Okay well life did get in the way but I was able to sort this chapter out! Sorry for the late update. Again, it's been a very draining week so it really makes a difference to see people reviewing this story. Please do!

Thank you to WillDreamer for another really well-written review that comprehensively breaks down the chapter - thank you for making the effort to spot all the small things, it really helps me to feel seen. I hope to do the same for your work but I don't think I'm as good at returning the favour.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the second part of the titular Fall of Ragers.

This chapter is written from Gregor's perspective.

Chapter 49: The Fall, Part Two

Gregor launched himself at Flavius first, swinging his blade ferociously at the fox's face. Flavius met the swing with a solid parry, deflecting the attack with relative ease.

Snake, still without a pistol or any other firearms, lunged at Gregor with Solovet's dagger, hoping to catch Gregor out and plunge it into his side. But Gregor quickly adjusted to parry the strike, and responded with a fierce thrust of his own, forcing Snake into a rapid retreat.

Gregor had the advantage of strength and range against Snake, but with Flavius also in the equation, his attentions were precariously divided between defending and attacking.

It was Flavius' turn to lunge forward, unfurling his claws as he tried to sink them into Gregor's chest. Gregor sidestepped the lunge gracefully and responded with a deft swipe, missing the left side of Flavius' face but shaving his whiskers completely off.

Flavius landed on his front paws heavily as he missed Gregor, drawing a hiss of pain from the fox. His right forelimb was bleeding profusely from the cut Gregor had inflicted on it. Gregor had no doubt that it had been a target of Ripred's relentless attacks, with the old rat probably forcing Flavius to use his right forelimb more often, or attacking the wound itself.

Just as Gregor was prepared to follow up with a counter-attack, he felt something was off and immediately spun around.

His rager senses peaked instantly as his sword flew up to deflect Snake's attack.

Gregor backed away quickly, slashing the air wildly a couple of times to fend them off. He couldn't attack either of them - it would only open himself up to an attack by the other. He was extremely lucky to escape unscathed from Snake's attempt to stab him in the back. In moments like this, being a rager no longer seemed like such a curse.

Flavius smelled blood. He quickly recovered his composure and launched a series of swipes at Gregor, which he repelled skilfully. Snake then took over, getting in front of Flavius and jabbing at Gregor's left side repeatedly. Gregor parried the strikes away but it was almost as if Snake detected a weakness on his left side. Now that Gregor no longer had Solovet's dagger to protect him, his left side felt so much more… naked.

Now Flavius bounded in front of Snake as the mercenary tried to circle round to Gregor's right side. The fox king now lunged forward with his jaws, attempting to close them down on Gregor's left shoulder. Gregor danced out of the way but immediately found his sword clashing with Solovet's dagger, as Snake attempted to thrust it into his right side.

He fired a kick at Snake's midriff, catching the mercenary by surprise and sending him stumbling back as he doubled over in pain.

Flavius lunged forward yet again, and Gregor again had to hop to one side to avoid the attack.

But this time, he used the momentum of the jump to spin his body, employing the momentum to fire a brutal roundhouse kick at Flavius' face.

His boot didn't connect as cleanly as he would've liked, but it caught Flavius' mask and sent the fox stumbling back too. The fox king grunted in surprise, and actually decided to hold back from attacking Gregor. His single eye remained trained on Gregor with laser-focus, roving across Gregor's body to find any sign of weakness.

Snake wasted no time scrutinising Gregor. He jabbed fiercely at Gregor, forcing Gregor to deflect the strike with his sword. Flavius now threw himself into the mix with two vicious swipes, with Gregor barely able to parry both attacks. Snake now thrust at Gregor's right side, but Gregor danced out of the way at the last possible second. Flavius slashed at Gregor's knees, which Gregor just about repelled with a wild swing of his blade.

Snake sprang forward and produced a horizontal slash with his knife, which Gregor narrowly evaded.

Flavius swung his paw at Gregor's left side, and Gregor adjusted in the nick of time to shield his left side with his blade. The force of the strike, however, knocked Gregor a few steps back.

Snake attempted to slash Gregor's wrist with his knife, but Gregor quickly pulled back and responded with a violent jab of his own.

Flavius attempted to bring his claws down on Gregor's exposed head, but Gregor brought his sword up just in time to block the attack.

Snake fired a brutal kick at Gregor's legs. His foot bounced off the armour, but Gregor felt his right knee buckle slightly.

As Snake backed off, Flavius now lunged towards Gregor's legs. Gregor leaped back to avoid the fox's jaws.

Snake fired another kick at Gregor's legs, again catching Gregor off-guard. This time, Gregor buckled completely as he fell onto his right knee.

Flavius lashed out with a backhanded swing. It caught Gregor squarely in the chest and sent him skidding across the cavern floor, coming to a halt only when he hit the cavern wall with his left shoulder.

Gregor groaned in pain, but forced himself back onto his feet. He looked up to see Flavius and Snake approaching slowly. Both refused to acknowledge each other, which was a weakness Gregor hadn't exploited yet.

But how could he?

Ripred was down, if not dead.

He didn't have a helmet. Flavius had smacked him around like he was a ragdoll. Any chance he had of pulling off a victory dwindled with Snake's re-entry into the fight.

Attempts to provoke a conflict between them wouldn't help - they'd tear him to pieces before they turned on each other. Neither of them was stupid enough to allow Gregor to live.

Gregor felt like breaking down in tears. All this planning, and effort, and fighting… for what?

For him to fall at the hands of a deluded gun-for-hire and a psychotic tyrant?

Where was the justice in that?

Flavius, who had taken hundreds of innocent lives with his own paws and caused the death of thousands…

Snake, who had inflicted lifelong trauma on Gregor's family and killed so many of Gregor's and Calvin's friends…

Was this Sandwich's vision of the future?

Gregor had fought with fire in his belly and rage in his bones. He'd given everything to lead the impossible fight against the inexorable advance of fate.

He wondered what his approaching adversaries were thinking.

Flavius, the leader of two thousand warriors who'd known only famine and despair.

Snake, a mercenary for a cause so twisted and vile, they genuinely believed they were saving the world by ending another.

No matter how evil they were, they both genuinely believed they were fighting for something bigger than themselves.

What did Gregor believe in?

He looked at Ripred, lying still and alone against the cavern wall. There were times he'd been frustrated by the old rat… there were times Gregor maybe even hated him. But despite all the betrayals, and hurt, and loss caused by the Peacemaker, there were few Gregor trusted more.

Gregor glanced over at Calvin. Blood crept out of the young man's wound as he remained out cold. Calvin represented everything Gregor wished he could have had when he had reached the nadir of life - wealth, conviction, hope - while he may never be able to have the former, he definitely had the latter two now. Calvin, without realising it, had helped him to see that the courage to be yourself was the foundation of hope.

Gregor's gaze wandered over to the semi-conscious Hecate. Besides the orange strip running down her underbelly, she bore the colour of the night - the same coat of obsidian Ares used to wear. She was a mirage of a past Gregor had, but he only needed to look closer to see she also carried the future of the Underland.

Gregor thought about Temp, about Vikus, about Hamnet. They had taught him that prejudice was a sword that cut deeper than the one he wielded, that every drop of blood was worth the price of gold, that one only needed to look just beyond the eclipse of war and pain to find an unending purple horizon of hope and peace.

Gregor could still feel the warmth of Mareth's bear hug, and hear Thalia's giggle, and see Twitchtip's anxious fidgeting.

He remembered Boots' wailing, Lizzie's panic attacks, his dad's brilliance, and his mum's nagging.

He saw Luxa's violet eyes.

They were the purple horizon he'd been seeing all this while - an unspoken promise of a life beyond darkness and steel.

As his grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, he felt each hand was clasping a claw - one from the past, and one from the present. Suddenly, he imagined a pair of wings sprouting from his back, lifting him up when the world seemed so determined to push him down.

And then Gregor finally understood what he was fighting for.

Not for glory, not for vengeance, not even for honour.

Gregor was fighting for love and hope.

And he wasn't going to rest until he had given both to those he still cared about.

Gregor rushed forward, buoyed by the wings of hope. The world around him flew by, but everything in front of him came to a standstill. He surrendered his mind to his body, but this time with the complete faith that his body would do right by him. He was no longer a rager driven by bloodlust or fury - his mind and body, after so many years of torment and suffering, were finally in tandem with each other.

His sword flashed out at Flavius, almost taking the fox's remaining eye if he hadn't pulled back just in time. Gregor did not bother to think about his next move. He allowed his hands to guide him, and he watched calmly as his sword now swung towards Snake, again narrowly missing Snake's chin.

Gregor could barely register what he was doing. In some moments, he caught a glimpse of what was going on - an emphatic parry of Flavius' swipe, a raised knee to block Snake's kick, a deft flick that nicked Flavius' paw, a fierce punch driven into Snake's ribs… Gregor somehow didn't know what was going on, while completely understanding what he was doing. Function and motive had finally melded together into the ultimate weapon.

Gregor was not simply a rager, or warrior, or pacifist - more than ever before, he was the sum of everything and everyone that he had experienced and met. Every swing of his blade carried the weight of all he had seen, but it had also finally been liberated from all the souls shackled to it.

He finally paused for a breather, backing up slightly to survey the scene in front of him.

Flavius bared his teeth into a snarl, revealing a cracked canine. Wounds ran across his body like fault lines - the scratches inflicted by Ripred and the cuts exacted by Gregor's blade now criss-crossed each other. Somehow, Gregor had narrowly missed his good eye, resulting in a long gash running just under it.

Snake meanwhile, hobbled forward, the morbid delight in his eyes fading against a dark backdrop of fear and pain. Based on the way the palm of his left hand was pressed against his side, Gregor was guessing he'd either cut through a gap in Snake's armour, or the mercenary had broken a couple of his ribs. Blood continued to pour out of the stab wound inflicted by Gregor's dagger - the longer this fight dragged on, the closer Snake came to bleeding out.

Gregor assumed a defensive stance, steeling himself against the inevitable assault that would come.

True enough, Flavius made the first move, bounding towards him with rabid aggression. Gregor took a deep breath and patiently waited a couple of seconds.

One.

Two.

Now.

Gregor moved forward, shortening the dwindling distance between them. As Flavius hurled himself forward recklessly, jaws gaping and claws extended, Gregor gritted his teeth and dropped to his knees, sliding across the cavern floor and underneath the leaping Flavius.

As Flavius' shadow engulfed him, Gregor closed his eyes and trusted his body once more. He was vaguely aware of Flavius' claws whistling past his head, coming inches away from taking out Gregor's eyes or embedding themselves in his skull. Gregor felt the air rush past his face, and he could have sworn Flavius' fur gently brushed his skin as the two of them crossed each other without collision.

Then, as the seconds began to speed up again, Gregor slashed upwards.

Gregor's knee slide came to an abrupt halt as the force of his blade connected with Flavius' flesh slowed down his momentum. He heard the fox king crash to the ground behind him. Gregor got to his feet and turned around, ready to take Flavius on again.

But he didn't have to.

Flavius was facing Gregor too, but something was seriously wrong with him. His right hind leg was limp, dragging along the floor as Flavius struggled to move forward. A stream of blood trickled down the leg, but this was no mere flesh wound. Without seeing what had happened, Gregor knew what he'd done - Flavius' tendons had been severed with one swift stroke of Gregor's blade. He wouldn't be able to use that leg for the rest of this fight, if ever again.

The pain and rage in Flavius' eye bore a hole in Gregor's chest. He couldn't afford to get close to the fox - with nothing to lose, Flavius would be even more reckless than before. Gregor had seen the consequences of fighting an adversary like that - it had cost Ares his life.

Suddenly, his rager senses screeched in his head again.

Gregor barely had time to turn around as Snake crashed into him, sending the both of them rolling across the cavern floor. Snake was the first to recover, rolling into a crouched position before launching himself at Gregor again.

Gregor didn't have time to swing his sword. He brought his knee up as Snake collided into him again, hoping that his knee would dig into Snake's ribs. The mercenary winced as he slammed into Gregor at full force, taking the brunt of Gregor's armour in the chest. Both, however, went tumbling again, before Snake latched onto Gregor and wrapped himself around Gregor's legs.

Gregor fired a brutal elbow straight into Snake's face. His elbow smashed against Snake's right cheek, eliciting a heavy grunt from the mercenary.

But just as the sound slipped from Snake's lips, Gregor felt a sharp pain in his left knee.

Gregor screamed in agony as he scrambled back, leaving his sword behind as he retreated. He looked down to find Solovet's dagger buried in his left knee - Snake had capitalised on the chaos of the moment to drive it between a gap in Gregor's armour. Biting down on his tongue to catch the scream building in his throat, Gregor grabbed hold of the dagger and yanked it out.

But the damage was done.

Gregor felt the blood drain from his face and out of his wound as he struggled to get up. He just about managed to get onto both feet, but he knew he was almost done - he could barely put any weight on his left knee.

As Snake also rose to his feet, Gregor hobbled backwards to buy himself some time and space. But it only resulted in him slipping and falling back down. Grimacing, he looked up helplessly as Snake limped forward and picked up Sandwich's sword.

Gregor almost let out a bitter snort. So Sandwich had called for the blade to be reforged, only for it to be plunged into the one destined to wield it. The madman certainly had a taste for irony.

He glanced over at the advancing Flavius, who continued to drag his right hind leg but seemed determined to land the last blow on Gregor.

Gregor took a deep breath and calmed his throbbing heart. Maybe the Regalians had won the battle on the field - maybe Luxa would find a way to detonate the charges. Maybe his death wouldn't be in vain, and this all amounted to something. This mission, after all, had been far bigger than any single one of them. Perhaps it'd prove to be bigger than Sandwich's own "Prophecy of Ragers".

But just as Flavius and Snake were about to converge on Gregor like a pair of famished beasts, a defiant voice rang out in the cavern.

"RAGERS!"

Snake and Flavius turned around. Gregor craned his neck to see what was going on.

Ripred paced forward, his grey fur now red with his own blood. Blood and drool leaked out of his mouth, and he struggled to maintain his balance with his injured tail twisted into an awkward position.

But Gregor only needed to look straight into Ripred's eye to know this fight was not over yet. The fire that still burned within it could have reduced the entire military base to charred rubble. Somehow, despite how battered and bloodied he was, he found a way to get back up.

"Lord Ripred," Flavius acknowledged the old rat's return grudgingly.

"You didn't think this fight was over, did you?" Ripred asked, the words gurgled by the blood frothing at his mouth.

Snake cast a dismissive glance at Gregor. "The fight with him is done," Snake said to Flavius. "Let's kill the rat first."

Flavius seemed to glare at Snake, but said nothing in response.

Gregor tried to get back onto his feet, but it was a struggle for him. His left leg wasn't used to bearing this much weight.

Flavius and Snake moved towards Ripred, who had now broken out into a light jog. Snake, wielding Gregor's sword, headed for Ripred's left while Flavius shifted over to Ripred's right, his hind leg still dangling weakly behind him.

Then they launched a simultaneous attack.

Ripred reacted quickly, rebuffing Flavius' weak swipe before blocking Snake's slash. Flavius attempted to lunge in and clamp his jaws on Ripred's back again, but Ripred's right hind leg lashed out, forcing Flavius to dive out of the way. Snake followed up with a downward swing, but Ripred sprang aside easily before launching a series of fierce swipes that forced Snake to hobble backwards in retreat.

Flavius responded with a backhand swipe at Ripred, but Ripred swatted the attack aside easily. A savage riposte by Ripred left a scratch mark on Flavius' chin and claimed a few tufts of hair. Flavius stumbled backwards, hissing in pain from Ripred's counter-attack.

Snake now re-entered the fight, thrusting his blade straight at Ripred's back. Ripred spun around to deflect the attack, responding with a vicious swipe that kept Snake at arm's length.

Flavius attacked Ripred's right side again, with Ripred turning just in time to block Flavius' paws.

Snake lunged in with the sword and Ripred narrowly ducked and rolled out of the way.

Then Snake and Flavius both attacked Ripred at the same time.

And everything became a blur.

Ripred began spinning, a combination of both his front and back feet being employed to ward off Flavius' and Snake's relentless assault. Flavius and Snake dialed up the ferocity of their attacks, but they couldn't land a single blow on Ripred. Ripred's claws met anything thrown at him - steel, teeth, fists, they were all the same to the old rat.

Flavius and Snake backed off, panting heavily. Ripred finally stopped spinning, staggering slightly to his left as he tried to regain his balance after surrendering to the momentum of his spinning.

All three ragers were badly wounded. Flavius looked like he was mere minutes away from death's door, Ripred's features were barely discernible over the wounds and blood, while Snake was bending over from the pain in his left side. The wound from the dagger and the continued fighting had definitely taken a toll on Snake - Gregor was sure that it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to blood loss.

Snake's gaze suddenly flitted over to Hecate and Calvin. Ripred's eye followed.

Flavius lunged lazily at Ripred, which Ripred dodged easily. But it was all the distraction Snake needed to make a beeline towards Calvin and Hecate.

Ripred noticed the mercenary's abrupt change in direction, and after swatting away a couple of Flavius' swipes, he launched himself after Snake.

And then time seemed to slow down.

Flavius took advantage of Ripred's diverted attention to hurl himself at the old rat. He channeled everything into one last lunge, unfurling his claws in the process.

Snake paused his movement towards Calvin and turned back around.

Ripred's rager senses kicked in, and instead of continuing his sprint towards Snake, he instinctively sprang into the air and lashed out with his hind foot. Gregor watched with incredulity as Ripred's mid-air counter-attack connected with Flavius' solitary eye.

Flavius bellowed as his attack missed Ripred completely. The fox king crashed hard against the cavern floor, blood spurting out of his eye. He lay prone on the ground, gasping as he struggled to make sense of the new wall of black erected in front of him.

Ripred had blinded Flavius.

The old rat landed with a heavy thud on the cavern floor.

He didn't have time to recover.

"RIPRED!" Gregor screamed.

But it was too late.

Gregor watched on in horror as Snake rushed forward and ran Sandwich's sword through Ripred's side.

Ripred roared.

The old rat's rager reactions were for once, far too slow. His claw flailed out and caught Snake's lower lip, sending the mercenary stumbling back.

Ripred sank down to the cavern floor, Sandwich's sword still lodged in his side. His eye flicked upwards and met Gregor's stare.

And Gregor saw everything - the pain, the sorrow, and most surprisingly, the peace.

Then Ripred rolled to one side and went limp.

"RIPRED!" Gregor yelled again, his voice cracking this time. Hot tears began to roll down his face.

Snake walked over to Ripred and unceremoniously yanked Sandwich's sword out of him. He glanced over at the blinded Flavius, who was whimpering softly as his face remained pressed against the ground. Sneering dismissively, he now proceeded to hobble over to the still-unconscious Calvin, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back towards the middle of the cavern. Hecate had clearly slipped into a state of unconsciousness too, as she made no visible movement despite Calvin being lifted off her wing.

Snake dragged Calvin past Flavius and released him, allowing Calvin's limp body to slump down against the cavern floor. Gregor winced as he saw the knife wound in Calvin's side continue to pump blood out. Flavius had stopped whimpering, and now lifted his head in response to Snake's movement. His left eye remained intact, but there was no light left in it. Just a soulless void remained where his once penetrating amber gaze was.

Flavius took a deep sniff, registering the scene playing out in front of him.

Snake looked at Gregor. He lifted Sandwich's sword, pointing it at Calvin's unconscious body. "He should've been fighting with me. He would've been, if not for you."

Gregor now stumbled to his feet. Despite the searing jolt of pain coursing through his right knee, he stood up straight. "He shouldn't be fighting at ALL," he replied.

"This is our war," Snake fired back. "This is about our future."

"What future, Snake?" Gregor responded. "What kind of world are we trying to build here?"

"It doesn't matter how it's built, as long as it is," Snake snarled. "We'll be forgotten, but this is our legacy. The continuation of the human race."

Snake now pointed his sword at Flavius. "You think his life is worth more than yours? You can be my guest and die with him."

Flavius tilted his head to one side, indicating he was aware that he was being referred to.

Gregor bent down and picked up Solovet's jewelled dagger. This was not a fight he could win. But what else could he do?

Snake watched him pick the dagger up in amusement. "Gotta give you credit," he said grudgingly. "You don't know when to give up."

"I don't have to kill you," Gregor said coldly. "Luxa will detonate the charges. Then everything you have is gone."

"Oh c'mon, we both know you're full of shit," Snake said. "I know Calvin's the one who planted the charges, so he has the detonator. And he's lying right in front of me. Thanks for helping me take Flavius out of the picture too, by the way - it'll make the next part of our operation a lot easier."

Flavius growled, but remained prone.

Gregor hobbled forward, but stopped as a sharp pain shot up his right leg.

"Well, you put up a good fight," Snake said. "I'll kill Calvin first, then it's your turn. But don't worry - I'll give you a quick death, Warrior."

Snake gripped Sandwich's sword with both hands, and reared back to bring the sword down on Calvin.

But just before the sword fell, he stopped, his eyes widening and his smile twisting into a gasp of horror.

Three claws sprouted out of his chest.

Gregor stumbled back in shock.

Flavius, with blinding speed, had driven his claws right through Snake's back.

The king of the foxes lifted Snake off the ground, and hurled him towards Gregor. Snake crashed down about ten feet away from Gregor. Sandwich's sword slipped from his grasp and landed at Gregor's feet.

Snake tried to stand up, but it was clear he couldn't. He retched out blood, and could only lift himself onto his knees. There was no strength left in him.

Gregor picked up Sandwich's sword, ignoring the pain in his right knee. Snake lurched back and forth, struggling to maintain his balance. He vomited out another torrent of blood again, doubling over from the sheer force of the red river gushing out his mouth.

Gregor took one step closer to Snake, then another.

Then another.

Then another.

Until he was right in front of Snake.

He looked up at Flavius, whose eyeless gaze was fixed on him. Somehow, despite having lost his vision, it seemed that Flavius was still vaguely aware of his surroundings. He simply nodded at Gregor.

Gregor looked down at Snake, whose breaths became shallower by the second. The mercenary looked up at Gregor, fear and regret now lining his eyes. He tried to speak but tripped over his own tongue and the blood that lined his mouth. Here, at the end of the rope, it seemed fitting that he couldn't muster one last remark or insult.

There would be no more venom from him.

Gregor would not dignify his end with a eulogy. Without a second's hesitation, he drove his dagger through Snake's eye and deep into his skull.

Snake gasped.

And then the light faded for good.

Gregor yanked the dagger out as Snake's body collapsed to the ground.

Gregor turned to face Flavius. If the fox could use echolocation, this fight still wasn't over. But somehow, deep in Gregor's heart, he sensed that Flavius was not about to raise his claws against Gregor.

True enough, Flavius sheathed his claws. "The Overlander speaks sense."

"Snake?" Gregor asked.

"Calvin," Flavius replied softly.

He coughed out a globule of blood, and then continued.

"He told me to remember my family, so I did."

Flavius' empty gaze pierced through Gregor's armour, chaining itself to Gregor's soul.

"I killed Snake because he would not have protected the schemers," the fox said.

"You believe we would?" Gregor asked.

"I would die before trusting killers to protect my kind," Flavius snarled.

But then his expression softened. "But it appears my death is imminent."

Gregor's eyes now zeroed in on a deep gash around Flavius' groin. He couldn't tell if it was inflicted by Ripred or him, but he knew instantly that it was a crucial artery. A wound like that could not be patched up. Flavius had been fighting all this time knowing all too well he was about to die.

"I loathe your honour," Flavius spat. "But I must admit that I need it now more than ever. Promise me that the schemers will be protected."

Flavius' tone no longer carried the sinister edge it once had.

It was pleading and desperate.

And no creature in this world was more honest than when they were about to die.

"I can't promise you they'll always be safe," Gregor said. "But I can promise you we have plans to rebuild a home for them here. A home for all those who want the same peace we do."

Flavius chuckled bitterly. "I suppose this is as ideal an outcome as I can hope for."

Gregor found himself making another promise. "I promise that as long as it's within my power, no more innocent schemers will be harmed. We'll build a better world for your pups."

Flavius allowed himself a wry smile. "If only words mattered," he said simply.

The blind fox limped towards Gregor, coming to a halt a few feet away from him. He then lay down and exposed his underbelly. "You are a rager," he said. "You know where my heart is. I would prefer my light to be drained quickly."

Gregor's rager senses heightened as he trained his eyes on a spot close to Flavius' left forelimb. He inched a bit closer, wary that Flavius could be baiting him into a trap. But it appeared that the fox king had given up for good.

Flavius leaned back and sighed. "Calvin… Calvin was right. My parents are waiting for me. Fabius is waiting for me."

Flavius coughed again, this time a bit more violently. "I can see them now. I can see everything now. This is the death I've been waiting for."

Gregor sheathed Solovet's dagger, and gripped Sandiwch's sword firmly with both hands. He lifted the blade up. Despite everything the fox had done, despite all the atrocities he had committed, Gregor felt like he owed him a couple of last words.

"Rest easy with them," Gregor said simply.

Flavius looked up at Gregor.

Flavius' eyes once wielded the purest menace. Now stripped of their sight, they seemed to hold regret, disappointment, and maybe even a tinge of sorrow. But if Gregor squinted hard enough, he thought he caught the faintest glimmer of hope twinkling amongst the wave of darkness that approached the fox king hungrily.

Flavius didn't deserve happiness, nor did he deserve peace. But there was no question that when it mattered most, he chose his fellow schemers over himself. And despite all the pain and evil he'd thrust upon the Underland… he came through when they needed him. Now it was up to Gregor to honour the promise he'd made, to return the favour to Flavius for the risk he'd taken when he rammed his claws through Snake's back.

Gregor took a deep breath.

And plunged Sandwich's sword right into Flavius' heart.

The fox king hissed as the blade went straight into his heart, and then he convulsed violently as death wrenched his soul from his body. But when Gregor finally pulled the sword out of his heart, Flavius' body came to a standstill, and an expression Gregor had never seen on Flavius' face before emerged.

It was a look of relief.

It was as if the years of pain and hatred that had moulded each snarl or growl had dissipated away, leaving only what was there when he was born.

A weak sigh in the background shook Gregor out of his stupor. He threw his sword down and hobbled over to Ripred. The old rat was still breathing, but a pool of blood had formed under his body. He thought about running over to Luxa to get the medical supplies, but one look at the wound was enough for Gregor to realise that Ripred only had minutes left. He wouldn't leave Ripred alone for the next few minutes.

Ripred seemed to notice his presence. He opened his eye, and looked over at Gregor. Gregor dropped to his knees in the pool of blood and placed his hand gently on Ripred's cheek.

"Snake?" the old rat mumbled drowsily to Gregor.

"He's gone," Gregor replied, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes again. "Flavius is dead too."

Ripred laughed softly. "Sandwich was right, then."

Gregor could vaguely hear Calvin and Hecate stirring in the background, but he remained present with Ripred. "We're safe now," he said. "We've won."

Ripred coughed as another stream of blood flowed out of his wound. "Nothing's won yet. You must fly out with Flavius' mask. Let… let the schemers… let them know their king is dead. The fighting will end."

"Yeah, we'll do that," Gregor assured him.

Ripred sighed. His eye started to wander around the cavern as he lost focus. "The fighting will end," he murmured.

"Yes," Gregor said, his tears now in free fall. "It's over. We have peace thanks to you. You can finally rest."

Ripred sighed again. "Peace at last," he said softly. "Thank you, Gregor."

It struck Gregor that this was the first time in a while that Ripred had uttered his name.

"Ripred," Gregor said, his voice cracking again. "Don't go."

Ripred chuckled. "You soppy fool," he replied. "It's my time… I'm glad that it's my time."

Gregor heard the fluttering of wings in the background, and the sound of boots hitting the ground.

"RIPRED!"

In seconds, Luxa had rushed over to Ripred's side. Her left arm and right shoulder were bandaged, but she seemed otherwise fine. The painkillers were probably helping with her dislocated shoulder. But a new type of pain had lodged itself into her heart.

"Ripred," she uttered his name again, more softly this time.

"Your Majesty," Ripred wheezed, his eye looking glassier by the second.

He coughed, and then continued. "Be free, the both of you… you deserve it."

Luxa's face was a picture of heartbreak. But in typical Luxa fashion, she refused to express it to Ripred. "You fought honourably," she said to him.

"Honourably?" Ripred laughed, but his voice was getting weaker. "I fought… I fought… the only way I know how… my dear bond."

His gaze now fixed itself on the cavern ceiling. "Silksharp…" he mumbled.

"She's waiting for you," Gregor said, barely able to swallow down his sobs.

"Take care of your sister," Ripred replied groggily. "Take care… take care of her, Darkmane."

At first, Gregor had no idea who Darkmane was and who Ripred was referring to. But Luxa's tearful glance at him revealed the truth to Gregor.

Darkmane was the name of one of Ripred's pups.

"We'll be safe," Gregor replied softly. "You can be with your family now."

He heard movement behind him, so he turned around. Hecate, Aurora, and Apollo all stood a respectful distance behind. Aurora seemed more distraught than the other two, bowing her head silently. Calvin, meanwhile, had staggered over, still bleeding from the gash on his right side. When he saw the scene before him, he turned paler than he already was.

Gregor turned back to face Ripred. Ripred's eye was now transfixed above, as he eyed the shaft of light leading to the Overland.

"Peace…" Ripred mumbled. "Peace…"

Ripred's eye met the light, and for a second Gregor thought he saw a family of rats waiting on the other side of the shaft of light. Maybe Ripred had seen them too, as his breathing slowed down to an ambling pace. The light was a bridge from this world to the next, and for all the grief that weighed on Gregor's heart like a millstone… he was glad that Ripred was finally ready to make that small leap across.

Luxa stroked his bloodstained fur. "Run, Ripred," she whispered. "Run like the river."

"Peace," Ripred said, one last time.

Then, with one final heave, his head lulled back.

And he closed his eye.

Luxa buried her face in his fur.

Gregor thought about everything Ripred had been through - everything he had lost and sacrificed to lead them to where they were today. Everything he did was to make sure his mate and pups had not died in vain. Gregor hoped that in his final moments, Ripred had realised what he'd finally achieved.

No, Gregor thought. He knew what he'd finally achieved.

Peace at last.

Ripred had been true to his title as the Underland's Peacemaker. Now he could run along the river of eternity with his family.

Gregor ran his fingers through Ripred's fur.

One day, in his dreams or in the afterlife, Gregor would see the old rat again. But for now, all that was left for Gregor to do was to accept a reality he never imagined he'd face.

Ripred was gone.

Well, not much to say here. Share your thoughts on the Fall of Ragers, and how you're feeling about the ending! Writing it was really difficult because there was a lot of pressure to adequately send off one of my favourite fictional characters. I didn't want to overdo it to keep the grounded/realistic aspect of the story, but I also wanted it to convey the emotion of the moment. Chapter 15 already addresses Ripred's potential death, so I also didn't want to repeat too many elements from that chapter.

There are some more twists incoming, so stay tuned!

Question: What is your favourite Ripred quote?