Davon nearly crashed into several other Revenants as he ran towards his companions. He managed to catch Kai just as the young man slipped from Lyla’s grasp.
“Set him down gently.” Lyla struggled to speak between exhausted breaths. “And try to get that armor off of him.”
Following her instructions, Davon slowly put Kai on the ground. The young man seemed to be unconscious. Davon’s keen eyes swept over Kai’s wounds, shocked at the char marks that covered the warrior’s body.
“How close was he to… whatever that was?” Davon asked, trying to hide the worry in his voice.
Lyla pulled out her book and started flipping through the pages frantically. “He was on fire when I found him. If I’d gotten there a second later, he…”
“Don’t think about it,” Davon demanded as he inspected Kai’s armor. “No time for ‘what if’s now.”
Davon tugged gently at the leather straps connecting the plating of Kai’s armor. Then, deciding speed was more important than preserving the armor, he grabbed his bow and used the bladed limbs to cut the straps instead.
“Okay… here we go,” Lyla muttered, apparently having found the page she was looking for. “Get that melted plating off of him. I’d rather it didn’t fuse into the flesh.”
Davon grasped the edges of the metal plating and pulled. He felt a tug, as if he was pulling something along with the plate.
“Lyla…” Davon closed his eyes. “Please tell me that isn’t flesh.”
“Just a strap you missed,” she assured him. Pulling out a dagger, she made quick work of the remaining strap. “Okay.”
It took a few minutes for Davon to remove all of Kai’s armor, tossing each piece into a heap next to them. When he was done, he noticed they’d attracted the attention of a small crowd of other Revenants, all in varying states of injury.
As soon as Kai’s armor was off, Lyla stood up and started chanting. Davon recognized the incantation from their first mission together. A wave of warm energy pulsed out from Lyla when she finished her incantation, and Davon watched as Kai’s wounds healed in seconds. The energy also washed over Davon, healing his own cuts, bruises, and blisters.
But it didn’t stop. The energy continued to ripple outward, enveloping most of the gathered Revenants. Davon noted a few of them, a mixture of Green Trackers and Stalwarts, inspected themselves in shock as their wounds healed.
Surprised murmurs spread throughout the crowd, but Davon didn’t try to pick out anything that was said. Instead, he focused on his unconscious teammate.
Kai’s eyes fluttered open, then squeezed shut. He raised a hand to his head with a groan.
“Where…?”
“Back in the city,” Lyla replied, sighing audibly with relief.
Davon helped Kai up onto his feet. The warrior looked around, his eyes landing on the pile of warped metal beside them.
“Ah, right, had to dismantle your armor,” Davon explained. “Sorry.”
Kai just shrugged. “Honestly, I’m starting to think armor is overrated. Oh, and… thank you.”
The distant crackling of fire combined with the bright glow of the Crimson Reavers’ magic cast the scene in a truly apocalyptic light as the commotion settled.
“That’s some powerful healing for a novice, girl.” Grant’s voice drew the group’s attention. “Your aptitude is impressive. I don’t suppose you could do that again?”
Davon inspected the old Revenant as he approached. Grant seemed unbothered by the cuts and burns all across his body, carrying himself as he normally would.
Lyla shook her head. “Not for at least a few hours, unfortunately.”
“Well, we have to wait anyway.” Grant sighed. “It’s not like we can charge into… that.”
“How many did we lose?” Davon asked, his tone turning grim.
The crowd shifted nervously. Grant glanced around, taking a moment to think carefully before he replied, “About a quarter. We took out half of their forces, and nearly all of the big beasts, but it’s not a trade I’d make again.”
At that moment, the bright light coming from beyond the walls vanished. The noise of roaring flames dissipated quickly, leaving only the sound of steadily falling rain.
“Well… take our blessings as they come, I suppose,” Grant said gruffly. “Everyone take a rest. We need to think up a new plan.”
“We already have one, Grant.” Emma’s voice carried over the crowd, turning everyone’s attention to her. “We strike when night falls. Those of us familiar with stealth tactics go first, targeting those mages. When we’re certain they’re all dead, we’ll send the rest a signal to charge.”
Grant nodded, then clapped his hands to dismiss the crowd. “Sounds good enough to me. Now, at ease, and rest.”
The gathered Revenants murmured as they started to drift away, their mood a combination of approval and uncertainty. Davon looked to his companions. In silent agreement, the trio returned to the same spot they had been sitting in before the charge.
“Almost died twice in as many hours,” Davon observed, smiling as he spoke. “I don’t like this habit we’re forming.”
“At least it’s only almost,” Kai retorted. “Thank you again.”
Lyla wrapped her cloak around herself more tightly. “Oh, no bother. But I really would prefer if you didn’t do it again.”
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The trio shared a chuckle, then relaxed into a comfortable silence. Davon strained his ears, listening for the sounds of fire, yet heard only the rain. Internally, he thanked the rain, knowing full well that the situation could be much worse if the fire had spread.
Leaning into his seat as comfortably as he could, Davon settled in for the wait. He decided to close his eyes for just a moment.
Then sleep claimed his exhausted mind.
—
Davon’s rest was interrupted by someone shaking his shoulder. Briefly stuck between dream and reality, Davon pushed himself onto his feet, blinking rapidly and reaching for his bow.
When his eyes focused, Davon saw Kai standing beside him, backlit by a nearby torch. Night had fallen. All around them, Revenants were getting ready to step through the gate.
“Is it time already?” Davon asked, glancing around for Lyla and failing to spot her. “Where’s Lyla?”
“She’s been helping with the wounded. Apparently, her healing capabilities are something special.” Kai turned towards the gate. “Come on, Emma wants us with the stealthy team.”
“Worried about the sneaking part, Kai?” Davon asked, noting a thread of anxiety in the young man’s tone.
“Like I told you before all this started, I’m not a very good sneak,” Kai admitted. Then, suddenly, he gave Davon a wry smile. “Strange to think that was this morning.”
“Huh. Yeah, feels like it’s been a week.” Davon clapped Kai on the back. “You’ll do fine. Just watch where you step.”
The pair joined the crowd of Revenants gathered around Grant, Emma, and Meyer at the front gate. The tension in the air was palpable. While Grant and Emma were carrying themselves with stoicism, Davon noticed Meyer looked visibly shaken.
“We’re all here then? Good,” Grant said, keeping his voice calm. “Those of you chosen to go with Emma, step forward.”
Fifteen Revenants stepped towards the gate, including Davon and Kai. In his periphery, Davon saw Lyla split off from the crowd and sidle up to them. The trio exchanged brief nods as they gathered around Emma.
“Remember: look for the flare,” Emma called to Grant, apparently ignoring Meyer. “Come on. Let’s head out.”
The gates lurched into motion. As they opened, Davon beheld the aftermath of their previous assault, eerily illuminated by moonlight.
Charred bodies dotted an ash-covered landscape. The tree line, previously only a few hundred feet from the walls, was now at least half a mile away. The sheer scale of destruction left Davon reeling.
Then Davon’s eyes landed on what could only be the Crimson Reavers’ camp. Far enough to be out of siege engine reach, layers of carapace-like barricades were stacked on top of each other to create walls, with only one way in or out. A few soldiers patrolled the outside perimeter, carrying torches burning with distinctly crimson flame.
“Stay close to me,” Emma commanded quietly. She ran her fingers over a rune on her bow, causing it to light up. A moment later, unnatural chills ran down Davon’s spine as everyone around him turned transparent. He looked down at his hands, realizing the magic had affected him as well.
Between the ash padding their footsteps and this new near-invisibility, the Revenants continued their march forward with confidence. Even Kai’s shoulders lost some of their tension.
As they continued their approach, Davon couldn’t help but look down at the charred bodies they passed. Both Revenants and Crimson Reavers lay dead and discarded, covered in a thin layer of ash. He resisted the urge to shudder.
It’s just more reason for revenge, he told himself firmly. More reason to make these monsters pay.
When the group was roughly a hundred feet from the enemy camp, Emma halted and turned to them.
“Thanks to our scouts’ efforts, we know the enemy mages gather in the large central tent,” she whispered. “We will sneak in there, kill them, and fire off a flare to signal for the main force to attack. If we’re spotted, just run for the tent. Kill those mages at any cost.”
Davon felt his anxiety returning at these words. He found it strange that since the siege began, the Crimson Reaver with a three-horned helmet was nowhere to be found. Davon had assumed that figure to be a leader. If he was present here, then it would make sense for him to be inside the biggest tent.
But Davon didn’t have time to think about this much. The patrolling guards had completed a loop and were walking away from the camp’s entrance.
It was time to act.
At Emma’s command, the group scatted into formation and rushed for the camp. The two guards standing directly at the entrance fell dead, arrows sticking from their necks, before Davon could even notice who fired the shots.
Once inside, Davon saw one massive tent in the middle, surrounded by several circles of smaller tents. Crimson Reaver soldiers were milling around the encampment, seemingly on patrol and still unaware of the intruders.
Emma whispered commands as they proceeded. Splitting the group into small teams, she left them behind at strategic points to wait and take out any soldiers who might stumble too close to their escape path.
When they reached the command tent, it was only Davon’s team, Emma, and a Stalwart Revenant remaining.
“On my count.” Emma turned to the group. “Three, two, one… go!”
Davon jumped into the tent, bow raised. The first thing he noticed was a table with nine figures gathered around it. There were eight of the decorated soldiers he recognized as mages, and one figure wearing a three-horned helmet.
The next thing he noticed was that Emma’s invisibility had worn off as soon as he entered the tent.
Reflexively, Davon invoked his Scattershot rune and fired a shot while still mid-run, aimed loosely towards the nearest mage. He felt the familiar slowing of time as he watched the arrow fly, adrenaline rushing through his system.
Just as the arrow split, the mage raised a hand, conjuring a red barrier fractions of a second before impact. The sound of shattering filled the air. A few splinters pierced the barrier and landed directly in the mage’s chest, sending the robed figure backwards.
The remaining mages recovered from their shock almost immediately. They stepped away from the table and formed a line between the Revenants and their leader. Moving as one, they drew the swords hanging from their hips and took an identical stance.
Kai dashed past Davon with a roar, axe at the ready. In his periphery, Davon saw Lyla slam the butt of her spear into the ground, hand outstretched towards Kai. A rune lit up on her spear, and a half-second later, Kai’s axe was wrapped in flames. Without breaking his stride, Kai brought the axe down onto the nearest enemy, crushing the weak attempt at a parry and bisecting the mage.
From the far side of the table, the figure in the three-horned helmet growled something at the mages, then turned towards the other side of the tent.
Only then did Davon notice that this tent had two entrances.
A massive arrow flew by him from behind, spearing another of the mages. He turned just in time to see Emma pull her bowstring back for another shot.
As the leader continued striding towards the other entrance, the remaining five mages readjusted into a circle around Kai, thrusting their weapons at him simultaneously. Kai raised his axe in response, conjuring a barrier to protect himself.
Davon raised his bow, aiming for the head of one of the mages behind Kai. He let the arrow fly, and almost simultaneously, another shot from behind flew by him. Both of the mages behind Kai fell dead, hitting the ground with unceremonious clangs.
In response, the final three dashed backwards and raised their hands in unison. A jet of crimson flame formed from each of their palms, gathering into a torrent of destruction.
The next instant, Davon saw a rune light up on Kai’s axe. A war cry echoed above the noise of fire as the crimson flames surged. Davon raised a hand to his face, shielding his eyes against the sudden burst.
He could only guess what happened in that moment. He only knew that when he lowered his hand, he saw Kai facing only two mages. The young man held his axe in one hand and a head in the other.
“The leader is escaping!”
Emma’s cry directed Davon’s attention to the back of the tent, where the Crimson Reaver leader had just vanished through the other entrance.
“I’ll wrap up here! You three, chase him!” Emma commanded.
Davon didn’t need to glance at Kai or Lyla. He just took off running, knowing they were with him every step of the way.