Because the gelfling armor was too small for the humans they had to make do some other way. However, that didn't stop them from picking up available weapons or tools they could use to fight.
Finally they were armed and ready for battle. Already one of the scouts reported seeing at least five carriages headed towards the forest area. King Stefan felt that he needed to speak to encourage his soon-to-be comrades in arms.
"In less than an hour, the skeksis will arrive to Stone-in-the-wood, and you will be engaging in what may one of the greatest battles for our lives. We can no longer abide by differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Together, humans and gelflings will be fighting for freedom. Not only from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, it will be remembered as the day when we all declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"
People cheered at his words. This was about their right to live, free of fear. Not just for themselves, but for their children and their children's children.
Both gelfling and humans now stood ready, steeling themselves for a frontal attack. Nearly all the wildlife had gone silent, heralding the unmistakable presence of a predators. Aurora tightened her grip on the quarterstaff, her father and her husband were on either side of her. Next to them, Brea and Seladon grasped hands.
"For Tavra." Seladon whispered.
"For Mother." Brea whispered back.
There came the sound of one of the bells softly sounding from near one of the huts.
Rian said grimly, "They're here."
"And we will meet them on the field of battle." Phillip promised.
Everyone waited with bated breath, then eight skeksis walked slowly and steadily into the clearing stopping just a few feet from the group. They had all donned armor and were looking derisively at them.
"This?" Emperor SkekSo mockingly questioned, "This is the mighty rebellion I was promised?"
The other skeksis couldn't believe it, they erupted in laughter.
"We'll be home in time in time for lunch!" The Gourmand guffawed.
The Ornamentalist tittered. "Look at their tiny swords and their big strong friends, how adorable!"
"I look forward to crushing the little green one." SkekLach sniggered.
"The gelfling and humans rise against you!" Prince Phillip declared bravely.
"They think us so pitiful. We will show them how wrong they are." Stefan assured those standing with him.
"Oh really?" Emperor SkekSo inquired in amusement then looked left and right. "Where are they?"
"They'll be here." answered Rian.
"Nobody coming hopeless wretch." SkekSil retorted smugly. "No Gelfling nor humans will ever rise."
The skeksis all cackled maliciously. Then Deet walked up to Rian's side. "Then our sacrifice will inspire others."
"Just as my mother's did." Brea added.
"There will always be someone with courage to stand up for what is right." Aurora agreed.
"Stand ready." Maudra Fara told the others.
"Skeksis!" Emperor SkekSo gave the word. "Attack!"
With feral war cries, the skeksis' armor revealed not only fan like displays with skeksan symbols, but rather nasty looking blades. The battle has begun. While the humans engaged in sword-fights, the female gelflings use the males as a springboard to launch an aerial assault against the Skeksis.
Aurora and Phillip stood back to back as the fight raged on. Together, they were able to protect each other. Right now, they were, ironically dueling a skeksis couple. King Stefan was parrying blows from the Collector. Rian had engaged in sword fight with the Ritual Master.
"They're everywhere!" The Ornamentalist shrieked.
The Historian scowled, "I will not be bullied!"
"Who wants more?!" Seladon's voice taunted the skeksis.
"Let's see how you like this!" SkekOk snapped. Under his armored carapace, he used his second pair of arms to activate the mechanisms in the armor to let loose two sharp blades in the air towards the eldest Vapran princess.
"No, Seladon!" Maudra Fara shoved the other gelfling girl out of the way.
The blade struck Fara, knocking her down near the trees
"I got one! Did you see? I got one!" SkekOk crowed to the other skeksis, who cheered. He might be smaller, but that didn't make him any less of a threat than the rest of his race.
"Where are you, bug?" The shortest of the skeksis taunted as he went searching for his victim to finish the job.
"We need to do something about this." Phillip said after observing how the Skeksis armor worked.
"I have an idea." Aurora declared. She cleared her throat and prepared to sing.
"A funeral hymn for your little friend's farewell, princess?" SkekOk taunted.
"I think she has a different idea in mind." Phillip remarked, a smirk forming on his face.
Several species of birds began to appear in the trees trilling or responding to Aurora's melody. Not only songbirds but birds of prey, but countless small forest animals not native to Thra. Out from a tree, Baffi the fizzgig snarled.
Aurora then gave the Historian a smug little smile before unleashing a single operatic note: this had the animals dive bombing the short skeksis and catching him by surprise.
"Unusual, but effective." King Stefan commented when he saw what his daughter had come up with.
Quickly, Seladon and Phillip seized this chance to pull Fara away to safety. With the Historian occupied with the animals, Aurora followed.
SkekOk soon noticed that Fara was no longer where she last lay, he then called out: "No, that's mine! Bring it back so I can kill it!" He whined, only to have a little owl peck at his beak once before flying away.
Phillip wanted to laugh. It was a rather comical sight.
Soon enough they carried Maudra Fara to clearing just a few feet away from battle, Baffi followed after intent on being by his mistress' side.
"How badly are you hurt?"
Aurora then came up to check the Stonewood Maudra's wound, only to wince at how deep the blade had struck.
"I had to protect the All-Maudra…"
"I know you did. That was very noble of you." the princess assured her.
"We're going to get you out of here." Seladon said to Fara.
The Stonewood matriarch's eyes were losing focus as she was gasping. "Thra is calling me home. It sounds like music..."
Aurora gasped, this means Fara was dying.
Seladon shed tears, "You can't give up!" she implored the Stonewood Maudra. "You have to fight! We need you..."
"Seladon. I don't know that she has anything left to give." Aurora told her, trying to be sympathetic for what she knew was coming.
Phillip held his wife's hand, he looked somber. Fara looked at Seladon, "Your mother would be proud." She then took her final breath and died.
Baffi nuzzled his mistress' body with soft whines. Tears filled Aurora's eyes as Maudra Fara passed on. They had lost another good friend. Baffi began to wail as Seladon pulled the fizzgig into her arms sympathetically. "She's gone."
Philip crossed himself as he whispered a prayer. Aurora dried her tears after a moment of silence. There was still a battle to be fought. And many lives to protect that day.
Behind in the castle, SkekTek attempts without success to revive dead Arathim, and after being blasted in the face with fluid from the creature – part of it spewed into his mouth, causing him to retch it up – he'd had enough. "There is only so much callous disrespect, a lord of the Crystal can endure! I have earned a bit of genuine frivolity."
From his pet bird's cage he'd hidden some vials of essence, as he departs and leaves the Gruenaks the task of cleaning up, the Gruenaks find a knife they could use to cut the stitches from their mouths.
Later, SkekTek sits upon the Emperor's throne, ordering music and food from the Skeksis' Podling servants, indulging in essence. Disappointed by the food, SkekTek crushes the hand of an elder Podling servant.
Then abruptly all the Podlings fled in fear, but not because of SkekTek's bullying orders, but of SkekMal. As the Scientist shouted at the fleeing podlings, SkekMal had begun to move of his own volition despite being seemingly dead.
SkekTek narrowed his eye briefly then inquisitively approached. "Hunter? SkekMal?"
Instantly, the Hunter's eyes snapped open before breaking free from his gruesome display with a roar.
"You're... you're alive!" SkekTek gasped.
"Where's Rian? And the Human Prince?"
"Stone-in-the-Wood. The other Skeksis are there already. They've gone to extirpate the Gelfling and human uprising."
"Yet you remain behind?" SkekMal points an accusing finger at SkekTek, who whimpers. "Useless coward!" And he turns away in disdain, growling.
SkekTek cried out, "The Emperor commanded me to stay behind. I wanted to fight! I am not a coward!"
Back in the Chamber of Life, the Gruenaks just finished removing the sewing from one of their mouths, and they hug each other in relief. Unfortunately, SkekTek arrives at that very moment. "What is this?!"
One of the Gruenaks held up the same knife it used to free its mouth and pointed it at the Scientist.
"Mutiny!" SkekTek snapped.
"No...No slave!" One of the Gruenaks cried.
"How DARE YOU threaten me?! I am SkekTek, The Scientist!" SkekTek snapped. "I am a master of LIFE and DEATH! I am a GENIUS! I am a LORD OF THE CRYSTAL! I! AM! SKEKSIIIIS! AHHHHHHH!"
And he lunges at them. They're able to overpower him at first, he one who can speak calling SkekTek "bad", however they made a grave mistake in not running while they still had the chance. For when one of the Gruenaks shoved a cage over the Scientist's head (it very much resembled the bone cage put on him when his eye was literally eaten out by the peeper beetle) he immediately starts to panic and once he gets it off, he flies into a rage.
First, he tosses one aside and corners the one who can speak, throwing him into the shaft of fire beneath the crystal where the poor thing fell to its fiery death. Whimpering in fear, the last Gruenak cringes before SkekTek as he mercilessly beats him to death.
"What a waste…" he growled then glances to the different corpses. "Or perhaps not." He then cackled madly; haven gotten a stroke of inspiration.
The battle waged on, King Stefan and Kylan clashed swords with SkekLach. Brea leapt on SkekOk's back and caught him off guard momentarily. "Naughty princess!"
Seladon engaged in a sword-fight with the Ornamentalist. The eldest Vapran princess flung a fistful of dirt into the skeksis' eyes. "You're not fighting fair!" SkekEkt shrieked.
Deet landed on the Gourmand's back, pounding at him. "What is it?! Get it off! Get it off!"
Aurora had picked up her quarterstaff and rejoined the battle. This wasn't over yet. She took a swing at SkekSil in attempt to knock one of the swords out of his grip. "Your kind's reign of terror ends here!" the princess declared as she attacked.
"But this time, you don't have your little fairy friends to save you or your husband!" The Chamberlain answered back.
Nearby, SkekVar was dueling two human villagers all at once.
"Where is Rian?!" Emperor SkekSo roared. He got his answer when the gelfling dodged a swipe from SkekZok. Then Prince Phillip blocked SkekSo's swing with his own blade.
"No, you will not claim any more lives today!" Phillip defied.
The Emperor smirked. As soon as he was finished with the Prince of Corazion, he would deal with the little upstart who started this rebellion.
SkekVar swung his blade left and right, only to be quickly overwhelmed. SkekSil watched briefly with a whimpering smirk as the small mob of humans and gelfling alike took down the General. True, he wished he could have been the one to do that. But it didn't change the fact that SkekVar was dead. That was all that really mattered to him.
Rian evaded SkekZok's strike then lightly stepped up the blade and onto the Ritual Master's shoulder's to jump the Emperor. The movement shoved SkekSo back but didn't bring him down.
Phillip parried another strike then without warning something snatched up Rian out of sight with a growl!
"Who are you to-?" Phillip stopped with a gasp. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
SkekMal the Hunter with a new mask and looking as though he'd made a complete recovery from his injuries had lunged, picked up Rian ran through the battlefield before flinging the Stonewood gelfling onto the ground.
Everyone stopped dueling to see what was happening.
"The Hunter!" Aurora gasped, her hands on her mouth. "How did he recover so quickly?!"
No one could provide an answer. Everyone on either side was astounded that he had come. And now that he was there, he intended to fulfill his objective.
The Hunter held Rian up Rian by the top back of his clothes. Both gelfling and their human allies were utterly shocked.
"SkekMal lives!" SkekLach crowed.
"Is this your trophy, gelfling?" SkekMal then held up the dual glaive from Rian's hands. "This toy?" And without warning he crushed it in two!
Phillip gasped in horror. Aurora nearly rushed in to attack the Hunter herself to save Rian.
"Rian!" Deet cried.
"Let him go!" Brea yelled.
"Quiet, puny gelfling!" SkekMal snapped.
It would appear, Phillip had the same idea as Aurora for they'd both threw themselves on the Hunter and tried forcing him to free Rian.
"Leave him alone!" Aurora grunted, tugging at his right hand.
"Why don't you chase prey that is worthy of you?" Phillip growled, trying to restrain SkekMal while Aurora worked to disarm him.
"A human who vanquished the dark fairy and a gelfling rabble-rouser are prey I intend to collect!" The Hunter snarled back, using his second arms to toss Aurora off him. The princess of Corazion landed with a startled cry.
SkekMal then used those same secondary arms to twist one of Phillip's arms back. "I have conquered death; I return more powerful than ever!"
"Because the others stole life from another and gave it to you!" Aurora retorted as she turned over to look him in the face. "They cheated you of a chance to prove your strength." the princess dared to say.
"And yet I return more powerful than Thra itself, nothing can stop the Hunt!" He began to twist Rian's head, intending to finish the job. With his other ones, he'd forced Phillip down into the steps.
The observers watched in horror, while the skeksis jeered. Rian would die first, then he'll make short work of Corazion's crown prince. Once again Aurora rushed to frantically try and stop the Hunter from murdering her husband and Rian. SkekMal snarled ferociously at her but before he could throw her off again, he suddenly froze, his green eyes widening from some unseen horror.
Then SkekMal began to shake, dropping his two hostages to the ground. As the Hunter trembled, bits of dust seemed to come out of him. Aurora took a step back and stared, what was happening to him?
"Archer!" he groaned. "What have you...done?!"
"He wouldn't...would he?" Aurora wasn't sure if she was asking herself or anyone around her. She could guess what SkekMal was talking about. The Archer was going to take his own life to stop the Hunter.
Everyone, Rian and Prince Phillip included watched transfixed as SkekMal shook more violently. Dust flowing from him faster and faster as he crumbled, then... in a burst of light, out from the red garbs emerged a familiar face in new garments, breathing deeply was Aughra. "I am reborn!"
It was a relief to see her, although Aurora still felt a pang of sorrow that the Archer had sacrificed himself to stop the Hunt and thus, ended up saving the lives of both her husband and Rian himself.
"It's great to see you again." Phillip admitted with a smile.
Of course, the skeksis were far from delighted at seeing Aughra alive and well.
"Oh no, not her again!" whined SkekOk.
"Does nothing stay dead anymore?!" SkekEkt griped.
Aurora almost laughed at their exclamations. She never expected any of them could be funny. Rian hurried forward. "Mother Aughra, are you alright?"
Aughra responded. "No, I just came back from the dead, not an easy task!"
Emperor SkekSo sneered. "Mother Aughra, I suppose this was your plan all along."
"It was, Emperor!" Aughra snapped them mumbled. "Wasn't sure it would work. Now drag your leathery tails back to your castle and pray I don't punish you no further!"
The skeksis all scoffed. "Hollow threats." SkekSo retorts. "Your hand trembles, you can barely stand!"
"Yet I stand!" Aughra declared. "Unlike the Hunter."
The skeksis gasped except for the Emperor who glowered.
"You still lost him, SkekSo, despite your efforts. Perhaps this is a lesson to be learned." Phillip said as he put an arm around Aurora.
Aurora held Phillip's hand as she did a quick head count with her eyes. "You've already lost two of your own, how many more must perish before you see reason?"
"Nothing good will come from this battle, for either side. You can stop this now. Just abandon this course of action." Stefan urged.
"This changes nothing!" SkekSo spat. "You few gelflings and humans are no match for the Lords of the Crystal!"
The skeksis let out ferocious cheers at their Emperor's declaration.
"Finish them!" SkekSo ordered.
To be continued...