The Tereslars charged through the door and found themselves in a large, oval-shaped chamber. Hadigama stood quietly at the opposite end of the room atop a raised platform. Six men in heavy black armor lined the walls and stared at the newcomers as well. 

Erok closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he strolled up to Hadigama, leaving ample space between them as he did so. 

Erok coughed. "So, I'm assuming you already know why we're here?" 

Hadigama stood in complete silence for almost a minute before replying. "You're those Tereslars I've been hearing about, no doubt." 

"Yep, that's us. We've been sent by the Kaborian Senate to demand that you immediately cease and desist." 

"And I'm here with a warrant for your arrest, whoever you are." Meg added while shaking a pair of handcuffs in the air. 

Hadigama chuckled and descended the stairs of his platform. "It's a shame they decided to waste your talents, Sir Fyervor. I've held you in high regard for such a long time. I'll regret having to kill you." 

"Don't be so assured of yourself." Erok quipped. 

Ignoring Erok, Hadigama's gaze landed on Kahiri. With a frown, he stepped closer to her and studied her features for a moment. "I've seen you before." 

Kahiri stared blankly at the Yugdab swordsman. "That you have. I wrecked your minions' egos back in Baybeer." 

"Ah yes! But that was only after I burned nearly the entire village down. Hardly a victory to boast of on your part, if you ask me." 

"I didn't ask." 

Erok stepped between the two. "Enough chit-chat. Whoever you are, I demand your unconditional surrender. Or else." he added as he raised his sword. 

"Surrender is not the Logolian way." Hadigama quipped as he raised his own sword and shifted to a defensive stance. 

Erok shrugged. "You're suicidal, then." 

Erok rushed forward with amazing speed and swung his sword at Hadigama, who easily parried the blow. The Kaborian knight blocked with his shield and struck again. This time, Hadigama blocked and both men pushed into a blade lock. 

One of the guards in black armor rushed forward to defend his master, but Meg leapt into his path. He swung his sword at her, but she blocked with a gauntlet and kicked him back a few feet. They exchanged a few blows as she analyzed his armor for any weakness. Once she found a joint between his shoulder-plate and breast piece, she swung her fist up and he stumbled back in time for her to block another guard's strike at Erok's unguarded back. 

Another guard blocked Kahiri's arrow with his armored wrist and swung at her. With widened eyes, she dodged the blow and leapt at the man. He flung the archer off his back with one quick shrug. The Yugdab tried to strike Kahiri again, but she sidestepped and fired at his knee-joint. He grunted in pain, but he still continued to limp at her with his sword outstretched. 

Kahiri raised an eyebrow and dodged another slash. "You guys just never give up, huh?" 

The Yugdab huffed. "The glory ... of Anjaflic is at stake!" 

Kahiri nodded. "I see." 

Then Kahiri charged forward and leapt into the air. Her kodaria-fueled jump took her high enough to kick the guard in the head. His neck snapped to a dangerous angle and he collapsed to the ground. Kahiri frowned in confusion at her high jump before dashing at another Yugdab. 

******************** 

Chris and Jake retreated to a corner of the room as the fighting intensified. When Chris felt a draft of wind on his back, he glanced back and noticed an open window. His eyes widened after he took a look outside. 

"Jake!" he exclaimed, "Look at those catapults down there!" 

Without saying a word, Jake joined Chris at the window, looked down, and nodded. 

"What if we go down there and destroy this fortress with their own weapons?" 

Jake slowly nodded, but he still remained silent. 

"Well, how're we gonna get down there?" 

Immediately, Jake grabbed a coil of rope from a nearby shelf, tied one end around a support pillar, and tossed the other end out the window. Chris gave him a thumbs-up and began to climb down. Jake followed soon after. 

******************** 

Erok thrusted his sword at Hadigama, who nimbly leapt back and avoided the blow. Hadigama struck back, but Erok blocked and took a step forward. The Kaborian swordsman slowly advanced on the Yugdab champion, driving him up the stairs of his platform as he did so. 

With a mighty leap, Bernard reached the top of the platform. After several nimble steps, he found himself behind Hadigama. He grunted and swung his staff at the Yugdab champion, but the metal armor merely rung at the blow. 

Hadigama spun to face Bernard, who immediately backed up a couple steps. He jumped back as Hadigama swung several slashes in his direction. Just as Bernard had reached the edge of the platform, Erok leapt between the two and engaged Hadigama once more. 

Just below the platform where Hadigama, Erok, and Bernard struggled, Meg grappled with two Yugdab swordsmen. They took turns swinging vicious blows at her, but she skillfully blocked each one with her gauntlets. Here and there, she would return an inconsequential punch to throw her opponents' rhythms off. 

Finally, Meg kicked one swordsman in the chest and watched him stumble back several feet. Then she brought the second one to the ground with a sudden lunge. The Yugdab's sword rolled out of reach after he dropped it. Meg pinned the man's arms down while she fumbled for a knife. Just as she found it, a boot collided with her head and the dagger dropped from her hands. 

In one swift motion, Meg grabbed the boot and brought its owner down on top of his comrade. The men struggled to rise, but she held them still while she unsheathed a bladed boomerang. Reaching into the joint between pauldron and breastpiece, she slit the artery under each man's armpit. Meg rose and stretched her back while the men behind her screamed in agony and bled fountains. 

Meanwhile, another Yugdab screamed out as Kahiri yanked an arrow out of his thigh. He feebly limped two steps before he collapsed. With a grunt, he tugged his breastpiece off and stabbed himself with his own sword. 

Kahiri flinched at the sight before heavy footsteps called her attention. She spun on her heel just in time to see another swordsman slashing at her. Even though she quickly side-stepped, the sword connected with her upper arm and took a layer of skin off. Kahiri screamed in agony and tumbled to the ground. 

A tattered fragment of Kahiri's jacket floated to the floor after her and reddened as her blood trickled down onto it. Holding back tears, the young archer bit her lip and fired at her attacker's neck. He yelped and dropped beside her, burying the arrow deeper into his flesh on impact. 

With shaky hands, Kahiri grabbed the fallen Yugdab's sword and cut the straps holding the pieces of his armor suit together. After removing it, she sliced a section of the man's shirt off and tied it tightly around her wound. She took a deep breath, bit her lip some more, and rose to her feet slowly. 

******************** 

Chris and Jake brushed themselves off after reaching the end of their descent. They glanced around cautiously as they approached the quartet of catapults. A pile of boulders sat behind each one. 

After ensuring no Yugdabs were hidden behind the boulders, Chris looked at Jake. "So, I guess we just turn 'em around and get launching?" 

Jake shrugged and stepped up to one of the catapults. He tugged and pulled to turn it around, but the rusty wheels prevented movement. Even when he finally succeeded in getting them to roll, a loud, shrieking sound grated on their ears. 

Chris glanced around nervously as his catapult made the same noise. Sure enough, a door flung open on the side of the building and a Yugdab guard dashed out. He shot an arrow at Jake, who merely dodged it and stared at him coldly. 

Meanwhile, Chris snuck up behind the Yugdab and stabbed him in the back. Without making a sound, his lifeless body flopped to the ground. Chris gave Jake a thumbs-up, and then they resumed rotating the corroded catapults. 

******************** 

Back inside the Yugdab fortress, a swordsman charged at Kahiri with his weapon outstretched and murder in his eyes. She leapt to the side, but the man merely changed course and continued rushing at her. Kahiri tried to pull her bowstring back, but her weakened arm wouldn't allow her. She closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and prepared for the inevitable. 

Just when the Yugdab raised his sword to strike Kahiri down, Meg leapt in from the side and tackled him. His sword clattered to the floor and bounced out of reach. With a growl, Meg yanked his helmet off his head and slit his throat with a knife. 

Kahiri took a deep breath. "Thanks, Meg. I really appreciate it." 

Meg gave Kahiri a sideways smirk. "Anytime." 

The two women turned to watch the spectacle across the room. Hadigama, Erok, and Bernard danced across the platform and struck at each other ceaselessly. Aside from a couple dents in Hadigama's armor and a small scratch on Bernard's leg, none of the fighters had been harmed yet. 

Erok lunged forward and thrusted at Hadigama, only to be parried and struck back. Hadigama swung a rapid succession of blows at the Kaborian knight, who barely managed to block each one. He drove Erok to the edge of the platform. Only through a well-timed duck and a speedy roll did Erok find spacious footing again. 

As Hadigama spun to face Erok again, Bernard leapt between them and swung his staff. Hadigama's sure footing saved him from being toppled over by the blow. Instead, he took the hit and stepped forward with his sword poised to strike. He swung his weapon at the old man. Bernard managed to block, but the sword cut a deep notch into his wooden staff. 

Bernard struck Hadigama three more times, but still to no avail. Erok stepped forward to lend a helping hand, but Bernard placed his leg in the way and swung another hit at Hadigama. 

With no warning, Hadigama thrusted his sword at the old man and buried it in his belly. Bernard's eyes widened in sync with his mouth, but he found himself unable to utter a sound. Blood trickled from his mouth and poured from the wound as Hadigama yanked his weapon out. His eyes rolled up and his limp figure fell to the ground. 

******************** 

A/N: Well...this is awkward. I'm assuming some of ya'll are really mad with me for killing off your favorite character. And even if Bernard wasn't your top favorite, I think we can all agree he didn't deserve that one bit.

Well, don't be too hard on me, because I'm mourning his death as well. *starts uncontrollably sobbing*

Anyway, if you did enjoy that action-packed chapter, please remember to vote and comment on it, because I love to see your feedback, and there's more where that came from. ;)

Any predictions on what will happen next?

And while last chapter, I asked what your favorite movie is, now I'll ask, what's the absolute worst movie you've ever seen?

(To be honest, I don't know which one I'd pick. Thankfully, most of the movies I've seen are really good ones. But if I had to name one, let's see... Well, both "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" are recent films from that franchise I didn't care much for and wouldn't rewatch unless I was paid. Also, please don't shoot me, but "Black Panther" was kinda meh to me, as was the 3rd Jurassic Park. But as I said, my least favorite movies would probably still be pretty good on somebody else's list just because I haven't seen the worst ones.)

Anyway, have a great day, and I hope to see you in the next update! :D