Blood and gore warning

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Seonghwa's hand found the grip of his spear in time to whirl it around.

This was a planned ambush. They had been smelled out, and the orcs embraced violence. Though it had been expected in these lands, Seonghwa still huffed when the orc slammed his blade down on him. The knife was awful and jagged, dangling with feathers around the bone hilt.

Yeosang ducked away, alerting everyone, but the orc before the emperor hadn't come alone. His pack broke through the earth, slashed at those wavering in shock. Freya went down with a coarse yell when the head of the guard leapt over her to cross blades with an orc five times her size.

Seonghwa gritted his teeth when he made eye contact with the one attacking him. The tribal marks were the same as Kane's.

It had been a trap.

Once recognition passed through his gaze, the shimmer in the shrewd orc's eyes brightened.

"You hounded us so far, yet you didn't consider the long way you'd have to retreat if we turned on you, emperor," he smirked. His muscles bulged as he shoved at Seonghwa. By sheer strength alone, they were no match.

With a protective hand on his stomach, Seonghwa backed away.

"You lured us?"

"Your allegiance is your weakness," the orc mocked before he came after him. Seonghwa parried a hit, dull pain throbbing through his wrists at the impact. The trees hindered his freedom of motion and around him, everyone else sunk into chaos as the orcs reaped their lives.

"Such easy prey, the beautiful moon elf. You carry your spawn with such pride, but we will see how much of that is left once we yank the babe from your guts."

Hackles rising, Seonghwa levered the spear, ducking when the blade rushed at his neck. He stabbed the orc's thigh, and he staggered, but Seonghwa also did when the jerk almost had him tumble.

Of all people, it was Mingi, who appeared behind the slowed orc. His eyes were wide in fear as he fumbled between the trees, overwhelmed by all the noises of terror and death. He didn't know where to hide, and dread surged in Seonghwa when he spotted his familiar frame.

"Mingi!" He yelled a warning, making the orc swish around to parry a hit from behind. He cowered into an attacking position when he spotted the tall demon and his lack of caution gave Seonghwa enough time to thrust his spear forward with a desperate hit. The blade lodged between the ribs of the creature, spilling green blood over the elegant silver adornments. The orc huffed, not killed so easily, but Jongho heeded Seonghwa's call. He came marching with an orc female dangling from his back, hacking and stabbing at him, but her blade only dulled on his impenetrable body. He packed the orc by his head with two stony fists and the rock grew and grew until it enclosed his skull. The fiend tried to shove him off, but there was no stopping Jongho. With an awful crunch and a squelch, he popped the head in his hands, tightening his hold until there was no space left.

The orc's body slumped and Jongho stepped back, face blank at the mess. An elven guard freed him of his burden.

"Your Majesty!" The soldier called as he helped Mingi to his feet. "The troop is decimated! We need to flee!"

Hurried, Seonghwa looked around. Most elves had fallen under the vicious blades and Yunho battled an orc side by side with the head of the guard. Freya sobbed, curled up between Yeosang's mighty roots as he whipped long, thick branches at anyone coming near.

Hongjoong tried to keep most orcs out and away but his might waned and he had to resort to his scythe to dawn death upon the female cornering him.

Even yet, more orcs than allies flooded the camp. And the nearby forts sent more, making the earth rumble in their digging and crawling.

"Retreat!" Seonghwa yelled, alerting the few mounts which hadn't fled. "Discard the camp!"

Seonghwa hurried to pick up Mingi and come to Yunho's aid, but a hoot in the distance had him look up. An orc stood outside of the tree line on the moonlit field with a crossbow in his arms. He peeked toward the skies and Seonghwa only had a second for his terror to sink before something bashed into the treetops. Needles and broken twigs rained down on them and Seonghwa glimpsed white wings tangled in coarse branches. San flailed, writhing in pain as he tried to pull free.

With a yelp, Wooyoung rushed to help him, liberating him from the vicious arms of the trees. Seonghwa stumbled as he tried to make out whether they were fine, almost collapsing into the blood-stained mud the snow had become.

"Seonghwa, you must go," Jongho spurred him as Seonghwa's unicorn trotted closer. The elf hesitated to climb her. Yunho and Yeosang needed his help. Even when they knew how to fight, they were no match for a bunch of orcs.

"What about the others?" Seonghwa panted, looking around for Freya. Jongho packed the emperor to put him atop the unicorn and then added Mingi behind him. Worried arms cradled Seonghwa's frame.

Black hair had tumbled from Seonghwa's braid and hung into his face. The orc's blood was still hot on his skin.

"We will join you where it's peaceful. Make straight for the grove!" The head of the guard demanded. She swished around to spring to Yunho's aid, sending everyone else away first.

The unicorn danced, ready to take off, but Seonghwa kept her. His eyes were troubled on San in the trees, on his distorted body. What about Jongho and Yeosang? How would they flee? Shouldn't they fight?

"Seonghwa," Mingi whimpered, terrified about the suspense. Seonghwa was about to swing his leg down and help his husbands when a crack of magic had his unicorn startle. She lifted her hooves, not so high to buck them off but enough to make Seonghwa hold on with a start.

Hongjoong blazed at them from his field of molten snow, where he stabbed his magic into the orcs.

"Get moving!" He hollered, and this time, the unicorn didn't challenge his authority. She rushed into the night, carrying Seonghwa and Mingi away from the battle. The two had no other choice but to hold on for dear life. Mingi ducked his head into Seonghwa's shoulders and the night rushed by so fast Seonghwa couldn't tell orcs from trees.

Until he spotted their torches.

The orcs surrounded them in a wide circle, ready to catch those attempting flight. Seonghwa's wide eyes settled on their guardsmen, lined up with their crossbows loaded and ready. When they spotted the unicorn racing through the snow with its precious cargo, they lifted their weapons.

"Head down!" Seonghwa yelled at Mingi as he ripped the unicorn around, sending her in a curve outside their reach. The first bolts whirred at them, but they acted quickly enough to avoid most. Seonghwa hissed when one ripped through the chain mail of his sleeve, punching a nasty gash into his skin. Mingi whimpered, terrified as he clutched to Seonghwa's body. It hurt, the grip aching through Seonghwa's stomach, but he had no time to dwell on it.

"They surrounded us," the elf muttered, fleeing through the night in the encasement left to them. They turned back towards the camp, faster than any regular mount, since a unicorn was a being of magic.

Trembling, Mingi strained his senses through the scent of blood and fire.

"Can- can we break through?"

"Not alone." Seonghwa's heart was constricted as if tied shut with a string. He prayed to every deity that his husbands were alright. Together, they could barrel through the loose line of orcs.

The camp had become a graveyard. Dead elves lay in the snow, some cruelly hacked apart by orkish blades. Their blood soaked the earth to return to where they came from and their once gorgeous capes had become tattered and dirty. Blades still flung about, and Seonghwa spotted San on his feet. One of his wings had been hit by a bolt, and a grisly hole oozed over his soiled feathers. The injured wing dangled from his back as he fended off an orc who struck down Wooyoung. Moaning, the gryphon-born clutched his thigh with bloodied fingers.

Hongjoong slogged his way towards them. Freya and Yunho were in his bubble, climbing atop one bear that had pulled the cart. The second one lay in a heap, fallen in a deadly embrace with a foe.

The first wave of orcs had thinned out, but more would come. Seonghwa felt them under the earth.

Yeosang and Jongho held up the best with their durable bodies, but they had nowhere to run.

Full speed, Seonghwa rode at the orc tormenting San's weakened sword arm. His loyal unicorn knew what to do when she barrelled into the orc, dancing on her hind legs to stomp his skull into a pulp with her hooves. San's gaze flicked up, relieved to see Seonghwa, yet concerned at his paleness.

Pain throbbed through Seonghwa's body when they fell back down, and he curled over his stomach. Fretting, Mingi reached for him, but Seonghwa gave him no time to give him away.

"They surrounded us with crossbows," Seonghwa said. He stabbed his spear down at a fallen orc, who crawled to retrieve her blade. San's eyes flicked between her and Seonghwa.

"We must break through, but I'm not leaving without you. Get everyone you can. Hongjoong can clear our back until we made it through."

San nodded and threw himself around to relay the order. Seonghwa clutched Mingi's hand, that trembled on his stomach.

"Seonghwa, you're in distress. You're hurting," Mingi wailed into his shoulder, shuddering with uncontrolled sobs, but Seonghwa shushed him.

"Please, hold out. We can tend to me once we made it out alive. Keep it to yourself," he gritted through the pain. The unicorn also swished her head at him, but he shook his head.

"Later."

They kept silent for him, knew tattling would stress him more. As Wooyoung crawled up on the black goat, Hongjoong and Jongho arrived last. Yeosang patrolled by San's side, the last four on foot.

"Hurry," Seonghwa beseeched them, slowing his speed so they could mobilise their exhausted legs. San ran with his blade drawn and his blood glistened golden even under the pale moonlight. Hongjoong kept throwing back glances, but Yeosang and Jongho shifted the earth, sealed the holes sprouting orcs. Though it wouldn't hold against their brute strength, the earth protected them for long enough to leave the place of the massacre.

Uneasy, Seonghwa looked back. What if they left a survivor?

"The officer?" He asked Yunho in a panic, but he shook his head.

"We must get out of here," San summoned Seonghwa, diminishing his hesitance. Returning might mean losing more people. He could only pray their distraction offered time for any surviving elves to escape.

"How will we break their lines?" Mingi asked, voice trembling as he tried to hold Seonghwa as protectively as he could. Part of Seonghwa hated how much of the demon engulfed him, how easy prey he made while Seonghwa disappeared in his grip. He wanted to do the same for his husbands, but his strength waned quickly. The spear weighed heavily in his fist and every step of the unicorn throbbed through his body.

"I can't portal us out of here, but I can do that much," Hongjoong huffed when he laid eyes on the orc straight ahead. They fanned out wide enough that the group might just make it with some luck.

Jongho picked up a few rocks.

"I have your back."

Helpless, Seonghwa had to leave it to them as Hongjoong stepped into the thin air and disappeared. A moment later, he dawned on the orc. Fingers of darkness dragged on his limbs, ripped at his guts inside his body. Wailing, the orc dropped his crossbow, freeing the way.

With gritted teeth, Hongjoong yanked him apart, using his last power. Seonghwa's unicorn stormed past, and the others followed, dragging each other when their strength left them. Jongho lingered for long enough to throw the rocks in his fists at the two near orcs who picked up on the struggle. They went down with crushed skulls and Hongjoong picked up the crossbow before he swung up on Jongho's shoulder, too exhausted to stand.

Together, they fled into the forest. It wasn't the direction of the grove, could be anywhere, but it was away from where the orc forts dotted the lands. The trees would hide them.

Waning, Seonghwa clutched to his unicorn as he led them to safety. He didn't give in to his body, chasing through the trees that whispered to him to get out of the danger.

But many were too injured for another fight. He couldn't give in before everyone was safe.