As Gregory was running through the forest hoping his friends had not started the fight a Moredhel suddenly appeared before him and threw him to the ground. Gregory rolled aside and managed to get back on to his feet before his assailant could stab him with his dagger.
He then took out his long knife and got ready for the second onslaught despite the violence of the shock that had temporarily made him lose his breath. The Dark Elf attacked straight away to stop Gregory from getting over the shock. The latter dodged the blow and attempted to fight back, but the Moredhel was far too quick for this feeble try to succeed.
The two opponents were facing each other again and once more the Dark Elf attacked. The ranger stepped aside and instead of hitting with his knife dealt a violent blow with his left hand to his enemy who stopped in his tracks, stunned. Gregory finished off the Moredhel and ran away swearing at the gods that had made him lose a few priceless seconds.
In the very midst of the battle Dennis was now cursing those bellicose Tsuranis who prevented them from escaping from the Moredhels. They knew they were all going to die here, but it was not a reason not to take as many of those Tsurani dogs or monsters of the Brotherhood of Dark Path.
Holding his long two-handed sword, Dennis darted towards the man he thought he had recognised as an officer already met.
Asagaya was determinedly awaiting his foe with a Tsurani mask of impassivity on his face when he caught sight of Sugama on his right dropping his weapon.
He could not believe it. He knew Sugama was a braggart, being the inexperienced eldest son of a lord. But to see him leave him the fight! He a soldier of the Empire !
It was so surprising, shocking, frightening and inconceivable that a Tsurani warrior should flee in battle, that Asagaya forgot about the enemy who was charging him.
Dennis plunged his long sword through the Tsurani's body wondering why the latter had looked away while seeing the Marauder come at him. And yet he was a battle-hardened fighter, not a rookie who rarely got beyond the test of the first fight. Perhaps it was his subordinate who had fled.
From what Dennis knew the Tsuranis had a peculiar sense of honor which could only be shared, according to the minstrels at his father's court, by the Hadati who lived in the hills north of Yabon. Obviously the officer could not have imagined that one of his soldiers could run away.
Gregory, angry at himself and enraged by his bad luck joined Tinuva who had hidden behind a tree to stealthily observe the Moredhels who had just reached the Tsurani rear-guard.
"Look," Tinuva said, "we are dead, the Moredhels have joined the fight. And it is only the vanguard, the bulk of their army is a few hours behind."
"I know," answered Gregory, "What are we to do?"
"Escape, The Marauders and the aliens are bound to die, but the Moredhels haven't seen us. Let's run."
"But couldn't we at least fight? For Dennis'sake." Gregory begged. "
"Stay, if that's your choice but I am leaving. I can not sacrifice my life, my folk would suffer too much. Moreover despite my young age I seem destined to become a Spellweaver. You may be the only human to know about our decline, you can understand. Think about it, Gregory, you are a Natalese Ranger from the Free Cities. You are one of the few ones with the skills to slip behind Tsurani lines unnoticed. You are far too useful to Midkemia in these times of war. Your sacrifice here would not help. It is not shameful to avoid death, Gregory, and you know it. Come with me while there is still time."
Gregory had listened to Tinuva aware of the fact that he was saying the truth and yet the Ranger had spent most of the last nine years of war on the side of Dennis and the Marauders. He was torn apart, he must flee but he could not resolve to do it.
"Follow me," Tinuva said, "or else it'll be too late and you won't be able to."
Eventually Gregory came along through the forest, disheartened. He would certainly feel guilty all his life for surviving at the expense of his friends.
Dennis was fighting against a Tsurani whose armor was half destroyed when he saw his new sergeant, Alwin Barry, die under the short sword of one of those invading curs. Enraged Dennis brutally finished off his opponent ruing the incredible tough luck befalling him and his troop. He wondered what god he might have angered when he saw a Dark Elf appeared from behind the Tsurani he had killed.
At that point the last hopes he had about the survival of his men vanished. Dennis thought that if the members of the Brotherhood of Dark Path had been able to take the fort, they were numerous enough to crush the Marauders. He knew that his men however brave they were, were outnumbered by the Dark Elves and would never be able to vanquish them. All he could hope, was to bring as many of these monsters down with him.
Dennis hurled himself heart and soul into his last battle, he ran his sword through the first attacker, motivated by one last flicker of rage and hopelessness, a second foe hit him in the right arm before being split nearly in half by the heavy two-handed sword.
Attackers kept cropping up hardly leaving Dennis the time to extract his weapon from the preceding corpse. He fought ceaselessly without weakening while his companions inexorably fell by his side, until three Dark Elves attacked him together. Dennis parried one blow, barely dodged another got pierced through and through.
The third Moredhel had slipped behind his back and struck with all his strength. The creature got his sword out of the man's body and Dennis fell on his knees, collapsed and died not knowing he had been the last Marauder standing.