“This is you proving yourselves fahvalo, honorable foes. Foes come in many forms, but honor comes in adhering to the… There is no good word in this language for it. Honor comes through voninahitra, being an example of the idea you wish to feel and show.” Bloodpriestess Ana scoffed at the “uselessness” of the common tongue and resumed her beginning speech. “You will prove yourselves honorable by exemplifying desperation, nothing less and nothing more. Try not to kill each other, but foes must shed blood, and death often comes from bloodshed. It is an honorable death if it comes.”

The swarm had gathered together and we stood, looking at the group of Moonchildren before us. There were maybe 50 of them, and considering that several of my swarm weren’t combat focused, I considered it a fair fight even though we had about 50% more combatants.

Until two more groups of about 50 Moonchildren came soundlessly out of the woods to surround our flanks.

“Are these spectators?”

“Of course not. They will help in your trial.”

“I hardly think this is necessary.” I involuntarily felt my jaw begin to clench up, and I was struggling to tamp down the rage beginning to boil within me.

“I thought I could help you voninahitrar desperation. Best of luck.” I was fairly certain she was making fun of me, but even if I could prove it, Ana wouldn’t change anything, so I dropped it.

I hurriedly explained the change to the swarm and couldn’t help but notice the shifting of eyes and positions from at least partially confident to shifty, afraid, and… desperate. Dulvroc take her, but Bloodpriestess Ana’s decision had definitely benefited the swarm.

Behind me, Sybil spoke, “This does complicate the plan, but only a bit. You and Took will be second in the spearhead, and we’ll drive straight.”

“There will almost certainly be casualties in the back.”

“If you move fast enough, that might be prevented.”

Kreerlk. She was right, of course, but the idea that it all came down to if I was able to do this fast enough… made me desperate. I kept forcefully looping myself back to it, feeding the seething mass of emotion within me, and I couldn’t stand still. I was pacing, my tail continuously lashing, passing my spear from one hand to the other. I could feel my nervous energy infecting my followers, and again I forced myself to turn it into a positive.

“On my count, begin. One… Begin.”

The immediate beginning of the fight took the swarm by surprise, but not the Moonchildren. They immediately began swarming towards us, shrieking their avian calls. It nearly shook the ground, and their stomping feet did.

Quickly I pushed my magic to my throat and screamed, “ALL YOU SCALELESS FRIISHT CHARGE!” The magic thrummed through me more powerfully than ever before, and, as one, the swarm surged forward, straight towards the original group of Moonchildren. Wordless shrieks tore from throats, claws were brandished, and Took and I fell in just behind the first row of charging keelish. The moment seemed to extend, but also seemed to be but an instant, then suddenly there was the crashing of scaly bodies against leathery ones.

In front of me blood began to spray from superficial but painful wounds on the Moonchildren. They seemed to be taken aback by how we had charged headlong towards them, seemingly abandoning our flanks to be shredded by their companions, but we were desperate.

I stabbed forward once, twice, thrice, attempting to gimp the nearest Moonchildren. Only once did I successfully hamstring my target, but they immediately fell and began to be pummeled underfoot. I felt bad for only the briefest moment before refocusing on the fact that compassion, pity, or hesitance would lead to our complete eradication. I pressed on.

In front of me was Silf, his mane of scales pressed outward threateningly as he shredded into the the Moonchildren. He’d never really fought with something the same size as him, and all he did was seize his jaws around whatever limb or body part he could before bodily throwing the much lighter Moonchild into its companions. They went down like stalks of grass to the flailing bodies of their compatriots. The blood, both keelish and Moonchild, coursed down Silf’s neck as he continued to press the attack. Our adversaries were quick to regain their feet, but we rushed past them, leaving them to throw themselves against the more heavily supported sides of our charging spear formation.

On the other side was Joral, rushing into battle in a four legged stance. He threw himself at knees, ripping, tearing, and breaking with claw, jaw, and shoulder respectively. He cared even less about his safety than Silf, and I couldn’t help but notice a deep gash across the back of his neck, from one shoulder to the next. His own blood sprayed forward with every one of his strikes, and he began to use it to try to blind his next victim before continuing the charge. He began to cackle, maddened, screaming “BOW BEFORE THE SWARM!”

I repeated after him, infusing my words with magic as I tried to use the opposite of [Innervating Address] on the Moonchildren: “BOW BEFORE THE SWARM! BOW! BOW!”

The Moonchildren didn’t bow, but some of the closest took involuntary steps backward, slowing the approach of their allies and giving us greater room to continue the attack ourselves. I noted a [System] message in the corner of my eye but immediately dismissed it. We were about to reach the end of the Moonchildren’s lines, and Took and I were about to assume our part in our ‘desperate’ plan.

As Silf and Joral reached the end of the defensive lines of our foes, they spread to the side, opening a doorway of sorts for the rest of the swarm to surge out of. Took and I lead the way, continuing to charge forward as the rest of the swarm spread, creating a defensive line of our own as Took and I began the most uncertain part of our plan.

Bloodpriestess Ana’s face quickly transitioned from surprise, to a smirk, to a wide, predatory grin as she realized our plan. She threw back her head and laughed, “Come, Saharliard! You have chosen your own rules!” as she settled into an easy stance, all ten of her fingers splayed and looking threatening.

Took and I jumped Ana at the same time. Took lunged high, her frills as flared as possible as I went low. Ana’s thick fourth finger whipped at a blinding speed and crashed into the side of Took’s head, smashing her to the side as her left hand came towards me in an uppercut, the scythe-like fifth finger leading towards impaling me under my chin. I pulled back, hard… as my left arm continued forward, stabbing my spear towards Ana’s belly, just as I’d hoped.

With the same blistering speed, Ana twisted her arm unnaturally and partially parried my lunge, the spear tip carving a shallow, long line across the side of her stomach instead of burying itself in her guts. I had to let my spear go to keep myself from entering unsteadily into Ana’s range as she lifted a foot in a kick and clipped my snout, sending me reeling.

I could hear the disbelieving and enraged voices of the rest of the Moonchildren as Took and I pressed the attack, trading one of our blows for three of Ana’s. We would lash out, both of us, attempting to grapple her, and she would only permit the most glancing of blows in exchange for bone-rattling thumps and painful scores deep in our flesh. I roared at her, attempting to stun her, as I flared the scales on my arms and began to desperately try to press the attack, even without any flickers of weak points appearing under the influence of my [Combatant’s Bloodlust]. We were bleeding, but I felt like with just another minute or so we could complete our task. Behind me, Sybil’s voice called out commands for a steady retreat.

There was the sound of flames blazing to life, and I suddenly felt the heat from the strong flames pressing against my back. That must have been Iituli, since Histy had died in the delaying action. Isnanna’s voice called to her sister, “Plan C!” I had no idea what that plan was, and apparently Sybil didn’t either.

“What does that mean?” Suddenly, Sybil’s voice went thready. “Ishtar!”

Behind me I felt a sprinting figure approach, then, suddenly, Ishtar entered the fray. Wisterl would have been proud of her, she was nearly as good a fighter as I was, and was much less experienced. Almost instinctively, Ishtar ducked, wove, and struck in tandem with me and Took. With the additionally combatant, I was sure the tide would quickly turn in our favor, but the Bloodpriestess’s grin simply widened before she sped up and summarily smashed all three of us to the ground with her preternaturally powerful club fingers.

“Well done, Ashlani. With my authority as Bloodpriestess, I name you fahvalo, and give you a name among the celestial peoples. That name shall be, with the skies as my witness, Ashlani Indraymaf.” At her words, the Moonchildren all around trilled their strange call and immediately fell back from the previously intense combat.

It was done.