The Bunny-Men landed beyond the human barrier and several of the human warriors immediately turn around, expecting an attack from behind. The attacks never came. The Rabbit Kin took off, running at speed at the second line of human defenders.

Unlike the first line which was full of warriors and hunters, the second line had more mages and the Kin had identified them as the softer targets. Despite their speed, agility and ferocity, Bunny-Men were ill-equipped to fight against warriors. Their superior speed was unsuited for a pitch battle and their sharp claws and teeth were not powerful to punch through the thick armor most warriors wore. Against mages and normal citizens however, the Bunny-Men were an absolute terror. It was one of the reason why the Rabbit Kin were so hated by humans. It was one of the reason why Arnel hated them with a passion when he was a human. Even now, his feelings towards them were mixed at best. They went after the soft targets.

Still Arnel had to admit that they were good at their job. The mages were no cowards but they were no fools either. They retreated the moment they saw the Bunny-Men clearing the first barrier and several of the mages cast spells hoping to slow down the Bunnies. Thorns bushes grew from the ground, solid ground turned to mud, and several lights appeared on the ground. From experience, Arnel knew the lights were magical traps and all these spells were the standard spells mages cast to slow and trap enemies.

Bunny-Men however were not like normal enemies. They were fast, quick on their feet, annoyingly evasive, and fearless. They charged at the mages without a care. Arnel could see that a few of the Bunny-Men getting caught by the spells but the majority of them went around, jumped over or just sped past the spells. The Bunny-Men weren’t going to let a few losses stop them from their goal. Only moments after landing behind the barrier, the Bunny-Men were already at the second line of humans. Chaos erupted.

The Bunny-Men tore into the ranks of the mages and the humans broke. The mages had no chance against the Kin at close combat and they knew it. Many of the humans tried to run but others were wiser. Shouts erupted demanding that the humans stayed together.

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“Push!”

Arnel’s attention turned back to the frontline. He couldn’t see her but the shout came from the Speaker and she was urging the Kin to push toward. The Kin responded. A few of the Bull Kin had two-handed axes and they led the way. The frontline of the humans was full of shields and the Bullmen smashed into them with gusto. Even those Bullmen without axes got into the act. Their fists may not be as destructive as axes but the force behind their punches rocked the shield bearers. Someone howled and the Kin roared on, sensing the chance in front of them.

The human warriors bravely held on but against the irresistible force that was the Kin, it was not enough. A gap appeared in the line and a Werewolf leapt into the gap, attacking the nearest human warrior. While he didn’t do much damage, the act itself was enough. The Kin surged on, breaking the human’s formation.

Arnel was caught up in the move forward and found himself facing one group of human warriors that had been separated from the main line. He risked a quick look around and saw that this group was not alone. The human line has fragmented and several groups of humans had been cut off from the main line. Arnel smiled grimly. The Kin was winning. His inattention almost cost him his life.

A sword flashed towards him and he only just block it. The humans weren’t giving up, struggling to escape from the Kin and join up to the main defensive line. The Kin was not having it. Individual fights erupted all over the place and Arnel was in one of his own. He countered the attack with a strike of his own. It was blocked by the human. The human warrior moved forward and delivered a series of strikes. Arnel dodged by moving back. His opponent did not relent and kept up the offense. Arnel was not a great swordsman but he was experienced and he slowly waited for his opportunity. He took half a step back each time his opponent attacks and before long Arnel had lured him beyond the safety of his comrades. His opportunity came when his opponent realized what he was doing. He stop attacking, trying to scramble back to his comrades. Arnel attacked with a strike to the head. As his opponent blocked, Arnel took a big step forward and knocked into the human with a shoulder barge. As the human was already off-balance, the knock caused him to lose his footing. He fell and Arnel’s sword made sure he would never get back up. The human look at the sword sticking through his chest in disbelief and whispered a name.

“Caitlyn”

Arnel heard the name and felt something being lifted from him. He know that name. Arnel’s eyes cleared and for the first time, he saw his opponent clearly. It was young Aaron.