Outside the Outpost walls, the enemy camp churned like a hornet's nest. Mercenaries rushed between tents, armor clinking in the cold night air. The massive tunnel explosion had shaken them to the core, a deep roar that seemed to split the earth open.
Commander Ryker, a towering man with scars crisscrossing his face, stood over a map spread across a makeshift table. His gloved fist slammed down so hard the ink pot nearly jumped off the edge.
"They destroyed the tunnels," he growled, teeth bared. "Our oil reserves, our hidden crates, all gone. Do you know how many months we prepared those supplies?"
His lieutenants shifted nervously. One stepped forward, hesitant. "Should we fall back and wait for reinforcements?"
Ryker turned so sharply it looked like he might break the man's neck. "Fall back? No. We finish this tonight. We promised to bring Talon back or burn this mudhole to ash. We don't need tunnels to set a fire."
His gaze swept across the camp, catching every flicker of fear. He stabbed his finger toward the Outpost, his voice rising like a crack of thunder.
"Load the fire arrows. Prepare the pitch barrels. And if I see anyone hesitate, I'll burn them myself."
Across the field, soldiers dragged barrels of pitch and oil to the front line. Bowmen dipped arrows into thick black liquid, eyes reflecting the flames of nearby torches.
Meanwhile, on the Outpost walls, Garrett's eyes narrowed as he watched shadows shift beyond the fog. He could almost smell the stench of oil on the breeze. He turned to his captain.
"They mean to burn us alive," Garrett said, voice low and steady.
The captain's jaw clenched. "We won't let them. The barricades are reinforced and we have archers on every rooftop."
Garrett nodded, though his heart pounded in his chest. He looked down at his sword, moonlight glinting along the blade. In that moment, he felt every scar on his body, every betrayal, every broken promise — but also every reason to fight.
In the courtyard below, Talon stood with Tony and Janzo. Tony handed her a small dagger, its blade shining like ice.
"For when you're cornered," Tony said. His eyes held a fierce determination, but something gentle hid beneath.
Talon took it and nodded once, her kinje pulsing faintly under her skin. She turned to Janzo, who stood pale and trembling, clutching two smoke vials against his chest.
"You sure you want to be out here?" she asked.
Janzo swallowed, trying to smile. "I might not swing a sword, but I can still make them choke on my fumes."
A sudden roar rose from beyond the walls, a sound that felt like thunder mixed with an army's howl. In the next heartbeat, flaming arrows lit up the sky, streaking overhead like fiery comets.
Garrett's voice thundered from above. "Incoming! Shields up! Watch the rooftops!"
The first arrows slammed into barricades, setting crates and rooftops ablaze. Sparks shot in all directions, turning the night into a sea of orange and red.
Talon lifted her chin, eyes sharp and wild. Her kinje surged, glowing brighter with every heartbeat. She looked at Tony, who pulled a small sphere from his belt and nodded back, grim but ready.
Tony stepped close, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Tonight, we don't just fight. We show them what happens when they push too far."
She gave him a fierce, determined smile. "We end this. Together."
Another wave of arrows rained down, and fire began crawling across the rooftops, hungry and alive.
Talon drew her sword, the steel hissing as it left the sheath. Tony clicked his sphere open, the inside whirring to life, ready to release thick smoke or something far worse.
Janzo tossed his vials into a barrel of water nearby, preparing more traps, his hands shaking but determined.
On the walls, Garrett's voice roared, calling the archers to stand strong. The Outpost wasn't just a refuge anymore. It had become a battleground, their last stand.
The air was thick with the smell of pitch and burning wood. Screams and shouts rose everywhere.
Talon took one last breath, her eyes fixed forward. Then she stepped out, sword raised, her kinje blazing like a ghostly flame.
"Now," she whispered.
And together, they charged straight into the heart of the fire.