Wow! What a fight! Even going back and reading it again a few months after I originally wrote it, I'm still really happy with the results.

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First a little history:

While we have had a couple exciting action moments (for example, Callie sparing with Vonn, Pixyl vs the Demon, the Bunkerball game and its resulting Healer scenes), they were all very tiny and almost more of an appetizer. The main story was everything else going on, and while not full of action, I'd argue was full of anticipation and even excitement.

This fight, though, was the biggie for me as a writer, and for the story. Well, the first biggie, I should say (I've written another big boss fight already). Very early on in writing the story, probably all the way back in Chapter 10 or so, part of my mind had already been choreographing this first big fight. I knew the dance steps that Callie, PIxyl and Tazrok in particular would take, and where people would be come the end of the fight. I knew what would happen to Reynard, and the final attack from the unicorn and its outcome. I so wanted to write it, but it would distract from the job of getting there. Eventually, finally, it was time, and I truly believe it was worth the wait.

Chapter Commentary:

From a writing standpoint, I hope I kept things exciting for the entirety of the fight. I know it's long (word wise) and a lot of things happened, and that's what I was aiming for - the ongoing never-ending chaos of the moment. Things needed to go wrong, and then right, and then wrong again, in order to make it truly feel like a victory. I think I did that, even if the victory was a little hollow, too, given what happened to Reynard. I also needed to make sure to showcase every character contributing their own mini-moment at some point. Honestly, I looked to Endgame and other epic-battle movies for inspiration on pacing and ensemble combat.

Character Commentary:

So many things happened to each of them, particularly for those in Callie's close friend-circle (I'll reference both Chapter 44 as well as back to Chapter 42 a bit):

Thucax - The Gnoll hasn't been part of the story very much. He's not part of Callie's group of close friends, and is a bit of a loner by his very nature, so isn't seen a lot. From a writing standpoint he's one of those background characters. As a Ranger, he's nervous and full of some of his own self-doubts going into this fight, which Koda was able to help him through in private in Chapter 42. When the chips were down, though, he rose and performed, with his special, unique attack playing its critical part when needed to defeat the basilisk.

Shul'an - I've always pictured the Fire Salamanderkin as a pillar of walking professionalism. They came to the camp already Bronze, with years of their own experiences in combat and in life. Here, they were no different. Skilled, professional, and reliable, with of course their special racial ability helping to turn the tide when the mission success seemed bleak.

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Lhawni - Obviously adept as a healer and calm under pressure. She was in her element in the swamp (Goblins have a Swamp Sense trait, similar to a Gnome's Underground Sense), so her environmental expertise was of great help and certainly appreciated. She's one of Callie's gal-pals, and that friendship shows.

Ambria - The Combat Healer Faun is actually one of my favorite tertiary characters for many reasons. We've seen her evolution as a healer over the last few chapters, and that continued to shine. Her 'therapy' must have helped. You also saw how much she is part of Callie's close group of friends with the joke they all played on Jesca, and the sly sense of humor she has buried inside her. You can also get an appreciation for Tasi's teachings in her as she takes control of the team's healing duties.

Jesca - Ahh, Jesca. Another one of my favorites. A great Ranger. A great friend. An obvious violator of Faun Law. Some unexpected things in her world have changed, which you're going to be seeing in the next couple chapters. Stay tuned for some absolutely amazing growth in her.

Tazrok - We can see he's fully embraced his role as a Druid, showing comfort across all roles and forms. Still, he has the spirit of an Ogre and that heart of a Warrior, and that showed. And yet, there is still this strange mysterious Aura he can project, and the impact using it has on him and on others ...

Reynard / Celeste - I'm lumping them together only because I want to consider them purely in their roles as trainers. You can see how much almost everything they do is in part to pass along a lesson or bit of knowledge, or to get the recruits to think. You can also see the pride they have as their students rise to the circumstances. Learning-by-doing is the training method, with the trainers acting as a net to catch someone if they fall. Reynard obviously will have ongoing struggles from his injury, as you can imagine. His future is going to be murky.

Pixyl - Our Bladewaver is finally back in her element. She's a fighter, a brawler, and wields a giant heart of a warrior in her tiny body. You can see how much Callie and the others have helped her become a completely different person than when she arrived, breaking out of her shell of being a loner and that lifetime of loneliness through their friendships. Her closeness and caring for Callie is evident. The first steps in her journey of being a soldier, not just a fighter, have been taken.

Callie - Our sweet, innocent Callie. Hah! Who are we kidding! Callie was tested, and, while making mistakes, passed it. There will be ramifications for some of her decisions and actions, as one can expect. But, like so many times so far, she'll learn and grow from those missteps and continue evolving towards the person we are starting to see being born. I don't want to dwell here, but the seeds that have been planted over the last two weeks are now starting to germinate, and our little Gnome is beginning to grow.

In the end, everyone had their own personal evolution and changes. Each of them came out of the fight different than when they left camp, with experience and the realities of the world shaping them as combateers. You'll see more of these effects in upcoming chapters, but the beginnings were created for many in this fight.

Callie's Heroes has always been about the characters as people. Their individual stories coming together is what forms the story, not the other way around. My hope is that as you read this fight with ten of our characters, you felt each and every one of them as those individual people, and not just a cardboard cutout to fill the space.

As closing thoughts, I just want to once again thank each and every one of you for reading, commenting and more importantly, participating. This story wouldn't exist and couldn't continue without your encouragement to keep me on task. You all mean so much to me. Thank you so, so much.

RAH