The Protectors rode only a couple hours ahead of the Grey Huntsman. Agripian and Samuel spoke while riding.
"Samuel, I need you to promise me something."
"What are talking about?"
"This little war we have going on is not going to end well. Take care of my sister."
"Agripian, Sorrian can pretty damn well take care of herself. But I will. She shares my heart, and I would never let her die."
The two joked for a while as they rode, and Lionsgate was on the horizon. Just as they saw the city, the Huntsman cut them off, bringing the party to a standstill.
"Give us the Beacon Stone. We will either take it from your corpses, or you will give it as your final sacrifice."
"I really want to know who the fuck you think you are," said Cansoulian mocking Axian.
"You would do well to keep your mouth shut darling," said Yangnifar in a quick jab back.
"We won't give you the Stone. You incited war, so that's what we will give you," said Mark.
The two forces engaged, dismounting their horses and drawing blades, rushing at each other with the intent to kill. They all ran around, trying to find openings or chances for attack.
Sorrian and Thorosian danced about each other, both of them like angelic dancers with the fluidity of water. They seemed to move in some sort of rhythm, like they weren't actually fighting. They surely were as Thorosian nearly gutted Sorrian.
"You just barely escaped that one. I do have to say, you are quite the dancer, 'Queen of Heroes.'"
"I've got to say thank you, but where did the title come from?"
"It's a prophesy dear, you'll have some soon, no doubt."
The two continued to dance about, trading the upper hand back and forth between them. Axian and Samuel struck each other's blades with fury and vigor. The disparaty between light and dark was not muddled here, in fact, it seemed to be more and more pronounced. Samuel almost seemed to glow as Axian faded into more and more of a shadow. Thunder rumbled above them as the world marked the creation of a new Castle of Destiny painting.
Mark and Agripian fought in sync with Killgroth and Vance, the two teams trading massive blows between each other. Mark was beginning to grasp some magic with his intuition and began to predict Killgroth's moves as he made them, effectively nullifying Killgroth's superior bladesmenship. Agripian and Vance still attacked cautiously, until he bellowed fire from his non dominate hand. Agripian barely managed to escape the scorching flames as theh jumped from Vance's hand.
Erridis and Jessica traded blows back and forth, but neither of them were as skilled as their companions, but they had that same disparaty that Axian and Samuel had. Zenitha and Rachel traded furious blows, each of them becoming more and more attuned to the magic around them, enhancing their skills and their weapons with each consecutive strike. Yangnifar and Cansoulian locked blades, Yangnifar intentionally doing so to taunt Cansoulian.
"Your husband is running like a chicken with his head chopped off. You must be so proud of him."
"Stop talking, you white-haired bitch."
Yangnifar began to gain the upper hand quickly. The other were beginning to break away as they tired, keeping their guard up all the while. Yangnifar kept pressing Cansoulian though. Cansoulian could barely keep up with her as she kept pressing her goal.
"Cansoulian, get out of there!" Agripian shouted as he saw his wife nearing death by Yangnifar.
"CANSOULIAN!" He shouted again as Yangnifar stabbed her through the chest. Cansoulian fell to the ground, blood pouring out of her. Yangnifar went over to the other Huntsman and they rode off, saying they would truce for the week, so long as they agreed to stay within a spotters sight of each others camps. Agripian rushed over to Cansoulian, who now lied dead on the grass. Agripian began to weep, trying to get Cansoulian to wake up, and Samuel had to go over to calm him down. The Protectors knew that the Huntsman were stronger than they were. They were beginning to fear them.
Agripian laid beside Cansoulian's body and wept. Samuel and Sorrian tried to console him, but he had almost given up living.
"It's not worth it. She's gone, and I won't ever get her back."
"Maybe, but you have a duty to her to continue the quest. We have to put the Beacon Stone in either the Pillar at Lionsgate or the Pillar at Helorion."
"He's right brother. We have to keep going, for her."
The Protectors buried her body and sung the burial rites. They mourned her death and prepared to escape the clutches of the Grey Huntsman.