A/N: The stars have aligned such that I'm posting this on my birthday. :p Does this count as a birthday gift to myself?

Warnings: Nothing particularly graphic, but a lot of people die in this.

Chapter 23: The City that Tempted Fate Part 11: Longfang, Butcher, Baker, Kingmaker

"Longfang!" Ya Pi called out. "Please, stay your anger! We are friends-"

"No good, mun!" Lofty cut in. "The backlash from his kingsbond being severed has caused all of his power to go out of control. He's in too much pain to be reasoned with now!"

"Then what are we to do?"

"Nothing else for it, I'm afraid. He won't stop rampaging until his power has been exhausted. So you'll have to fight."

"You gotta be kidding," Bradley objected.

"Ye jest, surely?" Batu agreed. "That ain't no Kingmaker! Tis a Kingmaker gone doolally – a blessed realmwrecker! It'd be takin' an army te defeat'im."

"Fortunately, Mr Batu, we have an army," Ya Pi replied.

"Well ye won't be makin' much use o'it in'ere."

"He's right," said Roland. "You'll have to draw him out of the city somehow."

"Use me, mun," said Lofty. "As a fellow Kingmaker, Longfang will instinctively see me as a threat."

"I guess that will mean I'll be the one running you out of Goldpaw," said Aranella.

"You are the fastest," Roland agreed.

"I could not possibly ask you to-" Ya Pi started to object.

"You don't have time for this, Captain."

"Please, Captain Ya Pi," Evan added. "Niall sent us here to help, and that's what we mean to do."

Ya Pi hesitated, but Ya Ya spoke turning their attention to another matter. "What about Master Pugnacious? He's still unconscious." They glanced at Pugnacious who was still sprawled out on the ground where he'd fallen. It didn't seem like he was going to regain consciousness anytime soon.

Ya Pi glanced back at his men. The soldiers were still managing to hold their ground, but the square was now on fire, and the flames were spreading. "He will have to be moved to safety." By now, more soldiers were arriving to join the fight, having been alerted to the confrontation by the commotion it had caused as well as Longfang's battle roars, which could no doubt be heard through the city. "You there!" He commanded and a group of soldiers obediently heeded his summon. "See the Grand High Roller is taken somewhere safe. One of you is to then remain with him, while another is to sound the alarm. The rest of you are to direct the men to descend on this location. Understood?"

They saluted. "Yes, Captain!" Then gathered around Pugnacious' unconscious figure, lifted him together and took him away, disappearing through the entrance gates.

"We also need to make a plan," said Roland. "Getting Longfang out of Goldpaw is only the first step, and Aranella and Lofty aren't going to be able to hold him off by themselves."

"No…" Ya Pi agreed. "We could hold him here until enough of our forces have mustered outside the city before luring him out. Then it would be a matter of holding our ground until our reinforcements arrive before the battle begins in earnest."

"Lofty here has the power to, well, share his power with others. Which will be pretty useful in the upcoming fight."

"Indeed."

"Which is why I'm suggesting you turn over half of your army to our leadership." Ya Pi frowned but said nothing. "I appreciate this a big ask and maybe a bit of a leap so hear me out. Lofty's power boost works best when used at the centre of the army, but we're not entirely sure what Lofty's maximum radius of influence is, which is why I'm suggesting you divide your army in two. That will allow us to attack Longfang on two fronts, with one of those fronts being backed by another Kingmaker. You're going to be needing another leader for that half of the army, and since he's our Kingmaker, we should be the ones leading them."

"Hmm. Your reasoning is sound," Ya Pi confessed. "But… I cannot say how willing my men will be to defer to your leadership."

"I'm sure. But they might be more willing if we assumed command of the soldiers facing off with Longfang until the rest of the army arrives. They sure won't be complaining about the power boost Lofty will be giving them at least."

"Very well. If the men can be convinced to follow your lead, then you may lead them."

"All right. But…" He turned to Aranella. "That just leaves the problem of giving you and Lofty some kind of signal-"

"Fear not. You may simply instruct one of the mages who will no doubt be appearing, to give the signal when you feel confident that the requisite number of soldiers has gathered. They will know what to do. I will then join you when I have gathered more."

"Someone must see about stopping the fire from spreading to the rest of Goldpaw," Ya Ya cut in.

"Indeed," he agreed. "But I'm afraid my men and I will be too busy with Longfang."

"Then I will organise the civilians into combatting the flames."

"I can help with that," Bradley piped up.

"Thank you, Mr Summers. I will leave the matter of dealing with Longfang in your hands, Captain."

"If you could instruct my men to assemble outside the city in my stead, that would be most helpful," said Ya Pi.

"Yes, of course. I'll see to it."

"Perfect," said Roland. "Sounds like we've got ourselves a plan."

"Indeed," Ya Pi agreed. "Best of luck to us all."

"And may the Mistress of Fortune smile upon us," Ya Ya added. With that, Ya Pi went to join his men in their battle against Longfang while Ya Ya and Bradley left to organise the citizens into fighting the fire.

"Guess that just leaves us then," said Roland. "Evan? You are our King, and you do need more experience with leading armies into battle. But. How do you feel about taking the lead on this one? It's okay if you don't think you're up for it-"

"I will," said Evan. "I'll do it. I mean," he swallowed as all of his confidence immediately evaporated. "I'll… I'll try."

Roland looked briefly surprised before smiling. "Well. All right. But if you ever feel like you're becoming overwhelmed, then one of us can take over for you. This won't be like fighting the bandits after all."

"All right. But we…" He swallowed. "We're not going to kill him are we? We just need to knock some sense into him… right?"

"More or less," Lofty affirmed. "We'll have to wear down his power until he's forced to retreat to his King's Cradle to recuperate, see. That'll buy Goldpaw some time until they can get their kingsbond back."

"You think that's possible?" Roland asked.

"Well they'll be pretty stuffed if it isn't. It'll be some time before Longfang returns to normal on his own, see. Severing a kingsbond like that…" He folded his tiny arms and frowned. "It just isn't done."

"Will Longfang keep coming back to attack Goldpaw?" Tani asked.

"That's right! But every subsequent attack will be easier than the last, see. That's because his full power will be waning with each rampage."

"So in other words, the outcome of this battle is going to pretty much decide if Goldpaw will be destroyed or not."

"Pretty much!" He echoed.

"No pressure, Evan," he remarked.

"We won't lose," Evan replied confidently. "I'm not going let anyone else loose their homes."

"We're with you, Evan," said Aranella.

"Right!" Tani exclaimed as Batu added, "Aye."

"Yeah, what they said," Roland agreed.

"Higgledy pig!"

"So are they, mun," Lofty translated.

"Runcible, Wiff-waff… I think you'd better sit this one out as well," said Roland.

"Hiiiggllllle," they whined. "Higgle piiiig!"

"Look, I know you want to fight, but… uh… We don't want you getting hurt…"

"Higgle pig!"

"They say they won't, mun," Lofty translated.

"Still…" He sighed.

"You know it has been a while since you found another higgledy," Aranella observed. "Why not see if you can find another who would be willing to come along on our journey? You've certainly been very helpful so far."

The two higgledies exchanged looks. "Higgle pig?" Wiff-waff asked.

"Higgle pig hig," Runcible replied. Before Lofty could translate, they both nodded. "Higgle." And then they were off.

"Great. We'd better head off too," said Roland. "Lofty? Aranella? We'll see you down there."

"Good luck, Nella!" Evan and Tani chorused as they hugged her tightly.

"Aye. May the winds be with ye, lass," Batu added.

"Right, what they said," Roland agreed.

She smiled. "Thank you everyone, but you needn't worry. With Lofty's help, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"That's right, mun! With some of my power, Aranella'll be running circles around ol'Bitey."

"Right." A thought suddenly occurred to Roland. "By the way, Aranella, while you're here, you should watch Longfang to see how he fights. We're gonna be needing that information later."

She smiled. "I had the same idea."

He smiled back. "I thought you might. Then we'll leave you to it." He turned to Evan, Tani and Batu. "Come on, let's go." And off they went with Evan and Tani waving Aranella goodbye until they could see each other no longer.

Soldiers were already gathering outside the city by the time the quartet arrived. Instead of getting their attention however, one of the soldiers immediately noticed their appearance and called them over. He was distinguished from the other soldiers by a red tuft on his helmet, and a moustache. "You there. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation. Did you happen to be at Master Pugnacious' trial?"

Before anyone could respond to this question another soldier was speaking up. "It's all over Leafbook! First, Master Pugnacious was found guilty of all charges, then a strange man apparently stole his kingsbond, and now our Kingmaker, Longfang has gone beserk!"

"Is it all true?" Asked a third soldier as the others vocalised wordlessly.

"Settle down you lot!" The first commanded. "Apologies. Perhaps I should introduce myself, I am Commander Li Da. Lady Ya Ya directed us to muster outside the city in preparation for a confrontation with Longfang. I could scarcely believe my own ears at these words. Unfortunately she was pressed for time and was therefore unable to provide further clarification herself but assured us that someone would be appearing who would. I trust that someone is you?"

"Um, yes," Evan replied. "I am King Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum-"

"King Evan?" Li Da repeated. At this point, Roland just facepalmed and sighed.

"The ousted King of Ding Dong Dell?" Another asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"I thought you would've been a grimalkin," Li Da continued.

"Well he's not," Tani replied for him. "He's half grimalkin. You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all. It just… wasn't what I expected."

"We'd also like it if you kept that fact to yourselves and not go spreading it around."

"I suppose I'd understand why, still I cannot make any promises on that regard. But nevermind that, you were saying?"

"Unfortunately everything you've gathered from Leafbook is everything that has happened," Evan continued and the soldiers reacted immediately.

"What does this mean?" One asked over the commotion.

"Judging from what Lofty said, it doesn't seem like Longfang will be going down without a fight," Roland explained.

"So it is as Lady Ya Ya said," said Li Da. "We are to fight our own Kingmaker?"

"If it was possible to reason with him or calm him down, we would've already done that. So yeah, you guys don't have any other choice but to fight."

The soldiers murmured among themselves as he asked. "Is such a battle even winnable?"

"The soldiers facing him in Fortune Square were managing to hold their own against him last we saw, so I'd say so. Though that's not to say it won't be difficult. The plan is to divide the army in two, so that we can attack Longfang on two fronts. Captain Ya Pi is currently holding him in Fortune Square until enough soldiers have gathered here. We will then give them the signal to draw Longfang to this location, where we will hold him off until the rest of your forces can join you. That's when the real fight will begin."

"By we, you mean to say you will be joining us?" Li Da asked.

"That's right. But we were also hoping you'd follow our lead on this."

"And why would we do that?"

"We'ave a Kingmaker," said Batu.

"A Kingmaker?" He repeated as the soldiers murmurings became hopeful. "Your Kingmaker is with you?"

"He's not here right now, but he will be," Evan confirmed.

"But don't get the wrong idea," Roland added. "He's not yet able to assume his, uh, battle size. So he's not going to be facing off with Longfang himself."

"Then what good is he?" Li Da half demanded as the soldiers' murmurings became hopeless.

"'E be a Kingmaker what can share'is power with others," Batu explained. "That be what good'e be. We Sky Pirates were usin' it ourselves te take on Tyran an'is bandits. And we be standin' afore ye now as proof o'our victory. I be reckonin' on yer wantin' fer such a power yerselves when it comes te facin' Longfang."

The soldiers muttered amongst themselves and Li Da looked dubious. "Listen," said Roland. "I'd tell you to wait to try Lofty's power for yourselves, but there's not going to be much time to think things over when Longfang is right on top of us. So we're going to be needing your answer now."

"What's it like?" One of the soldiers asked. "This… sharing of power?"

The party exchanged looks. "Well…? As best I can describe it, it's like being filled with the power of ten men."

"Or being filled with enough power to take on ten of anything," Tani added.

The soldiers muttered amongst themselves again. "Otherwise I guess the question is, which one of you is going to be leading your army into battle?" Roland asked.

"That would fall to me," said Li Da.

"All right, then listen. Niall sent us here to help. And I don't think he'd be impressed with us if we just walked away and left you deal with this on your own, especially when we're in a position to stay and fight. I'm not gonna be arrogant and claim that would be a death sentence because I'm sure you could take on Longfang and win, but I think that's gonna cost you." More murmuring broke out at this. "We're offering to help you lower that cost. So let us help. But if we're going to be working together, then we need to be working together."

"And you're suggesting we work together by following your lead?"

"Please," said Evan, raising his voice so they could all hear him. "I know you're all frightened. But my people and I fought a battle with the odds stacked against us, and we won that battle through our resourcefulness and teamwork. We can do the same again!"

"Yeah!" Tani cheered before lowering her voice and adding in an aside. "Of course if Lofty was here, he'd say it was all down to him."

"Aye, he would," Batu agreed.

"Well… I suppose we can give you the chance to impress us until Captain Ya Pi arrives," Li Da eventually replied.

"That's all we ask for," said Roland.

"But know that I will be stepping in and assuming command should you prove yourselves to be incompetent."

"That's fair enough."

"Very well. Then it would seem that all we have to do now is wait for more of our number to arrive."

"Right. You know your army best. Let's wait for a third of your forces to show up before commencing the operation."

"And what operation would this be?"

"Operation: Stall Longfang."

"Heh. A military man I see. Very well, I will instruct one of our mages to give the signal when a third of our forces has mustered."

"And then the fun begins."

"Heh. Indeed."

"Give us a run down of your units before that happens. What do you have?"

"We have swordsmen, spearmen, malleteers, musketeers and of course our battle mages."

"What's a musketeer?" Evan asked.

"Musketeers will be armed with muskets," Roland replied. "They're basically a bigger version of Aranella's pistol."

"You are familiar with such technology, I see." Li Da observed.

"More or less. We'll want to place the musketeers at the front in order to make best use of them."

"Indeed."

"But won't they be vulnerable at the front?" Evan asked.

"How would you protect them, Li Da?" Roland asked.

"Have them flanked by swords with a unit of mallets behind them," Li Da replied. "Once they become ineffective, the musketeers can then change places with the malleteers. They can also leave the formation and move around as an independent unit if you so desire."

"I see," said Evan.

"We have a moment, so why not think about it," Roland suggested.

"All right."

While they waited, he decided to check Leafbook since the soldiers had mentioned it earlier. As they'd said, there was now a deluge of posts regarding the outcome of the trial, Pugnacious' rant and appearance of the dark aura, the stealing of his kingsbond and Longfang's attack. And sure enough, there was also a comment on each from the platform's moderator.

If you've been following the story emerging from Goldpaw, we have another update. It seems the conclusion of the Trial of Pugnacious, the Grand High Roller has ended with him being found guilty of all charges. This can only mean that a confrontation with the nation's Kingmaker, Longfang is now inevitable. What does this mean for the future of Goldpaw? Will Second Roller Ya-Ya succeed Pugnacious as Grand High Roller? Only time will tell.

Upon the conclusion of his trial and being found guilty, Master Pugnacious defended his actions claiming it was the only way to make Goldpaw prosperous. But that's not the interesting part, folks. During this rant, he began to exude a mysterious dark aura that had the appearance of purple flames. What could this all mean?

Folks, this is incredible! The news coming out of Goldpaw is that a mysterious man in strange garb has appeared to have severed Master Pugnacious' kingsbond and their Kingmaker, Longfang has gone berserk! Could this be the end of Goldpaw? Who even knew this was possible?

Thankfully no mention of Evan anywhere, but Roland had to wonder how long their luck was going to hold out. Probably not for much longer he reasoned, now that Evan was carelessly throwing his real name around. He sighed and snapped the Leafbook closed before tucking it away. Soldiers were now streaming out of the gates to Goldpaw and it wasn't long before Li Da turned to one of the mages and instructed them to give the signal. The mage drew a rune in the air. It pulsed before forming into a ball of light, shot upwards into the sky and exploded in a brilliant display made brighter by the early night time sky, but could just have easily seen for miles even in the light of day. Roland now understood what Ya Pi had meant; There was certainly no chance of missing that. "All right, Evan," he said. "It's time." Evan swallowed and nodded.

"By your command, Your Majesty," said Li Da.

Evan nodded again. "All right. Men! Form up!"

"FORM UP, YE SCURVY DOGS!"

Li Da gave him a withering look as Roland and Tani both facepalmed and Evan winced. "I beg your pardon?"

Batu had the grace to look apologetic. "Ah, uh… me apologies. By that I be meanin', FORM UP, MATEYS!" Li Da turned away with a humph.

"Swords and musketeers to the front!" Evan continued. "Mallateers behind the muskets! Spears to the flanks! Mages behind!" As Batu repeated the instructions, the air became filled with the rumbling of booted feet against earth as the soldiers formed up into their respective units and in the instructed formation.

"I don't suppose you thought up a rousing speech in the time we had?" Tani asked.

"Um. I'm afraid not. I tried to think of something but…"

"Yeah, I didn't think so. But I'd would've been real impressed if you had."

"Yeah, so would I," Roland added. "But nevermind that now; It's time to focus on the battle ahead."

"Right," they all chorused. All eyes looked ahead to the entrance to Goldpaw with tense anticipation stifling the atmosphere.

A sudden explosion of light pulled Aranella and Lofty's attention away from the battle in Fortune Square. "That's the signal!" Lofty exclaimed needlessly. "You ready for this, mun?"

Aranella glanced back at Longfang. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. But I won't be able to carry you, Lofty. You're going to have to hang on."

"No worries, mun. You just focus on running as fast as you can." Aranella dropped to one knee, allowing him to climb onto her back. Once he was comfortable and secure, he muttered. "Righto, hyur goes." And took a deep breath. "Oi! Longfang!" The Kingmaker turned his head at the call of his name. "Nice kingdom you've got hyur! Yes, very nice indeed!" Longfang turned to him with a snarl. Lofty looked him dead in the eyes and uttered. "I think I'll move in!" Longfang leapt after them with a howl of rage and Aranella – now infused with a golden aura – was off like a shot. He crashed through the wooden gates, sending them flying away in splinters and the fire spewing from his mouth, set the splinters alight. The burning splinters flew in all directions, setting fire to the trees and buildings on either side and as he barrelled passed, the draft from his wings fanned the flames, spreading them further. He leapt after Aranella as she ran full tilt across the wooden bridge spanning one of the rivers that wound its way through Goldpaw and she almost lost her footing when the ground trembled beneath her feet. The Lucky Stars Casino blurred past her on the right and she veered left, ducking into a long roofed walkway that snaked through a small bamboo forest before joining with the lower level. With a frustrated roar, Longfang bypassed the walkway altogether by simply jumping down from the upper level, demolishing several buildings in the process and spreading more fire. The force of his landing nearly sent Aranella sprawling to the stone slabbed ground but succeeded in flooring several dogfolk as well as sending the rest screaming in terror. "He's setting fire to everything!" Lofty cried, but she couldn't worry about that now. She regained her footing and pressed on, down the stone staircase, down, down, down, past several buildings and into the main street. The sound of wanton destruction of property, cries of fear and anguish, the rumble of Longfang's footsteps and enraged howls over his continuously elusive prey filled her ears and spurred her ever forward. "He's gaining on us, mun!"

But the gates to Goldpaw were finally within sight. Just one last push, she told herself, gritting her teeth and digging deep.

They heard Longfang before they saw him. And what they heard was the approach of rumbling footsteps and angry roaring. Then Aranella shot through the gates with Lofty clinging to her shoulders for dear life. Longfang was hot on their heels, and he leapt after them, effortlessly crashing through the woodwork in his pursuit. In fact it didn't even slow him down.

"Hold fast, men!" Li Da bellowed as the soldiers' cohesion and courage threatened to crumble in the face of such a casual display of power. "Remember what it is we're fighting for! If Longfang has become a threat to our beloved nation, to our homes and families, then he is a threat to be repelled like any other!" The soldiers stood fast.

"I knew Kingmakers were strong…" Batu uttered.

Roland grimaced. "Yeah… This is… not going to be an easy fight."

"What's going on?" Evan asked.

"Yeah! We can't see!" Tani added.

"Hold on," Roland replied. "Li Da, does Longfang have an elemental weakness?"

"Indeed," Li Da replied. "As Longfang is a Kingmaker of fire, his elemental weakness is water."

"Gotcha. Evan, order the mages to fire a volley of water spells. We need to slow Longfang down, or he's going to steamroll Aranella and Lofty, and then us."

"Oh! Right! Um… Mages! Ready water balloons! We need to slow him down!"

"MAGES! READY YER WATER BALLOONS! WE BE SLOWIN'IM DOWN!"

The mages readied balls of water at the tips of their wands. "Fire!"

"FIRE!" The volley of water balls whizzed overhead and slammed into Longfang with multiple loud sploshes. The Kingmaker reacted immediately with a howl of pain and great gushes of steam rolled off his glittering, golden scales.

"Again!"

"AGAIN, MATEYS!"

The mages readied another volley. "Fire!"

"FIRE!" Again, multiple balls of water hit their mark and Longfang howled again, slowing down even further.

"All right," said Roland. "Aranella and Lofty are clear. Let the muskets have at it him."

"Right, um. Muskets! Open fire!"

"MUSKETS! OPEN FIRE!" Gunshots split the air as the musketeers opened fire, focusing their shots on Longfang's head. The Kingmaker roared in frustration as the lead shots peppered his face and head, forcing him to turn away, and slowing him almost to a stand still.

"Let's pull back," said Roland. "But keep the muskets firing."

"Fall back everyone!" Evan echoed. "But keep firing, muskets!"

"FALL BACK BUT KEEP FIRIN' MUSKETS!" The army pulled back, putting some space between them and Longfang.

Aranella and Lofty appeared in their midst shortly after, having threaded their way through the soldiers. She immediately hunched over, placing her hands on her knees and gasped for breath, sucking in great lungfuls of air.

"Nella!" Evan and Tani cried.

"Hold on, you two," Batu spoke up placing a restraining hand on their shoulders before they'd even taken a step toward her. "Let the lass catch'er breath."

"Oi!" Lofty objected. "I'm hyur too, mun."

Li Da scrutinised him. "Are you the Kingmaker we've heard so much about?"

"I am! Name's Lofty."

"I see." He turned to Roland. "When you said he was unable to assume his battle size, I expected him to be small. But I didn't imagine he'd be as small as this."

Lofty bristled. "What cheek! Youe're the one who's small here, pal!"

"Guess it's a good thing his size isn't what we're counting on then," Roland replied. "Lofty? Give them a taste of your power."

Lofty grinned. "Righto! What do you think of this, mun!" A golden aura washed over them and they collectively straightened up. "Bet youe're impressed now, eh?"

"Yes," Li Da replied. "You make… a very compelling argument."

A roar from Longfang drew their attention. He had reared up on his back legs, and looked like he was preparing a counter attack. "Lofty keep it up!" Roland commanded.

"I know, mun!"

"Bombs…!" Aranella gasped. "From above…!"

Bombs? Roland repeated mentally. Longfang slammed his front legs down and heated rocks – or bombs as Aranella had called them – shot up from somewhere within the earth.

"Scatter everyone!" Evan cried.

"SCATTER MATEYS!" Batu repeated. Lofty let the golden aura dissipate and the sound of gunfire died away as the army scattered to avoid the rocks raining down from above.

They began to pulse with a red light that increased in frequency and suddenly Roland understood what she'd meant. "Watch out!" He cried. "They're gonna explode!"

Multiple explosions ripped the air followed by agonised howls from those who had been too slow to get clear. He gritted his teeth. "Let's get Longfang away from the wounded."

"But we can't just leave-" Evan began to object.

"Fear not, King Evan," Li Da cut in. "If you can command Longfang's attention away, I will instruct the soldiers just arrived to move the wounded to safety."

He nodded at that. "All right. Leave it to us." Li Da nodded back before breaking away. "But… Tani and I can't see what's happening."

"Right… Batu," said Roland. "Get Evan onto your shoulders so he can see. We're not fighting bandits this time so it'll be fine."

"Aye." Batu hoisted Evan onto his shoulders with a squeal from Evan. "Now don't ye be worryin' about fallin' or nuthin', Yer Majesty. Ol' Batu's got a tight grip on ye."

"Thank you, Batu."

"And Tani? You'll be going on mine." He lifted her by her armpits and had to fight to quash the sudden unbidden thought of Will of all times, as her weight settled on his shoulders and she wrapped her arms around his head. "You…" He swallowed the lump in this throat. "You all right up there?"

"Yep!"

"Aranella? Can you move?"

"I'll keep up… don't worry," Aranella replied.

"All right. Let's go then."

"On me everyone!" Evan cried.

"ON EVAN, MATEYS!" The army began to form up around them as they moved.

"Get the muskets to get Longfang's attention," said Roland.

"Muskets! Open fire! Draw Longfang away!"

"MUSKETS OPEN FIRE! DRAW'IM AWAY!" The muskets opened fire, peppering Longfang's hide with lead shots, and he lunged after them with a roar.

"Lofty!" Evan prompted.

"Righto!" The golden aura washed over them again.

"Mages! Ready water bombs!"

"MAGES! READY YER WATER BOMBS!" Roland couldn't see the immediate difference between the water bombs and the regular water balloons until the mages launched a volley and the spells exploded on impact, detonating with a greater force and radius. Longfang howled in pain, rearing up on his hind legs.

"Muskets and mallets change places!"

"MUSKETS AND MALLETS CHANGE PLACES!" The two units changed places with practiced speed and precision. Evan waited until Longfang was back on all fours before commanding a charge, and the army let out a battle cry as they charged forward. They focused their attacks on Longfang's forelegs and he reared up on his hind legs again. The frontline pulled back and braced themselves for impact as Longfang's front paws slammed into the ground, sending chunks of earth flying. They surged forward again and resumed their assault. Longfang raised his right foreleg intending to pulverise the soldiers attacking him on that side, but they fell back out of his reach. He tried again with the other leg with the same result. He howled in frustration and took a deep breath, fire licking out from between his teeth.

"Fire!" Aranella cried in warning. "He's going to breath fire!"

"Mages! Water spouts!" Evan commanded.

"MAGES! WATER SPOUTS!"

"Everyone, get down!"

"GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!"

They all dropped to the ground as the mages unleashed their water spouts, just as Longfang unleashed his fire breath. Powerful jets of water streamed overhead with a loud roar and droplets rained down on their heads. Fire and water met, and the water jets broiled and sizzled and great gouts of steam erupted from the collision. There were cries from the frontline as droplets of scalding water hit them. Longfang gave another roar of frustration before leaping back, putting distance between himself and the army.

"That was some quick thinking," Li Da complemented as he rejoined them.

"How are the wounded?" Evan immediately asked.

"They are being taken to be treated for their injuries, but I… I cannot say how many will survive."

"We gave them a fighting chance at least," Tani reasoned in response to Evan's look of sadness. "Now all we can do for them is defeat Longfang."

"Tani's right," Roland agreed. "And we knew we weren't going to come out of this battle without any losses. So stay focused Evan."

"I… I know."

"More bombs!" Aranella warned. Lofty dropped the aura as the army scattered on command. They hastily reformed as Longfang used the opportunity to close the distance between them. He crashed into their frontline, sending many of the malleteers flying. Some of them did not get back up.

"Lofty!" Roland barked.

"I know, I know!" The golden aura was resumed and bolstered by the power, the sword units crowded around Longfang, hacking away at his golden hide, while the spear units hurled their spears at him. Longfang bent his forelegs in a half crouch.

"Tail swipe! Tail swipe!" Aranella warned.

"Fall back and get down everyone!" Evan cried.

"FALL BACK AN' GET DOWN, MATEYS!" The army scrambled back and threw themselves to the ground as Longfang's five tails whizzed over their heads, and several soldiers narrowly avoided being crushed by the Kingmaker's feet as he whipped around in a circle.

"Whoo!" Tani whooped. "Felt the breeze on that one!"

As the army got back on their feet, Longfang roared again and leapt back. He took an even deeper breath as fire licked out from between his teeth once more. "Fire beam! Fire bream!" Aranella warned.

"Split up!" Roland shouted. "Break left and right!"

Batu repeated the order in a bellow and the army split, with one half breaking right and the other breaking left. A blisteringly hot beam of fire erupted from Longfang's mouth, instantly incinerating the unlucky few who'd been caught inside. Several people swore.

"We do not want to get on the wrong side of that," Roland uttered and the others nodded wordlessly. As the army reformed, he continued. "All right, new plan. Let's try to pin him down with our melee units, while our mages go to town on him with their water spells and the muskets supporting. That will mean the spear units will need to move up on his flanks."

"We only need to hold out until Captain Ya Pi arrives," Li Da reminded him.

"I haven't forgotten. But notice how he leapt away to use the attack, but didn't use it when he was fighting us up close?"

"Oh, yes. So he did. Then it would seem that we will need to remain in close quarters in order to avoid it."

"Right." He glanced at Longfang. "It also seems like he needs to take a moment after using it, so now's our chance. Evan? Let's move the army in closer. And Lofty-"

"I'm on it, mun!" The golden aura was brought forth once more.

"Everyone! Forward!" Evan commanded.

"FORWARD MATEYS!" The army moved forward, closing the distance between them and Longfang. The swords and mallets crashed into the still recuperating Kingmaker and began wailing on him with their weapons.

"Muskets! Open fire! Spears! Move up on his flanks!"

"MUSKETS OPEN FIRE! SPEARS MOVE UP ON'IS FLANKS!" As the muskets opened fire, the spears moved up and began jabbing him with their spears once they were in position.

"Mages! Ready water spouts!"

"MAGES READY YER WATER SPOUTS!"

"Mallets and muskets get down!"

"MALLETS AN' MUSKETS GET DOWN!"

As the party and both units dropped to the ground, the mages unleashed their water spouts. Once again great jets of water streamed overhead with a loud roar, showering them with stray droplets. Longfang howled in pain with a cry so loud it had them covering their ears.

"He didn't like that!" Tani remarked.

"He sure didn't!" Lofty added.

"We're sorry, Longfang!" Evan called out.

Longfang half crouched as he readied a tail swipe. "Break! Break!" Roland shouted.

"BREAK AWAY MATEYS!" The army hastily pulled back. Some narrowly avoided the tail swipe by throwing themselves to the ground in the nick of time but an unlucky few were sent flying. They did not get back up. Longfang used the opportunity to leap back, and he reared up on his hind legs.

"More bombs!" Aranella warned.

But before he could complete the attack, they heard someone issuing a command. "Mages! Ready water bombs!" Then. "Fire!" A volley of water bombs crashed into Longfang from behind and he fell forward with a howl of agony.

"Look!" Tani cried and pointed. "It's Ya Pi and the others!" The soldiers cheered for the appearance of their Captain.

"Evan, quickly!" Roland urged. "Let's use the opportunity to get in close again."

"Right! Forward everyone!"

"FORWARD MATEYS!" The army closed the distance with a charge, crashing into the Kingmaker once more and bringing their weapons to bear on him with all the force they could muster. Longfang tried to pulverise them with one leg, then the other, but each time they pulled back. He took a deep breath, fire licking out from between his teeth.

"Mages-!" Evan began but Ya Pi was ordering another bombardment himself. Water bombs crashed into Longfang from behind, and he howled in pain, the fire sputtering out.

He leapt away and took another, deeper breath.

"Fire beam!" Aranella warned again.

"Split!" Roland shouted.

"SPLIT, MATEYS!" As the army scrambled to dodge the attack, Ya Pi ordered his mages to prepare their water blasts. The fire beam was fired off and yet another unlucky few were incinerated, but then the water blasts were pummelling his left flank and he reeled, letting out another deafening howl. While the Kingmaker was recuperating from the barrage, Ya Pi's forces crashed into his left, while Evan's forces moved up on his right. Their melee units wailed on him, while their mages bombarded him with another barrage of water spells. He reared up in his hind legs, calling forth more magma bombs and forcing both armies to scatter to avoid them before leaping away. And so it went on, until at long last, Longfang threw back his head in a defeated roar and sparks of blue light began pouring out of him. "That did it, mun!" Lofty crowed. The Kingmaker, rather than leaping into the air hauled himself into the air and beat his wings to gain altitude. He laboured back to his King's Cradle, trailing blue light and the army cheered.

"Gods, look!" Aranella cried, and the victory celebration gave way to horror. Goldpaw was on fire!

We do away with the BS pocket dimension and instead have them fight Longfang outside the city for two reasons:

1) It removes the consequences of the Kingmaker running amok.

2) It forces a direct confrontation with the Kingmaker, thereby turning Kingmakers into a complete joke.

Like oh no, Longfang will return? Wow who cares? He got beaten up by (depending on your party composition) two children and a twenty year old, all with minimal combat experience. Apparently this "mighty Kingmaker" is in reality a total pushover. And like yeah, you can justify it by saying that Longfang having his kingsbond severed means he's not at full power anymore, but that then begs the questions why he's apparently considered to still be a threat?