The night was torn apart by the roar of battle. The faint light of the moon cast shadows across the clearing where Kairo's base stood, and steel glinted in the half-darkness as chaos unfolded.
"Charge! Leave none standing!" Valen, the dark elf warlord, lifted his greatsword above his head, its edge stained with years of mercenary slaughter. His voice was deep, commanding, and filled with venom. Behind him, the ragged bandits he commanded surged forward like a flood of desperation.
The kabolts answered with a roar of their own. Their squat, lizardlike frames moved with surprising speed, leaping onto the bandits, tearing through weapons, and sending men flying into the dirt with bone-crunching force. The earth shook with every clash, dust rising into the night air.
Kairo stood near the barricade, his sharp eyes scanned the battlefield, measuring every threat.
"Get that cannon ready!" he barked, voice cutting through the chaos. "Target their archers before they pin us down!"
The single surviving cannon from their last battle groaned as Shiri and a pair of kobolds adjusted its aim. A thunderous boom split the night, and a line of bandit archers crumpled, their arrows scattering uselessly into the ground.
But the heart of the storm wasn't the rank-and-file. It was the duel forming at the center of the battlefield.
Theo, his lime-green hair matted with sweat, stood against Valen. His curved blade gleamed faintly in the moonlight, small compared to the towering dark elf's greatsword. Valen sneered at him, lowering the blade with practiced menace.
"A child? He sends me a boy?" Valen scoffed, his crimson eyes flashing. "He must think me a fool."
Theo's chest rose and fell, but his grip didn't falter. His golden eyes burned like embers. "You'll regret underestimating me."
Valen snarled and lunged forward, his blade swinging in a brutal horizontal arc meant to cut the boy in two. But Theo ducked under it, rolling across the dirt, and in the same motion slashed upward with his curved blade. Sparks scattered as the swords clashed.
Kairo's lips tightened, his gaze locked on Theo's slender frame holding its ground.
From a corner near the barricades, a door creaked open. Flint emerged, brushing dust from his scales. He had been inside his makeshift sleeping quarters when the battle began, and confusion flashed across his reptilian face. But then his eyes caught Theo clashing blades with Valen, standing alone against the towering dark elf.
"Lord!" Flint hissed, his claws flexing. "Theo's fighting him alone! I have to help!"
Kairo turned sharply. "No. You're injured from before. Stay back." His tone was iron.
Flint gritted his teeth. His claws dug into the dirt, but he obeyed for now, standing at the edge and watching.
Back at the duel, Valen pressed forward with relentless force. His blade whistled through the air again and again, but Theo's movements were quick, fluid. He slipped between strikes, sparks scattering whenever steel met steel.
"You're fast," Valen admitted, lips curling into a twisted grin. "But speed alone won't save you!"
Theo exhaled sharply and shifted his stance. The curved blade traced an intricate path, and his voice rang out:
"Rattle of the Deep!"
The technique of the naga sword style unfurled in a blur of motion. Theo's blade struck like a serpent, weaving unpredictably, and Valen's eyes widened a fraction too late. Steel carved across his shoulder, leaving a shallow but burning cut.
The dark elf stumbled back, his sneer faltering. "What was that technique…? Impossible."
Theo's gaze hardened. "I won't fall here. Not for you."
The tide of the battle shifted, kabolts slamming down bandits one after another. The cannon roared again, scattering another group, leaving only Valen's core fighters still standing. Desperation flickered in the dark elf's eyes. He looked at his dwindling forces, then back at the boy holding firm before him.
"You think you've won? You think this is enough?" Valen snarled, reaching into a pouch at his side. He pulled out a small pill, glowing faintly with an eerie red light.
"Thsi is my final stand" Valen muttered.
Kairo's eyes widened. "Theo! Stop him!"
But it was too late. Valen swallowed the pill, and his body convulsed as raw energy coursed through him. His aura flared, a violent storm of killing intent that pushed back even the kabolts around him.
His tier had risen.
Theo's breath caught. The man's movements were faster, heavier, almost feral. Valen roared and lunged, the greatsword crashing down like a hammer. Theo barely brought his blade up in time, and the impact sent him flying across the dirt. He rolled, coughing, his blade trembling in his grip.
"Child!" Valen bellowed, his eyes wild. "You should never have stood against me!"
Theo rose shakily, his chest heaving. He blocked another blow, but the sheer force drove him down to one knee. His blade arm trembled, blood trickling down his cheek.
Kairo's jaw clenched. "Theo…"
Flint couldn't stand it any longer. His claws tore at the dirt as he roared, "I won't just watch!"
"Flint, no!" Kairo shouted, but his command came too late.
The kabolt warrior charged, muscles rippling with fury. Valen swung his greatsword at Theo's neck, but at the last moment, Flint slammed into him with all his weight. The impact rattled Valen's stance, throwing the blade wide. Theo collapsed backward, gasping, as dust exploded around them.
Valen staggered but held his ground, snarling at the kabolt now facing him. "Another lizard dares to stand in my way?"
Flint bared his teeth, his eyes burning with defiance. "You'll have to cut through me before you touch Theo again."
Theo coughed, forcing himself upright, his blade still clutched tight. "Flint…"
From the barricades, Shiri placed a hand on Kairo's arm. "Let them fight together. Flint saved him. Trust them."
Kairo's anger simmered in his eyes, but slowly, he exhaled and gave a sharp nod. "Fine. Don't fail me."
Valen's greatsword shook in his grip, his eyes wild from the pill's maddening effects. He laughed, the sound cracked and broken. "Two miserable vermin. Two fools. I'll crush you both!"
Flint stepped forward, blade ready. Theo steadied his breathing, lifting his curved blade again despite his exhaustion.
The battlefield quieted for a heartbeat, the surviving bandits watching their leader's last stand.
And then, the clash resumed.
Theo and Flint side by side, Valen before them, his madness spilling into every strike. The night roared with steel and fury, and the battle was far from over.