TURN 11
With the Flame Dawn cast back through the rifts whence they came and Solace's Gate seized, the time had come. The Swift Hunter's scouts poured into the overplane of Solace, searching for the rumored rebel whilst the Caller of the Warpath led the battle front, with the Hidden by Clouds as the vanguard. Beasts of the Untamed World and monks of Reish were invading the heavenly plane.
Solace was immense, with valleys, glens, lakes, rivers, and in the distance, the Overseers' training grounds, where angels were reformed, trained, and sent on missions to die only to reform again. The scoutbeasts' senses were thrown all awry by the strange world and they did their best to mark their trails as they explored, following twists and turns in the landscape while they sought the rebel conclave.
At the front of Sonic's army, angel skirmishers fought as they ran before the Warpath's might, their lightcasters searing into fur and flesh but failing to slow the packleaders' force. For every step forward Hidden by Clouds and the other beasts of the vanguard took, the Overseers were forced to wing backwards, conceding more and more ground. Many fell, their souls returning into stasis to await the day they reformed.
Aleta marched with the main force of the army, concern written across her face. If every Overseer that fell would merely reform, how could they win? If the immense overplane of Solace was filled with angels, why were they ceding ground so easily? Why wasn't there a more significant source of resistance? And then she realized: they were being lured in, lured into a battle and a war they could not win.
Not without the Rebel's help. The Swift Hunter's scouts, who had been looking for her for so long, finally found Lilariah that day. "Please, we need your help," the Swift Hunter said. "The Overseers betrayed us and hunted us down, but we cannot kill them forever. Help them become the protectors that they once were, so we can end this war."
Lilariah had smiled. "That is my goal. Where Sol brings oppression in the name of order, I will spread hope. Where he destroys and purifies, I will allow new life to take flight. It is time to end Sol's dogma. I will go with your forces to confront them."
And so Lilariah and her rebels joined the Warpath's army. As they approached the Overseers' central base, the resistance grew more intense. Multiple celestial dragons swarmed Hidden by Clouds, and even with Hulkers armed with bows the mighty beast eventually went down beneath their onslaught, though it downed three dragons in the process. The battle raged between the Warpath and the Overseers, with many falling on both sides.
Then, suddenly, a figure emerged from the melee, a lone angel with wings of black and white. Sol.
Seeing him, Lilariah charged, and soon they disappeared into the renewed flurry of the battle. As night fell in the overplane and the exhausted forces of both sides retreated, it was still unclear if there had been a victory--to the duel or to the battle.
Aleta, a caretaker once again, looked over the vast array of wounded. So many had fallen, and so many more were injured. It was impossible to tell how many beasts were still able-bodied and would be ready to fight the following day. One thing was certain: the Warpath would never give up, never surrender. And neither would Sol.
Thank you, Packleaders, for your efforts in revitalizing the Warpath.
