FSE

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Thunder crashes, storms darken the skies of the earth while far above a battle rages on.

"Sir our left flank is being overrun we need reinforcements" a messenger pants out as he lands on one knee exhausted, his tawny wings folding. The commander looks down at him stoically "there's no reinforcements left boy" he looks back to his maps and makes a few quick decisions, " can you still fly" he asks the messenger, the tawny winged feline nods an affirmative " good tell the left flank to fall back to the third line" he turns and jumps his wings snapping out as he frantically flies to the captain over the left flank.

"Atrius" a voice calls from a mirror in the corner "how goes the siege", the white wolf looks over from his maps and sighs before stepping into view, his fur streaked with black blood and singe marks "it goes badly" he says to the figure in the mirror, a short roundish feline more adept with a pen than his sword "the left flank is failing and I've no reinforcements left, their forces were tenfold the expected number and twice the power." He pauses and looks out the tent flap "none but my strongest archangels and canniest archers remain unharmed." The feline narrows his eyes, "what do you need" Atrius looks to the sky. "At this point an act of the creator himself" he says then turns his head quickly "INCOMIIINNNG" a sentry's shout is the only warning before felfire engulfed stones rain down on the command camp, shattering the mirror and setting his tent ablaze as Atrius rolls out of the way.

His eyes glow golden as he draws his sword and plants it in the ground at his feet, a beam of amber light flying skyward and blossoming into a dome shield deflecting the remaining stones "Somebody give me a report damnit" he shouts out as he tends to the smoldering fur of his troops around him. Many of them becoming still and fading into golden dust that blows away on the wind. "sir" a scout comes running up" a detachment of their artillery got through when the left flank collapsed, the right flank is decimated and in full retreat." Atrius nods and looks towards the distant citadel defiantly, " have everyone that's left fall back" he says to the scout who wastes no time replying and takes off, Atrius walks to the front of his encampment and gazes across the burned and hellish landscape, his spine tingles as the carrying notes of the retreat horns blow across the landscape. " I have to save all that I can" he thinks.

Movement happens on both sides as the remainder of the two flank forces flees for the cover of their commander's shield, many of them being struck by continued fire from the unopposed artillery and falling still, Atrius looks one last time at the citadel and turns on his heel striding towards the center of his camp and the circle of light therein, "Alright, everybody form up, standard retreat... Honor guard you're with me, we don't leave till every last one of them are gone." They follow his order without question as he rips a pendant from his neck and slots it into the center of the pedestal, the circle flares to life portals appearing around it as the troops flood in, a smaller shield forms around it and Atrius retrieves his sword as the hordes of demons move in.

"Protect the portal" he says to his guard as he steps forward alone and lofts his sword high in the air, he spares no words for the approaching horde as seven golden replicas of his sword split from it and take stance around him, he darts forward into the lines of the enemy, shearing through their ranks as though they were made of clay, hundreds fell and thousands took their place as he fought, giving his host as much time as he could before he was forced to fall back and snatch the crystal from the pedestal, grabbing an injured angel and throwing himself through the last portal before it closed. " he woke some time later, holding his head as he sat up and looked at the battered remains of his legion around him, " so this, is the cost of war"