“You know what would be useful, right now?” Corbin asked, in the middle of a fabricated game involving daggers, stones, and, oddly enough, a set of gorgeous, artisan marbles. Corbin had produced those, much to Liliana’s surprise.

They didn’t have much else they could do, and it was better than waiting or pacing.

“A god smiting the Fiend?” Liliana asked drolly as she tossed the daggers and stones into the air, Corbin releasing the marbles. Her hands shot out, grabbing what marbles she could before they landed.

“Well, yes. But no.” Corbin looked at her, reluctantly amused.

“I was going to say traps,” Corbin clarified as Liliana counted the marbles she’d caught.

The game was a good exercise for both Speed and Dexterity. Even she couldn’t always catch all the marbles and had gotten nicked a few times by errant daggers. Corbin got cut more often, but his Dexterity meant he often did fairly well.

“Maybe we’ll get someone who is good with traps responding to the beacon.” Liliana nodded at the glowing ring on Corbin’s finger.

They’d been waiting for two hours with no response yet, but it could mean the others were far away. The beacon hadn’t been set to ‘dire need, we’re about to die, please come yesterday’. According to Corbin, it was set to, ‘We’re going to be in deep shit soon, so please come when you can’. It was interesting how nuanced the feelings the beacons sent out could get.

“With your luck? We’ll get Zir’elon.” Corbin snorted and Liliana let out a bone deep groan.

Corbin had already jinxed her once this assignment, she didn’t need him doing it a second time. She’d rather face the Fiend naked and alone than have Zir’elon show up. She didn’t trust him to not stab her in the back, or worse, mock her for the rest of the semester about needing help. If he did show up, she could only hope the Fiend killed him for her.

“Why is it always me?” Liliana whined.

“I should be asking that, since I’m getting dragged into it.” Corbin reprimanded playfully, nudging Liliana’s folded legs with a foot.

“You signed up for this,” Liliana reminded him, Corbin shrugging unapologetically. Liliana made a face at him as she chucked the marbles into the air for him. Liliana tilted her head to the side, eyes going distant as something tickled her [Perception].

“Visitors.” Lelantos’ voice informed her a beat later.

“Looks like our reinforcements have arrived,” Liliana said idly as Corbin cursed. A dagger had sliced into the meat of his palm and made him drop a few marbles.

“That doesn’t count.” Corbin said immediately, nursing his hurt hand.

“It definitely counts,” Liliana retorted as she picked up the offending dagger to clean it.

“Who is it?” Corbin asked, instead of responding and continuing the argument, though he glared when Liliana wrote down his correct score on the scrap parchment they were using.

The last time they’d played a game without keeping written score had nearly ended in blows when they both insisted on different scores. Funnily enough, they’d both been insisting the other had won.

“Not sure, hopefully not the asshole prince,” Liliana shrugged. If it was Zir’elon, then Liliana wasn’t sure they’d need to wait for the Fiend before there was bloodshed.

Their rivalry was still going on, despite the fact that the dæmon was rarely ever in class S again. He was a fantastic fighter, but of average intelligence if above average cleverness. He’d never forgiven that first tournament, and once he’d gotten, mostly, over his fear, he’d decided Liliana was his arch-nemesis in all things. Or his rival. She never could tell if he respected her or hated her.

At least it meant he’d forgotten about most anyone else and had ceased bothering her friends. Or he’d taken her warnings to heart and wisely decided to value his life and limb over angering Liliana by harassing her friends. She was far less to kill him in his bed and hide his body if he was just bothering her, after all.

The sound of hooves pounding against the ground proceeded the arrival of two figures. Liliana looked up, and a grin broke out across her face when she recognized the men.

“Fuck.” Emyr groaned as his warhorse slowed. A present from his eldest brother on his eighteenth birthday, black as night, with a white star on its forehead and two deadly horns spiraling out like a twisted crown.

“Lili?” Alistair asked as he slid off his own horse, a present from Silas for his eighteenth birthday.

A huge thing that better resembled a draft horse than a war mount in size, but its size belied the speeds Liliana had seen it reach. It had a dun coat with a black mane and tail. It also had a set of vicious fangs and exclusively ate meat. Liliana had seen that monster masquerading as a horse take a bite out of a man in the middle of a fight and had given it a wide berth after that. She didn’t want to become its next snack, and the beast only seemed to like Alistair.

“Hey.” Liliana waved lazily from where she was sitting, relieved that it was Alistair and Emyr who had responded to the beacon, rather than someone unfamiliar or worse, someone she couldn’t stand. Her head tilted, eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.

Odd that Alistair and Emyr had been in range for the beacon.

Even more odd was that they had left for their own assignment around the same time as Liliana and Corbin leaving. Her eyes flicked between Emyr and Alistair. Emyr was looking at her with something like smugness in his eyes, the rest of his face carefully passive. Liliana doubted anyone else save Alistair would see the emotion under Emyr’s mask, but she could, and it cemented her suspicions.

“How very extraordinary that it happened to be you two who responded to our beacon. That you were even in the area to respond,” Liliana said, sweetly, as if it had just occurred to her and it was all some cosmic coincidence. Alistair’s face went slightly ashen, golden eyes widening in what Liliana knew was unmistakably guilt. Liliana’s smile widened into something sharp as she stared at her brother, knowing he would crack where Emyr wouldn’t if the right pressure was applied.

“We-ah,” Alistair stumbled over his words, looking pleadingly back at his boyfriend for aid.

Emyr sighed, looking at Alistair with affection and exasperation in equal measure. Alistair had always been particularly awful at lying to people he cared about. He could lie to nobles with ease and mastery, but to Liliana, or Emyr? He turned into a tongue-tied mess.

“Apparently, there’s been a surge of monster activity in the southern territory. Our own second years finished their assignment yesterday and were staying in Springhelm for the day when we got the beacon.” Emyr answered for Alistair, who slumped in relief.

Liliana stared at him, unimpressed by the not-lie. Everything Emyr had said was true. She could tell that much. But it also cleverly avoided the real truth, which was that the two of them had obviously taken the assignment for ulterior motives. Namely, ulterior motives named Corbin and their utter lack of trust in the man.

“I don’t need babysitters,” Liliana communicated telepathically to Emyr, who quirked a brow at her. His disbelief was obvious in every line of his posture.

“There’s a Fiend in the area, with a very low probability of it being an Archfiend. Our second years killed its hunting pack, unaware there was a Fiend in the area. It’ll wake come nightfall and become enraged when it sees its pack is destroyed.” Liliana said bluntly instead of verbally accusing her brother and best friend of stalking her in their paranoia.

Sometimes Liliana wondered why she’d used to wish for siblings in her past life. They were unbearably annoying. She supposed she should be grateful they hadn’t followed them and hidden in the trees with binoculars or something similar to watch them.

“Fuck,” Emyr said once more, with feeling. Immediately Alistair’s head whipped around to gage the sun’s position in the sky, noting it was midafternoon and they still had time.

“You already told her to leave?” Emyr turned immediately to Corbin, who noticeably flinched under the harsh gaze, but shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

“Yup. She even made me think she was going to leave, too. She had a whole speech on how pointless it was to die here when it wouldn’t save a town. Then she turned around and said she’d be staying.” Corbin explained with a ‘what can you do’ expression as he held his hands up.

“And you didn’t just knock her out and drag her away, why?” Emyr demanded, stepping forward threateningly. Corbin giving him an unimpressed look in response before gesturing at Liliana, then himself without saying a word.

Emyr turned to Liliana, who was glaring at the both of them, because she was right there and they didn’t need to talk about her like she wasn’t.

“Fair point.” Emyr grudgingly admitted.

“Like anyone can make Lili give up when she has her mind set on something, Em.” Alistair slung an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders with a commiserating sigh, though he gave Corbin a token glare. For… existing? Liliana wasn’t sure.

“’Lili’ is right here, and she’d appreciate it if you lot stopped talking about her like she’s not here.” Liliana hissed at her friends and brother, who all looked at her with a variety of droll, deadpan and unimpressed expressions.

“Besides, I’m not going to leave an entire town with hundreds to die. I can take a Fiend on.” Liliana argued, as unnecessary as it seemed to be. The men around her had accepted that Liliana was going to fight the Fiend, with or without them. Still, she felt like her character needed to be defended and, obviously, none of them were going to do it.

“Even with your bonds, and levels, you’d still need more luck than you’ve ever shown to have to beat a Fiend alone.” Emyr snorted derisively and Liliana flushed, fighting down a pout. He was right, but he didn’t need to say it like that.

“Good news. You’re not alone. With all four of us and your bonds, we can probably get out of this. Perhaps with fewer limbs than we started with, but that’s what your healer is for, right Lili?” Alistair chimed in, looking oddly good natured about what sounded like a suicide mission.

Then again, Liliana had been dragging him into dangerous situations since they were fourteen. Emyr seemed unconcerned as well, but he’d gone with her to chase down a giant tiger at fourteen, when their relationship could be best described as ‘reluctantly tolerant’.

Danger seemed to be an accepted outcome when one spent any amount of time around Liliana Rosengarde.

“Speaking of,” Liliana murmured as she tapped on the summoning stone for Serenity. She usually kept the Axolong in stasis. She didn’t like combat, and could only travel swiftly on her own in the water. Otherwise, she had to be held by Liliana, and the small creature had shown a mild fear for heights.

The small draconic form of her bond materialized in Liliana’s lap. Serenity looked around, blinking sleepy eyes, before she turned immediately on Liliana.

“What did you do?” Serenity demanded, using her small clawed feet to climb over Liliana, nose pressing into her body as if searching out injuries.

Serenity hadn’t yet been required to heal Liliana from anything since they’d bonded, but the Axolong had access to her memories, and was well acquainted with how little regard Liliana paid to her own health and wellbeing. It didn’t help that their first interaction was Liliana stabbing herself with a sword like a disgraced samurai.

“Why do you assume it’s my fault?” Liliana asked, mystified. Snorts were heard from multiple throats and Liliana did not deign to look up to glare at her friends and brother.

“Because based on previous information, it is the most logical conclusion to come to,” Serenity responded without hesitation. Liliana rolled her eyes, quite done with being bullied by her friends, her brother, and now by her bonds. The betrayal.

“You are not injured. Why did you call me?” Serenity asked, finally settling on Liliana’s shoulder. Nemesis had vacated her perch over an hour ago to patrol with Lelantos and Polaris. Otherwise, there would probably be a fight.

Nemesis had not been very… excited by the newest addition. Perhaps because Serenity reminded her of what she could’ve been, had her Garden not been slain. A being meant to heal, rather than to harm.

“There’s a Fiend, possibly an Archfiend, in the area. We’re going to fight it come nightfall. We’ll need you to heal us,” Liliana said aloud for the others to hear. She knew how frustrating it could be to only hear half a conversation. Serenity regarded her for a long moment, her mind tinted with disbelief, exasperation, and finally, resigned acceptance. A lot of those emotions going around today.

“I presume I must stay out because the nature of the fight will mean even the time it takes to summon me can be the difference between life and death?” Serenity asked, redundantly. She knew it was true. Liliana nodded anyway, for her bond’s benefit.

“I will not fight.” Serenity reinforced her condition.

“You won’t need to. We have enough fighters. We need a healer.” Liliana assured her bond, running a finger down cool skin like scales. Serenity bowed her head in agreement.

“Healer’s set. Now we just need to wait.” Liliana turned to the boys. Emyr and Alistair had set their horses to graze and were poking around at the daggers, stones, and marbles on the ground.

“You two want to try playing Marbles and Missing Fingers?” Liliana asked, grabbing up the stones and daggers.

“There’s still time to run,” Corbin said quietly as they watched the last sliver of the setting sun.

“There’s not.” Liliana shook her head.

Their chance to run was long gone. Their scents were all over the area of the Hellcats’ den now, purposefully. If they died here, Liliana didn’t even want the chance of the Fiend tracking down their second years. If they died, the town would die, but those second years could survive. And truthfully, Liliana cared more about the second years than the entire town they were protecting, so it was an easy choice to make.

They hadn’t alerted the town to the danger. In the end, after a heated argument, it was decided it would be useless. There wasn’t time to evacuate an entire town, and it would send the citizens into a panic. A dangerous panic. If the Fiend defeated them, then the town would fall. But either way, there would’ve been nothing the townsfolk could’ve done to stop it. And they certainly didn’t need any villagers coming out to ‘help’. They’d get in the way, probably die, and maybe take one of them with them when they tried to protect them. In this case, ignorance was best.

“So it seems,” Corbin said softly. For a moment, regret flashed across his face before his features settled into something determined.

Emyr and Alistair had been positioned elsewhere. Emyr was as far back as he could be while having a view of the area they’d be fighting in. He was on the opposite side they thought the Fiend would come from, based on where the ruins that Lelantos had found were located. Serenity was with him. Both of them needed to stay far out of the fight.

Alistair was in the dead center of the area the second years had fought the Hellcats in. The bodies piled up around him, Lelantos beside him. They’d act as both cover and as bait. Liliana and Corbin were hanging back, hiding in the shelter of the few trees in the area. Nemesis was lying under the earth near Alistair and Lelantos, waiting for her chance to strike. Polaris was flying so high in the sky he was nothing more than a black speck blending into the falling twilight.

Placing her bonds near her friend and brother also meant they could communicate back to her through her bonds while Liliana spoke to everyone through [Telepathy]. Communication would be important in this fight.

The sun finally vanished from the sky, the world descending into twilight. Liliana’s grip on her naginata tightened, and the eight swords lying against the branches of the tree she was perched in shivered.

“Soon.” Liliana passed through the mental links she had with Emyr, Alistair and Corbin.

“Mage. Ready?” Lelantos’ voice came next, likely a question sent by Alistair, translated into Lelantos’ more simple speech.

“Emyr? Are you almost done channeling?” Liliana sent to the mage.

Their plan was to have Lelantos and Alistair grab the Fiend’s attention wholly, hoping he’d be so enraged he wouldn’t pay attention to anything else. Emyr would release a devastating spell he’d been channeling for a while now, which he could hold at the ready indefinitely, as long as he didn’t have to move.

Once the spell was done, Liliana, Nemesis, and Polaris would strike at the same time while Corbin acted as support to buff everyone in the thick of the fighting. He was also playing a decoy role. They hoped if the Fiend saw a bard, it would assume he was the only support on the field and not look for Serenity. And by consequence, find Emyr. Corbin could handle himself, but Serenity and Emyr couldn’t evade as quickly as the bard could and would be further away from the rest of them, so help could take precious seconds to arrive.

“Your dark mage says he is done and is waiting for the Fiend to appear to show the Fiend what real ‘hell’ looks like.” Serenity relayed the message, disapproval clear in her voice. Either for the language or the fact they were fighting at all. Liliana shook her head, amusement a fleeting thing flitting through her. Her nerves were strung too tight for her to feel any true humor, even gallows humor, at the moment.

“Emyr is set. We’re all in position,” Liliana told Alistair, her message lacking the normal teasing she’d include.

As twilight faded to true night, the moon rising and stars shining above them as the last vestiges of daylight were wiped from the world, Liliana felt her breath catch in her lungs. It felt like everything was holding its breath. There was no birdsong in the air, no wind brushing against her skin. It was utterly still as they waited for the Fiend to descend and for the fight to begin.

Polaris noticed it first, from his position in the air. A form rising, red marks that mimicked the Hellcats’ a shining beacon in the dark night.

“It’s coming.” Liliana warned, her body shifting slightly as her muscles tensed in preparation. She could feel Corbin shuffling in his own tree, could feel his nerves and anticipation thick in the air feeding her own.

Lelantos heard the flapping of great bat-like wings next. His head turned to track the sound, fur bristling. Alistair, next to him, hefted his shield as his skin started shining and glittering with abilities and skills. Lelantos grew in size as his own fur glimmered before armor made of light covered him.

Liliana heard the wings at the same time Corbin did, and they both shared a look. A lifetime of held breaths, thundering hearts and adrenaline later, they could finally see the form of the Fiend. It noticed Alistair and Lelantos at the same time as they noticed it.

A blood-curdling shriek. A bone shaking roar. A shouted battle cry.

The Fiend streaked towards the two figures it assumed were responsible for the death of its hunting pack.

“Now!” Liliana sent to Emyr.

Above the Fiend, a massive constellation came to life, unveiled as if someone had ripped away a sheet. Liliana recognized the constellation. Ealirel’s sword. The constellation swiftly took shape, as if rising from under dark water. Where before there had only been sparkling stars, now stood a sword that only a giant would be able to wield.

The sword fell like a guillotine’s blade at the Fiend, who had focused entirely on the tanks below. Before the Fiend could reach its targets, the sword slashed down. With its swing, stars bloomed behind it, detonating before they even connected. As it struck the Fiend, it sent the creature flying. Stars burst across its body from the strike of the celestial sword. The massive explosion rocked the area, debris flying through the air even as the Fiend was flung backwards.

“Move!” Liliana sent as she erupted from the tree she was hiding in, golden bright wings exploding from her back as she entered the fray.