Chapter 3 Ending.

She found the mountain of a man humming to himself in a small clearing in the midst of the copse. She realized with a start it wasn't a natural clearing, he had cut himself a circle with that monstrous sword of his. In the dim light under the sentinels a glow that she hadn't noticed before became apparent, as if his obsidian surface had been cracked and revealed a luminous interior. Natal sat on one of the fresh stumps cleaning out the barrel of her rifle with a patch of cloth, her helm on the ground near her foot. Looking past the clearing Oran saw the rest of her knights taking cover against trunks vigilant against another Vulk charge. Natal' smiled at her as she entered the clearing, nodding towards Alaen. He was standing stationary in the center of the clearing, sword hefted across his shoulders, he was looking up to the sun which was now visible above the trees. Oran found herself a suitably sized stump and settle down, glancing at the Alaen before turning her attention to Natal. 

Oran's divining stones slid out from her plated sleeve. She found the familiar grain of the stone for Betsol. "Jhev expects another Vulk charge he'll order a counter charge after if he follows his usual stratagems, once we hit those woods we'll break for their backlines to find that child. Betsol says that they'll have a Bloodfury."

"Indeed it should, with Alaen and Betsol's protection though I'm not sure I have your confidence on the matter." Oran glanced to Alaen after mentioning the man, he continued on as if he could not hear them.

Natal frowned at her, "I was... Never mind Chaplain. If it need be done, we'll see it through. After all we do have him" she thumbed in the direction of the Immortal.
"I am not so great a tool that I could defeat that army by myself. If that is our task then I will do it, but there will be losses." His voice resonated in her adding weight to his words that added to their grimness.

Losses, she looked to Natal who had replaced her smile with a determined scowl. Betsol would protect them wouldn't she? These knights who've given themselves to her task. Oran would see them through, she was a Dawnsinger and Alaen was an Immortal. This was not too great a task, it was just the sort of task you gave an Immortal.

"Betsol will see us through, this is the quest she's given us and our failure would be hers." Oran said with more confidence then she felt while gesturing divinity.
Natal snorted in reply, before returning the gesture. "I've been in many battles for Betsol before, and it's never stopped Knights from dying before."

"So far she has seen you through safe this far, perhaps for this very moment." Oran glanced up through the clearing to the sky hoping to the see the sun but it was hidden by other trees.
"Betsol is not Alumas, she's not all seeing." Natal said in a tone that was more questioning than accusing.

Oran sighed, shaking her head as she returned the divining stones to her sleeve. "You are right Natal, but that just means Betsol didn't know what she was protecting us for yet, merely that we could better serve her alive than dead."

There was a rumbling and Betsol realized Alaen was laughing. "Better for you that way I think, but I'd prefer to think Betsol did not let me die simply because I was more useful to her this way."

She blushed then, Immortal as he was, Alaen had probably died several times for Betsol's purpose. She gestured apologies to his back, the mountainous man still gazing at the sky. "Forgiveness Alaen, I"

"There is no need child, I have long come to peace with my Immortality. You are right though, I think. We are being guided by Betsol directly this day."

Natal's smile returned as she laid the rifle across her lap and drew her falchion from it's sheath. It was a crude thing, a heavy chunk of metal weighted to the tip to add force to her swing. A useful weapon for cutting through the hide of many enemies, or limbs from a Vulk. While the Rising Sol taught a graceful style with the weapon, most soldier's she knew simply used a violent style of brutal blows as if butchering their opponent for the nights meal. Natal began cleaning this weapon of her too, despite the cloth being black with grime and the sword looking fresh polished. There was a quiet calmness to the woods, the birds and critters fled or hid. She felt a weight pressing down on her, the giant disk of Sol pressing down more than usual. Her Knights were fidgeting in their own positions, some had water and tack out, another was carving the tree he leaned against, others maintained their air of vigilance by keeping their eyes out in the billowing clouds of smoke the Black Knights continued to belch out from their position further ahead in the copse of woods.

You will see these knights through won't you? she prayed while sighting Sol through the canopy of pines. I know you believe I have the strength to do this, but I have yet to find it. I fear for these lives you've placed in my hands. How am I to protect your followers if you give them to me to send to their deaths? 
Betsol did not answer, but that wasn't an unusual occurrence. She was after all, Queen of the Divinities. There was also a battle of some importance being waged in her name that she should have been preoccupied with. Oran wondered for the first time that day how the battle was going, it was easy to forget that this was merely the flank, the front had been exchanging skirmishers when she had last had a chance to look down on them. They were likely now a mass of dying bodies.

A howl pierced the serenity of the clearing, startling Oran from her thoughts. Natal stopped her polishing and looked out towards the billowing smoke at the front of the copse. The lone howl was then joined in chorus, a shiver ran down her spine as she listened to the eerie call through the smoke. She gathered herself and stood preparing for what would come next.

There was a warm hum from Alaen, as he stopped looking to the sky and smiled at the two in the clearing. "Yes, they have a wonderful song. One should not fight without song."
Natal grinned but shook her head at the mountainous man, hefting her self off her own stump and sheathing her sword. She gathered her rifle and withdrew a thunderstone from her pouch and used the latch on the side of her rifle to load it into the rifle. She then thundered up to a thick tree at the edge of the clearing and hunkered down behind it taking site at the smoke.

"Get those rifles up! Don't shoot at any shadows until I tell you too!" Natal barked the orders in a near snarl.

Alaen lifted the man sized sword off his shoulders and held it straight before him with one hand, the light seeping through the cracks in his skin growing brighter. His humming grew louder as he began taking steps forward. "Hmmmmm... They come, we should go and meet them." 



"Just advance through their charge, slay their Bloodfury and then continue to their rearguard. with twenty odd knights and an Immortal, should be easy enough" Natal leered, still working the barrel over despite it looking clean." 

Did you tell an Immortal what to do? Oran wasn't sure, but she didn't think this the time to test it. "Those are our allies up there, lets not let them face this foe alone. Natal we move up."

The Captain nodded her agreement to Oran, then moved from her tree out into the copse and headed towards the smoke. "You heard the Chaplain, advance! Hold your fire until you can make out your target."

Like a shadow the company of Knights detached themselves from their trees and grew into the copse. Oran could hear the cracks of rifles being fired just mere meters in front of them in the smoke. The howling had grown in volume and Oran could feel her heart thumping in her chest, anxiety rising in her.There was a vibration urging her to action, a rumble in the pit of her chest that spurred her forward into the smoke and to battle. The first forms took shape in the smoke, trees with incongruous bulges near their base where Knights took cover from absent volleys. Their own rifles continued to put out smoke after each crack, what they were firing at Oran did not know, perhaps the presumed horde that sounded as if it was already upon them. Alaen stood in between trees unhindered by their branches and the threat of being seen by an enemy.

Natal took up a spot behind a tree near Oran's and leveled her rifle before barking at the Knights around her "Hold your fire! Wait until you can make your target out in the smoke!"

Her challenge was met by the crack of a nearby rifle, yet this one was answered by a yelp. Shadows in the smoke, streaming towards them the howling replaced by snarling. Oran could make out the Vulk simply by their size. Tall figures with elongated limbs and snouts loping towards them, a few fell in response to thunderstones but more and more poured forward. There were too many, they'd be overrun before Jhev commanded the counter charge! The rising in her crescendod then stopped suddenly, a moment of stillness before a booming voice resounded through the woods.

"I am the Lightbringer! I am the Dawnbreaker! I am the Rising Sol! Radiance Illuminates Me! You should not have chosen this day! For this day the light shines upon the blessed of Sol! Come forth you shades, come in to the light, and let Radiance shine on you!" Alaen's sang in a deep tenor the opening lines to Lightbringer.

The Vulk poured forth from the smoke, black fur adding to the illusion of shadows being belched forth from Shadesmere. Many carried spears, others had wielded axes with wicked looking spikes others heavy headed maces. Their yellow eyes searching out the voice challenging them. The lead Vulk fell to a crack from Natal's rifle, but three more replaced him, approaching Alaen in a wide arc. The middle Vulk feinted advancing while the two flankers attacked. Alaen was mid chorus of Lightbringer and seemed to have no intention of stopping. His sword was still held out in front of him, but with a grace that seemed profane from one his size the blade sliced through a tree to its right and then through the flanking Vulk on that side, in the motion he twisted with the attack his left foot connected with the skull of the other flanking Vulk. He continued in the spin bringing his monstrous blade up above him and then back down into a point facing the central Vulk who hadn't had time to react. It's died snarling, the massive blade splitting it in two, each half spilling gore as it slumped to the ground. Oran felt her gorge rise, but was forced to pay heed to the Vulk that continued to charge them. Her company's position was full of them as Knights stood from their positions and entered armed combat with the beasts surrounding them. Natal roared as she barreled out from behind he tree and planted her falchion into the back of a Vulk who was sparing with another, she spun and heaved the point off a spear with her blade before head butting that aggressor in the snout resulting in whimper as it fell away from her.

Oran then lost her, forced to focus on the two Vulk who advanced towards her, she drew her own blade, a slender piece with more curve than bulk to it meant for slashing rather than hacking. She felt it's weight suited her better in the Rising Sol and she instinctively entered the first pose holding the sword with two hands above her, left palm resting on the dull edge. A Vulk with gray fur approached first, thrusting a spear at her exposed stomach, she swept the sword in a smooth motion deflecting the spear to its side while spinning towards it's holder and continuing the circle of her sweep into a down stroke across its chest. Before it fell she was spinning back away in a retrace of her motion, coming to the first stance again in front of the remaining Vulk. It bore yellow fangs in a snarl then charged her with an Axe, a chop angled at her side forced her to sweep the swords in an opposite motion and block the strike, before redirecting her swing into a swipe across the front of the Vulk. It back stepped the strike and then brought down its Axe overhead forcing her to use assuming Rising Sol to catch the blow and hold under the beasts strength. Struggling under its weight she spun underneath it and towards the beast, slipping the block and sweeping the blade around her and to the front of the Vulk. This time it was forced to block, it roared a challenge to hear, yellow eyes searching her fangs bared. She reversed her sweep as the Vulk looked to power through its block, looking to bring the sword down across it, however before she could the beast tackled her. So much for grace, she rolled on her back, large Disk of Sol keeper her flat on her back. The Beast knelt atop her, one arm keeping her sword arm to the ground while raising its own axe above him. It's eyes taunted her, it's snarl looking oddly like a grin as a bit of of the froth sitting around its gums dripped onto her visor. She tried to pry her arm free but the beasts weight lent it strength.

Now would be a good time for this strength of mine Betsol. She prayed.

The Vulk spun the axe in it's hand, the wicked spike now being brought down to her face. She turned to avoid looking at her impending death and heard the screech of metal as the spike raked across her fullhelm, Betsol's protection pushing the blow just across the front of her helm. She heard the thud as the spike impaled the sod next to her face. Her visor was a ruin of metal and she could hardly see her attacker but she felt the violence of him pulling the axe out of the ground for another blow. There was a crack and then a sudden weight pressed down on her.

"Chaplain!" Natal's voice said.

The weight was lifted off her, and Oran fumbled with her helm eventually prying the wreckage off. She still couldn't see too well, but she could make out Natal looming above her and feel her hands aggressively working at Oran's face. She blinked against the assault but could suddenly see after doing so.

"That'll leave a nasty scar, but you'll be fine. We'll have to bandage that or that blood will get in your eyes again." Natal said while fumbling with her pack and pulling out a strip of white cloth barely discolored with smudges.

"Radiance shine on me." Oran mumbled while gesturing Divinity.

Natal looked at her then, grinning. "That's one way of looking at it I suppose, I guess her keeping me alive all this time did work out for her." She wrapped the bandage around Oran's head, the cloth being pulled tight and causing a noticeable throbbing.

"Betsol is watching us, she won't let us fall before we accomplish our quest." Oran said while retrieving her sword. The Vulk's yellow eyes were still glinting at her, despite the back of its head leaking black ichor.

"Well that's comforting." Natal said her grin growing into a broad smile.

"Yes, yes it is."

Natal wrinkled her brow "No... Never mind." Her face setting into a serious look as she returned her attention to the battle raging around them.

Oran started towards a pair of knights dealing with a handful of Vulk"I had not known you to be of such faith, Captain."

She merely grinned, setting into a run as she barreled into the side of one Vulk and carried him into another, bringing down her sword onto each in turn. Oran swept her blade across another the group being dispatched.

"That's me, favored of Betsol, who am I to question her Divinity" Natal said while accepting a hand up from one of the knights.

"Who are we indeed, Radiance Enlighten us." Oran sought out a new quarry but it found her instead. A frothing hulk of a beast barreling down on her with a cluster of axe wielders.

The hulk's spear sped forward with divine speed, yet Betsol guided it aside while Oran spun along its shaft and up to the beast, sweeping her blade across its chest. It merely snarled at her before bringing its wrapping the spear around her back and pressing her into him pinning her to him. Its fangs inches from her naked face, its foul breath hot on her cheeks. Betsol willed the spear to break and it did, freeing Oran from the Hulks grasp and allowing her sword arm free to sweep across its throat. Its yellow eyes widened while it clawed at its throat before falling. One down, three, no two to go. Natal had just dispatched one of the axe wielders and was now turning on another. Her own Vulk howled before moving to help his kin by flanking Natal. Oran cursed inwardly then moved to intercept, her tired legs moved too slowly so instead she lept at the beast. She fell flat on her stomach, air knocked out of her, but her sword nicked the heal of her Vulk. It stumbled and by Betsol's grace caught the back swing of Natal's stroke to it's head. The final Vulk died with Natal's blade embedded halfway through it's shoulder. Oran let herself lay for a moment, closing her eyes to the pain in her stomach. She heard it then, a soft deep voice like snow falling from a roof.

"The Sun is set, the day is won, her Radiance shines on me. The light is low, the battle wages on, her Radiance shines on me."