Butok was leading Kahal and a large mass of guards through the forest when they stopped suddenly, halting the guards behind them.

"Do you smell that?" Kahal asked.

Butok nodded. "Smoke."

"And a lot of it. Let's move." Kahal motioned for the guards to continue on as they all picked up their pace.

"We're here." Butok said fifteen minutes later, taking deep pants of breath. "You know... I'm not made for this long distance jogging. Especially with all of this smoke."

"You did well. It would have taken us considerably longer to go around if you hadn't shown us this path." Kahal gave him a nod. "Thank you."

Butok nodded in return, leaning onto his thighs and drawing in deep breaths.

Kahal turned and gave a pair of guards instructions to hurry back to the Grand Hall and give warning about the fire, and keep it from spreading. Then he gave the remaining guards the signal to spread out and surround the compound. Kahal and the guards who remained with him waited just a few minutes so the others could get in place.

"The fire is spreading. That will have to be enough time. This is it, Butok. Let's go."

Butok simply nodded as he and the guards followed Kahal through the last of the trees and thick smoke and into the lawn of the compound. Thankfully the smoke wasn't quite as thick once out of the trees, even though it was still in the air.

Kahal held up a fist to halt the others as he assessed the situation. A loud explosion to his right had them all immediately taking cover. A female dressed in a dark armored suit had some kind of large weapon pointed and ready to fire. He looked in the direction her weapon was pointing and saw a handful of Qarthans huddled behind a small shed, looking terrified and seemingly unarmed.

Kahal sprung from his hiding spot and sprinted across the small yard they were in, closing the distance between him and the armed female before she realized he was there. Her eyes rounded in surprise just as his fist came crashing down, knocking her out. The guards came rushing up behind him, scanning the remainder of the area for any additional combatants.

"Where are the others?" He asked the unarmed males when they came out from behind the shed.

"In the larger courtyard, just around the corner. We were all there together until we managed to draw this one away from the others."

"You had her target you on purpose?"

They nodded. He was curious, but he'd have to ask them what their plan was later. "How many of them are there?"

"They started with just over twenty but they're down to no more than twelve now."

"Are any of you armed?"

"No" they shook their heads.

"How'd you get them down to twelve, then?" Butok asked in disbelief.

"It was all Rahn's doing." One of the males said and at that statement, Kahal and Butok shared a knowing look. The time for secrets was officially over.

"Where is she now?" Kahal demanded.

"In the courtyard." He pointed to the same one as earlier.

Kahal wasted no more time, he signaled his guards and they rushed in that direction, now with only a slightly better understanding of what they were getting into.

A loud explosion was heard from that way and they paused against the wall. Butok stopped beside Kahal, carrying the large weapon he had taken from the female.

A guard glanced around the corner and then motioned for them to move. When Kahal turned the corner, it took everything within him to keep going for cover instead of stopping to stare at the scene before him. Once he reached the half wall the others were ducked beside, he allowed himself to take it all in.

On the far side of the courtyard, there were three of the darkly dressed armed combatants huddled together behind a half wall just like his own, with their backs toward the woods. In the middle of the courtyard was a much larger number of Qarthans, taking shelter behind various structures throughout the large space. In the middle of it all was Rahn, armed with one of the foreign looking weapons and shouting orders to the Qarthans around her.

Glass breaking to his left had him turning his attention, as shards flung out into the grass. A fourth armed Qarthan was pointing his weapon right at Rahn. She didn't hear the glass breaking along all of the other madness, she was too far away. But he was much closer.

He reached for the knife in his belt and flung it at the unsuspecting male. Within a breath, he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground outside of the window. He turned to see Rahn looking at the male fall and then her gaze moved to behind her and locked onto Kahal.

She gave him a nod of thanks and turned back to the task at hand. At her command, a male lit a cloth hanging from a jug of some type of colorful liquid and then threw it with all his might at the group of armed Qarthans across the courtyard. It soared and just missed the top of the wall, before exploding just behind it. One of the males let out a loud scream and stood up, running as his body was engulfed in flames before eventually dropping and rolling on the ground.

"Why aren't they firing their weapons?" Kahal asked as soon as he'd made his way to her.

"These things pack a huge hit but their range is minimal. A huge design flaw."

Kahal wanted to laugh at Rahn standing there assessing weapon design in the midst of battle. But for now, focus was needed.

"Thankfully, Caven here can throw further than these things can shoot." Rahn motioned to the male Kahal had seen throw the jug earlier. "We can't get any closer and we're running out of fuel."

As Caven prepared to light one of the remaining two jugs, shouts rang out from across the courtyard. They looked up to see the remaining combatants being taken out by Kahal's guards who had circled around the compound and snuck up behind them.

"Is that all of them?" Kahal asked.

"No, Daielle took off with the rest of them and made a break for the city. The crazy fool still plans to attack. I couldn't get to him to block him off, I'm sorry."

Kahal turned and opened his mouth to speak again but Rahn beat him to it, addressing him and his guards. "The weapons they have send out energy blasts that are far more powerful than anything you've got. But they can't hit anything further than 30 yards and they also make a loud whistling sound while flying through the air. Take these with you, in case you need them though." She motioned to the stack of six weapons they'd accumulated during the battle. "He only has about five minutes on us."

"Daielle is no fighter but he's a sociopath who has gone over the edge and should be taken seriously. The males with him are all former guards, with at least some training. But there are far more of you, I have confidence you'll make us proud."

She nodded respect to them before turning to address Commander Dran. "Leave a team with medic experience for the wounded and another team to sweep the area for any others that may have circled back like that one who tried to sneak up behind us. The rest of you will follow me, I know the way."

The guards looked to Kahal. "You heard her!" He ordered them. Dran split his ranks and the rest stayed, waiting to follow her.

"Butok, stay here and help. These people know you and they need some kind of leadership and assurance right now."

He nodded. "I'm just now catching my breath, you'll have no complaints from me about staying."

Rahn nodded in return and then turned and sprinted toward the woods without another word.

"The smoke is a problem, we can't see anything!" Dran called out.

"Stay in tight formation!" Rahn and Kahal yelled at the same time.

"I guess we have your bombs to thank for this mess?" Kahal asked Rahn while running just behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder briefly before returning her sight ahead. "An unfortunate throw by a nervous male."

Kahal nodded and they continued running in silence.

A few minutes later Rahn stopped abruptly and held up a hand, the entirety of the guard stopping behind her, waiting.

"They're ahead." Rahn whispered to Kahal and Dran. "Seems they've stopped for some reason."

They listened for a moment more but couldn't discern anything definite so they began stalking silently forward, the guards following quietly behind.

Stopping again when they were as close as they could get without being spotted, Kahal used his hands to give the order for guards to fan out and surround them. Given the low visibility, the order had to be passed back within the ranks, but the guards did so quickly and expertly began their task.

After a short moment a strange whistling sound could be heard and Rahn yelled. "Get back!" Before jumping onto Kahal and pushing him to the ground.

A loud crack was heard behind where they laid as a tree exploded. "Move!" Dran yelled as he helped the two get up and they all ran to move out of the way as the large tree fell.

"What was that?!" A captain nearby yelled.

"Their weapons!" Rahn yelled. "We're within firing range!"

"Engage!" Kahal yelled and the guards pushed forward, battling the low visibility to find their targets.

"Daielle!" Rahn yelled out into the smoke. "Call this off! There's no reason for all of you to get yourselves killed!"

"You are the ones who will perish!" He yelled back.

"Got you." Rahn said quietly as she changed direction and stalked towards his voice. Then she yelled out loudly. "The ones you left at the compound are all dead or arrested. You're surrounded. Stop this madness!"

"This will only stop when we have our justice and have overthrown the premier!" He yelled back in anger.

Rahn adjusted her direction again at the same time she heard the strange whistling sound.

"Rahn!" Kahal yelled out as he pulled her back and out of the way, just as the blast flew by her and into the ground, causing dirt to fly up everywhere. "You're making yourself an easy target."

"I know but we have to flush him out. I'm ok with being bait if I have to."

"You may be, but I most definitely am not okay with that."

"Kahal." Rahn glared at him in frustration.

"Watch out!" A guard yelled nearby as another tree began to fall.

"The fire is growing too close to us now." Kahal observed.

Rahn nodded. "Daielle is between us and the cliffs."

Kahal sighed. "That's a dangerous move with such low visibility."

"He'll have to surrender or he'll end up pushed against them. It's the only outcomes with the fire and this thick smoke." Rahn said as she began coughing.

"Here." Kahal said as he ripped his tunic and tied the cloth around Rahn's face before doing the same to himself. "Not perfect, but it should help some."

"Thanks."

Kahal let out a distinct loud whistle and the guards that were able came running to crouch beside him. "There are cliffs due northwest. Their leader is between us and them. Let's put the pressure on while the rest take care of his followers."

The guards nodded and fanned out to join in as Rahn and Kahal stalked Daielle. Blasts and shouts could be heard in other directions as Dran and the other guards were flushing out the rest of the combatants.

Dirt changed to rock and Rahn knew they were close. "Daielle, you have nowhere left to go!" She called out but got no response. "You and I both know there's only one path through these rocky cliffs and you're not on it!"

The whistling noise sounded and they all jumped to the side, blindly, having to assume he was aiming for the general direction of where Rahn had been standing.

"You missed, Daielle!" Rahn said as she coughed into her cloth, smoke and dirt now mixed.

"The fire is spreading, Daielle!" Kahal called out. "Surrender now before it is too late!"

"I will never surrender to you!" Daielle yelled angrily. "Your family has been in power long enough!" Daielle came charging through the bushes but due to the thick smoke, they didn't see him until the last moment.