The day of the battle was here. Arlen—clean shaven—entered the clearing where Magnora waited. She was to take him on this foggy day to the ferry dock on the other side of the forest, which was too dangerous to be crossed on foot. She would also retrieve him once the battle was over. He knew the plan, he knew his enemy, now all that remained was to enact it.

Most of the villagers were in the houses where they would be safe, but five waited for Arlen beside Magnora along with Alaric. But these were not just neighbors who waited for him; they were family and friends. It was Ehren, his mother, Leonie, Detlef, and Gerulf who waited for him. He felt a smile come to his face as he approached them.

They had most likely come to say farewell to him. He was touched that they came out here despite the danger, but almost all of them were fierce warriors armed with either a sword or a spear, so there was little danger especially with Magnora present. He just hoped that the farewells would only be temporary and that he would return relatively unharmed.

Arlen and Ehren grasped each other's forearms and patted each other on the shoulder with their free hand. "Happy hunting, Arlen," Ehren said.

He then hugged his dear brother Ehren and said, "I hope the return is even happier."

They drew away and their mother was next to said farewell. She hugged him tightly, making Arlen blush a little, and said, "Come back with all your limbs, alright?"

"If I can, I will," Arlen replied and she let go.

Then was Detlef who just said, "Give the Ra'zac more than just a scratch this time, alright?"

"I'll give it a bigger cut than you did, Detlef," Arlen jabbed playfully and Detlef laughed heartily.

Then there was Gerulf who said, "Remember; the armpit." Arlen had actually forgotten about Gerulf's advice given to him after his battle with the Ra'zac. Now that he remembered he would have to figure out how to use this. He nodded his reply, too much on his mind to voice one.

Soon everything was cleared away as Leonie embraced him. He hugged her back and held on tightly. When she did speak it sounded like there was a catch in her throat. "I'd tell you to be safe, but it'd be safer to stay, so I'll just say to be strong. Be strong. Be strong, Iet'hjarta." Arlen didn't know what the last word meant, but it sounded like the Ancient Language. Before he could wonder about the phrase for long, he felt her crying into his shoulder.

In the brief time that they'd known each other, they learned to care for one another deeply. Just as she cried for him, his heart broke to see her so unhappy. He didn't know why it was so easy for him to care for her, but he did. It was as if they had known each other for many years before this, but at the same time not long enough. He did not know where this came from, but he both enjoyed this love and hated it for the pain it gave him. If he thought not going would save her from pain, he'd never leave, but he knew that it would only delay the inevitable and anyone else who went would be ill prepared. Only he could fight the Ra'zac, as much as it gave Leonie pain.

He lowered his head and kissed her on her temple saying, "I must go so that the Ra'zac doesn't do what I'm about to do."

Leonie looked up with bloodshot eyes from crying and asked, "And what's that?"

"Return," Arlen replied. "I am going to return after I make sure the Ra'zac never can."

She smiled and asked, "You promise?"

"I promise."

She sniffled and said trying to be firm, "Alright, but don't take too long."

He smiled and said, "I won't."

As she withdrew, everyone else began to leave. One by one they began to go where they were needed most. Ehren went to the great hall, his mother to their family's house, and the rest went to Ludger's tavern. They were those he cared about most in Cathalorn, and no matter what he did not want to forget them. He hoped he wouldn't disappoint them and die.

Alaric came by and said, "Alright, time for you to mount up." Arlen began to climb the rope ladder up Magnora's side to her back.

As he was going up, Alaric tried to give him advice on how to climb, to which Arlen replied quite frustrated, "This isn't the first time I've had to mount a Dragon this big."

"Oh, right, Haldthin," Arlen heard Alaric say from below rather dejectedly.

"And Thorn."

He could hear Alaric's surprise in his voice saying, "Thorn?"

"Yes, Thorn. Do you remember when you encountered him after you took Lynde and Rose to Gil'ead?" He looked down—not the best thing to do when he was that high up—to see Alaric's nod. "Well I was under Thorn's wing."

The look on Alaric's face was amazing. He somehow managed to combine surprise, anger, and disbelief all into one slack jawed expression. Arlen laughed as he reach the top of Magnora's back, glad he had met Murtagh and Thorn in that blizzard so long ago.

They did not want to waste time, so Magnora would leave shortly, but before they did Arlen decided that he had kept a secret for far too long and it was time to tell it to his fellow Ra'zac hunter. "Hey, Alaric." Alaric looked up again. "The Ra'zac has a name. It's Kelshk."

Alaric nodded. "I know; he told me."

Arlen couldn't believe that. "He told you?" Alaric nodded again. "Then why didn't you tell everyone?"

"For the same reason you didn't; to give them a name for him would have been too much for most people. It was better to keep this a secret and believe they were being hounded by a smart beast rather than a beastly person." Arlen nodded understandingly and Alaric nodded back. "Farewell and fight better."

And then Magnora took off with Arlen on her back. It was exhilarating to be on the back of a Dragon again after so long, flying higher than most Humans would ever be, even if it was only seventy feet. They flew over the great pines of the forest and went straight to the ferry dock.

Magnora landed in the water, making a huge splash, and Arlen walked off her back onto the dock easily. As she started to go back up she said to Arlen in a voice much higher than he would have expected, Do well, Shadeslayer. Do not make our previous mercy be in vain. He wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, but that seemed to be a thing today. She flew away over the pines, leaving Arlen to wait for either Kelshk to come to him or to Alaric.

She flew away towards the mountains at the northern edge of the forest, and then came sweeping in, breathing fire onto the trees. The forest became an inferno in seconds and Arlen was caught unawares as he realized all that the forest had meant to him. It had always been there, giving the village timber, but it meant more to him than that. Sometimes he and his friends would sneak out to play in the woods and pretend they were mighty warriors fighting Dragons or Urgals or the like. He had also met Artsanna and Rose in those woods for the first time, as hostile as it was. And now it burned with dark smoke rising and mixing with the fog to create a sea of grays above the forest.

He waited now for Kelshk and drew his sword Mor'ranr. The wait was altogether too long, as he had found waiting to be as of late. But then something came out.

It was not a deer or a bear or any other wild animal, but a sickly creature with black armor and blacker eyes. It did not look right as if some illness was afflicting it, but the name of it he did not know. It walked towards Arlen like it was on the hunt, but it was not the hunter here. It was Kelshk and he was the prey.

Arlen pointed Mor'ranr at Kelshk, but he did something unexpected; he talked. "What did Human magic maker do to me?" Kelshk said in a sickly voice.

Arlen did not answer him, but charged yelling, "For Cathalorn!" But Kelshk was still fast and jumped off the dock before Arlen got to him. While he expected a splash, he instead saw Kelshk grab onto a supporting beam and skitter up it onto the underside of the dock. Arlen was not fast enough to get to him and stab him through the boards, and he went away up to the other side of the dock. He climbed up on top of the dock, but now he was cornered by Arlen. He probably wasn't thinking very straight if that was intentional.

Arlen kept his distance, knowing that Kelshk would probably just do that again if he instigated it. Instead he let Kelshk attack him. Kelshk tried pouncing on him, but he ducked. He didn't duck fast enough though and his forehead met with the Ra'zac's claws. He skin was shredded and he didn't know how much inside was damaged. Blood dripped from the wound and he put his sleeve up to soak it up. He needed time to fix it up properly, and he got the feeling he wouldn't get it.

He looked at Kelshk and saw the weak point Gerulf had mentioned. If he could get his sword in there, he could stab right through his chest and puncture his lungs and heart, that is if they were there and not somewhere else anyway. He just needed to get an opportunity to do it.

Kelshk jumped again, but Arlen was ready this time. He let the Ra'zac tackle him and try to claw at him. In reply Arlen lunged at the Ra'zac's armpit. He missed the chest and instead Mor'ranr stabbed right through the shoulder. Kelshk screamed to the sky, but Arlen took advantage of this and propping his foot against the Ra'zac's chest he twisted his sword and cleaved his arm off completely.

Unfortunately from this they both lost their balance, and Arlen fell onto the dock hard. Kelshk was not so fortunate and fell off the dock, making a loud splash as he hit the water. He yelped and screamed as he flailed wildly in the water. He was at such a depth where it was just taller than his head. He apparently didn't know how to swim or simply couldn't and was jumping off the sand below the water trying to keep himself from drowning. He was slowly making his way to shore, which was something Arlen couldn't allow.

Arlen jumped off the dock, aiming for a deeper portion so he wouldn't break his bones on the ground below the water, and made a big splash. Now his height advantage over the Ra'zac finally came into play as he was able to stand somewhat uncomfortably where Kelshk would drown. Kelshk turned his head around to see Arlen just before he cleaved his head in two with Mor'ranr. The Ra'zac stopped jumping and now simply sank to the bottom. He was dead; Cathalorn was free.

Arlen made it to shore and bandaged the wound on his forehead with the sleeve he didn't use before to soak up the blood. And there on the shore his waited for Magnora to come back as the water turned a disturbing green.

It was sunset by the time Magnora came, and the East Forest had completely burned down at that point. Many of the animals that the forest had been a home to had gathered in the shallows, but now fled in the presence of a Dragon. Alaric dismounted from Magnora and walked up to Arlen. He asked, "Is Kelshk dead?" Arlen nodded. "Then the Ra'zac are dead forever," Alaric said regretfully.

Arlen did not feel the same regret. They had rid the world of a menace that was too terrible to exist any longer. Had they not done what they did, the world would not be as safe as it now was. They had dispatched a menace the only way they could, and now they were safe and free. Cathalorn was free.

All the same, he didn't want to linger here at the site of the victory any longer. "Let's go home," Arlen said. Alaric held out a hand and Arlen took it to help himself up.