The tunnel echoed with footsteps. The stone beneath their feet trembled as Imperial soldiers poured out of the darkness — first a few scouts, then entire ranks of infantry. Spears glinted in the dim torchlight, and shields bearing a black crest surged forward. Behind them, like dark shadows, six mages raised their staffs, on which runic symbols pulsed.

Kael stood firm, though sweat poured down his forehead. His wound from the previous battle was still bandaged, but his hand tightened its grip on the hilt of his sword.

Beside him, Noah’s lips curled into a crooked smile. Flames danced between his fingers.

“Well, I guess… it’s time to make some noise.” — he muttered and hurled a fireball at the front ranks.

The explosion ripped through the tunnel. Two heavily armored soldiers fell; the rest raised their shields. The mages responded instantly — beams of ice and blades of wind sliced through the air. Kael dodged to the side, and his sword — which he’d taken from a warrior — glowed with a blue light.

The battle had truly begun.

The soldiers charged in tight formation, their spears aimed at Kael. He parried the first blows; his blade clanged against steel. He twisted his wrist, severing the tip of one of the spears and countering with a kick. One fell, then another, but the third struck him in the arm — blood spurted, and Kael hissed.

Noah didn’t let him fall. Flames erupted from his hands, forming a wall of fire. Several soldiers leaped back; others were burned alive, screaming as their armor turned into searing traps.

The mages, however, weren’t idle. The magical circles on their wands flared to life. One of them thrust the tip of his wand into the ground, forming a spell circle. Spikes of rock shot out of the tunnel, piercing through Noah’s fire.

“Fuck!” — Noah dodged, but a shard sliced across his side.

Blood trickled down, but the smile didn’t fade. “All right, now I’m pissed.”

He thrust his hands forward, and a stream of fire poured from them, piercing through the formation and striking the mages. Two of them were sent flying backward, their heads slamming into the stone walls. Another, however, raised a barrier and stopped the attack.

Kael found himself in the center of the chaos once more. He parried blow after blow; the blade of his sword trembled, and his arms ached. He was fast, but the odds were stacked against him. Ten against one — heavily armored warriors were pressing in from both sides.

“Noah!” — he growled. — "Some backup before they pierce me!”

“I’m on my way!” — roared Noah, spreading his arms wide. Flames burst from his entire body, and the air suddenly grew heavy and stifling. Even the stone seemed to crack from the heat.

In the distance, down the corridor, the metallic sounds of battle carried. The echo of swords, the roar of explosions. Valdor stopped on the stairs, his eyes narrowing. Arwen tilted her head back, her ears twitching.

“Do you hear that?” — Arwen whispered.

“Kael and Noah…” — Mayuri whispered. — “They must be fighting; we have to hurry.”

Valdor moved forward without a word. Their footsteps echoed as they ran into the tunnel. The air was thick with smoke and blood. And then the sight met their eyes: Kael, surrounded by soldiers, fighting with his last ounce of strength, and Noah, breathing fire but already wounded.

“Damn it…” — Arwen growled and shifted form. Her body elongated, her claws flashed, and her wolf-like eyes blazed. She pounced on the first soldier, tearing his throat open.

Valdor drew his sword. The aura of dragon blood awoke within him. He leaped into the formation of heavily armored soldiers, and each of his strikes was like an explosion. The armor shattered under the force of his blows.

Mayuri raised her hands, and the shadows around her spread like ink. They enveloped the team, forming a protective sphere. The mages’ spells struck it, shattering in the darkness.

Noah watched from the sidelines and burst out laughing.

“Finally! I was afraid you’d miss the party!”

Valdor growled, severing the head of yet another soldier.

“Focus on the fight, not on talking!”

One hundred soldiers. Ten heavily armored warriors. Six mages.

The fortress had become the arena of a real war.

The soldiers charged in waves. The front ranks fell, replaced by the next. The heavily armored soldiers raised their shields, forming a wall, and aimed their spears at the team. The mages struck with lightning, froze the ground, and cast runic projectiles.

Valdor charged forward like a force of nature. His sword blazed, and a dragon’s roar burst from his throat. Each blow sent his opponents flying several meters away. But there were too many of them. A blade sliced through his arm; his armor burst into flames from a fire spell.

He gritted his teeth. — “You won’t stop me!”

Arwen fought like a shadow. Her movements were fluid, almost inhuman. She leaped among the soldiers, and each of her claws left a trail of blood in its wake. But at one point, a spear pierced her side. She howled, but instead of falling — she bit her attacker in the throat, tearing him to shreds.

Kael fought alongside Noah. His sword glinted, deflecting spells, and every strike was precise. But he was already staggering. He had too many wounds. Noah covered him with fire, created barriers, and blew up entire groups of enemies.

“Kael!” — he shouted, pushing back a wave of enemies. — “Just a little longer, hold on!”

“I always… hold on." — Kael growled, plunging his sword into an opponent’s chest.

Mayuri stood in the center. Her hands trembled, and the shadows around her rippled. A whisper still echoed in her head: “Daughter of the night… come back to us…”

But now she looked at Valdor, at Arwen, at Noah, and at Kael. And she rejected the voice.

“Never again.”

Dark blades sprang from her shadow, piercing the ranks of soldiers. A scream rent the tunnel as they fell to the ground, pierced by the shadow.

The Empire’s mages gathered together, forming a circle. The runes pulsed. The ground began to shake, and a sphere of pure energy gathered above their heads.

“Tear them apart!” — roared one of the mages.

Valdor saw this and charged forward, but the heavily armored soldiers blocked his path. Their shields were linked together, impenetrable. Their spears struck simultaneously, piercing his chest. He staggered. Blood poured from his mouth.

But then Noah roared, and his fire exploded, reducing the entire wall of shields to ashes.

“The way is clear!” — he roared.

Valdor raised his sword with both hands. Dragon runes flared on his skin. And with a single powerful swing, he sliced through the air. A wave of fire and dragon energy struck the mages. The runic circle shattered, and the energy sphere exploded, killing three of them instantly.

The remaining three fell, bleeding, no longer able to fight.

The rest of the soldiers retreated in panic. A few tried to flee, but Arwen and Kael caught up with them, ending the battle.

Silence filled the tunnel. Only the crackling of Noah’s fire and the team’s heavy breathing could be heard.

The soldiers’ bodies lay in piles, blood trickling down the stones.

Valdor leaned on his sword, panting heavily. The fire was slowly dying out.

Arwen knelt, clutching her side; her hands were red with blood.

Kael fell to his knees, barely conscious.

Noah sat down on a pile of rubble, wiping blood from his mouth.

“Heh… well, I guess we won.”

Mayuri knelt down, her hands trembling. She looked at Valdor.

“This isn’t over, is it?”

Valdor raised his head. His eyes blazed, but his voice was calm.

“No. This is just the beginning.”

The team gathered, bandaging their wounds as best they could. Their footsteps carried them toward the exit. The bastion grew brighter and brighter, as if it wanted to let them out on its own.

When they emerged onto the surface, they were greeted by the wind and the moonlight. Mountains stretched out all around them, and far off on the horizon, they could see the lights of the Empire’s city.

Valdor looked in that direction.

“That’s where we’re going. To the heart of the Empire.”

Arwen clenched her teeth but nodded.

Mayuri looked away, but her shadow trembled more calmly than before.

Kael leaned on Noah’s shoulder. Noah snorted.

“Hey, we’re alive. That’s already a success.”

They set off together, slowly, toward the valley, leaving behind a fortress full of blood and ash.