Well, this is the product of two cans of Nos energy drinks, three violent fanfictions from different fandoms, a Three Musketeers candy bar (king size) and playing God of War 1 off and on while I was writing. And that all amounts to 19 pages of writing. Personally, this chapter was very fun to write, and I hope it is up to your standards of fighting/war!
COMMENCE BATTLE! SPARTA!
-O-
Lilly drew Faith's Edge and slid her dagger into the waist sash she had insisted upon having.
She ran with the army, letting them carry her along. It was a wonderful feeling, as if she was part of a greater plan, it was like being a tiny cell in a huge organism.
It was awesome in her mind. Running along with her comrades in arms, knowing they were a single force.
These thoughts were dashed when the two massive forces collided.
This was war.
She was vaguely aware of her enemies coming at her. Mostly cats with an odd rat. Lilly mowed them down, they were the same, they had worked with the cat and he would pay for all he had done to her.
-O-
Tam relieved a cat of it's life with a quick stab of a dagger. He hated war, hated fighting, and most of all, he hated blood.
He hated the fact that Lilly was going to take out Rithiahs. She hadn't said anything about it at all, but he knew. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he whirled, throwing both daggers out in front of him. A thin black cat rammed into him, ending her life instantly.
Tam stood there in slight shock, and then, turned and started to battle with yet another foe.
-O-
Lilly was starting to notice most of the cats she fought had armor. What had disturbed her more was the fact they also had those lethal tail blades, similar to Rithiahs.
A big tabby leaped at her from the front, giving a savage scream. Lilly dodged away. The cat rounded on her, his teeth gleaming in the light from the thousands of torches mounted on the cavern ceiling and walls.
The tabby growled and charged forward with the speed of greased lightning. His tail blade flashed down...…and found a chink in her armor.
Lilly gasped at it slashed a hole in her chainmaile and nicked her side. She didn't have much time to gawk at her first battle wound, for the tabby leaped once more. Lilly danced out of the way. The tail came again, but she had been waiting, and with a fluid movement, Faith's Edge sliced through fur and bone, severing the blade from it's tail. It was the cat's turn to be derp-faced, as he stared stupidly at his tail.
Lilly rushed at him and sank her blade into his neck, where the maile from his helm joined with the maile in his chestpiece. The weakest part. He went down with a gurgle.
Lilly had killed her fist enemy in war. She had no time to feel any emotions, diving into another fray, eager to get to Rithiahs.
-O-
Tam had just dispatched another enemy when a loud, ground shaking roar split the air.
Cats and humans alike stopped in their fighting to watch the graceful form of the blue dragon slice through the air and land with a thump in the center of the field. It breathed a column of fire into the air and began to swat at humans and cats alike, tearing them to pieces. Though it was only a few months old and only two feet taller at the back than Rithiahs (Tam had been more interested in him than the cat during the parlay) the beast was leveling opponents right and left.
"We'll be slaughtered!" Tam thought desperately.
"You could be right!"
"Ayla?" Tam cried, dodging as a cat flung itself at him.
"Yes? Wait, hold on, I need to get my dialogue out of italics..."
Tam's sword clashed against the tail of the cat. They were locked together. The huge red beast was pushing him back. Tam was narrowly avoiding the animal's huge front paws when a petite silver cat lunged. He closed his eyes, knowing he was done for... ...when the force pushing him was gone.
"And here I thought you could handle your own out here, bah,"
"Ayla, what the hell are you doing here?" Tam snapped at her, ignoring the battle going on around him.
"Um, saving your ass, what else?" the Ayla-cat said, blinking her eery red eyes, "I'm pretty sure Zeva's around here somewhere, I left Jinx in charge of the Abbey while I was gone, so, no harm done," Ayla saw Tam glaring at her. "What? Are you still pissed about what happened the other night?"
"Yes, I am," Tam sulked.
"Well, stop pouting, you big baby, and grow up, we have a crisis on our hands-er, paws in my case, so, um, see you!" Ayla plunged away to fight.
Tam growled like an animal. He was angry. A small black feline jumped into his line of vision and took up a fighting stance. Tam now gave a berserk smile. He now had an outlet for his rage. Too bad for the cat.
-O-
Lilly stared at the dragon in terror as it jumped at her. All she could do was aim for the soft spots; wings, neck, underside, paws, tails. She managed to snag the wing, making a small hole in the leathery flesh.
The dragon roared in anger and spun, teeth bared. However, there was a confused look on it's face. Lilly readied herself, only to find the dragon staring at her sword... what the hell?
-O-
Anger...pain...screams...terror...blood...Must find...will make right...chains...beating...running...Flying...fighting...seeing...wing damaged...her.
-O-
The dragon blinked at her, tilted it's head, looking curious, then pointed it's muzzle to the ground, folding the midnight wings on it's sides.
My Trickster, how I have searched.
Did it just talk to her in her MIND?
That I did. I have broken free of my cruel master to find you. Please, may we take to the air?
Holy shit, it did. Lilly looked at the dragon suspiciously.
You can trust me. Your sword has the feel of the silver men and women about it.
Should she trust it? Sure, why not? "Not like I have anything to lose," she muttered. She walked up to the dragon, who looked calm among the fighting. It saw her hesitate. In a flash, the dragon was on it's paws and lifted off, grabbing Lilly with it's tail as it went. The whiplash was horrible, even made her stomach slosh a bit.
"What are you doing?" Lilly screamed...how undignified!
You were taking too long, milady, you could have been killed.
"Well, that's just dandy and thanks, now I'm going to puke my guts out," Lilly growled.
I would advise you not, it might splatter on you. What I do advise it for you to get on my back, near the neck, we will have more advantage.
"I don't know about this!" Lilly yelled as the dragon's grip on her lessened. She had no choice now. Lilly began to crawl up the beast's tail, up his back, being careful not to impale herself on a spike.
She continued until she found a nifty little gap between the neck and back that looked like she could fit in. She did.
It is nice to know someone trusts me now. The Cat did not care much for me, I was just a weapon in his eyes.
"I don't trust you," the dragon stiffened, "But I'm going to go along with this, see how it plays out, then I'll see about getting us some trust points," Lilly said.
I do not see why you joke on such a serious matter, milady, we are at war.
"I know that... hey, you have a name? I can't go around calling you 'it' or 'the dragon'."
You may call me Xerxes. I am the last dragon in the Underland, or at least in this part, I'm not sure about the farther reaches.
"Alright, Xerxes, I'm going to ask you a favor," Lilly said, looking at the writhing mass below her.
Anything, milady.
"I want you to drop me off at Rithiahs and then, leave me and protect my friend."
I do not think it is a good idea, milady, you could parish, as for your friend, I can do so, if I am given a mental image.
"Xerxes, I've gotten this far, haven't I? I think I can handle Rithiahs," Lilly argued, while thinking of images of Tam.
As you wish, my master. If a dragon could sigh...
-O-
Tam watched as the dragon plucked someone from the field. And to his horror, it was Lilly.
"..no.." he gasped. Then, the small figure began to move. And then it was riding the beast. And if his eyes were correct... it looked like she was... having a conversation with it?
"Ha! I knew she would find her calling, I never thought it would be DragonMaster, but she did it!" Ayla exclaimed from his left.
-O-
Xerxes coasted down low, occasionally breathing fire upon the mass below him. Lilly had scolded him for doing so.
Why can I not? They are the enemy!
"Because, mister high and mighty, some of them are in my army!"
Hmm, I did not think of it like that...There is the cat, do you wish me to torch him?
"I'll get rid of him myself, I've got a bone to pick with the dolt, thanks anyways though," Lilly said.
May your wings forever carry you high, Lilliana DragonMaster.
"Thanks, Xerxes, see you after the battle, perhaps do some flying and get to know each other?" Lilly smiled.
Then she jumped.
-O-
Rithiahs was feeling rather anxious. He had gotten reports that Xerxes had broken out.
Now, he watched as the beast sailed over his head, blowing fire every now and then. What was worse, that snotling princess was riding him.
He growled and lashed out at a human getting far too close. It fell like a piece of wet bread. Rithiahs watched his dragon again, and he saw the princess falling off... no, wait, she jumped!
-O-
"Ouch, ugh, dammit, I misjudged that one," Lilly grumbled as she rolled to her feet.
She was not too far off though, she could see Rithiahs battling some rat not too far off. Lilly was about to push through the mass of fighting, when something smashed into her from her left. Down she went, falling with a grunt.
In a flash, she was up again and looked with horror at her opponent. A human. He was dressed in not much other than rags, and had a mace in his hand.
"I don't want to fight you," Lilly warned.
"No, but you want to kill my master. He's treated me good all these years, see and I cannot let you get near him, no, because when he wins, he's gonna want to know who let you close and that's gonna be me!" the man said in a reedy voice.
And, before she could reason any more, he charged at her swinging his mace over his head. Lilly dodged and lashed out with Faith's Edge, catching the man's right arm. He shouted and growled when he saw his own blood. "Yer gonna pay fer that!" he roared.
He jumped at her, not charging like Lilly expected and swung his mace. He caught her off guard. Big mistake. There was a dull crunch as his mace hit her chestpiece. Lilly looked down, he had caved in the stomach section of her armor. A little blood started to seep through.
"Hehe, you gonna die!" the man laughed.
"The hell I am!" Lilly growled. She whipped out the mini Faith's Edge dagger and threw it. Thock! The man fell dead with the gleaming steel blade imbedded in his forehead.
Lilly was aware she had little time before she passed out due to the fact she could only take small, light breathes. She burst between two fighting people and charged at .
-O-
Rithiahs heard the screech of a human. Then, he could hear the words.
"Die you beast! FOR REGALIA!"
"What the blazes...?" Rithiahs muttered. He did a small double take when he saw Lilly flying at him like a demon from Hell.
Rithiahs wheeled backwards in surprise, a hiss rattling from the top of his tongue.
-O-
'And cue dramatic battle music,' Lilly thought as her sword was deflected by Rithiahs's tailblade.
She watched the long metal claws slide out of the huge paws. lashed his tail.
"So, we meet again. I thought you would have died before this, but, I am proved wrong," he sneered, hissing at her.
"Huh, I thought you would be holed up in the palace like the coward you are," Lilly shot back.
Rithiahs began to pace around her, while she countered it. They circled for some time. Lilly could see his eyes riveting to her armor.
"I see you haven't been playing nice with others. I know all I have to do is keep avoiding you until you pass out, or bleed to death, whichever, unless you want to make the first move,"
The next sentence that flew from Lilly's mouth shocked him. Never would he had thought the words 'mother, bomb, and ears' could be said together. Lilly smirked at his furious reaction.
"You will not speak of my mother like so!" he growled.
"Um, if I remember right, a friend of mine was watching you when she died, you didn't care, you dumbass," Lilly taunted.
Rithiahs sprang at her, which was predictable. She ran at him and slid beneath his stomach, managing to rip a hole in his chainmaile. Lilly rolled to her feet in time to dodge a swipe of the cat's massive paw. The light breaths were taking a tole on her.
"Ha! You're too weak to defeat me, princess," Rithiahs leered. Lilly made her move while he was speaking, managing to off balance him with a shove. She did not, however, think of his tail. It lashed out, knocking her feet from under her. Rithiahs bared his teeth and planted his paws on either side of her, grinning madly down at Lilly.
He wedged his tailblade under her helmet and pushed it off, reveling her angry red eyes, then tilted her head back with a claw. "It is a shame one so pretty must die at such a tender age," he muttered, letting his claw draw blood.
-O-
At a separate location on the battlefield, Ayla got a sense of deja vu. There were flashes from her life, Tyrant... a tail... What the...?
Then she saw through different eyes. She saw Rithiahs looming over her.
"No..." she gasped.
"What?" Tam yelled at her, skewering a cat with his dagger.
"Find Lilly!" Ayla shouted at him, "Find her!"
Tam gazed out over the battle area, he was on a high spot... and then he could see the green tint of armor. Rithiahs... and he could see something struggling beneath him. Tam nearly dropped his daggers.
"...ahshit..." was all he could gasp out. And then the dragon landed a fraction of an inch next to him. Tam looked up at the huge beast and blanched.
Fear you not, Masterfriend, I am here to help you.
It was talking to him... in his mind?
Yes, I am, I already did this with DragonMaster Lilliana, now, I am here on her instructions to help you.
"Take me to her, now!" Tam felt the impulse to shout, but he kept his voice quiet.
DragonMaster does not wish this, Small Fleshy.
"She's gonna die!" Tam said furiously.
If she does, it is her ThoughtWish for me to protect you at all costs, I cannot go against her orders.
"Bullshit!" Tam growled.
I cannot! She will handle it herself, now do not pester me again, for I will sit upon you!
-O-
When Rithiahs pushed the claw a little further, Lilly did the only thing she could do.
She took a small breath and let it out slowly and played dead. It was obvious Rithiahs didn't check for a pulse. He pulled his paw off her.
"Huh, it is unconscious, ah well, she will be trampled," Rithiahs muttered.
She heard him beginning to walk away. She sprang. With a move Luxa and Ripred alike would be proud of, Lilly sailed through the air, twisted in a back flip, and landed on the cat's back, sinking Faith's Edge into the gap between shoulder and neck all the way to the hilt. The cat gave a strangled gasp, and turned his head around.
Lilly yelled as she felt fangs sinking into her leg, ripping her from Rithiahs's back. She thought she was doomed... until she noticed Faith's Edge was still in her hands.
Rithiahs let go of her leg and dropped Lilly on the ground. Blood seeped out of his armor and the side of his mouth, he raised his tail to strike.
Lilly was prepared to move when she realized she could not breathe, she was lagging because of the lack of air.
Rithiahs's tail came down and the blade sunk into the gap in her maile that had been caused by the huge tabby earlier in the battle. She gasped, which was a bad move. Lilly felt her armor cutting into her, despite her maile shirt beneath. "You're finished," she heard Rithiahs growl.
She knew he was going to die soon, she had stabbed him in a fatal place, but she did not want him to be killed by someone else, that was her job.
With a new strength, Lilly gave a primitive scream, and pushed Faith's Edge up, catching Rithiahs under his chin, where the maile was weakest.
The sword pierced his brain.
He was dead instantly. Lilly could not help but feel rather... satisfied now that Rithiahs was dead.
It was the feeling her father had described after he had killed the Bane... The struggle had been so long... she could feel her life ebbing now... but she didn't care, she had done her job... even though Tricksters would not be needed again for the next few hundred years... ...calm... happiness... emotions flooded her... once she had read that a body was nothing but a vessel to get one through life, to put their spirits through the challenge they needed to get into Heaven... would Chisil be there?
She hoped so... she missed her so much... "What about Tam?...Oh God... I'm so sorry, Tam, I shouldn't have turned you away... I'm so sorry... forgive me..." she thought... Her vision darkened around the edges. She could see the blurry form of Tam above her, his eyes wide in terror... "I'm so sorry..." she heard herself mumble... she sounded so far away... "Forgive me..." she felt weak... was this death? It had to be... "... I love you, Tam..." Lilly closed her eyes, and sank into eternity.
-O-
Ohhhhhh noooooo! I hope the fight scene was fun to read, 'cause it was hard to write. I suck at finding good violence verbs. Anyways, I tried a new format for this chapter (Assassin, the one you tried didn't come through the docX thing, weird... :\) so, let me know how it looks, if it reads better, yada yada. Next chapter is dedicated to teh fluffs, and my happiness to almost have this trilogy over with.
Oh, and I also apologize for the huge span between posting, I have no excuse for that.