As Non reached the exit, she chanced a look over her shoulder at the furious battle. To her relief, none of the fighters seemed to notice her as she ran down the hall. Non prayed that the mechanism hadn't been disabled by time and disuse, then pressed the little button hidden in the stonework. After a tense second of silence, she heard the quiet clunks of pistons working behind the wall, then a slight grinding sound of stone on stone as the bricks slid aside.

Non peered into the darkness beyond the door, but couldn't see anything. Unnervingly enough, there were rustling noises and what sounded like footsteps in the cave. There was an emergency lights system, but after flipping the lever a few times, Non was forced to admit it wasn't going to happen. She took a deep breath and started running.

The minute she passed the first of the cave branches, a spider leaped at her. Non managed to skewer it on her sword seconds before it bit her, and it fell twitching on the cold stone as foaming poison dripped from its fangs. Non knew there were more coming and kept going, too terrified to look back again.

It felt like she ran for hours, desperately listening for more explosions in the directions of the base. But she didn't hear anything, either because she was too far away or because Iluv had died before she could pull the lever. She didn't want to know.

Finally, a tiny speck of daylight appeared up ahead. Non desperately poured her last bit of strength into the distance and emerged, blinking, in the open air. Safe, finally. After looking around and making sure she was alone, Non lay down on the warm earth. Remembering Iluv's last words, the tears she had long suppressed began to flow.

"Look who it is," said a cold voice. Non barely had the energy to turn her head to see who it was but she could hear three distinct sets of hoofbeats.

"A rat from the sinking ship," said another voice, female this time. "Should we kill her?"

"She looks dead already," said the third voice. Non recognized this one: Cpatin_crunch of TrollSquad. That meant the woman was erinjackson, TrollSquad's leader. Who was the first?

The first rider dismounted and walked over to where Non lay. She held as still as possible, knowing every breath could be her last.

The man's weapon, an enchanted axe, was tossed carelessly into the mud next to her. Two clawed fingers pressed briefly against her throat, checking her pulse. She tried not to flinch, but the temptation was too strong.

"Alive," he said shortly. Non opened her eyes a tiny sliver and looked around. The light gleaming off his armor was blinding, but she could see the three letters engraved on the handle of his axe: BTK. Non closed her eyes again, sick with fear. Draegan, the BTK leader and TrollSquad's ally.

"Then make it dead," snapped Erin harshly. "We can't waste any time. Once the other factions hear the CookieCrew base is open to attack, we'll be fighting every Free-ranked noob who wants some loot."

Suddenly Non heard shouts and footsteps running towards her. Draegan jumped up, grabbing his axe.

"Shit, they're already here," cpatin_crunch growled. "Let's move!"

The three swiftly spurred their mounts in the direction of the ruined base. Non relaxed for a brief second before another shadow fell over her. She squinted up again and saw it was Prysms. Her armor was battered and she was covered in blood.

"Oh good, you're alive," she said. She dropped her sword and pulled something out of a pocket, then tossed it on Non's prone form. It was the little magma cream badge that marked her as a CookieCrew leader.

"The others are dead," she added bitterly. "Clever, and ruthless; using your own allies as bait to hold us in the base while you blew it up. Something I would never have expected from CookieCrew."

"They gave us orders not to kill you," she added. "Go far away from here and rebuild CookieCrew. But we'll be watching you." She turned to leave.

"Wait," Non rasped. "You were ordered to raid us? By who?"

"Not so much ordered as paid and supplied," said Prysms. "As for who, I think you already know." She picked up her sword and walked away.

Right before she passed out, Non had a sudden burst of clarity. On the pommel of Prysms' sword, below the stylized R insignia of RezDynasty, was another symbol. Two crossed swords and the face of a duck.

So now you know. Vin destroyed us. We underestimated her power, her fury, her thirst for revenge. The last of the flower army died with Iluv that night. She gave her life to save me and make sure CookieCrew would continue.

I never wanted anything to do with their war. But she killed my friends in the cruelest way possible, forcing them to sacrifice themselves, and knowing I'd carry the guilt forever.

I will resurrect her army.

I will make her know my pain.

My name is Non. And this is my requiem to her.