The vibrant arcs of electricity danced through the night air, illuminating the area around the watchtower. The bright streaks of lightning were as thick as Kaira's arm, each bolt ricocheting off its target, a figure on another tower, and back to its caster with deadly precision. With each connection, orbs of crackling energy, each roughly the size of her fists, sprung into existence and raced into the night toward other targets.

The spectacle unfolded in a blink of an eye, but in Kaira's mind, it stretched out, each detail carved into her memory. A storm of lightning orbs formed an intimidating barrage overhead, then shot out towards the other towers, soon followed by two spears of lightning. It was a display of raw, untamed power. It was beautiful.

It was also their signal.

“Move!” Kaira called out to the others as she lunged forward, her focus narrowing to the task at hand.

She followed the creek into the camp with Mocha next to her as she sprinted into the camp, the sounds of everyone else close behind.

As soon as they entered the camp, Akane dropped her illusions.

In a blink of an eye, the vulpine twin of her paramour, along with Mocha, were both obscured by a fog of mana before they both emerged in their true forms.

Once Mocha was alongside her, Kaira clambered onto the warhorse's saddle with practiced ease and smoothly unsheathed her blades and held them at the ready, her shield secure on her back.

The chaos of Iris’s assault had taken the enemy by surprise, and Kaira was determined to exploit their confusion.

With a swift movement from Mocha, they surged forward in a blur and she took advantage of the speed as two of the marauders fell to her blades, their hesitation proving fatal.

As they advanced, Kaira risked a glance at the watchtower, where Laken was rapidly launching scorpion bolts at a distant tower.

Iris was in her element, launching more magic than Kaira had ever seen her use, launching bolts and orbs of lightning at anything and everything, causing fire to sprout from the tents as stray bolts found their mark.

Mocha was a force of nature unto herself.

She moved through the frenzied mass of Marauders as effortlessly as the wind through a grove, her agility and raw power cutting a swath through the enemy ranks.

It was as if the very laws that bound the world had chosen to exempt her.

With uncanny grace, she abruptly halted her forward charge only to spin and kick out with deadly precision, her iron-shod hooves connecting with devastating impact.

Lavi, their harpy guide, became a whirling dervish of fury from above. With a deafening shriek, she swooped down from the night sky, her long talons gleaming ominously in the firelight. She fell upon a cluster of archers with savage precision, her razor-sharp claws slicing through their leather armors and leaving them in agonized heaps on the ground.

Before any could react, she was back in the air, rocketing forward like a living arrow to seek out her next targets.

From her vantage point atop Mocha, Kaira had a clear view of Lavi's aerial assault. She watched as the harpy veered up and streaked alongside a watch tower, her talons reaching out to snatch an unsuspecting marauder from the top.

With a heave of her mighty wings, she tossed the man into the void, his terrified scream echoing in the chaos before abruptly ending in a sickening thud.

As Lavi made her sharp descent, a scorpion bolt whistled past her, barely missing the harpy by inches. The source of the threat was a watch tower further down, its scorpion swiveling to take aim once more as the man attempted to reload.

The response was swift.

From his position in the tower they'd commandeered, Laken–with Iris’s hand resting on the ballista–sent a retaliatory bolt that crackled soaring through the air. The deadly projectile crashed into the siege weapon with a thunderous impact, sending splinters of wood and debris flying along with crackling orbs of lightning.

The threat of the scorpion was silenced, its operators either dead or scattered from the force of the blow and the subsequent magic.

Kaira couldn't help but feel a surge of relief as she saw Iris giving a thumbs-up signal, indicating all was well before resuming her magical onslaught.

She refocused her attention back on the fight at hand, her blades once again finding their targets in two men that sought to attack Mocha from the side when out of the corner of her eye she saw a man charging the horse at the front.

Suddenly, Mocha let out a neigh that could only be a warning and Kaira felt her stomach lurch as the horse seemingly flipped around in place instantaneously, but some magical ability kept the elf’s rear firmly planted in the saddle.

Mocha then focused her power into a single, brutal kick that sent a man flying backward, the front of his armor visibly dented inward from the sheer force of the horse’s blow.

As Mocha moved to the next group, Kaira caught sight of a skulk of three-tailed foxes harrying and attacking the enemy with deadly efficiency and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

Yet Mocha and Akane were not alone in their onslaught.

Upon the horse’s back, Kaira was a storm of blades.

Every muscle, every movement, was honed by years of training and battle-hardened experience.

She would not make the mistake she had in that camp again.

Her twin blades danced in the light of the flames and magic, their edges a blur of steel as they cut down enemy after enemy. As Mocha darted and weaved through the chaotic battlefield, Kaira was constantly in motion, striking out at any enemy that came within the reach of her deadly swords.

Mocha's movements were fluid and anticipatory, adjusting her course and speed to keep Kaira within arm's reach of their enemies.

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This unspoken coordination between them, a feat the horse had clearly honed over who knows how many battles with Iris, allowed Kaira to focus on her own lethal dance of blades, secure in the knowledge that Mocha would keep her in the heart of the fight.

However, the marauders weren't simple pushovers.

Despite the chaos and sudden assault, smaller pockets of them managed to regain their bearings and organize themselves, rallying together to mount a counterattack. They braved the storm of Iris's magic and the ferocity of Mocha’s charges, their eyes burning with the stubborn determination that came from having their backs to the wall.

Their bravery, however, was short-lived.

Owlie, the towering owlbear, lunged forward with a roar that shook the night.

His powerful claws closed around a heavily armored man that would have looked like a knight anywhere else and lifted him off his feet as if he were a mere ragdoll.

With an almost casual swing, Owlie transformed the unfortunate marauder into a deadly makeshift club, using the soldier's own armor as a weapon against his comrades. The screams and clatters of metal were only drowned out by the crackle of electricity and the sound of battle.

Meanwhile, Bree and Gryff, who had been watching the owlbear's back, launched into the fray.

The spear-wielding Bree moved with a dancer's grace, her weapon a lethal extension of her body. Each thrust, each twist, was aimed to maim or kill, her agility and precision proving a deadly combination.

At her side, Gryff wielded his pike with the strength and discipline of a seasoned warrior. His strikes, although less flashy than Bree's, were no less deadly.

The pair worked in perfect harmony, their weapons forming a barrier of steel around them, deterring any marauder brave or foolish enough to attempt to flank the owlbear.

Their presence ensured that Owlie could continue his assault unhampered, and the marauders quickly learned the price of ignoring this formidable trio.

And then the first mage made their appearance.

✦ ✦ ✦

Iris caught sight of a newcomer in the chaos just before Kaira did.

A high elven man forged a bubble of magic around himself and a nearby group, followed by a third to protect a group being attacked by Owlie.

Laken immediately fired the scorpion imbued with her [Static Discharge] at the man. The transparent barrier stopped the scorpion's bolts mid-air without as much as a crack and dispersed Iris’s two static orbs along its surface.

A glance confirmed that Akane was entangled in her own battle, an illusionary dance with six men who swung futilely at her doppelgangers.

The real Akane stalked from behind, her fangs bared in anticipation of an attack.

Before the men could even react, the kitsune struck.

Narrowing her eyes, Iris decided to try and help as a second bolt fired by Laken also did nothing.

Iris fired a [Spark] at the man, but the orb just splashed against the shield with no visible effect, however, the sight of more men rushing Gryff and Bree tore her focus away.

She drew mana and threw her hands forward, casting a [Lightning Spear], the resultant bolt of energy rocketing forward with deadly precision. The first marauder barely had time to register the attack before the spear punctured him and continued its path, arcing toward his companion.

His desperate dive aside proved futile.

She moved on to her next target.

Iris loosed a [Chain Lightning] spell at a pair of assailants scaling a watch tower, a blur of feathers caught her attention.

Lavi, with a screech filled with fury, swooped past a third climber and effortlessly yanked him off his perch. His startled yell was cut short as he plummeted to the ground, landing with a resounding snap.

With those threats handled, she turned back to the abjuration mage to see if she could help.

She focused on the man just in time to witness Mocha and Kaira’s assault.

Her friend blurred forward with Iris’s girlfriend on her back, the horse’s head lowered as she raced across the area. On her armored head, the steel spike pulsed with a mana-infused glow, before it collided with the protective barrier.

The force shattered the shield, allowing Mocha to pass through unhindered.

In a display of perfect synchrony, Mocha bucked, flinging Kaira into the air.

The gorgeous elf warrior soared through the night, a lethal missile homing in on her target.

The mage, still reeling from the sudden destruction of his shield, barely had time to react before Kaira slammed into him, swords first.

As he fell, Kaira landed atop him, effortlessly withdrawing her blades from his chest. Without wasting a breath, she launched into a new offensive against two approaching marauders, her movements fluid and deadly.

As the chaotic skirmish carried on, a new squad of marauders emerged from the smoke and confusion, marching in unison, led by a figure donned in black steel plate armor. His presence alone was enough to draw the scattered marauders in the vicinity, prompting them to fall into rank behind him.

Kaira fell back, her twin blades ready as Mocha and Akane moved to her side. Gryff, Bree, and Owlie closed the ranks, forming a solid wall of defense in the face of the fresh threat.

Up on the tower, Iris watched as Laken's gaze fixated on the man in black, his fingers itching on the trigger of the scorpion.

“Not yet,” Iris told him.

He nodded.

Iris met the cold certainty in the eyes of the elf that could only be the Marauder Prince with her own coursing determination. The Prince's expression betrayed a flicker of surprise before hardening into a steely scowl.

Iris exchanged a look with the elf next to her. “You're almost out of bolts,” Iris pointed out, “Switch to your bow and watch for people trying to climb up. This… is my cue.”

With a curt nod, Laken responded, “Don't worry about me. I got this.”

Iris flashed him a smile full of confidence. “I know. Good luck.”

“Same to you.”

In the next moment, Iris cast [Feather Fall] and stepped off of the edge of the platform, her form descending gracefully from the tower to land amidst her friends on the ground.

She barely had time to catch her footing before Lavi swooped down, her talons digging into the earth as she landed by Iris's side. There they stood, a united front against the Marauder Prince and his squad, ready to face the challenge head-on.

Before anyone could say anything, the quiet night was shattered by the cacophonous screech of harpies, followed by the unmistakable crash of a boulder striking the ground–the harpy queen and her forces had made their move.

The Marauder Prince's gaze flickered back towards his fort, taking in the unfolding chaos, before snapping back to Iris. His expression was one of thinly veiled contempt, a sneer twisting his lips.

Undeterred, Iris calmly drew her sword, a smirk of derision playing at the corners of her mouth. With a cool composure that belied the escalating chaos around them, she addressed him, “Well, ‘Prince,’ your reign of terror on the people of Lehelia ends tonight.”

The words had barely left her lips when the Prince's grip tightened around his claymore, his knuckles whitening with the pressure. The high elf with piercing blue eyes that glowed with mana, seemed almost familiar for some reason as his magic spread from him.

Ice crystallized along the elf’s blade, spreading swiftly from his feet, and coating the ground immediately around him in a frosty sheen.

Iris’s smirk widened as her own mana surged through her and crackled from her eyes and [Mana Conduit] took hold on her blade.

As the cries for vengeance and retribution of the harpies filled the clear night sky, a storm was about to strike all that the Marauder Prince had built at the expense of the blood and tears of the innocent.

And Iris, the tempest herself, was the herald of its arrival.

“You,” he spit out.