Theodore sped in front of the trio, making a downward slam that they barely dodged. When the spear hit the ground, it cracked and many large rock formations went skyward.

Amanda was standing on a pile of debris as it flew in the air, as did vexa and the unnamed warrior.

Unbeknownst to her, the old man had no change in expression. In an instant, he jumped up higher and higher, pingponging between the debris with sheer speed.

Theodore’s spear flashed like a bolt of contained lightning, its tip carving a searing arc through the air as he ricocheted between the floating debris. Amanda barely had time to register his movement before his boot connected with her ribs, sending her crashing through a jagged spire of earth. Stone shattered around her as she tumbled, her sword skittering from her grasp. The warrior with the ball-and-chain bellowed, swinging his weapon in a wild attempt to intercept—but Theodore was already gone, pivoting midair to drive his spear downward toward Vexa’s exposed spine.

The dark elf twisted at the last second, her dagger scraping against the spearhead with a shower of sparks. Theodore’s momentum carried him past her, but not before his elbow cracked against her temple, sending her reeling. He landed in a crouch, mud spraying from his impact, just as the ball-and-chain came crashing down where he’d stood. The ground erupted in a geyser of dirt and rock—but Theodore wasn’t there.

The warrior’s iron ball cratered the earth where Theodore had been—but the old lord was already moving, his spear a silver blur as it lashed out like a striking viper. The weapon’s tip punched through the warrior’s thigh with a wet *thunk*, sending him toppling face-first into the mud. Theodore planted a boot between his shoulder blades and wrenched the spear free, blood arcing through the air in a crimson spray.

"Yield," Theodore growled, pressing the spearpoint against the warrior’s neck.

Around them, debris was falling, crushing soldiers indiscriminately. Amanda walked calmly through the chaos. One sword in hand, another floatibg behind her.

The warrior beneath Theodore’s boot laughed—a wet, gurgling sound that sent fresh blood bubbling between his teeth. "Yield? To a man who’ll be dead by sundown?" He spat crimson into the mud. "Your daughter fights well, old hawk. Shame she’ll—"

Theodore’s spear punched through his throat before he could finish.

It was something he did off instinct. "My little girl is here?" The shock was written all over his face.

Amanda walked through the chaos. She an gaze closed in on Theodore who clearly was running low on energy.

though Vexa seemed dangerous, Amanda was the real threat. She used no mana. A different energy entirely. More spiritual in nature.

Whenever she would pick up a blade during training, he would always notice...something stared at him through the blade.

His mind cleared. Amanda had one sword in hand that she picked up from a fallen enemy, and her original sword was floating, keeping pace with her.

Vexa charged earlier than expected. Even in his tired state, he still managed to parry her attack. Before any retaliation could occur,

Amanda was already upon him.

quickly becoming the aggressor, she began a rapid assault, many slasheand thrusts that spelled his demise if they landed.

Theodore had to dodge block and parry everything if he didn’t wish to be chopped meat. Meanwhile her sentient sword would occasionally go for what it thought was a killing blow.

He wasn’t going to live much longer, that much was clear. He turned to vexa, who was slowly walking around him, seemingly waiting for her turn as well.

’Maybe I could bait out Amanda’s strikes, attack vexa.’ he had the higher chance to kill her than Amanda. It was a good strategy.

"That’s just...boring."

Amanda thought she heard falsely.

"What did you just say?"

The younger part of Theodore, the brash arrogant part of himself spoke again in his final moments.

He came here to defend his home from Amanda. And that is what he would do.

So what if he couldn’t kill her? He would wound her further.

A smile crept up his face. "You’ve no respect for your elders. But I’ll show you the person this bag of bones used to be."

He readied his spear. that was when the assault began. More and more strikes that he was too slow to dodge. Even with all of this happening, Theodore took deep breaths.

He was positive they were the last ones he would ever have. As more and more cuts appeared on his arms, thighs and other places, he had one last thought on his mind.

His little girl. This was a monster that he helped nurture, and now she would have to fight it. ’Please kill her for me.’

But his worry quickly faded. She was stroner than he ever was. And she would eclipse him in no time at all.

As Amanda went for a final blow, Theodore made no moves to dodge, taking it to the chest. It pierced through his armor, his lung, and then his back.

He thrusted the spear towards her,

And as she dodged, a smug look appeared on her face. But it wasn’t much a thust, more a toss that looked like one.

As the spear got close, an electric charge rumbled across it, before a violent detonation

Of lightning blew up, too close for her to dodge.

It was bigger than expected. So big, that Briana noticed it. She quickly turned to see the explosion where she was, and ran in it’s direction.

In a burst of lightning she appeared. But stopped due to sheer disbelief. A certain person. Someone very close to her.

Her father lie dead. One blade stuck into his chest, and another in his head. All the fighting, all the screaming and the bloodshed, it was all static now. Her mind filtered it out.

Her old man. The one who wouldn’t stop trying to impose his favorite books onto her, the one who taught her how to ride a horse,

Who was her main caretaker after her mother passed, was in a state she couldn’t fathom in her worst nightmares.

she began visibly shaking. Vexa watched her in confusion. She was holding an injured Amanda. She had burns all over her face and torso. "Come close and you die."

Briana didn’t hear it, didn’t care. As she walked closer and closer, she kept replying his life in her mind. All the good times. Maybe this was a dream. Yes a bad dream.

"Why did you hide this from me? Was it that hard to just be honest?" But who was she kidding? It took all of her strength to lift her head away from that terrible image of who she held dear, and focus on his apparent killers.

Briana looked like a ghost at the moment. Walking closer to Vexa, sword in hand, she spoke. "Did you do this?"