilds today. Who are we going to use?" Opal asked.

"You make us sound like we're objects." Diane frowned.

"Stop with the depressed mood! Let's just forget about everything that happened, and start over," I replied.

"We can't start over! Are you crazy? Without Tila, and not to mention Brandon, ugh! I shiver at the thought of living anymore! This is worse than The Wither Tree! This is worse than anything we've ever faced!" Diane yelled.

"STOP!" I screamed. "I'm the guild master here, and I order you to stop. I can't keep on going like this. I'm done listening to your, taken this word out of Ethan's book, shit." Everyone sighed, and looked at me. "I can't do this anymore. We have to pick someone, and then you can complain to your peers. So, who are we going to use in this death match?"

"I did the last task." Opal smiled.

Everyone looked at each other, knowing that Opal was free, and if we took part in this task, we'd probably die.

A moment of death silence. A moment of trust, and eye glistening. A moment of pure fear.

"I'll go." Everyone moved their look to Ethan, everyone looking at him with sadness. "I'll go. I haven't participated in barely anything. I've just been along for the talking and chatting, watching other people do tasks."

"Ethan, I-"

"I'll go."

Everyone looked at him. Ethan was my brave boyfriend, alright, but I didn't want him to die. "You won't die, right?" I asked.

"No, I won't." Ethan smiled. We all knew that smile was fake, and we all knew that he wouldn't make it.

"I'm sorry, Ethan."

"I'll go," He kept repeating. "I'll be okay. I'll go."

"Why not Diane go? She can just hide herself."

"Are you crazy? Dark magic doesn't let me become an invisible ghost!" Diane yelled.

"Right," I sighed. "Alright, you'll go, but we all have to watch Ethan. There's only four of us left. We have to. We're friends, we're a team, even you, Opal."

Opal smiled upon hearing her name, and replied, "I agree."

Everyone went out of the hotel together. The only thing we didn't realize is what was going to happen next.

Timeskip

Ethan's POV.

I looked in front of me. So many people were waiting for the whistle to blow, the gun to fire, the yell to echo.

I stared at Thulok, Evina, and Pimret. If Diane's theory was true, they'd be the people who we'd be wanting to kill. They'd be the people who should die.

The longer I looked at them, the more I felt them guilty.

What if I killed them? I'll just die from a Zhol anyways, so what's the point of waiting? If I just strike them all with a thunder bolt, they'll be close to dying, and they won't expect it. I can just pretend I'm talking to them.

No, I can't kill them, they could not be guilty, and I don't want everyone to have a bad image of me before I turn.

I looked to my left, and saw Zenna from Black Dragon and Logan from Knights Watch. Next to Logan, there was a wolf magi, storing up Mathanos. Everyone prepared their first attack.

"Begin!" Pimret yelled.

I sent the lightning into the middle of the battlefield, making earth explode into everyone's faces. I grinned at my attack.

Zenna ran up to me as she cast an arrow. I dodged. I sent back a lightning orb that should stun her for a short period of time. After that, we both looked at each other, not in a fierce way, but in a worrisome way.

"Something's not right," Her and I said at the same time.

Planes from left and right were floating above the battle, and weird, dragon-human creatures jumped down from the sky.

"We're under attack!" I heard citizens yell. I turned to the right, and there was one of them in front of some little kids.

"Stand back!" I yelled. The weird-looking creature ignored me, and slashed its sword in the four children. "You don't kill innocents and get away with it like that!"

"What he said!"

I looked behind me. Zenna was working with me. Zenna was working with someone!

"Thanks."

"You aren't in this alone," Logan said, running up to us.

Right when Logan came over, five more troops came out.

"What Logan said!"

I turned around to see Opal, Crystal, and Diane.

"Fire!" Crystal yelled.

Zenna started rapid-firing her arrows while Diane shot some dark pulses. I made a huge lightning cloud that struck lightning on all of the dragon-humans. Crystal shot some blue fire, and Opal turned into a phoenix and started breathing fire around every raider she could find.

Opal said something, but she was a bird, so I couldn't understand her. Next thing I knew, she was sent flying to the sky.

At least fifty ships were in the air now, and the next thing I knew, this weird magical green cube was made in the middle of the battlefield. Zenna, Logan, Crystal, Diane, and I were all in the center, dead center.

"You gotta run!" Crystal yelled.

"Yeah, come on!" I called. Crystal and I ran in the same direction.

"I don't know if we're going to make it! It keeps on growing bigger!" I screamed.

"Yeah, but you can't give up until its over! We can run faster than it!" Crystal yelled.

Opal's POV.

I flew into the sky, watching the Republic's star ships coming out from their defense area.

I took a deep breath, and then the ships started firing at me.

"I'm just a phoenix! Come on! You can do better than that!" I yelled, dodging all of their light blue lasers.

All of their star ships started aiming at me.

Okay, I can't dodge forever. Plan B.

I flew above all of the fifty star ships that were aimed at me, and started breathing fire on all of them. Since the republic star ships weren't here yet, breathing fire wasn't a problem. At least thirty of the fifty air weapons fell to the ground, crashing, setting the grass on fire. I jumped as I saw a mom and her child get drenched in the fire. That was all my fault.

"Okay, then."

Ethan's POV.

"The magic is getting stronger, I think it's Zhol magic! We're going to get transformed into Zhols if we don't make it out in time!" I yelled.

I saw the end of the glowing, lime-green cube.

This is it. We don't make it across unless one of us throws the other over. That's how this is going to work. I can throw Crystal over that wall from here.

"We'll make it!"

The magic was growing, my soul was almost about to be taken over. Crystal's would be, too, then.

I dashed after Crystal, and I picked her up. What was a split second seemed like a whole minute.

Crystal looked at me with shock, but then her eyes started turning into tears.

"No, Ethan! You can't!" She yelled as I picked her up.

"I have to!" I fired back, crying as I set her over the cube. "I love you, Crystal!"

"Ethan! No!"

My eyes shed a few tears, but then I had green energy surrounding my body. Crystal looked at me with regret and sadness.

"Why haven't you died yet?" I asked, walking near her.

Crystal's POV.

"Ethan, this isn't the real you! You know it's not!"

Dragon-like humans started surrounding me, just like Ethan. I cried. My life stopped. Ethan changed. My life's changed. Is it even worth it without him?

"I don't want to do this!" I yelled. "But it's my only option! I'm sorry that you aren't the Ethan I know! I'm sorry that you sacrificed yourself for me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

I ducked down, and started, basically, break dancing on the floor, fire coming out of my feet and hands as I did so. All of the dragon-humans fell back, falling on their backs, and Ethan stood untouched by my attack.

"Please, I hate you. I always have."

"No, you haven't. We met when we were 5, and loved each other since we were 13. We're in our 40s now. I'll never forget my first and only love," I cried, as I used my fire magic to create a jet pack on my feet. Then, I flew away.

Diane's POV.

"Guys, we can't stay here! The lasers from those machines are too much!" I yelled, next to Kyren, and some other powerful magi. "I know I don't belong in this group, but we have to go! We aren't going to stay if we're right by the ship's spawn!"

"She's right. Everyone, we need to go into the city," Thulok said.

Right before everyone left, a dragon-human sneaked past everyone, and whacked all of the game makers. They all fell to the ground, blood pouring out of them.

"Oh god!" Opal screamed. She was back from the skies. "The game makers are gone!"

"We'll make it out of here," Benjo said, holding on tight to her hand.

"No time for lovebirds, we need to leave, now!" I yelled, running into the main city.

"Agreed, we heard Thulok's last words, respect them." Kyren replied.

We dashed into the city, and the ships were crushing everything. At least ten dead bodies were on the floor, and one died almost every second. Blood ran down the street like water does in a heavy thunderstorm.

"Is this city going to flood in blood?" Opal asked. Benjo shivered.

"I don't know, but that doesn't matter right now."

A wolf behind me started yelling in pain as a laser shot him dead in the skull. He fell down. "Rengar from Knight's Watch, right?"

Opal's POV.

I looked up. A ship's laser was right on top of Diane.

"Diane, look out! Move! Hurry!"

However, Diane was too late. One strike of the laser, and Diane was on the ground, crying and dying.

"We need to stop these ships!" Kyren yelled.

Another laser shot, and Conan, a mage from Iscariot Sin, was dead.

"Earth magi, make a wall on top of us so we can leave this city safely!" I yelled.

Kyren nodded in the thought of the idea.

"Okay!"

Sadly, one of them just died.

"Xenia, keep up the work!" Kyren ordered, as we all marched out of the city.

"I'll try my best. I- I can't hold it for much longer," Xenia replied, right before losing the rest of her Mathanos. The ships then hit her straight in the face, and she died.

"Ugh, really?" I sighed. "No, I mustn't become like Diane. Not in a time like this."

Benjo looked at me, and just chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, running after Kyren and the others.

"Nothing!" Benjo quickly answered.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing towards a dragon. It looked different, like an actual dragon.

"I don't know."

It then blew fire, and with Benjo being in front of me, he got engulfed in the flames. I gulped, knowing that he would probably die.

"You don't just kill my Benjo and get away with it!" I roared, becoming a phoenix. I fired a fireball at the dragon, and it willingly took it. The damage did nothing.

Kyren sucked the life out of the dragon, and I looked at him with shock. "Don't be that stupid again. I lost the one I love today, too. And I've lost more friends than you can count. More than your guild, definitely."

I nodded in reply, sad that we have lost that many.

Crystal's POV.

"We have to go to the others. We won't survive here alone," I explained, looking at the other guild masters. "We can't, we need to make it out of here and met with Kyren, and other magi we all know."

Zenna nodded. "I agree. We need to run over there, now. I don't think Kyren let his guard down that easily. Not too many people could've died there."

Everyone nodded to Zenna's statement, and we were off. Ships were firing, and we had no line of defense. Miyuki and Tilani got fired off as we ran, their bodies burning and degenerating. I closed my eyes not to see the sight of their life draining away.

At least 10 villagers tagging along with us died as well, and I felt really sorry for them. Why did this happen? So many deaths is hard to deal with...

"Opal!" I yelled once I saw her.

"Hey!" Opal yelled.

"Where's Diane? Is she okay?"

"She got hit by a star ship." Opal frowned.

"Damn, so many good memories with all of them, and they're all dead."

"I'm so sorry."

"You're Benjo, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," He replied. "This isn't really the state of time for introductions. More and more people are coming. We're probably all going to die. Look behind you."

I turned around, and saw at least one hundred soldiers coming towards us.

"Everyone, into the cave!" Kyren ordered.

We all dashed into the cave.

"Everyone, attack!"

Guild 8: Miria - wordsmith-

Kalmiya

Five. There were five of her guild members missing. Aconi, Talsey, Plaith, Hirth, and Bera. Kalmiya sat in the corner of her hotel room, face buried in her hands as though she were a teenager. Each missing member weighed heavily on her. And she knew she wasn't the only to feel this, not if the rumors other guilds were missing their members were true. She thought of Plaith, not even an adult yet. What was happening to her? She thought of Plaith's family–how was she supposed to explain something had happened to their daughter under her watch? To any of the families?

"Kalmiya." She registered a hand on her arm and she glanced up to see Ulag standing beside her, concern clear in the Orc's face. How hadn't she heard him come in? "Are you ready?"

"Of course," she replied. Standing, she quickly brushed a hand over her face and through her hair, as though having an impeccable appearance could fix things. "What about the others?"

Ulag shrugged, looking tired. His green skin looked sickly under the yellow hotel lights, and his scars were more prominent. "As you'd expect. Most of them don't understand why the Magi Games are continuing when so many are missing. And some of them don't like that we've stopped searching for people. I can't say I disagree either." It was the closest he'd come to disagreeing with the Gamemakers thus far. She glanced up at him, choosing her words carefully. There were new scars on his face, and she wondered where they had come from. She didn't ask.

Instead, she said quietly, "Stopping the searches wouldn't be my first choice." Especially when some of the missing are still children. "But I have to trust that the Gamemakers are doing the right thing." Because if they weren't, and there was a chance that she could have found Plaith or the others, Kalmiya wasn't sure she could live with it.

Ulag was silent for a moment. Then his hand wrapped around hers gently. "We trust you," he said solemnly, and the words weighed heavily on Kalmiya.

She was preoccupied as she walked to the arena set up for the final task, mind swirling with thoughts of what could be happening to her missing guild members. As they reached the arena, Kalmiya looked into the crowd. Myriad worried faces from her guild stared back at her. She attempted to smile reassuringly back, nodding to Ulag as he continued toward the arena to meet the other representatives. To avoid re-explaining what they now knew were Zhols and the recent deaths, Kalmiya had chosen Kesie as Aconi's replacement. The elf looked at ease, and Kalmiya supposed this was familiar to someone who had grown up in a place like Rixel. The smile dropped from her face as she looked at those left in her guild.

A quick count showed two more were missing. Yore and Itta. Kalmiya found it hard to focus on Thulok's words, her mind constantly worrying. Still, she focused enough to know that this was an all-out battle between all the guilds. She only hoped it was short. There were more important things to do.

Nylisa

Nylisa surveyed the arena, moving to stand between Tilani and the rest of the Magi. She was not going to let him get hurt, by anyone or anything. Even in this supposedly friendly battle. All around her, she could see other Magi moving into various stances and positions. The Mathanos in the air pulsed with the presence of so many Magi, a tangible feeling that sent goosebumps up Nylisa's arms.

She could see Rhengar and Jardonkha from Knight's Watch to her right. Rhengar wore golden armor that shone in the sun and Nylisa shifted so that she was more completely blocking Tilani. Thorson from Iscariot Sin stood to her left, hair sparking with static electricity. Three from Silent Phoenix were just visible from the corner of her right eye.

Nylisa lifted her staff, a spell ready on her lips. Everyone in the arena was tensed, bodies still and ready to burst into action. She inhaled deeply.

"Begin!" Thulok's voice reverberated around the arena and chaos erupted.

The searing heat of flames immediately washed over her as Kesie threw up a wall of fire. Steam hissed as ice collided with the wall. Adrenaline flooded Nylisa's body and she tugged Tilani away from Kesie. A bolt of lightning flashed in front of her and she came to a stop. The sand beneath her feet started to churn, tiny sandstorms filling the air.

Zenna from Black Dragon was shooting arrows with uncanny accuracy. Duan from Valkyrie shot orbs of blinding light into the fray. Several stumbled or covered their eyes. An arrow zipped past Nylisa, hitting a woman from Iscariot Sin. She darted to the left, catching sight of Kesie. The elf had a lasso of fire in her hands and wild grin on her face.

A conjured wolf sprinted past Nylisa, barrelling into a blonde woman. Grains of sand whipped past her head and she ducked, pulling Tilani down with her. Lightning flashed again and the air seemed to drop ten degrees. Nylisa glanced up to see metal shards coming for her. She swore. Waving her staff, she opened a portal right as the shards reached her. The metal shot through the portal, ending up on the other side of the arena. Wind sent her hair into her face and mouth. Nylisa spat it out, reaching for Tilani. Panic flooded her when she realized Tilani was no longer there.

"Tilani!" The word was torn from her lungs, panic swirling within her. "Tilani!"

Her screams were lost in the surrounding melee.

On all sides, pandemonium reigned. Ice and metal flew through the air, lightning flashed, and fires raged. Nylisa cared about none of it. She needed to find her son. She searched the surrounding people, but they were in constant motion. Worry thrummed in her veins and she took to the air.

The magic and wind flowing in every direction made it difficult for her to control her wings. Gritting her teeth, Nylisa fought against the air currents. A stray shard of ice clipped her wing and she dipped to the right. Pain sparked across the delicate skin. She ignored it, searching the ground for Tilani.

As her eyes swept the ground she saw several people pause to look up. At first, she assumed they were looking at her, but they were all looking in a different direction. To the right. Murmurs broke out among the Magi. Dread suddenly pooled in Nylisa's stomach. She turned, glancing in the same direction as the others.

Dark blobs were visible, rapidly becoming larger and larger. Gasps and uncertain muttering was audible from the audience. Nylisa swallowed. Frozen in place, she watched as the blob solidified into a dragon-shaped starship. Several of them, in fact.

Dark shapes fell from the dragons, green magic flowing around them. Screams broke out, piercing the air like the metal had mere moments before. The audience in the stands started screaming again, this time out of fear. Nylisa's heart pounded. Tilani. Where is he?

"We're being attacked!"

"What do we do now?"

"What's happening?"

Shouts and questions filled the air, the fire and sandstorms dying. There several moments of confusion before the magical loudspeaker crackled to life.

"We are under attack. Magi assemble in front of the palace. Send citizens to the nearby caves. Repeat-" Suddenly Pimret's voice was cut off and ice filled Nylisa's veins. She spun around to where Pimret had been standing in the announcer's stand. He was slumped over the podium, a figure with glowing green eyes standing above him. A Zhol. Thulok reached for his sword but the Zhol was quicker. Green magic surrounded Thulok, and his screams joined the cacophony before he crumpled to the ground. Evina had no time to fight. The Zhol turned and shouted something. Dark tendrils swarmed around the fairy and her screams covered the sound of her bones breaking as her arms and wings were torn off.

By the goddess. Nylisa looked away, unable to watch any more. One of the dragon ships expelled fire from its mouth, burning a huge swath of the audience. She turned back to the ground, frantically looking for Tilani.

"Tilani!"

Ulag

How had this happened? Ulag tore his eyes away from the stands, turning to look at the other Magi. Some looked to be in shock, while others were already in motion. A woman from Black Dragon was shooting arrows at the Zhols while some Shield and Ice Magi worked together to try and form a barrier between oncoming Zhols and the citizens.

It wouldn't help though. Not if they were all stuck in the arena.

They had to get out. Ulag looked at some of the Magi who appeared to be in shock. Running to the nearest, a man from Silent Phoenix, Ulag shook him gently.

"We need to go to the palace with the other Magi," he said, and the man blinked at him. "Tell the others!" Ulag ordered, and he nodded. Ulag turned away. He repeated the message a few more times before he caught sight of Guildmaster Yldara and a few other Magi holding up a thick sheet of ice. Earth was threaded through it, and it ran between the arena and the rest of the city. It wouldn't last long at this rate. Fine tremors traveled along the arms of each Magi supporting it and he reached out for Yldara, one hand clasping her wrist. She glanced at him in surprise, and he pulled Mathanos from his reserves, giving it to her. She nodded in thanks.

Ulag felt useless as he stood there, watching the chaos around him. More Zhols had descended from the sky while the dragon ships were spewing fire faster than the Ice and Water Magi could quench it. A few feet away he could see Mora and Kesie both trying to contain the fire, with minimal luck. He watched in horror as one of the Zhols waved their hand and three of the people running disintegrated.

Fear jolted through him. What if that happened to his friends? His family? To Eludia? Ulag searched the arena for the nymph, but she was nowhere in sight. His heart pounded and he prayed to every god he knew that she was safe.

"Ulag!"

His head whipped toward the sound of his name, foolishly hoping it was Eludia. Disappointment flickered through him when he realized it was Veren and a few others. Then confusion filled him.

"How are you here?" he asked Veren, and the other Orc grinned.

"Disabled the protective shield around the arena with this," he said, holding a strange device that Ulag didn't recognize.

"Where did you get that?" Yldara asked, and Veren's eyes flicked toward her. Something flashed across his face, but it was gone before Ulag could decode it.

"Found it," he said dismissively, and Ulag frowned. Before he could say anything Veren continued. "There's a lot of people injured so I'm trying to gather some healers to go around and help them. You in?" he asked, and Ulag glanced at Yldara.

The guild master nodded. "Go. They need your help more than I do."

He nodded and then moved away. His legs were a little shaky, and he wasn't sure of how much help he would be. He had given much of his strength to Yldara and the others in an attempt to stem the number of Zhols flooding the city. Hopefully, he still had enough energy to help.

Tilani

Everything was crazy and Tilani was completely lost. His heart pounded in his chest and he wished desperately he knew where Nylisa was. He caught sight of Kalmiya and sprinted toward her. Halfway there he was suddenly stopped as one of the dragon ships landed in the middle of the arena. The wind from its landing sent him stumbling backward and he fell, falling hard on his right leg.

He swore, breath coming in pants as he watched a group of figures exit the ship. Zhols. Terror filled Tilani and he took off, sprinting madly despite his injured leg, and praying that he reached Kalmiya. Pleasepleaseplease.

Something latched onto his left leg and yanked, sending him plowing into the sandy ground. He spat a mouthful of sand out of his mouth as he glanced up. A hooded figure stood above him, and Tilani felt a shiver go through him. Don't be a coward don't be a coward don't be a coward.

He tried to get up but there were dark chains around his legs, holding him in place. Summoning a sphere of light, he launched it toward the figure's face. Dark tendrils shot out and extinguished the orb. Tilani whimpered. The figure laughed, a low and wheezing sound.

"You always were shit at fighting with magic," said a familiar voice.

"Gef?" he asked disbelievingly.

"It's good to see you again." Gef lowered the hood and Tilani was struck by how pale his face was, his veins darker and more prominent than ever. His friend looked at him pityingly with glowing green eyes so different from the hazel he remembered.

"What- what happened to you?" Tilani asked stupidly. A woman screamed to his right and he turned to look at her. Immediately, he wished he hadn't. It was Xenia, from Crimson Shadow. One of the Zhols had cut off her arm, and blood spurted from the wound. The fingers on the disembodied arm twitched. Bile rose in Tilani's throat.

"Oh my god," he muttered faintly.

In front of him, Gef's eyes were fixed on the same sight. It made Tilani sick to see his friend look so excited. Then Gef turned and yanked him from the ground with a grip stronger than he remembered the dwarf being. He started dragging Tilani toward the ship.

No. Fear washed over him and he struggled against Gef's hold. "Let me go Gef, please," he pleaded.

His friend shook his head.

"Please, Gef. We're friends, don't do this to me," he said, voice rising with fear.

"You'll be grateful," Gef said. "You'll be so strong," he said, eyes glowing brighter. "Stronger than Bytall. Stronger than Kalmiya. So strong you could be a guild master no matter who is in your way."

No matter how much he hated to admit it, Tilani couldn't deny the appeal Gef's words had. Being a guild master was his dream. Just... not like that.

"No, no." He tried to dig his heels into the ground, but the sand was too unstable for him to do so.

Gef's eyes flashed bright green and he turned on Tilani. His fist shot out, connecting with Tilani's abdomen. A grunt left the teen and he doubled over. Pain spider-webbed across his stomach. Tilani saw bright red as one of Gef's fists collided with his right eye and a shout escaped him.

"Gef," he said hoarsely.

The dwarf paid no attention to his words. His fist shot out again, this time colliding with his throat. All the air was suddenly gone and Tilani fell to the ground again. He choked, trying to draw breath through a throat that pulsed with pain. Abruptly the hits stopped and Gef wheezed.

"Wha-"

Gef crumpled, and it was only then Tilani saw the knife in his back. He turned to see Kalmiya running toward him. Blood streaked her face and clothes, sand sticking to her face. One arm hung limply at her side.

"Tilani!" she shouted and he stumbled toward her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Hot tears gathered in his eyes like a fucking crybaby. Kalmiya let him hug her briefly before pulling away.

"We have to get you to Nylisa," she said briskly, clutching a spear he hadn't noticed before. Blood dripped from its tip, along with bits of something he didn't want to think about. "She was holding open a portal for people to get outside the arena last I saw. Let's go."

She took off and Tilani tried to follow but every part of his body hurt. He ended limping behind her until Kalmiya turned and half supported, half carried him. Her breathing was labored and he tried to stand on his own but his legs felt like paper. Tilani had always thought Kalmiya was a badass, but now he couldn't help but wish she had something more useful than illusion powers. He guessed that was why she had a spear though. As he leaned against her, his palms sweating and heart pounding, all he could think was, please don't let me die please.

An arrow zipped past him, slicing into his arm. Tilani stumbled and Kalmiya caught him. She didn't stop, now mostly dragging him with her. As they ran he caught sight of Bekka from Black Dragon on the ground, blood pooling around her stomach. Not far from her was Miyuki and Eskandar from Valkyrie, both badly burned. Tilani's stomach churned.

"Nylisa!" Kalmiya's voice was loud in his ear and he flinched.

"Tilani! Kalmiya!"

Tilani's muscles burned as he tried to run once more, desperate to reach Nylisa. His breath came in sharp pants. A portal glowed beside her, and Tilani could see the marketplace through it.

"Duck!"

The air left Tilani's lungs as something shoved him to the ground. His already bruised ribs screamed in agony, tears stinging his eyes. Then there were soft hands wrapping around him, and he could smell Nylisa's perfume. For a few seconds, Tilani could pretend. He could pretend nothing bad was happening. Then Nylisa was standing, pulling him up with her, and the fantasy ended.

"We have to go." Her voice was loud in his ear and he nodded. The two of them started toward the portal, Kalmiya close behind them. Gritting his teeth, Tilani forced himself to run, pain coursing through every muscle in his body.

"Hurry! Before he gets to us!" Kalmiya shouted.

Despite himself, Tilani glanced back at her words. A huge man was following them, dark horns protruding from his head and a spear in his hands. Tilani's heart sped up, adrenaline rushing through every vein in his body.

Then the man opened his mouth and fire spewed into the air, narrowly missing his head. Tilani screamed and Nylisa glanced back. The staff in her hand glowed and he heard her shouting something. The portal in front of them flickered weakly before winking out. Nylisa sagged against him, and Tilani tried to help her. Beside them, Kalmiya looked grim.

"Nylisa you have to open the portal so we can get out before that thing fries us to a crisp," he said, hysteria entering his voice.

"We won't all make it," she whispered.

"Yes we can but we have to leave now," he insisted. The giant was way too close. Tilani could see him fighting Rhengar from Knight's Watch. When he was done he'd come for them next.

"No." Nylisa looked over to where Rhengar was now limping. Determination filled her features. "Kalmiya?"

The guild master turned to look at Nylisa. Nylisa looked at her strangely. Kalmiya swallowed, then nodded with tears in her eyes. Relief crossed Nylisa's face. Tilani looked between them, confusion and dread swirling in his stomach.

"What's going on?" he demanded. Neither woman answered him. Instead, Kalmiya stood, knuckles white around her spear. Next to him, Nylisa hugged him tightly. His shirt grew damp where her head rested on it.

"I love you," she whispered and Tilani tightened his arms around her.

"Nylisa?"

Then Kalmiya was yanking him away, her fingers iron around his arm.

Wait. No. Tilani shook his head as he realized what was happening and he started to fight against Kalmiya. "No!"

"Tilani we have to leave now!"

"Not without Nylisa!"

He tried to peel her fingers off of him but Kalmiya just hung on. He glanced back to see Nylisa struggling to her feet as the giant approached her.

"Nylisa!" he yelled desperately, but she didn't look at him.

There was a hard tug on his wrist and he stumbled forward. Sand got into his shoes as he tried to run back, legs threatening to give out. Around him, the world was in chaos. Zhols stormed through the diminishing crowd, turning people to dust or dragging them to ships. Metal and ice flew through the air and the scrape off weapons had replaced the cheers and shouts of earlier.

But all Tilani saw was Nylisa, flying awkwardly. The giant just lumbered after her, flames spewing from its mouth. Nylisa rolled to the side, avoiding them. The spear flashed and blood dripped from her already injured wing. She dropped several feet and the giant rushed toward her. Flames wrapped around her and she screamed. Tilani lunged toward her but strong arms held him back.

"Nylisa," he sobbed and he could feel hot tears splashing onto his arms as Kalmiya tugged at him again.

"We have to go," she said, and Tilani let her drag him this time. He kept his eyes fixed on Nylisa, willing her to get up and run after them. Please just get up. I'll never disobey again please just get up. Nylisa remained still and silent until he could no longer see her.

Ulag

Ulag followed Veren as the Orc weaved through the crowd. Beside him, he recognized the healer from Valkyrie, Eiridan, and Sylva from Iscariot Sin, along Illa, Gila, and Pyr from Miria. Everywhere he looked there was carnage and death.

"There's a makeshift infirmary right outside the marketplace," Veren shouted. "Eiridan and Sylva, you two should go there."

The other two healers nodded, branching off and jogging to the left. Ulag hoped they made it there.

"What about us?" Ulag asked and Veren grinned.

"Most of the healers are centered near the marketplace but there's no one on the outskirts, so we're flying out there. We can't stop to help others though, not if we want to make it to the ship." At the confused looks he added, "An enemy ship crashed so we're going to use it."

"Flying?" Gila asked nervously. The tiny elf looked apprehensive at the thought.

"I used to be a pilot for Tythan," Veren explained. Gila bit her lip.

"You'll be fine," Ulag assured her, patting her gently on the shoulder. She smiled up at him.

The five of them wove through the streets, and Ulag tried not to look at the bodies lying everywhere. But he couldn't avoid the screams, the stench of burning flesh and rotting plants. He could see people being dragged away. All Magi. Some he knew, like Ganna, Pae, Elrie.

He could see Zhols overwhelming the Magi, turning them to dust. One of them turned and locked eyes with Ulag, and Ulag froze. He felt Gila bump into him, Veren pausing to look back at him. But all Ulag could see was the Zhol. Kesie. Then Kesie was bounding toward them and Ulag unfroze.

"Run!" he bellowed and the others ran immediately, following Veren. Even as Ulag sprinted after him he knew they wouldn't outrun Kesie. The elf had always been faster than all of them.

Flames suddenly appeared in front of him. Gila cried out as she ran into it and Ulag lunged forward, pulling her back. Flames singed his fingertips and a hiss of pain escaped him. A fiery lasso looped around Pyr and the halfling screamed in agony. Gila fumbled for her bow with burned fingers, nocking an arrow and shooting at Kesie. Kesie's head snapped up and a harsh smile painted her lips. She flicked her wrist and Pyr was jerked forward. The arrow went straight through his abdomen. Blood stained his shirt.

Ulag stood, frozen, as the woman he had come to call a friend pulled the arrow from Pyr's stomach. The elf laughed and more than fear, more than worry, Ulag felt a sense of grief.

His moment of contemplation didn't last long. More ropes of fire were shooting toward him, snaking around the rubble and bodies on the ground. Ulag looked for a way out but there was chaos on all sides.

"Kesie!" Illa shouted. She held a spear in one hand and tiny projectile shards hovered in the air. Kesie laughed and sent a series of flaming spheres toward them. Ulag ducked but he couldn't avoid them all. One hit his leg and he bellowed in pain. He collapsed and another fireball singed his right arm. It was pain like nothing he'd ever felt before.

His eyes were blurry as he looked up to see Illa grappling with Kesie, and losing badly. Then Veren was in front of him, Gila at his side.

"Come on," he heard him say, and then two sets of hands were pulling at him. With their help, Ulag slowly stood. Metal spikes were stuck in Kesie's shoulder, but it didn't seem to slow the woman down.

"C'mon Ulag," Gila said, and he stumbled along with her and Veren. Away from Kesie. Away from Illa. He'd never felt more like a coward.

The ship was only a few buildings away, but the distance might as well have been a mile. They hadn't made it twenty feet when a strange half pig, half man cut in front of them. It snorted as it saw them, tiny eyes glinting. Ulag slumped to the ground as Gila stood in front of him. She reached for one of her knives, throwing it at the other man. It struck his side and as it stumbled the three of them rushed past.

Veren swore loudly and Ulag felt the man's hands slip from where he was supporting Ulag. Blood dripped down the giant's shirt but Veren pushed forward. By the time they reached Veren's ship, all three were bleeding and winded. Ulag struggled inside the ship, Gila close behind him. As the door slide shut the screams abruptly cut off, making the silence seem loud. It was unsettling. The inside was cramped and cold, but Veren seemed at home as he slid into the pilot's seat.

"It's been a few years since I've flown a ship," he warned, turning the controls as the ship lifted off the ground.

His flying abilities were the least of Ulag's worries. Now that he was no longer in danger of meeting a Zhol, all Ulag could think about was the rest of his guild. How many of them were dead? How many were worse than dead-now a Zhol?

"Careful!" Gila shrieked as the ship suddenly dipped.

"Don't worry," Veren said, shooting forward fast enough to make Ulag's stomach nauseous. Blood dripped from his forehead and the rough fabric of his shirt caught on the singed skin of his arm, making him hiss. They flew in silence for several moments, and Ulag's stomach churned as he stared out the window. It had nothing to do with Veren's flying. He wanted to heal it, but he knew he had to save his remaining strength for those worse off than he was.

Zhols and other creatures he'd never seen before were everywhere, far outnumbering the Magi and others courageous enough to fight them. Dragon humanoids were burning down buildings, giants were crushing the bones of those unfortunate enough to come close to them. Ulag could see the bloodied and burned bodies of innocent citizens, friends, and countless Magi. Kypha was being overrun by evil.

The ship jolted to the left, narrowly avoiding a beam of green light. Ulag was thrown sideways with the force of it. Now that they were above the city he could see that the number of enemy ships far outmatched the number of Republic ships. We're not going to win, he realized. Fear settled into his stomach.

"We can't win this," he said hollowly.

"I know," Veren replied, and his voice sounded almost pleased.

Another beam of light flashed in the sky. It collided with the ship and a beep sounded above them.

"Shit," Veren swore. Then he punched a button and a fire exploded from the mouth of the ship. Only it didn't hit the dragon ship beside it. Instead, the flames licked at the hull of one of the Republic's ships.

"Veren what the hell?" Gila shouted.

Veren ignored her, jolting forward once more. Flames spat from the mouth of the ship again, singing the side of another Republic ship.

"Veren what are you doing?" Ulag demanded.

For the first time, Veren turned to look at them, and there was a hard expression he'd never seen before on the giant's face.

"I'm doing my job."

His words sent a child through Ulag's body.

"What are you talking about?" Gila asked.

Veren rolled his eyes. "Isn't obvious? I'm getting rid of the Republic's ships."

"Why?" Ulag demanded, looking at his friend.

"Because I'm a criminal," he said simply and Ulag shook his head. It made his vision blur but he tried to focus.

"No, not good enough. You can't-" He shook his head again. To have a friend turn on him because they were forced to was one thing, but a traitor? Ulag couldn't bring himself to accept it. Not now. Not with someone whom he'd thought he'd known, had trusted.

Behind him, Gila was silent, staring at Veren with horrified eyes. Her hand twitched, reaching for the knife at her side. Veren caught the movement and he snarled. His hands left the controls and he lunged for Gila. There was a scream and the ship started to descend choppily.

There was the sound of a knife plunging into flesh. The scent of copper filled the air. Veren's leg hit one of the controls, sending the ship spiraling down. Ulag lunged for them. Light flashed in the corner of his eye, a dark mass headed straight for them and then-

Eludia

The scent of blood and ashes filled the air, choking Eludia. The urge to cough was a constant itch in her chest but she forced herself to remain still. She had to, in order for her ruse to work.

When the Zhols and their army had attacked, Eludia had been the first out of the arena. She'd gone straight through the portal Nylisa had made, ignoring the fairy's judgemental stare. Eludia wasn't going to die here. She'd ended up in the marketplace, which wasn't any safer than the arena. People were dying right and left, and it was like the worst nightmare she'd ever had come to life.

So she'd done what she did best-she saved her own ass. In this case, it had involved finding a pile of bodies and lying between them, pretending to be dead. Not the most respectable thing she'd ever done, but it wasn't as if Eludia was known for her morals.

Through slitted eyes, she'd watched as Magi fought and fell. Arthur from Iscariot Sin, killed by an arrow to the chest. Bryt, Inga, Satha, and Nureen from her own guild, all trampled by a dragon roaming the streets. More Magi, ones she didn't know, were cut down in mere seconds. While others, including Temm and Dacre, had simply been taken. Now the streets were emptier, all the Zhols gone to look for more crowded spots.

Eludia still didn't dare move. Footsteps sounded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a group of elves huddled together.

"We need to get to the caves," one of them said, and Eludia swiveled her eyes toward them.

One of the women nodded. "I can portal us there," she said and Eludia's heart picked up. This was her chance. Moving quickly she shoved the bodies away from her. The familiar light of a portal glowed and she quickened her actions. Wings appeared on her back and she flew above the elves' heads. None of them saw her as she darted through the portal just before it closed.

She came through to see a smattering of cave mouths, each as dark looking as the rest. Choosing one at random, Eludia flew to the back. No one from Miria was there. They were probably all dead or dying. The thought was... unsettling. For all her harshness and anger, Eludia had never wanted any of them to die.

Her arms curled around her body as she hugged her knees to her body. She wished that Ulag was there. Eludia had always felt safe with him, and she wanted to feel safe now. But it was only her, just like it had been so many times before.

The air in the cave was cold, and the rock she was sitting on hard and uncomfortable. She shifted, listening to the soft chatter around her, wishing she knew where Ulag was. Even knowing where Tilani, bratty teen that he was, would have been a comfort to her. But the women and children around her knew nothing, and Eludia hugged herself even tighter.

Apart from the soft whispers, it was silent in the caves. None of the children were playing or talking. They huddled close to their families, still and scared. Eludia's gaze swept over them, wondering if she knew one of them. One of the children stared back at her and she groaned internally. The girl came closer and sat down beside the rock. Even sitting down, her head towered over Eludia's whole body.

"What's your name?" the girl asked, and Eludia sighed.

"Eludia." The girl looked at her expectantly and reluctantly, she asked, "What's your name?"

"Valia."

Valia. The name was familiar. Aconi had had a daughter named Valia, hadn't he? Eludia looked closer at the girl. She thought she could see it now. The same pale skin, tip-tilted eyes, and pointed nose. A tall blonde woman walked up, and Eludia blinked as she stared up at her. This had to be Valia's mom.

"Brenna?"

Surprise flickered across the woman's face. "Do I know you?"

"No." Eludia paused. "But I knew Aconi."

"Is he okay?"

Eludia hesitated. "No. He's," she paused, glancing at Valia. "No." She didn't elaborate.

Brenna nodded, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't let them fall though, and Eludia respected her for that. She wasn't sure what to say next; Ulag had always been the one who knew people. Eludia hoped she saw him soon.

What would Ulag have done? She hesitated, and then reached out tentatively for Brenna. She patted her arm softly, a little awkward and unsure. Comfort had never been her forte, but she could try. If there was ever a time to try, it was now.

Guild 9: Silent Phoenix  - Several7s

Mordzar stood there, a mixture of emotions playing out on his face. Eris waited anxiously for his answer. Had she been wrong to tell him? Instantly, she regretted her decision. What if he didn't reciprocate? She didn't want their relationship to get awkward- especially right before she died. Would he avoid her because of her admission?

Suddenly, his arms were around her and he pressed his lips to hers. She responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back. Her worries evaporated into a single moment of bliss.

He pulled away and smiled at her. "I love you too."

***

Vatre had known something was wrong the second she lost her connection to Lynei. Her sister sent out a single cry of distress and then disappeared into the well of dark magic that had trapped Eris. She had searched all night with members of the guild, terrified for Lynei. What would the Zhol do to her?

When the night passed without any sign of Lynei, Vatre's hope waned. She had seen the way Greo looked when he arrived at the infirmary. He barely clung to life, and he was the one who had made it out alive. The ones the Zhol killed looked far worse. And they still didn't know what had happened to the people who disappeared and didn't turn up in ditches somewhere.

Her worry must have been obvious to the others because they kept telling her everything would be fine. Those who didn't know about the Zhol said she had probably just left to explore the woods and gotten lost. Those who knew the truth... well, they knew nothing they said would make things better. Instead, they helped look, even when everyone else called it a night.

Finally, Raylee approached Vatre. "We have to sleep," she whispered, laying a hand on Vatre's shoulder. "We can't fight if we're dead on our feet."

Shoulders slumped, Vatre nodded. It wasn't fair to keep the others out looking like this. She wasn't the only one who had lost someone to the Zhol. Infinity had disappeared with Flint and a group of others. If they were to get them back, searching the city aimlessly wouldn't do them any good.

Maybe Eris could tell us where the base is. The shield wizard didn't seem to remember anything past crashing out of the window during her escape. As much as Vatre wanted to surprise the Zhol and attack their base, the thought of facing them terrified her. It was why she hadn't suggested having Eris try to remember and sifting through the thoughts in her mind. Because she feared she would find the location, and if she did, nothing would stop her from going. But if it was too late for Lynei... Vatre didn't know what she would find. What if she died alone?

"Vatre, did you hear me?" Raylee peered through the darkness into Vatre's eyes. "Let's go back to the hotel."

"Yeah," she mumbled, struggling to avoid drowning in her worries. She had seen the minds of the others. Sure, they searched, but there was no hope in their thoughts. They knew what the Zhol would do to Lynei, and that it wasn't likely they would rescue her.

***

"We're doing a final battle?" Mora crossed her arms, shaking her head. "This has gone too far! The people need to know what's going on, not watch us exhaust ourselves right before whatever the Zhol execute whatever plans they have."

"She's right," Tuluk rumbled. "If we injure each other during the last battle of the games, we'll be eliminating our own forces. Thulok has to see how that will work against us."

Raylee sighed, eyeing her five representatives. Alex, Mora, Shiazmu, Tuluk, and Vatre stood before her. None of them agreed with the gamemakers' decision- she could tell by the looks on their faces. Vatre said nothing, but Raylee knew she wanted to be out looking for her sister. By now, they were missing at least ten members of the guild, and Mirana had disappeared with them. Vatre wasn't the only one who had lost someone she loved- the guild was a close community and everyone was tense after losing so many members.

"Couldn't the last task be less dangerous and exhausting?" Alex piped up. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about getting injured before the real battle."

"People would ask questions if the last task was too easy," Vatre said. "It would undermine the whole purpose of finishing the games. And if the people panic, it'll be harder to deal with the threat. Better to deal with it quickly and quietly."

"They're Zhol," Shiazmu said. "I've seen what they do to the people they catch. They won't deal with this as easily as they think."

Raylee rubbed her forehead. I should never have agreed to these games. Had I known what would happen... But that was the issue, wasn't it? Decisions were always easier with hindsight. If they had known what was coming, she suspected none of the guilds would have come.

***

Raiden shifted in his seat, watching as the teams assembled in the arena. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The air hummed with an energy of sorts- one he couldn't ignore, no matter how hard he tried. Somehow, that energy lent credence to the rumors he had heard about Zhol.

"Do you feel it?" Lexi whispered. The cat jumped onto the railing by his seat and cocked her head. Her tail was all puffed, the orange fur sticking up and making her look bigger.

"Something's wrong," he agreed. If he was being honest, things had been wrong for a while. People were missing, and not just from Silent Phoenix. All the guilds had reported multiple missing mages.

Lexi leaped off the railing and shifted into her favorite form- a fairy with orange hair, yellow eyes, and delicate white wings. "I felt this before he took you," she said. Her eyes darted around constantly. Raiden saw fear there.

"It's not like that, Lexi. Not this time." He had sacrificed everything for her and a bunch of strangers. The scars from that would never leave him. When he escaped, he had promised himself he wouldn't leave Lexi like that again.

"You don't know that. What if it comes to that again?"

He didn't answer that- she already knew. If it came down to it, he would always sacrifice himself for those he loved.

***

Eris had been right. Through descriptions Mirana got from Gemini, she had drawn up the perfect disguise. Even created a character for it- Elize. Still, they found her. And the more they hurt her, the deeper into character she got.

Another slice, another harsh order to just give in. Elize already had. She relished the power that dark magic brought. Anger surfaced. How dare the Zhol hurt one of their own?

"I'll escape these puny bonds!" Elize screamed, thrashing on the table. "And then I'll kill all of you! I'll make you wish you'd never touched me!"

Blood made the surface of the table slick and she slid on it as she struggled. The Zhol had violated her without provocation. They had strapped her down and forced themselves on her, then began cutting her up. The wounds weakened her and moving only caused more pain, but Elize didn't care. She was angry. What right did they have to torture her?

Mirana knew the thoughts were wrong. Tried to rationalize them by telling herself that they weren't hers- they were Elize's. But she had created Elize. After everything, she could no longer deny that everything she did, no matter who she was when it happened, was her fault. And that left her with far too much guilt and pain. It was easier to let Elize's hate take over. Simpler. So she did. She gave in, and Elize claimed the power of the Zhol.

***

Vatre stood beside her four teammates. They had created a circle to guard each other's backs, determined to stay close. She still didn't agree with this fight, but what could she do? Raylee had asked that she participate. Maybe it would distract her from her worries. As if that was possible.

Somehow, deep down, she knew Lynei wasn't dead yet. Even with an ocean of evil cutting them off, the Zhol couldn't completely sever the connection between the siblings. They were connected constantly for the better part of their lives- no one could destroy that, even if they could keep Vatre from talking to Lynei.

"Let the final battle begin!" The announcer's voice pulled her from her thoughts, bringing her back to the present.

Immediately, the guilds ran into action. Some split up, but most realized that doing so wasn't smart in this kind of battle. The guilds swarmed the people in the top levels. Vatre could hear their thoughts. Their desire to win, despite everything. In the sea of thoughts, she quickly found Tuluk, Alex, Mora, and Shiazmu, establishing a link with them.

Three guilds surrounded them. "Shiazmu, Alex, take Miria," Vatre instructed, finding it easier than she had thought to slip into battle mode. "Mora and Tuluk, you've got Guild Valkyrie. I'll take the others until the rest of you can help me."

She took a deep breath, mentally preparing for combat. Five against one wouldn't be easy. Even if she could predict their moves, there was still plenty of room for error. Let's get this over with, then.

***

Zaydaan hadn't found Lynei or any of the rest of the kidnapped people, but he flew over the city to keep looking, anyway. Despite the exhaustion, he pushed on. Eventually, his worry for Eris got the better of him, and he headed back toward the hotel to check on her.

When he got to the room, he found her standing with Mordzar, looking perfectly fine. Once again, he wondered why the Zhol hadn't taken her. Scarlett had hid them, according to Mordzar, but shouldn't the Zhol have been able to find them? Zaydaan had felt their power- they could have done it. Maybe they hadn't tried. But that made no sense either.

"Eris, are you all right?" He didn't miss the glance she shot at Mordzar and the flash of guilt that washed over him from their bond. His eyes narrowed, and he sat down on the rug. "What aren't you telling me?"

Mordzar glanced at the two of them and reached out to squeeze Eris's hand. "I'll wait outside."

Immediately, Zaydaan's worries multiplied. Mordzar's tone and the mix of emotions Eris was feeling... it all added up to something bad. "What's going on?" he demanded.

She waited until Mordzar closed the door, then sat on her bed. Her fingers traced the designs on the blanket absent-mindedly and she refused to meet his gaze. He waited.

"I'm dying, Zaydaan." She looked up, and he saw tears in her eyes. "I don't know how to fix it," she whispered out loud.

Zaydaan blinked. Tried to process what she was telling him. It didn't make sense. She'd been at death's door in the hospital and Luin had brought her back. Had given his life to bring her back. She should be fine!

"No," he growled. "No! You can't die! I need you. The guild needs you."

She smiled, but it was a sad expression. The way she looked at him... it felt like she was saying goodbye. It was just too final. Zaydaan shuddered. He'd lost his father without warning. Now Eris was warning him before he lost her too and it terrified him, because if she was right, he would be alone.

"I asked Mordzar to stay with you, when I'm gone," she told him.

He shook his head again, refusing to believe her. This wasn't the end- it couldn't be. "How long? Maybe there's time. Some way to find a cure."

"There isn't, Zaydaan. Please. Just... just take care of yourself when I'm gone. I... I lost Ionean, and it was agony. IfI didn't have you, I might not have lived through that. I never wanted you to have to suffer through that."

She was terrified for him. Didn't the thought of dying scare her? She shouldn't worry about what he would do if she died. They should be looking for a cure. There had to be something... right?

"Eris, I can't..." He couldn't imagine life without her. He didn't even remember a life without her in it. "Don't leave me." He hopped onto the bed and set his head in her lap, feeling like a hatchling again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't... I should have shielded our escape." There was a hint of fear in her voice now. "I don't want to die, Zaydaan."

***

Eris sat with Zaydaan for several minutes, struggling to hold back tears. She'd been crying too much lately. She couldn't believe she had thought, just for a few months, that maybe having a life without tragedy was possible. Clearly, she was wrong. It wasn't much of a consolation, knowing she wouldn't have to live through it anymore.

Eventually, she and Zaydaan got off the bed and headed out the door to go watch the final event. Mordzar was still waiting for them when they stepped outside. He looked anxious.

"You could have gone to watch the tournament," Eris told him.

He smiled. "I know. I wanted to wait for you."

She returned his smile. "Thanks."

They had barely gotten to the hotel lobby when the pain shot through her. She doubled over, crying out as it overwhelmed her senses. "They're coming," she gasped. "So many..."

Mordzar grabbed her arm. "What's wrong?"

"They're here. We have to... help the others."

***

Alex lowered himself to the ground and sucked in a deep breath, gathering as much extra Mathanos from the air as he could. This fight would need to end quickly if they were going to find the others. His opponents seemed to be thinking the same. They studied him for a moment, then struck. Plants encircled the legs of the boy, Tilani, from Miria, and Alex blasted him with wind.

All around, he heard and felt the effects of the other magi as they fought. The air crackled with energy and Tilani retaliated, sending shafts of sunlight toward Alex, who dove out of the way. Dirt flew through everywhere. Alex called on the wind, blasting the tiny pieces of dirt at Tilani.

They hit harder than Alex had intended, blasting the human back several feet. Pressing his advantage, Alex jumped into the air and sped forward, colliding feet first with Tilani's nose. Blood dripped down onto his lip, staining it red. The human brushed it away and swatted at Alex, who barely got out of the way in time.

He moved out of Tilani's range, preparing to strike again. Then everything went wrong. Out of nowhere, a blast of fire engulfed Tilani. He screamed in pain, and then there was nothing. In seconds, he was nothing but ashes.

Alex gaped at the place where Tilani had stood, too stunned to move. A hand engulfed him, yanking him backwards as another wave of fire blasted the air where he'd been. Now, other noises registered. He heard the terrified screams of the people and the cries of pain. The roar of engines high above the arena. The air hummed with dark magic and carried the battle cries of dragons with it.

Black ships and dragons darkened the sky, blotting out the sun and casting shadows across the arena. The invasion had begun.

***

Infinity dashed back and forth between falling debris as another explosion rocked the walls of the city. "Raiden!" she screamed his name, but there was no answer. A dark-haired magi stumbled across her path. She recognized him. "Naoki! Have you seen the others?"

"I left Khen at the hospital," he said. "The others are in the arena."

"What's going on?" Infinity demanded. "Who's attacking?"

"They're Zhol," Raiden said from behind her. She whirled and threw her arms around him.

"I was worried about you! Where did you go?"

"I met up with Mora and the others," he explained. "There's no time to explain. This is a full-scale invasion, Infinity."

She shuddered. This was war, then. Her time with him had taught her enough to survive this. She stepped away from Raiden and glanced between him, Lexi, and Naoki. "Let's fight, then."

***

Vatre dodged the Imperial's spear, slapping it aside with a borrowed sword and slicing downward. The blade cut through the soldier, but there were too many. What was one casualty to this army? What was a hundred? They had plenty more to replace them- Imperial soldiers and Zhol alike.

They swarmed her and the others, surrounding them and attacking all at once. Vatre stumbled back from the two Zhol in front of her, throwing her strongest mental attack at them. It was useless. Fear gave way to hysteria. Her feet caught in the shifting sand and she fell. Instantly, the Zhol were on top of her. She gasped as the Zhol formed a sword of darkness and stabbed downward. I'm going to die. The thought had barely registered when a shield materialized in front of her. The sword bounced off, and the Zhol yelled in frustration, darkness pouring off him. It pounded against the shield, clearly angry.

"I'm alive," Vatre gasped, staring at the Zhol trying to kill them all.

"Not for long, if we aren't careful." Shiazmu snarled at the Zhol around them. "They just suck the life out of my plants and throw me aside like a piece of garbage."

Tuluk glanced at the battlefield, then back at them. "This shield won't hold long. I'll make a portal." He began to chant and soon a swirling portal appeared. Vatre waited for Shiazmu, Alex, and Mora to escape before jumping through herself.

***

Raiden blasted the Zhol with a powerful gust of wind. A normal person might've flown backward, but the Zhol barely took a step back. We're not strong enough to face them. We're going to lose.

Lexi tackled the Zhol he'd been fighting, morphing into a wolf and snapping at its neck. A blast of green fire threw her into the air. She shifted back into a cat and landed with a roll, putting out the flames on her fur with a hiss of pain.

Darkness swirled around them and Infinity stepped away from her opponent, throwing shadowy spears at the Zhol, who dispelled them with a wave of the hand. "You cannot win, Magi," the Zhol spat. "We will have this planet."

***

Eris felt her Mathanos draining rapidly, but refused to release the shield. Finally, they disappeared through Tuluk's portal. She released the shield and sagged against a nearby wall. It took all her strength to stand under the onslaught of pain and darkness. It was too much. A scream of pain burst out of her before she could stop it. She clamped her mouth shut, refusing to let the next one out.

"You're alive!" Raylee fought her way through the battle with a group of people from the guild, including Gemini and Olsen.

"We have to retreat." Vatre told them. "There are too many."

"She's r-right," Eris choked out. "There are t-thousands of them."

"We have to..." A roar cut her off and fire hurtled toward them, surrounding Raylee before Eris had the chance to react.

"Thand!" A shield materialized around them just in time to stop the fire from getting any further. It barely withstood the blast, but it was enough to save the rest of them.

"Raylee!" Gemini ran to Raylee as soon as the fire dissipated, kneeling beside the charred corpse that had been their guild master.

Olsen gripped her arm, pulling her away gently. "We have to get out of here."

Eris looked out at the battlefield and saw groups of Magi surrounded by Zhol. They would die if someone didn't do something. I can help. Suddenly, the pain in her side didn't seem so important. She couldn't do anything the day Vaxon burned her home, but she could do something now. "You guys go," she said. "I'll get the others."

"I'm coming with you." Mordzar slipped his hand into hers. "We'll fight together."

"I'm going too. I can fight the other dragons," Zaydaan said.

She smiled, grateful for their support. Looking to the others, she gestured in the direction she'd seen Vatre go. "Find Vatre and her group, then get out of here."

They nodded and hurried off.

As they fought their way through the battlefield, Mordzar and Zaydaan protected her as best they could. They must have realized how weak she was, because they kept the Zhol as far away as they were able, making her fight just a bit easier. When they finally met up with the largest force of Magi, she found the three gamemakers spearheading the battle.

"We have to retreat," Mordzar yelled, shoving aside a Zhol's sword with his own. "We can't finish them here!"

Evina and Pimret nodded, but Thulok didn't seem so sure. He assessed the battlefield as he fought. Eris saw the uncertainty on his face, but he nodded. "We need to block off as many Zhol as we can," he decided. "We'll escape with the people and regroup."

Eris stepped forward. "I'll make a shield and hold off as many as I can. Get everyone out."

Mordzar dodged a green fireball and sent a knife hurtling toward the Zhol who had formed it. "I won't leave you," he said.

"You can't sacrifice yourself here," Zaydaan protested.

"I'm dying anyway," she yelled. "Just get out of here!"

Drawing on her dwindling pool of Mathanos, she whispered the spell to create a shield. Zhol threw themselves against it, sending blasts of magic and dragon fire their way. "Go!"

Her legs felt weak, but she stayed upright. The pain in her side intensified with each passing second. The Magi retreated, but Mordzar and Zaydaan stayed by her side. She screamed, unable to stop the cries of pain anymore. "Get out of here, Zaydaan," she ordered. "Make Mordzar go with you."

"I can't leave you to die." He blew a stream of fire at one of the Zhol and grabbed another, flinging it away from them.

"If you stay, you'll die too! Please... just go. Live."

Black dots danced before her and she could see the poison spreading through her even faster now. Another scream of pain burst free. She had no Mathanos left to pour into her shield. It would hold for seconds if they were lucky. She swayed, her fingers relaxing. There was a clatter as her knife fell to the ground. She collapsed next to it with a thump. Mordzar was yelling at her, and Zaydaan was trying to say something, but she didn't have the strength to listen. Instead, she let the blackness engulf her.

***

"Eris!" Zaydaan flew to her side, nudging her. "Eris, please get up! Eris!" Black veins twisted through her whole body. The poison had spread too far. Using so much Mathanos must have sped the process She was dying. He felt her mind slipping away from his, their connection getting weaker and weaker.

"We have to go!" Mordzar yelled.

"I'm not leaving her," Zaydaan hissed, horrified at the thought. How could Mordzar claim to love her and then suggest such a thing?

"It's too late, Zaydaan! We can't save her. She wanted you to live, so don't throw away your life here."

He growled, roasting the nearest Zhol. "She's not dead yet!"

"She will be!" Something in Mordzar's voice broke, and Zaydaan saw tears on his face. "There's nothing we can do except get out of here like she wanted. Please, Zaydaan, I promised I would keep you alive."

Zaydaan nodded. "Fine." Mordzar was right. They had no cure for the poison killing her. She would die, and nothing they did could fix that. But she wanted him to live, and if he were honest, he would have asked the same of her. The best thing he could do for her was honor her wishes.

***

"We need to help battle the ships," Felix yelled, grabbing Xanadar's hand and dragging him toward the area where a few Republic ships waited for pilots.

"But I don't know how to fly these," Xanadar protested. "They aren't like ours!"

He yanked his hand away from Felix and dragged his friend to the side, barely avoiding a rain of black arrows. Felix blinked at the arrows, then glanced at Xanadar. "Thanks man."

"Move," Xanadar commanded, shoving Felix forward. They made it to the ships without being seriously injured, but both of them ended up with cuts and bruises all over.

Felix eyed the controls. "If you can't fly it, I will." He frowned. "Just... um... which button turns it on?"

With a sigh, Xanadar slid into the pilot's seat. Felix was a mediocre pilot at best- he would just get them killed. Especially if he didn't know how to turn the thing on. "Strap in, buddy. I got this."

***

With the edge of the city in sight, Shiazmu sped up, hurrying toward safety. The others stuck with him, but they were exhausted. He could barely fight the Zhol- his magic only seemed to fuel their attacks. The Imperial soldiers only made the situation worse. Raylee was gone, leaving them without an official leader. Alex had stepped up and led the charge through the battlefield, but they wouldn't last much longer.

It all went wrong when they reached the city limits. Suddenly, Shiazmu was cut off from the others, surrounded by three dragons. Two of them bore Zhol. He looked to the others for help and found them surrounded as well.

"Give yourself up!" one of the Zhol yelled. "You won't win. Join us and become strong!"

Shiazmu growled. "No thanks."

The dragons jumped into the air and drew deep breaths. Shiazmu glanced about for an escape, but there was nowhere to go. They had him trapped, and his plants would do nothing to shield him. He braced himself. I hope it doesn't hurt too much.

There was a flash of red as the dragons released their flames. Suddenly, Mora was in front of the flames, holding them back. "I can't control it," she yelled. "Get away!"

Shiamzu dashed to where the others were. Mora screamed behind him. The group ran toward her, but the Zhol cut them off. He glimpsed Mora's body in the middle of the road, a pool of blood surrounding her. There was a gaping hole in her chest. Shiazmu snarled. He shouldn't have left her. Why had he listened when she told him to go?

"Shiazmu, they're coming back for us," Alex yelled in his ear. "Let's go!"

***

It took all Alex had not to find somewhere to hide and wait this battle out. He wanted to. Oh, how he wished he could. But his friends needed him and he suspected they would find even him anyway.

Still... the dragons were huge and there were so many of them, not to mention the thousands of Zhol and even more Imperial soldiers. It was obvious this had been planned carefully. The army had targetted the palace and royals first. There were enough of them to wipe out everyone in Kypha.

Mora and Raylee were both gone now, and he was barely keeping the group together. The others were fighting as best they could, but the army was too powerful. They were lucky to have made it this far.

"They're coming for another attack! I'll portal as many of you as I can." Tuluk muttered a quick spell, and a portal appeared beneath them. "Go! I'll follow you."

Raiden and Lexi leaped through without hesitation, followed by Naoki. Shiazmu headed for the portal, but Tuluk was too distracted to notice the Zhol closing in from behind. A sword sprouted from his chest. He gasped, dropping his staff. The portal disappeared before anyone else could escape, and Tuluk collapsed, his lifeless eyes staring up at the sky. Alex stared at him, shock finally setting in.

His hesitation was enough. Something slammed into him and everything went black.

***

Trinity was having the time of her life. She was unstoppable. This power she'd taken was far greater than the power that these pathetic Magi wielded. Her lips curved into a smile as she remembered the eight others from her old guild who had realized this.

She had found members of Silent Phoenix who wouldn't turn scattered throughout the battlefield and killed them all. They were pathetic anyway. Olsen and Gemini, however... she had yet to find them. She suspected they would be a bit harder to kill, but that was okay. She wanted to show them her new power. Make them see her as an equal, instead of a third wheel. They claimed to love her like a daughter, but she knew the truth, even if she used to be too scared to admit it. They had never wanted her around- they simply weren't cruel enough to chase her away. Well, I'll prove you should've paid attention to me. I'm more than just an unwanted distraction now. I'm more than you two will ever be.

She spotted another group of her former guild members in the battlefield, surrounded by Zhol and the bodies of his friends. Shiazmu. Her smile widened. He might turn if she captured him. Then she would find her old 'friends'.

***

Zaydaan flew above Mordzar, covering him as they made their way across the battlefield. His connection to Eris was gone, but somehow he knew she wasn't dead yet. She was close- close enough that he couldn't sense her anymore- but she was still alive. Everything in him screamed that he needed to go back for her. She was his bond- how could he just leave her behind?

But common sense told him it was a pointless fight. Staying alive was hard enough without having to protect her. If they tried to drag her across the battlefield, they would all die. Mordzar was right when he said she wouldn't want that, but it didn't change the crushing guilt he felt, nor did the knowledge fill the ever-widening hole in his heart.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the gamemakers fighting with a group of other Magi. They formed a tight circle around a group of civilians, already nearing the edge of the battlefield. He veered toward them. "I see Thulok and the others," he told Mordzar.

The metal mage nodded and followed Zaydaan. Out of nowhere, a body slammed into Zaydaan. Huge dragon claws pinned him to the ground, forcing his wings against his body. He felt the claws digging into his scales and let out a roar of pain.

"You should not be fighting for them, youngling," the larger dragon said. "The dragon empire is strong! You belong with your kind."

Zaydaan snarled and unleashed a blast of flame in his opponent's face. "Your empire killed my bond," he answered, letting anger push down his grief. "I will never fight for you."

"Then you will die."

The dragon tightened its grip. Its claws dug deeper into Zaydaan's skin, sending waves of pain through him. He struggled, but it only made the wounds hurt worse. He wasn't strong enough to defeat a full-grown dragon alone.

"How could you side with murderers?" Zaydaan demanded.

"Because they are strong," the dragon answered. "You side with weaklings. It is a mistake. Your allies are losing. Soon they will be dead. I give you one last chance, youngling. Join us and bear witness to the full might of the dragon empire!"

Zaydaan snapped his teeth angrily. "Never."

The older dragon let out a roar and reared its head back. Zaydaan saw the glow of fire in its belly. He'd never thought dragon fire would be the thing to kill him. There was some irony to that, he thought.

A sword flew out of nowhere, going straight through the older dragon's snout. It coughed, smoke billowing from its nostrils. Zaydaan felt its grip loosen and wiggled free. Mordzar glanced at him. "Thanks for distracting it."

The bigger dragon collapsed, unable to release the fire it had created within itself. "They're easier to kill than I thought," Mordzar remarked.

They took refuge under the dragon's wing, thankful for the brief rest it provided. "You got lucky," Zaydaan muttered. "You kept it from releasing its fire."

"Still... that's at least one down, right?"

"Yeah, try doing that to the next thousand," Zaydaan muttered. He clawed the larger dragon's wing out of the way. "Let's go."

***

Elize danced through the battlefield, slicing through anything that got in her way, friend and foe alike. A smile lit her face every time she saw fear in the eyes of those she killed. Mirana had never commanded the respect and fear of others. She'd been too weak to claim power for herself. But Elize had control now, and she could do more than Mirana ever had.

Across the battlefield, she caught sight of the gamemakers and their group. A familiar red dragon fought with them. Elize stopped and cocked her head, considering. No. The dragon would not turn. He was loyal to Mirana's friend, Eris, and she was too good to become a Zhol.

Shafts of sunlight stabbed toward her, but she cut them out of the air with her sword and whirled, stabbing the Magi who had attacked her. She saw his eyes widen with shock as he realized who he had attacked.

"Mirana," he gasped.

She yanked her sword out of his chest and huffed. She needed to find a new form. A body of her own. Borrowing Mirana's was causing people to connect Elize to her. But she was her own person- she would show them that. "Mirana is dead," she informed the wizard. "I'm Elize."

"What... happened to you," the Magi wheezed, falling to one knee.

Hmm. She liked him in that pose- it looked almost like he was pledging his allegiance to her. But his time was up. He didn't get anymore questions. One was plenty. "Goodbye, Magi." With a quick slice, she severed his head from his body.

Her gaze turned back to the gamemakers. She would kill Pimret first. Mirana had liked his jokes, but Elize knew better than that. His jokes were reason enough to make him suffer. The fact that she would enjoy it, well, that was certainly a bonus.

It didn't take her long to carve a path through the battlefield and corner the halfling. She made short work of him with the help of an Imperial soldier. Her lips curved into a smile as she watched the light fade from Pimret's eyes. He had recognized Mirana's form too. She liked the betrayal in his gaze. It made killing him more fun.

Trinity hovered nearby, standing over the still form of Evina. Blood stained her blonde hair and pale skin. Elize's smile died. "I wanted to kill her," she complained.

"You were busy," Trinity huffed, then gestured to Thulok, who was struggling to fight off a Zhol and three Imperials at once. "You can have him, if you're quick."

Elize nodded. Two out of three- that wasn't too bad. She shifted into a squirrel- one of Mirana's preferred form. Darting between the legs of the fighters, she approached the dwarf from behind and shifted back into Mirana's body. "Hello, Thulok."

To his credit, he ducked her first attack. Unfortunately for him, four enemies were too many to avoid. One of the soldiers shoved a spear through his heart. Blood gushed from the wound and he collapsed.

Elize scowled. "He was mine," she snapped. She was on the soldier in an instant and sliced his throat. Then she stalked away from the group to find someone else to kill.

***

Naoki slipped through the empty hospital halls, checking each room. Somewhere, Khen waited for him. I shouldn't have left her alone. She wasn't a fighter, she was a healer. What was she supposed to do against Zhol? Heal them?

Olsen and Gemini hadn't wanted him to go, but he couldn't stop himself. His protective instincts were stronger than his survival instincts. Khen needed him, and so he had gone. Now he wondered if he was too late. There should've been more people here. Instead, it was empty. He hadn't even found bodies.

A scream from outside caught his attention. He ran to the nearest window and finally figured out why the hospital was so empty. The soldiers had rounded up everyone and forced them outside. Naoki watched, horrified, as they began to slaughter the group of people, civilians and Magi alike. A small family huddled at the front of the line got caught in a blast of dragon fire, and he saw a soldier cut down the white-haired girl from Dragon Claw. A Zhol sent shafts of darkness through a female mountain elf from Crimson Shadow. Bekka, the injured wolf from Black Dragon, got killed trying to fight back, followed by Greo when he tried to help.

His hands tightened against the windowsill until his knuckles turned white. Where was Khen? He scanned the crowd, dreading what he might find. What if they had killed her already? What if she was in the crowd, terrified, waiting for them to decide to kill her next? His fear for her absorbed his attention. He didn't notice the light touch on his shoulder for a moment. Then it registered, and he turned.

"Naoki." Khen stood before him, blood dripping down her arm. There was a gash in her shoulder and blood had dried in her raven hair. Tears trekked down her face and she threw her arms around him. "They're killing them!" she sobbed.

He hugged her back, breathing in her subtle lavender scent. She was safe, for the moment. Relief flooded him. "I thought they had you," he whispered.

"So did I, but I hid," she told him. "I thought they would find me, but... some of them fought back. Greo... he collapsed a section of the hospital. It distracted them long enough for me to escape."

"Come on- we need to get out of here." Naoki pulled away from her and turned her away from the window. She didn't need to see more death. Her face was already pale with terror. We should never have come to watch the Games.

***

Eris drifted in the darkness. She saw a light up ahead, but she wasn't ready for that. It pulled at her, but she fought that pull. It was like swimming against a current. Give in, a gentle voice whispered. It's time, Eris. You can join me in paradise. She recognized the voice. Ionean. He was calling to her. Begging her to rejoin him. It was so tempting. She almost let the pull drag her down. But...

"I can't."

You've lost so much, Eris. Just let go.

"What about Zaydaan? Doesn't he deserve happiness? I can't leave him alone."

If you go back, you'll only lose more.

He was right. She stared at the light, moving closer to it. If she died here, the pain would end. There would be no more loss, no more hurt, just sweet nothing. She could stay in paradise with Ionean. The idea was so appealing. The pull was getting stronger. It would be easier to stop resisting. She almost did, but a faint tug from the other side stopped her.

The tug grew stronger, and suddenly she wasn't floating in endless space anymore. She could feel her body. Pain rushed through her again. Faintly, she heard the sounds of battle, and the gentle flapping of many wings. Something was wrapped around her waist, holding her aloft as air rushed around her. Then she was set down again. Dimly, she heard screams of pain. Her own?

She still couldn't see, but the light was brighter now. Was she dead? It wasn't supposed to be so painful. Everything hurt. It felt like liquid fire racing through her veins, burning her from the inside. The screams grew louder. Clearer. Suddenly, the light flared, dispelling the darkness completely. The pain racing through her subsided, and a forest swam into view. She sat up and found a group of omvu surrounding her, their soft fur pressed up against her. She pulled up the hem of her shirt and found that her wound was still there, but it looked normal now.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "I should have died."

"We dispelled the poison, Phoenix. You are free from it now. Go- your friends need you."

She stumbled to her feet, exhausted. A strange mix of dismay and happiness filled her. She was alive, but there would be no rest for her anytime soon.

Guild 17: Dragon Claw - MusicgirlXD

The smell of rotting flesh permeated the air. Sounds of water dripping from a near by pipe, echoed through the dungeon halls. Chains were clasped around Artemis' wrists, suspending her mid air. Chains were clasped around her ankles as well to her in place. Moaning escaped the neak's lips. The sound of a whip cracking broke the stillness in the air. Artemis screamed as shards dug into her back; ripped her flesh as it recoiled back to it's welder.

Pain shot through her body as she arched her back from the hit. Biting her lip, Artemis felt a cool liquid run down her back. The new wounds oozed the cooper substance from under her skin. The neak cried out once more. This time louder then the last. The blades had hit her left wing. The whipped recoiled ripping scales and the rough membrane that covered her wing off the structure of her bones.

Artemis gasped for breath. Each breath granted her pain, not relief. Screams resounded through the halls. The neak shuddered at the thought of others suffering the same if not worse fate. The sounds of hooves clopping meet her ears. Picking her head up, the dragon watched as a centaur came into the room. Her eyes, blood shot from not sleeping for two days, became hopeful. Bernard walked in with his arms crossed and a scowl displayed across his face.

"H-Have y-you c-come to help me?" Artemis muttered.

A smirk curled at the corner of Bernard's lips. The centaur raised his hand up. He brought it down and smote her check. Her head jerked to the side from the action. "Leave us!" Bernard yelled at the Zhol with the catanail tails. Without a word, the zhol, who had whipped her, slipped out. Bernard returned his attention the neak. The centaur held his hands out and caused an arrow to appear. Clutching it in the middle, he snapped in two pieces with little effort. Green mist rose from the halves as he dropped the pieces besides him.

Artemis coughed as the mist began to rise. Her thoughts began to cloud. her vision became blurred and the room spun around her. The neak's eyelids dropped from weariness. Trying to force her eyes open, the neak felt strong fingers grasping her injured wings. Artemis cried out. Bernard was running his fingers against her ripped flesh. The neak tried to move her wing as she felt him move his hand over a whole that had pierced her skin.

"P-please, d-don't h-hurt..." Before she could finish, Bernard forced a finger though her injured winged, grasped the bone tightly, then yanked hard. Artemis let off a blood curled scream. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The neak felt the ball joint, the wing was connected too, pop out of its socket.

Bernard graced his free hand over her neck. The centaur rubbed the spot gently. "Stop fighting. Become a Zhol and this can end now." Artemis froze. Bernard tightened his grip. The neak swallowed hard. The centaur was growing impatient and pressing his hand hard against her throat.

"I will never become a Zhol, Uncle." With those last words, Bernard used his strength to rip her left wing off her back. Artemis tried to scream but he was squeezing her throat to hard. The neak felt Bernard run his fingers against her right wing before falling limp against her chains.

A crisp air blew against the arena. Dragon Claw was walking to the field. Their team had just been called down to fight against the other guilds. The teams hearts were heavy. They had just received a message that Bernard had found Artemis, however, her young body had been mutilated. The centaur hardly recognized her. Master Roku's heart broke at the news. Each morning he tried to encourage the team to fight. The guild master couldn't find the words given the news.

Razor let a sigh escaped as the guild walked onto the field. The team wasn't looking forward to this fight. The octomer heard Cordila sigh besides him. The mermaid clutched his hand tightly. Razor winced from her digging her nails into his hand. However, he didn't care. Cordila had expressed that morning how scared she was of dying. The octomer pulled his arm away from the mermaid and placed it around her shoulders instead. "I won't let you die." The octomer whispered in her ear.

Cordila nestled her head against his shoulder. Razor knew given the circumstances that didn't make her feel any better. After they had arrived in the center of the arena with the other's, a neak centaur flew in front of the guild, the neak landed on the dirt in front of them with her arms crossed. "I know we had lost a great friend and guild member. However, if we want to help her, we need to win this for her and end the games as swiftly as possible!"

Cheers erupted from Dragon Claw members. They had to win it for their friend and finish as quickly as possible too keep the people safe. Scarlet smirked and spun to gaze at the other guilds. So many new faces dotted the competitors. Razor nodded. The gong rang singling the start of the round. Nodding, Razor turned his body into a shadow, he raced ahead. Reaching Opal, he raised his hand. A black orb materialized from his thoughts.

Before he could conjure a spell, thunder echoed in the distance. All the competitor's froze where they stood. A dark cloud appeared in the sky blocking out the sun. The competitor's starred at the site before them. There in the sky was a craft. Black covered it's exterior. The sun glinted off the top giving it a grey hue. Dragon Claw glanced at each other wondering if it was friend or foe.

Razor traveled back to Cordila before rematerializing besides her. The octomer grabbed her hand once more. "Everything will be okay as long as we stick together." The mermaid simply nodded not wanting to take her eyes of the ship. Razor glanced over at Scarlet, her wings where spread ready to take flight. The octomer began to call out to her when more ships joined the one above them.

Members from each guild saw what was happening and joined their guild mates in the arena. Arrows flew through the chaos hitting. The bowman had shot an arrow that multiplied in flight. The projectiles rained down on four unsuspecting heads. The arrows landed in the middle of multiple crows. The tip was spiraled with blades. The tips drilled into their skull's killing the victim's instantly.

The crowd cheered at first thinking it was part of the show, once they saw magi's were dying, they began exit the stands searching for a way out. Bernard smirked as he approached his guild with his bow in hand. "Pathetic as always." The centaur smirked. Scarlet laughed as her hands began to glow. Vines shot out of the sand and wrapped themselves around his hooves. Bernard smirked. Before she could wrap them around his waist, he shot an arrow with fire. The arrow hit the neaks scales. Scarlet screamed as she was consumed in the blaze.

Chuckling, the centaur shook his head. "Thank you for the inside information. Here's your reward."

Gritting her teeth, Miyuki slammed her fist together. A sword appeared in hands. Growling, the elf raced towards Bernard. Jumping in the air, she prepared for an overhead swing. Vines shot up and wrapped themselves around her before she could make the hit. Fire traveled down the vines and around Miyuki. The Elf screamed as she began to burn alive. Smirking, Scarlet appeared from the flames. "Fire doesn't effect me, I'm covered in scales."

Cordila raced towards Miyuki. The mermaid screamed to her friend then blasted the elf with water. Razor used his shadows to catch the fallen elf. Miyuki labored for breath. Sighing, Razor raced away from his friends. Dragons began to join in the fight. Razor closed his eyes knowing what he had to do. The octomer's shadow carried him at a fast speed. Using his shadows, he climbed a wall and shot a blast of dark energy. The beam leaped from his hand and hit the ship.

Dragons surrounded the octomer. Razor's hands glowed black. He was prepared to fight. The dragons charged at him all at once. Razor turned transparent. Their weapons went through him and into each other. The octomer smirked as the dead dragons fell from the sky. Cords shot from a near by source and held him tight. The material it was made from kept him from changing forms. Lighting shot down the strands knocking him out.

Underneath them, the battle continued. A man swung an axe. Blood spewed everywhere as heads flew of several Dragon Claw's bodies. Eldwin hung back unsure of what to do. He was the youngest in the guild by far. The elf watched as a zhol came for him. Eldwin had no choice. He ran ahead grabbed a sword form a nearby body and swung with all his might at the zhol. The zhol took this opportunity to launch an arrow into his chest. Eldwin fell to the ground panting. He couldn't give up. Sure he was inexperienced as a blade master but he had to win.

Dust swarmed around him covering his vision. Before he could react, a blade was slammed into his back. The elf died instantly. When the smoke cleared from all the chaos, many lives had been lost that day. Even the dead bodies off the game makers had been found among the fallen.