Arianna dove towards the ground cutting an imp out of the air and engaging a good-sized troll. She leapt over the troll's head, using her wings to reach the great height. Landing behind it, she slashed it across the back of the leg.
        The troll stumbled, let out a low growl, recovered, and lunged at Arianna, who gracefully dodged the attack.
       With swift maneuvers, Arianna managed to get behind and above the beast. She dropped onto its back, jabbing her sword into it and slid down. The troll let out a shriek and fell limply to the ground. Arianna shot back into the air. As she soared over the battle, a cry rang up from the keep. She looked to see all the prisoners pouring out of a collapsed part of the inner wall.
————
Skyler found the large group of prisoners crammed into the hallway, surrounded by Ronan's soldiers. Raising her sword, she brought down the nearest soldier.
       Every guard turned at their comrade's scream and noticed the teenage girl standing over his dead body.
       "Charge!" The cry seemed to come from everywhere. No one knew who actually said it, but soon, a giant brawl started. Prisoners fought with fists. Many fell on both sides before no soldiers remained in the corridor. Skyler realized that there was no way that she would be able to lead the prisoners out the way she had come. She had no idea, which way that was.
An idea popped into her head. "Is anyone here a summoner?" Her voice carried over the crowd, but was met with only silence. "Please. The only way out of here is through this wall," She placed her hand on the wall to her right, "but I'm not experienced enough to break it on my own."
Finally, someone pushed through the crowd. "I am a summoner."
"Mom!" Skyler strangled her mother in a tight embrace.
Together they summoned a huge giant, one too large for the hall. It cracked the walls and ceiling until it finally burst through the bricks, showering the crowd with dust as they charged through the newly made hole.
————
Caleb, having returned to the battle, cut down enemy after enemy. As he turned on an assailant, it stopped abruptly and crumpled to the ground. Behind the creature stood Skyler, grey-green blood dripping from her sword, Lilac on her shoulder. Her clothes were slightly scorched. Her arms and face were blood stained and streaked with dirt.
       Caleb rushed over and caught her in a strong embrace.
       After the short reunion, a shrill, deafening roar burst out behind them. Scrall soared over the battle. Elves and humans rode astride their backs.
         A deep guttural growl brought their attention back to the battle raging on around them. A short goblin sneered at them with his lipless mouth and squinted eyes that protruded from his tough scaly head. With a swift stroke, he lay dead on the grass.
         Skyler and Caleb now fought back to back. Skyler's side bled from a near miss by a darkened dryad. As Caleb launched away from Skyler to cut down a troll, he lurched forward, landing hard on the ground, his body convulsing.
————
As Arianna stared down at the crowd pouring from the keep below, a Shadewing dove at her from behind. It collided with her back, tearing at her wings. She screamed as they plummeted towards the battlefield. Struggling to throw the creature from her back, Arianna reeled in the air. Everything was a blur, but she knew the ground was getting closer.
       With one last determined strike, she plunged her blade into the beast's chest and rolled. The carcass fell to the ground below.
       Arianna unfurled her now ragged wings, barely halting before she hit the ground. As she vaulted back into the air, she saw that the prisoners were cornered inside the keep's outer wall. Soldiers were pouring out of the fortress's gates.
"They're trapped." She turned and tucked her wings, diving towards the wall. In mid-flight, she transformed into a huge scarlet dragon. She smashed into the bricks. The wall crumbled. The crowd flooded out. Arianna took to the air again.
She circled in the air above the fields of battle when she noticed a trapdoor on the keep's roof swing open. Ronan exited with a dozen guards... and the wizard.
————
The ranks of the creatures of light fought with extreme ferocity as the dark creatures grew in number. Many friends were changed before their comrades' eyes. Teran bit into the neck of a dark dwarf and flung it aside. A Troll hit a pixie from the sky with its club. Another dropped to the ground its wings mangled. It drew a serrated sword from its belt and stood its ground. A horde of dark fairies swarmed a dryad, biting with their sharp teeth and zapping with their magic. Another horde of fairies, ones of light, scattered through the dark mass and lessened it.
Teran heard something howl. Then a dark mass lunged out of the horde, landing on him, knocking him to the ground, and growling.
————
Arianna swooped down on Ronan. Landing on the rooftop, she stalked towards him.
        Soldiers tried to grab her arms but she threw them over the edge of the keep and glared at Ronan.
"I've been expecting you." His voice was smooth as silk.
"It's about time you showed your face, coward. Let him go." Arianna pointed to the man, the wizard, grasped in his soldiers' hands.
"And why would I do that? He's the only thing standing in my way."
         Arianna lunged at him, but a guard blocked her attack and flung her back.
       "That was not a good idea Arianna." He signaled the soldiers and one of them held his blade to the wizard's throat.
"Wait!"
Ronan smirked. "I don't have to kill him. Simply lay down your arms and surrender. Then I'll let you both go." Arianna stood her ground. "If you don't, I will kill him."
With her sword still held at her side, Arianna responded. "You think I can't take your guards?"
"Foolish girl!" the guard raised his sword to strike.
"No!" Arianna held up her arms. "Ronan, please. You don't have to do this."
"Yes I do. I must avenge my people. The ones those humans, those beasts, slaughtered! You hold no right to stand in my way."
"Ronan, this will not just affect the humans. You're making a world where everything will be shrouded in darkness. Whatever the humans did does not warrant the punishment of everyone else."
"It really is you isn't it." He mumbled almost to himself. "You're the heir."
"What?" Arianna relaxed her grip on her sword. She was completely lost. "You're insane! I'm not the heir of anything."
"Watch your tongue little girl! You have no idea who you're dealing with."
"I understand you plenty. You're a tyrant who craves power and will cut down anything in his way to get it!"
         Ronan flinched slightly, but held her gaze. "You want me dead. You long to kill me, to restore the creatures of light and send everything back to normal."
"No! My life will never be same. My home and family are gone because of you. But if I can save these other creatures, I will."
Ronan's face flashed a look of terror, but he soon regained his composure. "Well, I'm glad we agree."
        Arianna dashed forward, but was grabbed from behind. She struggled in vain.
       "I'm tired of this Arianna. Drop your weapon!"
"No! I'll never surrender. I will never give into you. You're a coward. I can take you and anything you throw at me."
"Oh, I'm sure you can, but can your friend." Ronan pointed his staff towards the battlefield.
         Arianna followed the line of his staff to find that he was singling out Caleb.
Arianna tried to hold in her horror as she turned on Ronan. "You can't turn a human." Arianna had noticed that Ronan had taken the entire human village hostage or killed them. There were no dark humans.
"Your right I can't darken humans, elves, or even emo-shifters, but he's not a human, is he."
————
Teran managed to look up and see his darkened son clawing at his side. The young wolf tore into his father's chest without mercy. Teran kicked him off, but his son had dug in his teeth and refused to release. With no other options, Teran slashed his son across the muscle.
          As the wolf backed away, Teran shakily rose to his feet. Blood gushed freely from his wounds. His son growled fiercely and lunged at the father he no longer knew.
————
"No! I'll drop my weapons, just don't hurt him." Arianna let her sword and bow fall to the stone ground.
"Well done Arianna, but as I said before, you are foolish." He shot a dark bolt from his staff, drew his own sword, and slit the wizard's throat. The limp, lifeless corpse crumpled the ground.
          "No!" Arianna broke free and launched herself into the sky, hoping beyond hope that she could stop Caleb before he caused too much damage.
————
"Caleb!" Skyler ran over and knelt by her writhing friend. Lilac had leapt from her shoulder and now stood staring down at his face in concern.
         Caleb's breathing was short haggard gasps that slowly began to resemble a growl. Gray scales spread across his skin Wings sprouted from his back. His face started to elongate.
          "Are you alright?" Skyler placed a hand on his shoulder.
         Fully transformed, Caleb whirled at Skyler's touch. Lilac jumped, back arched. Moving slowly, Caleb approached Skyler and Lilac, teeth bared.
          As she backed away, Skyler tripped and fell on her back. Lilac dashed to her side as Caleb reared on his hind legs and roared. Grabbing Lilac, Skyler rolled out of the way as Caleb stomped down where she had laid.
         Caleb turned to face his prey, which now stood with Lilac on her shoulder.
"I don't want to fight you, Caleb." She lunged to the right to avoid his clawed forepaw. "Please. What's wrong with you? Snap out of it." Her plea ushered no reply.
           Behind her, a goblin advanced.
           Caleb readied himself to pounce.
           Wavering behind and in front of her, Skyler was struck by an idea. As Caleb pounced, she ducked out of the way.
             He landed on the goblin, tearing and slicing the creature until he realized it wasn't Skyler. Leaving the shredded body lying on the ground gushing black blood, he turned and lunged. Skyler's victory was short-lived.
Suddenly, an Astrid swooped down to aid her, but was plucked from the sky.
        Caleb broke the feathered woman's neck and hurled the corpse aside. After finishing the Astrid, Caleb turned back on Skyler. She fought back tears of grief and anger as he advanced.
————
Arianna watched as another adversary plummeted from the sky. She was being delayed too many times. She had to get to Caleb and stop him before too many people got hurt. At this rate, he could wipe out a good chunk of the army before she reached him.
————
Skyler dodged attack after attack, unable to bring herself to hurt Caleb. Soon, she was out of tactics and Caleb began to predict her movement. As she sidestepped an assault, he caught her by the side with his claw, ripping a gash across one of her vulnerable spots. She lay on the ground helpless and running short on ideas.
           In a burst of adrenaline, Skyler drew her sword and there was a crash of steel against scales. Standing, she tried to ward off Caleb with her blade, but he was seemingly unafraid of the sharp edge.
           Once, with no choice, Skyler slashed Caleb across the chest. It did nothing but scratch his scales and aggravate him.
           He was relentless, lunging at her again and again.
            Lilac snuck around behind Caleb and managed to avoid detection as she climbed onto his back. Baring fangs that looked too big on the small creature, Lilac bit down on Caleb's shoulder blade.
            With a roar like thunder, Caleb swatted Lilac to the ground with unnecessary force.
Skyler told herself that she had to fight, but she could never attack her friend willfully. She tripped over the corpse of a goblin and threw her hands out to catch herself. A sting ran through her on impact. Staring at Caleb, she scrambled frantically across the ground.
          He pounced, forelegs out stretched, towards Skyler. She rolled out of the way just in time, holding the wound on her side. She leapt to her feet, turned, and ran.
           Caleb gained and, claws spread, raked Skyler across her armored back. She tumbled to the ground.
           Panicked, Skyler scooted away from her adversary, but he exhaled a vaporous liquid. She attempted to avoid the shimmering mist, but as the cloud settled, her legs were caught in the vapor and were instantly paralyzed. Unable to move her legs, she was immobilized.
           Caleb advanced slowly, taking his time now that his prey was stuck. Upon reaching her, Caleb reared.
          Skyler closed her eyes and turned her head away, prepared to feel the sharp pain of claws shredding her body.
She felt the wind as something whizzed by her head. There was a gruesome ripping sound and a pained roar. Opening her eyes, Skyler observed Caleb on the ground an arrow protruding from his chest. His breaths came quick and short. Then his head lolled back and his body went slack.
           Skyler whipped her head around to find Arianna standing with bow still held up, a look of absolute gravity on her face. Skyler was now paralyzed by fear not by magic.
          Arianna walked over and helped Skyler to her feet, never meeting her eyes.
Once standing, Skyler wrenched out of Arianna's grasp. "Why? We could have saved him. Why did you kill him?"
"Skyler, we couldn't have saved him." Arianna grabbed Skyler by the arms.
"What do you mean? It was your plan. Free the wizard and..."
"Skyler, he's dead. We can't save Caleb, or anyone." Arianna caressed Skyler's cheek. "I'm sorry."
          Skyler broke down into tears, collapsing into Arianna's shoulder.
          "Skyler, now is not the time to mourn. This isn't over yet."
"What do you mean? We have no way of saving any of these creatures. How can it not be over?"
"We have to kill Ronan. He's the one responsible for all these deaths today. All this blood is on his hands."
Skyler met Arianna's gaze and gave a curt nod. She did not trust her voice.
        Glancing over Arianna's shoulder, Skyler shoved her to the ground. A ball of dark magic exploded against the ground as Skyler landed on top of Arianna. The girls rose to their feet.
         The ground struck by magic turned to wood. A swarm of dark fairies formed ranks in the air in front of them.
         Arianna shifted into a charcoal-maroon dragon and belched molten flames at the congregation of fairies.
          A few dropped to the ground, their beauteous wings replaced by raw blistering nubs. Their hair singed black; they groped at their bleeding backs. Other fairies fell to the grass dead, corpses lit aflame. And the ones unlucky enough to be caught in the middle seemed to disappear. Only tiny charred body parts remained, littering the burnt turf with gore.
          Skyler looked away as Arianna finished off the survivors.
Arianna shifted back into her usual form. "We need to get to the keep. It's time for Ronan's reign of darkness to end."