A/N: My longest wattpad chapter to date. Grab your coffee/tea/dew/monster/beverage of choice. Thank you once again for staying with me on this journey. I hope you enjoy.

Sunshine broke through the trees of the Whispering Woods and cast speckled rays of light that dotted the armed soldiers of Corfé. The forest fought to return to its former glory and Kayla found it far too beautiful of a day to go to war. She wondered if the soldiers believed the same thing, or if all they only lived to fight.

The She-elf learned a few of the warriors' names and a little about them. Dame Leara Whentworthe, a Black Knight originally from New Hathelia. Also, Sir Jaymes Dinely, a Black Knight and cousin to the king. A handsome spearman among the foot soldiers claimed to have sailed from the Far East, but she didn't believe him and declined his personal advances with a polite smile. Lastly, it was young Edwin Lefevre's first time in combat. The lad barely stood eighteen sole, yet he proved to be an eager warrior bearing sword and shield. Kayla knew that he would change after this battle. He would not be the same after he took a life and saw death spring before him. His family would find him changed if he returned. War changes us all, she thought. Either way, if they stood victorious the glory of the battle would be his and all would tell the tales and bring honor to his family like the rest of them.

The Knights brushed the hair and cleaned the hooves of their Clydesdales before they saddled them. Some braided the manes so they could easily recognize one warhorse from the other. Afterward, they cleaned their bodies and combed their hair and applied their oils just as Kayla remembered. The air smelled of pine, lily, and rare spices from the south. They helped each other put their heavy armor on and gave hard slaps to the shoulder pauldrons. After the slaps came the words, Blood and Glory. 

The Corfé foot soldiers sowed discipline as well, though not as elaborate as the knights. They washed, focusing on their feet, and sharpened their weapons with smooth stones.

From the soup cauldron, Otis created a potion for the soldiers and told them that they were all blessed by the god of creation and that the pleasant draught would give them protection. Kayla never witnessed the Dwarf do such a thing, but she drank the sweet liquid all the same and her muscles tingled with vigor.

General Kincaid, who found time to polish his armor to a shine, eventually raised a green banner. This indicated to the army that it was time to mount horses and form ranks.

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Otis knelt before the army and prayed to his god for a victory. However, Panahdae was once again occupied and no force flowed through him to bless the army. He blessed them in his deity's name and that would have to suffice for now. With that, they were on their way north.

Otis and Kayla took lead of the battle force to show the scouts, Haygen and Wess, that it was safe and that everything was okay. Takitus was free to fly around Kayla, though, after a while, Kincaid told her he was a distraction to the force. Reluctantly, the blue Faerie Dragon took his rightful place on Kayla's left shoulder and behaved himself.

The sun rose to its full strength and the companions reunited. The army halted inside the edge of the Whispering Woods to hide their numbers.

Otis patted Wess on the shoulder. "General, you remember Sergeant Whiteknuckle."

"Yes, good to see you again, Sergeant," Kincaid said. "I hear that you are responsible for the intelligence gathering of the enemy and the return of the skull."

Wesley raised a finger. "Well, General, that's kind of a long story. You see—"

"And this is Haygen," Otis said cutting off the chatty Faeling.

Kincaid looked upon the Half-orc in deep study. "Yes, the land of Lyborna owes you all a debt of gratitude." He turned on his mount to Kayla. "Perhaps when this is all over we can split a fine bottle of Elvish wine from the valley of your people, Princess Kayla. In celebration of solidarity, of course."

At the mention of the 'P' word, there was an immediate response from the companions. Otis let out a comforting, "Har!" Wess bit down hard on his fist to stifle his giggle because he knew he would get hurt first, and Haygen laughed but covered it with a coughing fit.

The whites of Kayla's eyes doubled in size and she inhaled ready to let the general have it with an epic verbal rant. Takitus could feel the anger building in his master and flapped his wings to get clear of the coming attack.

Kincaid pointed to her. "There. Right there, Elf. That is where we need you—at the height of your senses. You will be key to this victory. Are you ready to face this foe and be done with him?"

The Wizard sharpened her eyes and pursed her lips. Her three laughing friends silenced them. She straightened her emerald robes and silver hair. Clearly, this general does not know me. "I am prepared, general."

"Good," Kincaid said. "Let us delay no longer. You and your friends follow behind with the foot soldiers."

Kincaid rode out of the woods and bore witness to the horror of the dark temple that desecrated the Wolf Cry Mountains. "By the gods good and holy." His jaw went slack and the color faded from his face. Far in the distance, the cultists cheered and ranted. They held yet another sacrifice to prepare for the coming battle.

Bartholomew turned to the Faeling. "Sergeant Whiteknuckle. What have you and your Barbarian friend scouted?"

"They've been at it for hours, General," began Wess. "I've been there...felt it. Valon Sadesh is casting a spell on them as we speak. He works them into a frenzy. A lust to kill will take over them." Wess turned and looked at the temple. In the far distance they cheered in the amphitheater. "They will be a challenging enemy. Do not take them for granted."

"Have faith now, Wesley," Otis said. He drew his hammer and smacked his shield. The sound shook his friend Bartholomew back to reality.

Kincaid nodded. "Yes, of course." He turned to his men, his Clydesdale snorted and foamed in preparation for war. "Knights and Warriors of Lyborna! Bare witness to this atrocity and let us rid it of our lands!"

The Black Knights drew their longswords and the foot soldiers readied their weapons with a cheer. The army already knew their plan of attack. The Calvary would charge straight in and break left and right on angles in order to set up the foot soldiers who would drive in like a spear. Kayla would provide spells to disrupt enemy formations before the knights arrived at the front lines.

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As the army of Corfé approached, Valon's scouts blew horns of warning and the wild cultists whirled in a frenzy around Valon Sadesh as if he were the eye of a black tornado. He spun along with them wearing his filthy black robes in contrast to his freshly dyed white head. In one hand he held his bloody dagger, and in the other was his cruel rod. He aimed the rod toward the Black Knights charging their way.

"They come to kill us!" Valon's voice erupted through the wild ceremony. "They stole our sacred skull and now they come to steal our lives! Let our vengeance begin! This is our point of no return, my people, here and now."

The Necromancer walked in a circle near the sacrificial bed. His circle grew larger and larger and he pushed the fools that did not move out of his way to the ground. He then took his dagger and scrawled a circle into the black brick flooring of the dais. As his followers whirled around him, he slashed at their legs and drew his archaic symbols with their blood in twelve spots around the circle. Finally, he chanted vile, guttural words of black magic. He sat outside the circle, yet faced it. His body gyrated as he coughed mystical phrases.  His body torqued with each word of his wicked poem.

By the unnatural ways of dark sorcery, the circle before them began to glow a putried green and transformed into a wavy, muck-filled pond. Two clawed, skeletal hands of a giant monster burst through the liquid portal and grabbed firm hold of the solid brick edge. The massive form pulled itself up out of the pool and before them stood a skeletal figure of molted flesh and bone from the depths of the underworld. An undead Demon stood the height of three buildings with gaps in its rotting gray flesh. Its gaping maw slathered with ooze with its teeth like swords, its claws like scythes. Pieces of flesh fell from the monster as it moved, yet its strength looked profound. It had the feet of a massive owl, yet, like its hands, only bone remained. Its long arms dragged its clawed hands along the temple floor. With an odd flexion of its chest, a set of translucent wings sprung from its back causing the Demon to let out a hideous roar. The thing had no eyes, but its vision was clear as it stared down at its summoner, Valon Sadesh.

"Meakesch!" Valon shouted to the creature. "If it pleases you, destroy the southern invaders for they wish to harm the followers of Dakadihm."

The rotting thing let out a screeching howl and turned to the charging forces.

"You see?" shouted Valon to his people. "Now do you believe? Vengeance will be ours! Now go forth and destroy the invaders! Destroy them!" The Sorcerer pointed towards the incoming threat and fifteen hundred mad followers halted their whirling and charged with the undead Demon as their lead.

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Kayla's eyes flared in anger.  By the gods, is that a Demon? she thought.  Demons had not been seen by anyone in an age.  She thought of the old wars, then gripped her Fire Staff even tighter.

"General!" Sir Dinely spoke through his black helm. "What do we do against such a monster?"

Kincaid shook his head. "I...I do not know." 

Kayla thought quickly and started towards Kincaid.

Otis tried to stop her. "Kayla, no, I'm going up to recommend a retreat to Kincaid. We are not prepared to battle a this Demon."

The Wizard stood her ground and presented her staff. "Yes, Otis, we are."

She sprinted to the front of the double column and once she reached Kincaid, she yelled so loudly that the heavens could hear her. "Do not sheath your blades so quickly, brave Knights!"

The Wizard whispered an enchantment three times into the crystal headpiece of her staff. On the last stanza, she gave it a long stare, as she knew it would be the last time her eyes would lay upon it. Her life would forever change.  She held the staff as a spear and hurled it as high and far as she could toward the enemy. It pierced the stony ground and stuck firm. The red crystal flared brightly, then burst into flame shooting up like an erupting volcano. The wooden staff cracked into splinters. The magical fire formed and grew and took shape until a massive Dragon of golden scales stood before them.

The Dragon acquired its bearings and spoke in his native dragonspeech. "Who summons me?"  His voice pierced their ears like lightning.

The Wizard answered in the same tongue. "I summon thee. I am Kayla Windshaper, member of the Order of Fire. Pray help us win this day, for our cause is just, our battle is glorious, and our way is true!"

The gold Dragon looked upon the giant abomination in the temple and his face crinkled in disgust. "I hear you, Kayla Windshaper, and as bound by the Order of Kalimas, I will fight for you this day." Though highly intelligent and rarely subservient, the fire-breather lay bound by a pact formed by the Order long ago.

"Give us your name, Dragon, so we may sing tales of your glory!" Kayla shouted.

The Dragon breathed a stream of fire into the air. "I am Arataas. Shadowfighter. Castlebreaker. Fireweaver."

"Very well, Arataas, lead our attack!"

The Dragon reeled and flapped his wings, but instead of flying, he stepped with the army so they could attack as one. The entire army of Corfé cheered with their fighting spirit renewed. The Dragon walked forth leading the Black Knights and Kayla fell back in step with her companions.

"Well played, Wizard," said Otis. "Any more tricks up your sleeve?"

Kayla picked her Faerie Dragon from her shoulder and tossed him into the air. "I'm afraid just my usual deck of spells." She ground fresh charcoal into her hands. "I fear that our foe is more powerful than we suspected. Taky will be at my side, right boy?"

The blue Dragon spun and whirled and slashed an invisible enemy before him with a vicious swipe of his tiny claws.

The battle line fell midway between the Whispering Woods and the Temple of Dakadihm. The new formation was now a simple one. The enemy held ranks on either side of their Demon as stepped awkwardly into battle. The army of Cofé followed suit behind the golden Dragon. 

The Dragon launched his attack first with a breath of fire into the undead Demon. The Demon answered by leaping at the Dragon and shoving his claws deep into Arataas' soft underbelly. The fight of the titans began just as they had centuries ago when united Dragons fought vile Demons for the sake of the land and the gods of good.

On the Dragon's left side, Kayla paused and let go of two spheres of flame. They exploded in the enemy's front line to soften the initial charge of the Black Knights. The flames from the Dragon and the Wizard presented a frightening and beautiful sight to behold.

The Black Knights charged hard into the crowd of wild cultists. However, even though the Calvary had the advantage of height and horse, Valon's men absorbed and endured slashes and thrusts from the longswords that would have slain any normal man—the crazed mob kept coming...they felt no pain. The foot soldiers and the Knights eventually fought together, and they quickly learned they had to dismember or behead the cultists in order to stop them.

The Dragon broke free of the undead Demon that had thrust his ancient claws into him too many times. Aratass flapped his wings and took to the skies for an aerial attack, but to his surprise, the Meakesch followed suit and trailed after him. The Dragon spun back and blew flames at the pursuing Demon. The Demon kept taking the fire and allowed the breath to burn away its dead, rotted flesh and color its skeleton from a dank yellow to a black char. Their battle continued high in the air.

Valon Sadesh was in the back of his ranks casting blue rays of light from his fingertips and laughing sadistically. Each touch of the ray rotted away healthy skin and bone from the unsuspecting victim. The occasional foot soldier would have the side of his face or his whole hand rot away. Black Knights that came for him were struck down with lightning from his rod and flung from his horse in violent convulsions. The Sorcerer could not be touched.

Haygen, Otis, and Wess entered the fray in their normal battle formation with Kayla in the rear. Her protection spells were cast and the occasional stray arrow would bounce off her glowing shield. Haygen stayed close to his friends. He swung Icefang and his magic ax chopped limbs and heads as he went. Otis swung his hammer and crushed the bones of his enemy. The Faeling's Tenchi dagger flung back and forth leaving trails of blood in its wake. 

Kayla finally caught sight of Valon Sadesh as he slayed a fold of pikemen with his lightning. "We need to face Valon Sadesh! Let us carve a path to him!"

"Right!" Haygen yelled and made his way to the Necromancer. A Black Knight had been unhorsed from her Clydesdale and the animal reared and bucked from war-frenzy trying to honor his fallen rider. The Barbarian grabbed hold of the horse's reins and leaped easily into the heavy leather saddle. He raised Icefang with one hand. "This way!"

Off he rode snaking the big horse back and forth to carve a path through the battle for his three friends. Soon, he broke through the cloud of war and on to the rear ranks, where a volley of arrows pierced his mount. The Half-orc leaped gracefully from the brave horse into a wide battle stance. As the Archers reloaded, they were waylaid by all four companions.

Otis hammered the knee of one Archer, then slammed the edge of his shield into the neck of a nearby Elf crushing his throat.

Wess attacked an unaware line of Archers that were about to fire a volley. His blades found armpits, and throats and eyeballs with speed and fluidity. Blood streams took to the air in macabre curls and arcs.

Takitus spun in the air, scratching at faces and throats as he flew past them like a blue blur.

Kayla called to her Faeling friend, "Wesley! It's time!"

"Coming!" said Wess. He ran over to the Wizard eager to add to his head count.

The Wizard cast her spell and the Faeling turned completely invisible. "Go now. He's straight on." She pointed to Valon Sadesh not fifty feet away.

Wess ran around the back side of the Sorcerer completely unnoticed through the battle carnage. Haygen and Otis charged Valon right as Kayla cast a flaming sphere at the Necromancer to discrupt his magical defenses.

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Valon felt his defenses drop and then noticed the Wizard in the emerald robes. "You!" he cried in his guttural speech. "I've been waiting for this moment." He aimed his rod and cackled showing his yellow teeth and dark red gums. Lightning shot from the rod and came bouncing at the three companions. Haygen dodged right. Otis brought up his shield and blocked the lightning bolt.

"Our children do battle in the air, Elf," said Valon Sadesh. "Don't you wish you could just watch them as they fight? Oh, what we could learn."

It was an amazing battle. Meakesch and Arataas traded claws and bites and were bound in a spinning dive heading straight for the ground. Eventually, the Dragon got the best of the fight and drove the Demon hard into the ground creating a massive crater. The crash shook the earth in a violent quake. The Demon was defeated, and the Dragon slumped over in exhaustion.

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"Looks like your child is no more, Necromancer," Otis replied with a smirk. "Surrender! You and your cult have come to an end!"

"Oh no, Priest. It's your god that has come to an end." He looked to the skies. "Don't you feel it? Panahdae battled Dakadihm and the god of Creation fell to the god of Death as nature intended."

The Guardian's mouth peeled back in a snarl. "Lies!" Otis shook his head in disbelief and attacked with a wild strike from his hammer. He said a word of prayer to enhance his strike, but his god did not answer. Could what this Sorcerer says be true? He wondered. The Dwarf's lunging attack was simple for the deft villain to avoid.

"No, Priest," continued the dark Sorcerer. "I speak truth. Panahdae is no more. I know this because as your power fades, mine grows. Panahdae tried to stop the god of Death from gaining more power. They battled. Dakadihm conquered. That is the way of things. Your god is dead, Priest. Soon, you will be too and the skull will be mine once more to feed Dakadihm and make him even more powerful!" With that, he called down a column of green flame and struck the three friends.

Otis and Haygen dodged the strike, but Kayla was hit by the energy. Her magic shield blocked the blast, but the shield was shattered leaving her with no protection.

Blinking into the visible spectrum came the Assassin. He thrust Ravenwing into the back of the evil sorcerer. "Remember me?" asked the Faeling.

Valon Sadesh howled in pain like a wailing Banshee. At the sound's crescendo, the four companions and everyone in the nearby area clasped hands over ears save for the Necromancer.

"Your poison is useless, Faeling," said Valon. "I easily made an antidote after you poisoned me the first time." He pointed at Haygen. A blue ray of light burst from his finger and drew life energy from the big Barbarian, which quickly healed the wound in his back. Haygen screamed in agony as his life force was being drawn from him. "Ah, Barbarian. You are strong."

A screech came from behind Kayla, and Takitus swooped down and dive-bombed the vile Sorcerer with his open jaws. The Dragon breathed blue fire into Valon's face, but the Sorcerer absorbed the flames and his burning flesh did not phase him. A quick wave of his lightning rod was all it took to strike the Faerie Dragon down with a bolt of electricity. The blue Dragon fell to the ground lifeless. The Necromancer cackled in victory.

"Takitus!" screamed Kayla. "No!"

Haygen struggled to stand, but finally did. He brought up his mighty ax, Icefang. "You piece of filth!"

"Circle attack!" ordered Otis. The four companions eagerly went on the offensive.

By design, Wess attacked.  He flung Ravenwing at the Necromancer, but Valon had predicted the move and dodged. The Tenchi dagger flew right past him, but it proved enough for the distraction.

Haygen rushed in. When the Necromancer tried to defend with his lightning rod, it was what the Half-orc wanted. He chopped at Valon's arm and removed it at his shoulder. The rod and the long stump fell to the ground. A crimson steam flowed from the wound.

Kayla screamed, "Arsonas!" A blast of burning fire shot from her palms like Dragon's breath. The Sorcerer tried to guard himself by extending his remaining hand for a counter-spell, but it only melted from the magical flames. His black robes caught fire and he knelt burning. He let out a high-pitched scream that chilled all those around him.

Otis came in with a crushing blow to the head and smashed in Valon's skull, halting the cry, and creating an awkward flat spot on his white, bald head.

Valon Sadesh collapsed to the ground. In his final breaths, a mist of green gas spewed from his mouth and swirled into the air. The gas floated up into the sky and blew south with the wind. The Necromancer's white face became a hollow mask.

Haygen brought his ax down on Valon's neck and severed his gaunt head for good measure. The four companions breathed a sigh of relief, but there was more fighting to be had.

With the death of the Necromancer, the companions were quick to realize that the followers had lost their crazed stares. Kayla reckoned that since the Necromancer was dead, the spell over his followers faded and they would lose their ability to absorb pain.

The golden Dragon slowly stood from his fall and flapped his massive wings to make sure that they still moved properly. He glided over to the battle and pulsed his wings making such high winds that the remaining warriors could not even stand upright let alone fight.

Aratass stopped his flapping and spoke in the common tongue for all to hear. "Who wants to continue this battle?" The Dragon's voice boomed. He arched his neck up revealing many savage injuries on his chest. "I am always hungry after a fight!"

Kayla used the frightening silence to her advantage, "Followers of Valon Sadesh! Your master lies dead at our hands! Lay down your arms and your lives will be spared. Continue, and your corpse will be fed to the dragon."

One by one, swords and shields and bows dropped to the ground.

Thank you everyone for reading this final battle! This was definitely my longest chapter ever on wattpad. I did not want to break it up, so I hope you stuck around to the end. Tune in next chapter! Please tell me your thoughts in the comments.

What do you think is next for the four friends?

Pic: artist unknown (not me).