Van felt something was wrong... He didn’t know what, but the feeling was growing with every passing second they got closer to the rangers' recluse. Soon Yesi had to hold him back from rushing ahead and far, just to keep him in range with the group.

As they got close to where they presumed Luna to be held up in, Van felt an odd feeling of danger, almost as if a voice in his mind was telling him to hold back. He froze for a second, wondering where the odd feeling came from and if he should heed it.

Yesi and the fort commander slowed down with him.

“We shouldn’t be far now,” Yesi said, looking around then ahead. “Maybe less than half an hour away.”

The commander looked back at her troop, checking to see how tired her girls were and if they were still ready for the battle ahead. Her girls slowly began to fall into place behind her, they looked a little out of breath, but they were trained well, and they did their best not to show how tired they were despite doing a several hour forced march.

This filled her with some measure of pride at the looks of determination in her women. But now she couldn’t help but frown a little at the thought of what they may face ahead. Supposedly there were more than two dozen shriekers, and it was completely nighttime. Not much of a problem for a person of Alcray with night vision, but that still didn’t mean those without skill couldn’t hide within shadows…

Shaking her head, she made sure to put herself in the proper mindset for war and took a deep breath. “Alright girls! We're not far off from where those daughters of bitches are! Choose a partner and get ready for battle!” her voice carried through to all of her soldiers without being too loud to draw much attention. A skill she learned from over a century of experience.

“I want squad one to take the left flank, squad two will take the right, everyone else with me! Get ready for battle, I don’t want a single one of you dying on me, make sure to take your stamina potions and prep up! We leave in two minutes!” She then began giving a bunch of other orders, mostly planning ahead to make sure none of the bandits would be able to escape and how to deal with the shriekers safely.

The soldiers did as ordered, drinking their potions and making sure that they had everything in place and ready for the fight ahead.

Van closed his eyes and released a few more of his shadows, making a few gestures with his hands and seeing what they saw through his mind’s eye. His summons rushed ahead, jumping from shadow to shadow, without having to run on solid ground, they made far quicker time than they would have otherwise.

Just as the commander and Yesi were about to leave, Van shouted for them to stop.

“Wait!” Van said, raising a hand, his free hand placing a finger on his brow as he concentrated. “Something is not right. One of the shadows that I sent ahead is reporting back to me.” now going silent to better see what his shadow was trying to show him.

Yesi and the commander stopped. The commander wasn’t so happy about this though, she didn’t like to be ordered about, but did so anyway because in her experience it was better to be informed about possible ambushes then not. So she raised a hand to halt the advance and gave Van a grim look, waiting for him to speak.

After a few seconds, Van spoke once more. “I… don’t see any bandits and… oh gods!” Van’s eyes widened and he turned to Yesi and the commander. “There are shriekers! Everywhere! About forty of them! All big and red and looking like they’ve gone crazy! They’re attacking the tree fort right now and are about to break through! We have to move now!” looking like he himself was about to bolt this second to do just that.

“WAIT!” the commander shouted, the sheer authority in her voice putting a stop to whatever Van was about to do. “Are you sure of what you’ve seen? And what about the bandits? Where are they?”

Van paused to answer, though it was clear by his face how panicked he was. “I don’t see any bandits, just shriekers, no matter how far I look around and check,” he said, his whole body quivering and ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

“And are you sure the shriekers you see are bigger and red?” the commander asked.

“YES!” Van replied, looking like he would rather go right now than wait a moment longer.

“Tch!” The commander clicked her tongue, somehow the filthy bandits must have known they were coming and left them a huge mess to deal with. She turned to her soldiers. “Change of plans! We got crazed shriekers! About forty of them! Get ready your tools and prepare for death! We got quite the fight ahead of us! Go in pairs of three and four and wait for my signal! We will try to only kill a few at a time, scouts will try and draw some in. you all have done this before, make sure you don’t make any mistakes!” then gave a bunch of new orders about how to handle the situation. If the soldiers' looks weren’t grim before, they were now…

Within the minute, they were all marching in a different formation. Van bolted ahead with a few others and Yesi to scout, worry filling his heart. And then… he arrived…

“Bloody hells…” Yesi muttered as she saw the enraged shriekers attacking the barrier. Each one of them looking uglier and meaner than normal. They struck at the barrier with their scythe-like appendages, creating small little booms as the barrier strained to hold them off. It was clear to anyone that the barrier itself had already been supercharged just to prevent the monsters from breaking in. but it wasn’t going to last much longer.

Van wanted to do something, but was held back by Yesi. she wanted to dive in to save her brother as well, but knew it would be suicide, and so waited for the commander to arrive.

Once the commander finally did arrive and took a look at a safe distance alongside everyone else. She couldn’t help but mutter about the amount of bullshit this all was and wishing this wasn’t her job. She then began ordering a few archers up on a nearby ridge and her other soldiers to prepare for an ambush.

“What are you going to do?” Van asked, eyes switching back and forth between the shriekers attacking the tree fort and the commander. Hoping whatever she was going to do she would do it soon.

“Watch…” was all she said and gave the command once their girls were in place.

Soon, a few of the archers fired their arrows at a nearby shrieker that was slightly away from the rest of the group. Pummeling its own section of the barrier. Once struck the archers ducked down in heading while the shrieker in question began screaming in pain and rage. Earning the attention of other shriekers who screamed back.

Then after a few more screaming, they went back to pummeling, only for a few more to be pelted by arrows. Now a few more screamed in rage. This was followed by an arrow that exploded between two groups of shriekers, earning their attention.

After carefully going on like this, the archers then started their magnum opus, and began firing arrows in such away as to make shriekers follow the booming and whistling arrows until a few shriekers crashed into each other.

Now, if they weren’t enraged, the shriekers would have noticed that something was up… but they weren’t, and so soon began attacking each other, ripping each other limb from limb…

There was only one problem with this method…

It only made a few of the shriekers fight… all the others were still hyper-focused on their portion of the barrier, and considering the tough hide of these monsters and regeneration rate of their berserk-induced state. It took almost half an hour just to kill about six of them… and the barrier looked like it wouldn’t last an hour…

“We can’t continue on like this,” Van said worriedly, now more than ever a little antsy to do something more meaningful. “By the time we kill a few more, the barrier would have broken and everyone inside would be in danger! We have to attack!” His voice sounding a little desperate.

“Calm yourself.” the commander said. “That barrier still has some power left in it. It’s best to reduce as much of those shriekers numbers as possible… Not to mention, we still have no idea where those bandits are… for all we know they could be waiting somewhere where we can’t see, waiting to ambush us the second we commit. I won’t act hastily if I can help it, we're waiting for the report from the scouts checking the area around us first before we do anything more drastic. Understand?” her voice broke no argument and filled with the authority her position gave her.

Van wasn’t happy about it, but kept quiet as the next half hour passed and another five shriekers were slowly picked off.

After a while, a soldier moved up from behind and started to whisper into the commander's ear. With a few nods, the commander whispered a few orders back and the soldier left to follow them.

At this time Van was ready to just jump in if he had to, feeling a little panicked as small holes in the barrier began to be ripped open by the crazed shriekers.

“Van,” the commander turned to speak with him. “Your shadow wolves… how would they compare to the shriekers? And how many do you have?”

Van perked up, sensing that they may finally be acting now and turned to the commander. “If I had to say… one on one they would easily lose…” he admitted. “Even five to one would be iffy… but perhaps eight to one if they had space to maneuver and slowly kill those monsters. I have about forty of them myself, and a few bird-type shadow summons as well. But! I can sacrifice a few of them to adhere to their opponents, stopping their movements temporarily!” he said excitedly.

The commander looked a little confused by that, and with a tilt of her head asked her silent question.

“Umm… you know the spell ‘binding shadows?’” Van asked, “I can have one of my wolves fling themselves at an opponent and turn into that spell. Stopping their movements…”

The commander's eyes widened a little, and she nodded thoughtfully. “That would be very useful,” she replied. “It will go well with what we are planning.” She then looked him in the eyes. “Wait for my orders before using your summons. After that, use what you can to stop as many of the shriekers as possible. Can you do that?” more asking because Van was technically a civilian and making sure he will comply with orders.

Van nodded, understanding what the commander was trying to ask on that last part and just happy they would be doing something soon.

After that, the commander began giving out orders then waited. Once she got the go-ahead from one of her scouts telling her everything was in place, she gave the signal to begin operations.

Next to the ridge where the archers were waiting, a small valley-like opening laid in between. A small group of soldiers began to charge out, yelling obscenities and screaming at the top of their lungs as the archers began to pelt the shriekers with their arrows.

More than a dozen of the monsters turned to scream back, noticing the prey that had so kindly come to offer themselves up to their mouths to sate both their appetite and lust for carnage. They charged the soldiers at surprising speed, and the soldiers in question fled far sooner than expected, having to run extra fast so as to not get caught.

This only made to kick in the shrieker's instincts, viewing the fleeing and hapless morsels as prey to be devoured. They chased with reckless abandon the soldiers that fled between the ridges.

Van, Yesi, and the commander had already moved by then. Now they were on one of the edges of the ridges themselves, looking down below. Van’s heartbeat was quickening as those horrid things chased the soldiers below. He feared that some might not make it.

With a mighty yell, the commander gave the order, and the arches fired steel nets down below, trapping most of the monsters.

The shriekers tried to break free, but the nets were enchanted to be more durable than they appeared.

Then it was Van’s turn, and he sent his shadow wolves to bind and hold down any that missed being caught by the netting.

Yesi and the other archers followed up, unleashing salvo after salvo of arrows down below as the soldiers slowly turned back and moved in to deal with any stragglers still putting up resistance.

Soon the sounds of battle began to echo around, and the noise and smell of blood made its way to the other shriekers, who turned to join their trapped brethren, charging at great speeds into the fray.

“Come on you daughters of Bitches! First phase is done! Move into the second!” the commander yelled as more and more shriekers began to join the battle from the outside.

Soon a small line of soldiers began to form in the small choke point where they would intercept any of the newly arriving shriekers. Shields up and spears and swords at the ready, with archer support from above. They held the line, two soldiers deep as the grotesque creatures charged into them.

The sounds of battle grew and now all the shriekers were charging and trying to make their way through the choke point. Soldiers fell, their strength no match for the sheer brute power of the shriekers. But new soldiers would move in to hold the line.

Van sent all his wolves in to attack and to bind the aberrations in the hopes of making it easier on the women below who were risking their lives fighting the monsters head-on. His wolves entangle themselves on the shrieker's limbs and sometimes blinding their many eyes, allowing them to be far easier to handle.

The commander yelled more orders and encouragements from up above, bringing out her weapons and looking like she was going to join in herself.

Sadly, she didn’t get the chance… for there was a reason why those shriekers had those ugly wings on their centaur like bodies, and it wasn’t just to increase their speed… They jumped high into the air once they noticed that there was prey on the ridge, landing amongst the archers, and began to carve a swath of destruction and bloody death.

“Shit!” the commander said once she saw what was happening, then quickly turned to Van and Yesi. “you two stay here, I’ll handle the ones on the other side.” and with that, she buffed herself up with aura and jumped the gap and began to waste no time in assaulting the shrieker killing her women.

Van and Yesi were now alone with the other group of archers, but not for long… two shriekers jumped high and landed on the ridge where they were, shrieking their screams filled with bloodlust.

Van’s and Yesi’s eyes widened and both jumped back to build some distance. Van pulled his dual blades from the shadows and Yesi readied her bow. The shriekers charge at great speeds. Their scythe-like arms at the ready to tear into their flesh.

Van didn’t know if it was fear or adrenaline, but all of a sudden time felt like it was beginning to slow. Blades out, he pumped himself with aura and began a dance of death and life. Ducking and weaving with all his might to avoid getting hit, otherwise he knew he was going to die… his shadow wolves were all gone, down below helping the soldiers… Yesi was not as fast as him as it turned out, but she was able to keep her shrieker at bay through skill alone…

As the shrieker attacked him, as it swung its arms at him, as it charged him, growled at him, and so much more... Van couldn’t help but let a strange sense of calm overtake him… this shrieker… was not faster than his father at thirty percent, a little close to be sure… but it was not… maybe a little stronger through sheer brute force… but definitely not faster…

Van took a deep breath and unleashed his shadow and blood weaving, his form beginning to lose shape, his aura coating his blade making them even sharper. He saw now the points of weakness on the shrieker, the joints, its many eyes, its neck, and a few other places…

Van calmed himself, closed his eyes for a split second… then opened them with intention…

With a dodge and a slash, one of the shrieker's arms fell… with another, the second arm fell… the shrieker roared confused at its now two stumpy limbs, and with its grotesque torso mouth did something unexpected. But Van was ready for it instinctively and dodge the disgusting webbing-like thing that spewed from its mouth. With a step, Van disappeared, only to reappear with two of the shrieker's legs now gone.

The shrieker screamed in confusion, it’s shriek now filled with energy, those around it froze from it’s power… but Van had already moved from behind it and cut it’s eyeball head off…

Blood spurted, but Van knew it was still alive, using his blood weaving he sensed were the heart was and plunged his swords into it.

The shrieker gave one last scream, tried to get up, and died… falling over dead…

By the time Van had finished off the shrieker, the battle was over… and everyone was trying to pick up the pieces… but that wasn’t on his mind right now… the only thing on is brain… was Luna… and he quickly turned to gaze at the tree fort that held her… knowing it won’t be much longer now…