Steaming blood and bubbling violet gore filled the burning farmlands surrounding Draconia, colossal corpses lying like hills with roaming Human and Xilfir survivors trudging about them.

As dawn came upon this night, a battle that seemed to be over, despair filled the walls of Draconia as violet eyes traversed out of the forest once again.

“Steel yourselves! It is not over yet!” Thea shouted out, standing amidst the vanguard who pushed the first horde off the walls, she herself was drenched in demonic viscera. Eyes fierce like a dragon’s, she was ready for more. Her anger, her own fury fuelling her body to fight longer, yet she knew her men wouldn’t last much more.

Glancing about, even those who still stood looked ready to collapse, both Human and Xilfir.

Looking up, Thea watched as the forming clouds above finally gave out their tears, the weather itself was telling her that this storm had only just begun.

Or…It signaled the arrival of a blizzard.

As chilling winds picked up, Thea watched the rain suddenly turn to snow all around her.

She heard it then, the beating of wings.

And descending down from the skies they came, a pair of pure crystal white and one of tattered black.

The two dragons landed before her, several figures taking a ride over their back.

“Hah, right on time aren’t we?” Said a man off the white dragon’s back as he slid down her wing.

“Apologies, it took some time, but the tribes were rallied.” Growled the silver-black dragon.

As before the incoming horde now stood the White Dragon Findri, her chosen Alan Kyle the immortal, and Xavrydar Dark Silver.

“As we speak, my children are assisting the other rifts. Yet…I am unsure we can hold if they keep coming like this!” Findri exclaimed. “Can we not close them?”

“The Spirit Beasts tried…they said the will holding them open is something far too powerful for them.” Thea responded, “All we can do is…hold our line.”

“Damn, at least that bastard got to strike first! I hope he can find the source of their invasion!” Alan shouted back, a faint grin over his face as he watched swarms of demons flood back out into the fields of flesh.

Then, each of them paused, their expressions going pale as they sensed it…

Glancing up at the storm, another set of beating wings had returned…

Erikathyr descended down from the skies, Makaela riding over his back, he came to a stop hovering over the battlefield.

“Erik…why did we come back!?” Makaela exclaimed, confused as she held onto his scales which slowly began to morph back.

Taking back his humanoid form, Erik held Makaela by her waist as he stared off into the storm.

His own expression pale and confused, “Because…I sensed something…arrive.”

Makaela followed his gaze, “What now…”

All of Draconia stared, as the clouds then descended, hulls of black appearing through them as a barrage of flames and light rained down upon the hordes below.

Each realizing then that the demons weren’t charging but instead…escaping. They were running, as massive flying ships sailed after them even through the stormy skies.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, little dragon.” Then spoke out a voice which stalked through the air, as before Erik and Makaela another ship descended, breaking the storm apart alongside the rest.

Coming to stand face to face with them, Birse stood over his ship’s bow, leaning off whilst holding onto some ropes. “I heard that, there might be a war needing more coal to be added to. I believe I need not introduce myself further than…we have a fox in common.”

Erik’s eyes narrowed at his words, “No, that will suffice. But do you come in his name, or in the name of hell?”

Birse chuckled, “I come in no one’s name other than my damn own. Hell can go back to hell, while I would much prefer to bet on the winning side, I don’t much enjoy the thought of becoming a Pit-spawn’s slave.”

Their gazes met as snow and wind filled their surroundings.

Birse then offered his hand, “How I see it, you have two choices. I know your kind to be blunt, so I’ll just go and say it. Join us, or fall to hell, like every realm that didn’t so far has.”

Erik smirked, “I do not much enjoy the thought of falling, much less to hell. But I ask, you who do not know us, why would you trust us to offer us alliance so quickly?”

It was Birse’s time to smirk now, “Oh? Whenever did I mention trusting anyone?”

Erik’s eyes narrowed.

His eyes…Their eyes…

Erik looked over the man’s shoulder and at the people behind him, within their gazes he saw something familiar, a sensation he saw before.

In a certain fox’s.

In himself.

And now, in them too.

Grasping Birse’s hand, “Then let this untrusting alliance of ours begin.” He said, both briefly shaking before pausing.

Both’s grip then tightening.

As each weighed the other.

Neither knowing, that this day, would go down in the history of many a realm.

As the beginning, of the end.

Two Years Later…Elsewhere…

The forest was calm and humid as insects buzzed about, as birds called out to one another across the branches, small mammals rushed through the bushes and grass below whilst amongst them hid the apex of predators.

“Start!” Erika exclaimed, and out of the shadows of the forest they charged out, half a dozen Lycans alongside her, they rushed through the forest at top speed.

The very air blowing past them like a turbulent wind, each of their senses spread wide all about them, whilst weapons of make-shift wood and stone armed them.

Erika led them forth, her draconic tail trailing behind her, blueish energy filled her eyes as trails of gold joined her locks of long blue hair.

She gazed forth, they were all ready for this final clash with the trainees, the last chance they’d get.

Absorbing all her doubts and formulating them into possibilities, she also aligned all actions they in turn could take, and then what their foe could also follow through with to them.

To herself, her mind was like an agitated nest of bees.

To her foes, Erika would rain down a swarm of hornets.

“Today, we take that flag.”