"They just keep coming!" The young Ranger cried out to his comrades as the horde of Orcs that surrounded him seemed like a never ending sea of foes, each one cut down quickly replaced by another. The desperation in his voice is palpable as he deftly wields his one handed blade but is quickly losing stamina. It was a feeling that many of the younger Rangers were feeling as they were not yet battle hardened enough to endure a battle such as this...but they must.<br/><br/>"Then we keep fighting,"  came the call from Triarc who was placed several meters to the north of his friend, trying desperately to keep the group of Rangers that had gathered around him in high spirits as the battle looked as if it will drag on for much longer than anticipated. Though they were winning the fight, the Rangers were vastly outnumbered by the army of the Dark Ones and even superior fighting skills and magic had its limits when dealing with numbers of this magnitude. However, Triarc, who has seen many combat situations on both extremes of large and small, knew that this is perhaps the most important battle the realm has come to see, at least for the sake of the Rangers as it is meant to prove to the world that the Phoenix Guard still held prominence as the shield that protects the people. For Triarc, this attempt at glory for the guild seemed a bit rash on the part of Grandmaster Vulcan when he opted to face the legionnaires in open field combat rather than take a much more strategic defensive position at a pass that was not too far off from where they were now and would have provided a narrow area to easily pick off the invading forces. Though he had not been around for the last invasion that was staved off by the Guard, he had heard the stories by surviving Rangers who spoke of the great depletion of warriors after numerous attacks on the orders of the Grandmaster, a history that Triarc was hoping would not be repeated here but his hopes of that destroyed once the splitting of the sky let out a thunderous clap which disoriented both the Rangers and the orcs during the battle, even so much as knocking some to their backs that were too close to the portal as it opened up.<br/><br/>A few moments later, which felt like an eternity as the immortal shadow warrior thought for sure his life was forfeit once his back was exposed from being pushed to the ground onto his stomach from the concussive blast of the portal breaking apart the very fabric of the sky it had replaced. As he stood up he realized just how lucky he was as the group of young Ranger who was surrounded moments ago was a mess of blood and meat, along with the Orcs he was fighting, as the portal had opened up right on top of them where the sea of foes was quickly becoming an ocean. "It was too easy," he quietly murmured to himself as he instinctively stood in shock, taking in the scene of Lieutenants of the Ruinious Ones flooded the battlefield, much stronger, faster, and more skilled fighters than the enemies they had just been facing. Couple that with the element of surprise, the battle quickly shifted and was now in the hands of those who look to conquer the world and bring it to ruins; all is lost, as it would seem. Despite this feeling, Triarc firmly grips the handle of his broadsword, Eulid, and charges once more into the thick of it all, knowing that even though he will die he will take many of these demons and orcs with him as he can, and it will be remembered that the Rangers did not die easily this day.<br/><br/>Even with the superior skills of the Ruinous Ones Lieutenants they were cut down one by one and at even multiple foes in one slash from the power of Eulid's thick blade. "You'll have to do much better than this if you want to match the skill of the Phoenix Gaurd!"<br/><br/>"You're as good as dead," cried out an Orc who attempted to block the blow from Triarc who came down with a vertical slash that easily broke through the inferior blade, as well as the helmet and skull of the now dying creature. Several more fill his space as well as a few of the Lieutenants, who all get cut down in a series of well placed strokes of the powerful fortified steel that braces Eulid.<br/><br/>Regardless of how many he cuts down, however, Triarc's quick survey of the scene shows him that his efforts aren't gaining any sort of ground as the rest of the Rangers within his vicinity that either aren't as skilled or battle tested are putting up a hell of a fight but are being brought down nonetheless. "Do not give up," he attempts to sustain the morale of his group while gathering them into a tight circle, backs towards each other and weapons pushing out to provide defense for each other while capitalizing on their skills, "we will cut down every single orc that comes near us."<br/><br/>"There is a chance to escape," cries out a voice from the circle with an air of relief and excitement mixed in with fear.<br/><br/>"There are too many to try and retreat," retorts Triarc as he focuses on a Lieutanent that makes the foolish mistake to come within reach of Eulid and pays a heavy price for his bold move.<br/><br/>"No, Triarc, look.." calls the voice again who firmly grips the shadow warrior's shoulder guard and turns him around. The voice is accompanied by an arm set in the direction of a light portal that has been opened back towards the main body of Rangers where the Grandmaster was located.<br/><br/>Disbelief flashes for only a brief moment in the eyes of Triarc as he gathers his wits and realized that there is a chance to escape this slaughter, though it will be a slim one as the portal is quite a bit down the way from where this small group is located but a chance nonetheless. "Alright," he belows out over the noise of the battle, "we have a way out, friends, but the way is quickly becoming overrun by these damn orcs and Lieutenants. We have to push through now if we want to make it or else all will be lost. Are you with me?" A cry of assent rises over the clash of steel, the cries of dying warriors, the crash of magic, and the group begin to make their way towards the portal, knowing that as powerful as the Grandmaster is, even he can hold it for so long. As they push through the countless waves of enemy forces that meet them, Triarc realizes that many, if not all of them, were going to die before coming close to the escape, as the numbers of the enemies are proving far too much to even attempt the retreat. Sadness and anger floods his otherwise playful demeanor and a whole new side of him erupts from within as he goes blind with fury and the bloodlust of battle fuels him. Taking charge of the group he spear heads the formation and viciously hacks through anyone who stands in his way of trying to keep his comrades from reaching their only means of survival, losing all sense of self-protection and caution as the blade he normally wields in an expert fashion streaks through the air as if held by a madman. The scene is barbaric enough that even some of the orcs and lieutenants cannot help but find themselves freightened and at times stunned to even try to move away from the deadly blade.<br/><br/>Finally, after was seemed like an eternity, a small clearing is made and Triarc can actually see the base of the portal where several Rangers are making their way towards, some of them making it through already, and then of course there is Grandmaster Vulcan trying to keep it open as long as he can to let the remains of his Guard escape the poorly executed battle. Triarc can't help but feel a bit resentful towards the man that so desperately wanted glory for them all that he would make such a blunderous mistake in the choice of battle locations, leading to an unnecessary lose of good Rangers. Quickly he snaps out of this moment of judgement as the pass that was spotted is starting to once again fill with enemy bodies, leaving only a narrow alley to run through. Looking back to make a call for his troops to sprint through, he takes in a gruesome scene of mangled bodies where his small band of warriors should be, all but one of them fallen to the attacks of the orcs and this last one, a middle aged man who has seen only a few fights in his time, clutching desperately to his side trying to slow the flow of blood that is pouring from a slash in his ribs.<span style="font-style: italic">He will not live through this</span>, thought Triarc to himself as the bloodlust the occupied him only moments ago quickly drains out, again replaced with calculation and mindful tactics. Another look at the pass shows that it is now or never to make it to the portal and with that he throws Eulid to the ground, grapples the younger Ranger firmly, and makes a dash for their escape. As they run, he uses his shadow powers to turn both he and his dying friend invisible so to make it to the portal unseen. The tactic works as they push through the remains of the heavy orc forces and quickly march through to life on the other side, Triarc giving one more quick glance towards the commander of the Phoenix Guard, knowing he would not be coming through with them.<br/><br/>Once on the other side, after being pushed through harshly, as he was always told what happened with portals but this was his first time actually experiencing it, he carefully removed the armor of his fellow Ranger to assess the wound and, just as he feared, the damage done to this man would end up killing him. "There were so many," the dying Ranger quietly spoke as his life quickly drains, a broad toothy smile playing across his face as the color leaves him, "but I got a good many of them on the way out." Those were his last words before his eyes gloss over and his head falls limp, the smile stuck on his face in death. With a quick nod of the head, Triarc stands up, dusts himself off slightly, and looks around the area to see who else made it through, the first thought from this was just how few there were, though he was glad for anyone at this point.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Astraia made it and Authryn,</span>he thought to himself,<span style="font-style: italic">that bodes well for the life and leadership of the Guard. Yue, Ignius, Turge, Wren, Ithilnaur, Seren, Kai;  you could do a lot worse than this group to survive, that's for sure.</span>He gathered himself with the remaining forces of the Rangers and stood quietly as everyone seemed to be trying to do the same, some coming to grips with the situation quicker than others; the half-elf, Authyrn, suggesting a trip to a tavern to sate an appetite that I'm sure they all feel even if they don't recognize it at the moment coming from the horrible situation they are in at the moment though it is slightly better than where they were just a few moments earlier. Though he understood the grief pouring off the group, especially Ignius who spoke out against the idea of eating so soon after losing his brethren, finding something to eat to refuel and take their minds off their suffering was something they did need. "This isn't over," he finally called out to the group, "the invasion has just begun and you can be assured that the Ruinous Ones are preparing to move their ranks as we speak. Right now, we are all that remains of the Rangers and the only ones living who know of the portal being opened up. We are tired and some food and rest will be good for us in preparation for the battles that will come soon. Finding a tavern to regain our strength is what we need to do as well as inform the citizens of the world about the threat that is coming their way." He looks to betweem Astraia and Authryn for confirmation; the question from Turge on who should lead the remnants of the Guard seems like an apparent choice of either of those two, if not both.