Chapter Four: Moonlight and Flames

The moon was high in the sky when Corona was awoken by a sudden sound. In less than ten seconds she had rolled off the bed, landing in a crouch with the bed between her and the door, eyes scanning the room and sword raised to deal with any prescient threats. She quickly locked on to a figure sitting on the windowsill, relaxing slightly as she saw the moonlight reflect off white hair and fox ears.

"Calm down, soldier," chuckled the faunus. "It's just me." Corona lowered her sword, moving out from behind the bed.

"What are you doing here?" Corona demanded.

"What do you want me to be doing here?" she replied suggestively. Corona rolled her eyes, nonplussed. The girl smiled, unaffected by her lack of reaction. "I was just thinking we didn't really get a chance to talk earlier, and you seem interesting."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. So, let's start with something easy, like your name. Oh, wait, I should tell you mine first. I'm Rin, Shiromori Rin."

"Corona Drake," she replied with a small smile. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Corona, huh. That's a pretty name." She looked out the window, down to the square where Oberon still stood, unmoving. Corona noted that the gates had been closed, and she guessed that was a precaution against the night. "What about him?"

"Oberon."

"Oberon..."

"Just Oberon."

"Oh, um, is he just gonna stand out there all night?"

"Unless something happens, yes."

"Doesn't he need to sleep?"

Corona shrugged in response, not really having a good answer to that question. Rin regarded her curiously, studying her features. Then with a sigh, she asked the question that had really been eating at her.

"Who is Raven Branwen? And why does my grandfather know her?"

"As for the second question, I must confess that I do not know. As for the first, she is a former huntress, and is currently my master. Beyond that, I know little. She's not exactly the type to share personal stories, and I'm not the type to question orders. I do not know why we are here, but I promise, we wi-" she stopped short as the room went dark, the moonlight suddenly blocked by the shadowy profile of Oberon.

"Incoming hostiles," was his deadpan report.

The two women's eyes widened at his words. Corona was the first to recover from the surprise. "How many and how long?"

"Perhaps three hundred. At their current speed we've got maybe thirty minutes."

Corona nodded, then turned back to Rin. "How many of the villagers can fight?"

Rin grimaced. "Not enough, not nearly enough."

"Is there a way to get everyone out without being detected?"

A nod. "There is a tunnel built into the back of the temple. It leads to the base of the mountain, in case we were ever attacked."

"Good. Wake the villagers, and tell them to take refuge in the temple. While you're at it, gather all those who can fight, and tell them to make their way to the walls. We need to hold the line long enough for everyone to get away." When Rin nodded in affirmation, Corona turned to address Oberon. "Oberon, I need you t-" no one was there. "I guess he's already on it."

"On what?" Rin inquired.

"He will slow them down as best he can, and pick off any stragglers."

The forest was quiet, all the night animals having fallen silent, wary of the intruders on their mountain home. The invaders, too, were quiet, causing little more than a whisper as they passed. For all their stealth though, to Oberon they were like elephants trampling the earth. Concealed in shadows, he flitted through the trees, surveying his foes. Well, thought the amused young man, if they want quiet, I can help with that. Dropping down behind them, he stretched out his arm, allowing his black sword to coalesce in his left hand. Soundlessly, he swiped his sword in a large arc. Three heads were separated from three bodies, and by the time they hit the ground, he had already disappeared into the shadows. From his perch in the trees on the other side of the troop, he heard the shouts as they realized they were under attack. He held up one head for study, having grabbed it as he went. It was male, of middling age, human. He appeared to have painted his face white, and his forehead was decorated with a rhomboidal, eye-shaped mark. A flash of memory, glowing red orbs, surrounded by black. Oberon's grip tightened as he recognized the sigil. So, they follow her, do they?

He shook his head, then looked below him. The group had reorganized themselves, wary of any attack, scanning their surroundings while continuing to move forward. Dissipating himself, he slid down the tree and made his way into the center of the group. Rising up, he spun in a circle, the resistance of necks, heads, and bodies barely slowing him down. It really was so much easier when your enemies couldn't manifest their auras. This time, however, he did not disappear, but stood silently in the center of his corpse circle. The enemies spun to face the threat that had appeared in their midst, raising weapons and training their sights on the black figure. One heartbeat, two, then flash and thunder, bullets flying through the night. Then silence and shadow, blood on snow. The bullets had passed through Oberon, hitting their own soldiers on the other side of him. Meanwhile, he had retreated into the trees. A hollow chuckle whispered on the wind. "Are you having fun yet? I know I am."

Corona stood on the walls, reviewing her ragtag assembly of fighters. Seven men, four women. Adding her, Oberon, and Rin, that made fourteen. Fourteen against three hundred. Yeah, somehow she didn't see this ending well. Add to that, there did not seem to be any sort of anti-siege weaponry, and she was really hoping for good news. Rin ran up the wall, coming to a stop in front of Corona. The knight raised an eyebrow at her fox-eared companion, who shook her head sadly. "The tunnel is only wide enough for one at a time. It will take forty minutes to get everyone out, at the least." Corona sighed. Fourteen against three hundred for forty minutes. Just keeps getting better and better.

For the next thirteen minutes, she went around, assigning positions, Rin following behind. Then she made her way to the gate, glancing behind her. "Who's the best fighter you have," she questioned Rin.

Rin looked around at her fellow villagers, then back at Corona. "Me, if I'm being honest."

Corona nodded, sensing that it was not mere ego that made her respond that way. "We will hold the gate. It's the weakest point in the wall, so they will concentrate their attack there."

"What about the walls? Won't they try to scale them?"

"Of course. That's why we will leave the gate open."

"What?"

"With their numbers, overrunning the walls would be easy. However, if the gate is open, then they will instinctively go for it. However, by assaulting the gate, they limit their ability to swarm us. This will make it easier to hold them off. Besides, if any do go for the walls, the others will be there to pick them off.

Rin considered her words, then nodded and joined Corona as she passed through the open gate. It was not long afterward that the shadows beside them shifted, and Oberon appeared by Corona's side.

"Not long now," he said, looking into the forest. True to his word, less than a minute passed before shadowy figures began to slip forth from the shadows. On and on they came, till an army of spectres stood silhouetted in the light of the moon. Then, with a single motion, dozens of torches were raised and lit, illuminating the faces of their attackers. Every one of them had the same white paint on their faces, the same red eyes on their foreheads. So there they stood fourteen against an army, and death lay heavy on the night, lit by moonlight and flame.