Adil and his group had begun to move out of the war room. In unison, they walked through the corridors of the cave knowing that teleportation would waste some of the base's valuable power. The power that their resurrection depended on.

Arriving in the warehouse-like cavern, they saw how it was illuminated by only the glow of runic symbols on the floor. The dim lighting letting them only see the crowd waiting by a feint light drifting over the back of their heads and shoulders. Following pre held directions, each member present stepped onto a symbol of their own.

Hans the scoutmaster appeared to twitch, as though he had a deep eerie sensation. With his new upgrade he could not only sense the approaching army but felt unease at something within the cave. As if something was out of place. As if the crystals mana was being drained as something happened to the prisoners.

"I need to check something," he announced grabbing the groups attention.

Adil nodded, understanding that he might have sensed a danger due to the new scoutmaster upgrade he had been given.

"Get back soon, the army is nearly inside," Adil said in reply, throwing what seemed like a small piece of silver on Hans's shoulder. The piece soon morphing into a fresh communication drone.

........

Horatio took Steve through the cave as the pack of cotton clothed prisoners moved through the cave. Horatio looked uneasy.

"We were going to lose so why would they drag it out like this? Kill so many. Even if they win how many would die, have died." Horatio said.

Steve didn't reply, he had seen first-hand the deaths of the crusading soldiers but also how the cave members had tried to take prisoners, not cause fatal damage and even help injured enemies. He couldn’t decide who was right in this but felt they were doing their best in self-defence. Horatio carried on.

"Did they not think this would happen? Just trusting everyone and branding them all with this crest.”

Steve shuffled a bit.

"Probably not," he replied.

"You're probably right..."

"STOP!" A voice shouted from across the hallway. The group turned to face a man purposefully striding towards them. A man still in the Major rank crusader uniform he had upon joining the cave. The man had a dirty beard, a dirty moustache, a flask of mushroom beer and a heavy Warhammer. 

"What do ya think you're doin' ya wussy shits."

Horatio recognized the man as a troublemaker, one that if anyone would be likely to join it him it would be that man. The man worked under the dryad's assistant Steve out of punishment, or more because of his discontent and actions against the cave. Horatio held his hand up to the uneasy troops on guard, still in just a uniform of cotton clothes from the recent resurrection.

"We're breaking the prisoners out and going to see if we can end this fighting."

The major gave a dark look to Steve.

"I uh... I just want to..." Steve seemed to stumble on his words for a moment. 

Horatio added again.

"Join us. I know you are not happy with the way things are. You don't have to listen to those kids and the dryad anymore."

"You liver licking sack of shit," the man dropped his flask walking up to the kid.

"Listen here, kid. I've been working these crusades for the good part of twenty years. I fought monsters you can only dream of. But in the end, all I had to show for it was a broken spirit. Because what I learnt is the worst fucking monsters ain't the ones we been fighting."

Horatio's face was flushed red.

"You. All you fuckers. You know what I mean. Think you join to kill monsters doncha. But between those pointless trips to push into the darkness, you're on bandit duty. or collecting taxes. Murderin' children so your boss can have an extra bit of mutton."

The crusaders had a slight murmur of agreement until one shouted up “Words of a traitor,” followed by a chuckle, they still took positions to fight the drunk ex-major back.

"And what have you been doing then. You're drunk. Around the castle doing nothing but lying about." Horatio said, getting heated now.

"Aya, I've been doing plenty, and the drink helps me focus. Keeps the tinglies away when I mess with the crystals." 

Steve moved forward to the Major. 

"I think there's a better way to-" The major pushed him back in a rush and Horatio went in planting his short sword through the major's chest.

"NAO!" Steve shouted out. His voice echoed through the hall and Horatio had no choice but to let go of the weapon even as it was planted into the major's chest. Everyone in the area seemed to collapse slightly to the ground stumbling from the effect of the word as it carried through the cave. The major gave a wry smile up to Steve as he collapsed into tendrils of light. The escaping prisoners now looking on with amazement.

Horatio looked at Steve in confusion before he turned to the others following him.

"They will break through the front soon. We can leave in the confusion."

*Damnit Steve. What are you doing.* Is all Steve could think as he walked along beside them.

.....

About the same time, Hans rushed forward into the prisoner bay and on the way passed a collapsed guard.

"I found a passed-out guard. I think somethings going on with the prisoners." Hans said through the communication drone.

"Shit. This is your job now, sort it out then get back. We need you he-....re," Adil commanded. The line appearing to cut out as he finished talking.

Hans finally arrived in the main prison. He looked inside and saw it was empty. Except for one thing. In the centre of the cavern was an enormous figure, dark fog rolling off it as it stood there. With a thud what appeared to be a soldier was dropped from the being to his side.

"Where are they," the shadowy figure asked. Red eyes shining like lights out of the darkness into Hans.

"That's what I bloody well want to know," Hans replied.

The beast came out of the shadow, his face illuminated in the light. Two tusks to either side of his mouth were jutting out and his skin was the goblin green hit by a shade of dark blue. This was Aku the newly upgraded goblin war leader.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

In a harsh dull tone that appeared to underlie a subtle anger Aku said

“I will find them,”

.......

Outside, the crusading army had just moved the bulk of its force into the cave, a sizeable amount held in the main cavern. A hundred strong were now penetrating the cave. A thundering force erupted along the cave walls as parts of the floor collapsed to rubble and dust.

Suddenly the army had been split, battalions separated as the surroundings collapsed making them inaccessible to each other.

The floor beneath portions of the army collapsing and another round of teleported in warriors surrounded a section of the army now cut off from the rest.

Adil had just teleported in mid-conversation.

"he..-er," He finished and then immediately got in gear. 

He heard Urakle in his ear, a deep voice that seemed almost machine-like.

"The elf and cardinal are split, engage the cardinal with a small group at the front. Aim for the upper tunnels and make sure you fight within that cavern, at all costs."

Adil heard the shouts of battle as the forces engaged. He was with a separate group in nearby tunnels to attack specific targets. He peered over from the place he was held up and saw the Cardinal turn to see the collapse of the tunnels behind him. The cries of men as they fell and then caught by the sound of action. He moved down glancing around. 

Adil saw his recent additions in place, the small hint of drone activity vanishing to have it appear as if the cave was just like normal, but to the trained eye slight crystals of different colours could be seen embedded into the wall. Activated by ambient manna the crystals could disrupt the consistency of and effect of any magic in those areas. 

The atmospheric mana disruption had caused the illusionary walls to lose effect. Instead, Adil and others stood facing the cardinal in a small hole. He jumped and landed squarely on the ground. Others seemed to have done the same, and soon a circle of the cave's upper echelon forces surrounded the cardinal and what seemed like a small battalion of his personal guards.

"So. Is this it then?" the cardinal announced.

"Jacobs was it?" Adil asked.

The cardinal didn't appear to think it worth responding.

"Are you stronger than the other one? He got further in than you."

The cardinal's face turned to that of disgust.

"A worm like you does not deserve the life you were given," the cardinal announced before protruding a sword of glass from his arm.

Adil drew his weapon and channelled a small amount of lightning into it. Causing it to shine a faint light blue.

Around the cardinal, Adil saw his teammates ready to charge whilst each side held position waiting for the moment to strike. The cardinal trying to take advantage of anyone out of position and falling into the range of his sand. On Adil's side was the newly appointed Captain Leeroy, team B- a group of goblins primed for fast and stealth-like attacks headed by the Scoutmaster Mar. While on the other side of the cardinal was Captain Griffon with his subordinate, a young soldier with light-based mana abilities. Leeroy drew his bow.

"Hold on Leeroy. On my call," Adil said.

Leeroy nodded and Adil got ready to run forward. Adil tried to resonate with the wind around him as he channelled his mana. He crouched slightly and focused a ball of air under his feet.

In a sudden move, Adil burst the compressed air and charged towards the cardinal.

His eyes not leaving the cardinal whilst he flew into the chaos. Arrows started flying as soon as he moved and then the other members joined into the fight.

Adil found it difficult to guide himself as the ambient mana was distorted. Still, his course was almost direct and he soon reached the cardinal. As he once again came into contact the cardinal gave a shallow grunt as Adil's sword clashed against his glassy spike.

Adil grinned. The cardinal was almost disappointed. The same move, the same way the same counter. Then As glass spikes launched from the ground in an almost sloppy mess compared to what it was before, Adil channelled one of his refined moved. A move ingrained into his internal crystalline mana structure, his essence. Mighty Gust. Adil created an explosion of air and threw the clustered group of soldiers around. The cardinal's guards flew and their formation fell apart. Still, the priestly figure only drifted back, somehow able to brace the brunt of the blast as if it was little more than a breeze

The cardinal stared at the incoming forces and then his soldiers scattered on the ground.

"Get up you miserable-"

Griffon crashed into the first lot before they could react, punting one of them in the head and seeing the body flail. Another tried to stab up at him but he caught the blade between his arm and chest and brought his knee up to the soldier's chin. Across the other side, Mar held one of the soldiers next to his hand as a ball of black smoke appeared to be engulfing the soldier's face. The soldier was let down to the ground, his face white as the shaved backside of an albino polar bear ghost. Or just a normal ghost, they are generally similar in colour. 

 "Pathetic. You are representing the church. Hold your ground!" The cardinal exclaimed.

He appeared to visibly resonate with mana as a storm of sand surrounded him. The perimeters of the sand storm turned into glass and he casually skewered one of his soldiers before trying to attack the goblins. The young apprentice to Griffon stepped in the way and placed his hands up. Almost as if enhanced through the glass a burst of light blinded the cardinal. As he recovered the cardinal was not given enough time to react before the goblins appeared in his blind spot. The cardinal feverishly tried to fire a spear of glass in their direction but missed as if they were illusions.

Mar appeared again and channelled dark balls in his hands and threw them towards the cardinal. They missed or were split by a swing of the cardinal’s glass blade, but inevitably coated the area, turning it into a thick fog. 

The cardinal now within the fog had a momentary panic as he was blinded and could do nothing as he looked around. He spun creating a swathing tornado of sand that pushed away the fog like a gust in a sandstorm to reveal that his men were now all gone. Instead, he was alone, surrounded by all but his guards and...

Adil came dropping in from the sky alongside something else, a being obscured by cascading lightening. Adil fell launching a bolt of lightning that could only be defended against. The strike was not very strong but only proved as a distraction when Adil dodged the cardinals blow. However, the other one wielding a fierce battle-axe was following through. The cardinal tried to defend with some form of shield but little to no sand would form up from the ground. He could only make do with what was emitted from his very being and still the consistency was not strong.

The glass shield immediately shattered, a vibration in the axe seemingly attuned against his glass hit the shield and exploded it. Following through the axe carved a jagged line down the monk’s front. He stumbled back, his guard taken out and his body torn asunder. He gawped at the surroundings and fell stunned to the ground.

It was silent as Adil moved towards the cardinal, the others just standing and watching. Seras hovering over the cardinal as he sat doing nothing.

"Give up and we will show mercy. You're finished," Adil said. he moved closer to the man, seeing how he could not escape and maybe with his surrender they could push the army back.

The small silver creature buzzed from the side of his armour. 

"It's not looking good," was all the robotic Urakle voice said.

 Then Adil fully comprehended how silent it was, no longer able to hear the shouts and cries of the fighting, just a slight distance away.

A glow emerged from the dusty rubble where a portion of the crusading army had fallen.

Levitating out of the hole was the high elf. Seeming to have gained full control of her armour, she was using it as if a trained expert. Her eyes and hands glowing as she pushed higher into the air.

"Shit," was all Adil managed.

The high-elf shot a laser out from her hand and sawed through Mar and the other goblins. Aiming her other hand across the other side, cut Leeroy in half and chopped a leg off Griffon as he pushed his disciple to the side. The high-elf then seemed to throw away a couple crystals in a tick of annoyance as if they had just been expended.

Seras charged straight in but the high elf with her glowing eyes almost looked displeased. Seras swung her axe and launched a scythe of vibrating mana energy through the air, but with the speed of the high-elf, she easily moved around it and grew close to Seras. She grabbed her by the scruff of her chest plate and lifted her into the air.

There in the air, she began to flood Seras with manna. In a last-ditch effort, Seras let go of her axe and channelled mana around her fist. The high elf looked at the fist with a smirk before it landed. The concussive force knocking them both away from each other with a deep thud.

Seras landed on the floor and skidded back on her feet as the other woman only flew slightly away. Seras coughed a bit of blood as blue veins around her face began to recede.

"That was nasty."

"Have you never had your insides explode before? It was quite the experience you put me through."

The cardinal held one hand in the air looking towards the high-elf as if she was some sort of goddess and he was begging for salvation. She came down next to him and started channelling the armour's healing power into him. a blue glow resonating over his wound before ti stitched itself together.

"Fuck," Adil announced. He was widely aware this was the last push, anyone to fall here may never see light again.