As Thaidren, Issin, Aramant, and the remaining squadron of paladins that defeated the graveyard assault forces were heading toward the main battlefield, the situation there seemed unfavorable for the warriors of The Light. Even without Baav’s constant decimation of the lower-ranked troops, there were still acolytes using the element of shadow as a means to kill from a distance. In the meantime, the undead army served as a shield for them. The destruction they inflicted was merely an added bonus. Inside the chaotic amalgam of clashing weapons and the elements of shadow and light trying to overcome one another, Nebrina and Illia ended up separated. With Nebrina noticing Baav in her proximity, the two of them were now advancing toward each other. Nebrina, however, was not alone. She was surrounded by a squadron of spear-wielding paladins, all of them wearing heavy-plated armor. They were also equipped with massive greatshields that could protect them to some extent from the brutal swings of the demonic commander.
The squadron aligned their shields into a triangular formation, slowly advancing in a coordinated and steady manner. None of them had been injured nor died so far because of that. With their shields surrounding them, they created a barricade that the undead soldiers could not break. Aside from them, there were other, similar formations scattered across the battlefield.
“Maintain the formation!” It was something that they would hear frequently. They had to compensate for their lack of numbers with sheer discipline and efficiency. Although the greatshields provided them with heavy protection, they also impeded their vision. For now, the trade-off was worth it.
From the grounds closer to the cathedral, bolts of pure light were shot by the most advanced clerics to repel some of the undead masses. It was also a means to strike the shadow acolytes from afar. The biggest problem that the paladins had at the time consisted of the time of day, namely nighttime. It bolstered the abilities of those who used shadow while diminishing the powers of The Light as well. Unless sunrise was near, the circumstances were unfavorable to the paladins.
At this point, Nebrina was too focused on Baav to worry about the squadrons. Illia should be able to manage without me, she thought. I need to cut off the head of the snake. Perhaps that’ll put an end to this bloodshed.
With only a few steps separating Baav from Nebrina, a confrontation between the two of them was inevitable. The traitorous advisor leaped right through his own troops, eager to speed up the battle’s progress. With a single blow from above, aimed toward her, he cracked half of the shields that her comrades rapidly placed between Nebrina and the blade engulfed by flames. The strike had mostly frightened her as she ended up with just a few superficial, small burns and a minor scratch from dodging the attack.
Baav quickly raised his sword. This time he thrust it into the ground, creating a flaming explosion that scorched anyone within a few meters. Nebrina and a couple of the remaining soldiers managed to hide behind the last remaining greatshields. The shields would probably resist one or two more attacks at best before turning into melted metal. Their struggle for survival was compelling Baav to grin. He was pleased to see how his display of power terrified his enemies from the bottom of their souls. It was intoxicatingly good. He wanted more. He did not want it to end this fast. No… he would revel in this for as long as possible before seeking out his next victims. He waved his colossal hand, signaling the undead and acolytes alike to avoid the charred area. It was his arena now, his playground.
Nebrina was furious that the demonic entity would think so low of them. At the same time, she was relieved the undead army wouldn’t bother her anymore. The other two remaining soldiers near her were chaotically turning around and around like trapped rats desperate to escape.
“We’re going to die,” one of them screamed.
Without a moment’s notice, Baav grabbed the soldier and put some distance between himself, Nebrina, and the other soldier. What followed was a pure display of how estranged he had become from being human. He quickly tore apart the armor of the paladin, starting with his helmet. As he struggled in vain to break away from the demon’s grasp, Baav proceeded to feast upon his flesh while still alive. Starting with his ears, followed by small bites of his face, his cheeks, to one of his shoulders. Some parts he devoured like a savage animal. Others, he ripped off while reveling in his victim’s painful screams.
Nebrina and the other paladin turned pale. They could not move a single muscle from the shock. In the distance, Illia saw what was happening, but it almost came at the cost of her life as fear paralyzed her. She figured that Nebrina must’ve been there, but she had no means nor time to help her. May The Light protect you, sister. May it protect us all.
While the grotesque feast upon one of her fellow brothers-in-arms continued, Nebrina finally came to her senses. She tried vigorously to slow down and stabilize her breathing. Yet, she was unable to stop herself from gasping. The Lantern turned her attention toward the last remaining soldier from her squadron. He stood beside her, unable to utter a word or move. She took off his helmet and slapped him.
“Hey… HEY!” she shouted. “It’s going to be all right. Get yourself together!”
The soldier turned his horrified gaze from Baav, yet he was still in shock. His tongue would twist and articulate sounds but couldn’t form words. He could only babble without making himself understood.
“Hey, soldier!” Nebrina continued. “What’s your name? Tell me your name.”
Finally, he stopped shaking and replied. “A… A… Altimor.”
“Listen to me, Altimor,” she whispered, “we don’t have much time until he comes for us. I want you to calm down and STAY alive. I will end this demon’s life. I give you my word, all right? So, hold on a little longer, please.”
Altimor managed to force a nod despite his constant shaking.
As they raised their weapons back up, the screams of the partly-devoured paladin suddenly stopped. His torment was finally over. Baav, on the other hand, having his toy used up, once again set his eyes on Nebrina and Altimor. He let out a frightening roar and rushed toward them while still dragging the corpse he had consumed, intent on using it as a throwable hunk of meat. He ignited the mutilated body and hurled it toward them. They both dodged it, each in a different direction. Now there was some distance between Nebrina and Altimor. At this point, she had little to no time to analyze the situation and develop a strategy. If he goes after him, I have to take the opportunity to at least try to disarm him if not go for the kill. But if he goes after me… She was not reconciled with the idea of using her frightened brother in arms as a means of distraction. Nevertheless, she did not know what she would do if Baav decided to attack her first. It would be the most logical strategy, considering that she was more emotionally stable.
With the hungering demon a few steps away, it became clear to Nebrina that her assumption was correct. Baav was heading right toward her. And in her case, it did not seem like he was going for the play-with-your-prey move, case in which her only option was to try to successfully dodge his attack.
As he closed in on her, Nebrina felt a sense of time-slowing around her. She also felt incredibly calm, and at peace, in a manner she could not fully comprehend. Is this how the last moments in someone’s life feel? She closed her eyes while dodging, convinced that she would get trampled by the demon’s charge. She closed her eyes in anticipation while images flashed into her mind, showing her memories of better times. Memories with friends, with family. With the order of light, her family. Other instances when she thought she was done for, countless battles that she never wanted to have to fight in the first place. In an ideal life, she would have liked to live in a world where they wouldn’t be forced to fight for food, territory, or survival. Yet in the end, it was nice to dream of a world like that, she thought. I wish I could’ve said my farewells to them at least…
Her thoughts did not last long, as Nebrina snapped out of her trance and opened her eyes. What she saw made her come back to Earth. Baav changed course and was leaning toward his right side. His right shoulder seemed to have burn marks. But the only thing that can burn a demon’s body is the power of the heavens. The powers of The Light.
While in her trance, Baav had been shot from afar by several clerics who combined their beams of light to achieve a more powerful version of the spell. Upon taking a direct hit, he quickly lost balance and collapsed near the phased-out Lantern, almost letting go of his sword. It marked the perfect opportunity to strike. Nebrina gathered her strength and ran toward him while enchanting her sword with holy magic. She would not take any chances, aiming directly for the demon’s throat. It was laughably unthinkable that a few seconds ago, she was at peace with the idea of her demise, only to witness a total turnaround of the tables of war, now unveiled before her eyes.
Illia managed to arrive with a second squadron of paladins from the opposite side of the scorched earth ring. As they approached Baav’s collapsed body, she noticed the advisor clenching his fist and tightened his grip on the blade. With a swift move, he rotated his body and stretched his arm toward Nebrina. It ended up piercing her abdomen and setting her ablaze.
Nebrina fell to the ground. Filled with adrenaline, and without fully realizing the severity of her injury, she somehow managed to roll on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames. Before she had the chance to finish, though, Baav got back on his feet and raised his fiery weapon in the air, readying it for another strike.
Illia witnessed this nightmarish scene from too far away to be of any help. “Nebrina!” she yelled to warn her. Unfortunately, there was too much noise surrounding them, and, within the next few seconds, the giant flaming sword descended upon Nebrina, instantly ending her life as it stirred the flames that engulfed her body even more. All that remained afterward was her charred, mutilated corpse.
An instant later, another concentrated beam of light hit Baav on the left side of his face. A direct impact that threw him off-balance yet again. His left eye was rendered useless, and the painful burn made him drop to his knees once again.
On the other side, Illia almost fell on her knees as well, but she shook it off with her immediate desire to enact revenge. She pointed to her men, and with a loose war cry, they began charging forward to finish what Nebrina started. All the speared paladins maintained the initial formation, dropping down their greatshields to add more running speed to their charge. Between ten and fifteen spears were now pointed at Baav, with the intent to put an end to his bloodlust.
The time for toying around was long overdue. Baav let out a fierce roar and waved his mighty weapon as soon as the squadron got within range. Some of them got hit and ended up being torn in half. Others managed to dodge the attack, including Illia. What followed was a swift, brutal tail sweep that knocked back those who survived the initial attack.
He’s trying to put some distance between us. He’s starting to play defensively, Illia thought. She approached him with caution this time, ready to avoid his attacks.
Baav readied his weapon to strike yet again but was interrupted as he tried to dodge another beam of concentrated light. He would not let himself be struck by the cleric’s projectiles again. Some of the dark acolytes went into the arena to help their commander. In retaliation, the ever-crazed fiend swung his weapon at them, killing them instantly as punishment for their disobedience.
“I said to continue marching,” he shouted with a threatening tone.
Killing off his own soldiers… Monstrous tyrant… While Illia gathered her thoughts, a hand from behind touched her on the shoulder. Her instinct was to swing the sword around and strike blindly. As she dismissed the impulse mid-air, she realized she had made the right call. Aramant, Thaidren, Issin, and a few other paladins arrived on the battlefield, bringing their support and reigniting the flames of hope in the hearts of the few remaining survivors. Their reinforcements laid eyes on Illia as she got back on her feet, ready to resume her fight with the monster ahead of them.
Thaidren gazed toward the group. There was no sight of Nebrina, only mutilated, scorched bodies on the ground. He assumed the worst: one such body was hers, lying as a lifeless carcass on the ground. A brief moment of blind rage compelled him to rush over to Baav and repay him for his display of bloodshed ten times over. Issin grabbed him and pointed out there was no need for that. All the while, the demon was running toward them already. He aimed to break their formation and massacre them in the chaos one by one. However, he had lost blood as well, making him slower and less focused. He was now posing as nothing short of a wounded, angry beast.
The majority of the group managed to get out of Baav’s way. Thaidren, however, moved only slightly to his left side. The side where he could reach with his sword the easiest. Issin attempted to grab him, to pull him back, but did not reach him in time. The young warrior placed his palms on the ground and enveloped the surrounding ground with a thin layer of ice. The affected area was insignificant, yet it proved enough to make Baav aware of what he wanted to achieve. He slowed down and ended up between two separate groups of soldiers.
He would have used his ice magic more if he aimed to make him lose balance and fall. No, he wanted to make him think that was his plan, in order to slow the demon down. To surround him and inevitably kill him, Issin realized. Clever, but it would still be hard to achieve.
Within the first moment of the demon being surrounded, Aramant had struck the first blow, severing part of Baav’s lizard tail and stirring him into a frenzy of anger and pain.
“Now,” shouted Illia.
As all the remaining fighters proceeded to attack, they would make sure to make it count, even at the cost of their last, dying breath.
Aramant managed to strike one of the beast’s legs. Two squadrons of paladins impaled his other leg while Illia scored a direct hit in his back. In the meantime, Thaidren charged at him, double-stabbing the monster in the chest and throwing him on his back while letting loose a war cry that pierced the skies above.
It was done. Baav fell to the ground and lost his grip on the flaming sword. His last corporeal sensations came in the form of his body reverting back to its natural, human form. Or at least partially. He felt the demonic energy fading, leaving his soul with nothing left but the inevitable journey to the great unknown abyss of his demise. His empty husk lay on the ground, lifeless and mutilated from both his transformation and his battle wounds.
The shocking realization of whom they had fought made everyone forget for a moment that the battle was not over. One of the spear-wielding soldiers was instantly impaled by a projectile made from the acolyte’s darkness energy. It brought everyone back to their senses. They continued to fight the hordes of undead and the acolytes scattered amongst them.