The group walked for two days straight, barely stopping long enough to rest and heal. The sun rose on the third morning as they approached their destination.
"We'll be able to see the eastern wall of New Koratia just over this rise," explained Regdar.
With Regdar in the lead and Whitman and Tasca flanking him, they marched to the top of the small hill and stopped dead in their tracks.
Below the hill, the sun was just beginning to warm the fields outside New Koratia's easternmost wall. Heavy fog still clung to the ground in large patches, especially to the north and south, where the river entered the city.
Between several scattered copses of trees and the remaining low-lying clouds, a battle raged. An army of black-clad soldiers overran the field. They were accompanied by several units of jann, all bare chested and carrying huge scimitars. They brandished their weapons and fought against what Regdar could only assume was the entire New Koratian army.
In the middle, his blue and gold-guilded standard held high, his elite guard arrayed around him, stood none other than Duke Christo Ramas.
"He's taken the field himself," said Regdar, dismayed. "This is all my fault."
"He's not going to be happy to see us, is he?" asked Tasca.
"You never know," said Whitman. "I doubt he'd turn down a friendly hammer in a fight."
"Don't be so sure," said Regdar. "The duke can be a very stubborn man."
"What are you talking about?" asked Jozan.
Regdar shook his head. "Let's just say we didn't leave under ideal terms."
"Or perhaps you could say we left not knowing the terms," added Tasca.
Regdar rolled his eyes. "I'll explain later."
Jozan shrugged, and the group charged across the field, making a beeline to the duke. They made it to the back of the enemy's line without being noticed, and their swords cut into the black-clad cultists as though they were made of butter.
Whitman smashed heads with his hammer, Regdar's greatsword cleared a path, and Tasca and Naull stood at the back of the pack lobbing arrows and spells over their friends' heads. Beside this group of heroes, the holy warriors took their toll as well. Swords, maces, and the power of Pelor smote the forces of evil all around. Every enemy they slew brought them closer to the duke. His standard was still several hundred paces away, however, and they were separated by perhaps a couple thousand troops and jann.
As the battle raged, the sun continued rising over New Koratia, and the fog slowly burned off in the warming morning rays. With the disappearance of the low-hanging clouds, more of Lindroos's troops appeared. It was as if the willowy vapors coalesced into articulated minions of unholy fervor.
Where the black-clad army clashed with the New Koratian military, blood spilled and men died. Where the blackguard's troops attacked the duke's elite guard, swords slashed and heads rolled. Where Regdar and his band cut their way through the attacking forces, goodness triumphed over evil.
Still, the duke remained surrounded by a much larger force, and Regdar knew that Koratia had nothing in reserve. This battle would determine the fate of the duchy and Regdar's home, at least in the near future. More importantly, if Lindroos won, it could quite possibly determine the fate of the entire kingdom.
As they fought their way across the field, Regdar spotted the commander of the elite guard.
"Gohem," he shouted. "Captain Masters!"
The gnome followed the sound of the familiar voice. When his eyes landed on Regdar, he looked shocked and confused. Hesitating for a moment, Gohem looked around, then turned and gave an order to one of his lieutenants. The soldier nodded and began shouting to the troops.
The hne of blue-and-gold garbed guardsmen shifted toward Regdar and his men. The jann and cultists between the two groups were squeezed like a spider between a beetle's pincers, and they fell quickly. The former New Koratian soldiers and their holy warrior counterparts were soon enveloped by the duke's elite guard. Whitman, Jozan, Alhandra, and the holy avengers took places in hne with the other soldiers. Tasca and Naull stood behind, dropping arrows and spells on the attacking army. Regdar stepped back to talk with Gohem.
"I wasn't sure if you'd consider us friend or foe," admitted the human.
"I'm still not certain," replied Gohem as he shook Regdar's hand.
"Perhaps you're not," boomed a voice, "but I am." Duke Christo Ramas stepped up to the two captains. "Captain Masters," he ordered, "arrest this man and his companions." The duke pointed his ring-bedecked finger at Regdar.
The gnome nodded, then looked at Regdar with a resigned expression. "Men," he shouted, "you heard the duke. Arrest Captain Regdar and his companions."
In a blink Regdar, Tasca, Whitman, Jozan, Alhandra, and the two avengers were in custody. Regdar was held tightly by two soldiers, one on each arm. He let himself be taken without a struggle, leaving his hands open and loose at his sides. He dropped his greatsword to the ground.
Restrained as he was, Regdar turned to his lord. "Duke Ramas," he pleaded, "we've come to help you."
The duke narrowed his eyes and stepped toward Regdar. "You knew the consequences of your actions, but you left anyway," he shouted. "For all we know, you've joined forces with the army that's attacking us now. You could be a traitor. Captain Masters, tell me, what do we do to traitors?"
The gnome cleared his throat. "Sir, we hang them."
"You see, Regdar, we have well-established regulations for dealing with people like you."
"But sir…" Regdar tried to pull away, but the soldiers on his arms held him tight. "I know I disobeyed your orders, and my actions should be punished, but I swear to you, I am not a traitor." He tugged again, only to be rebuffed again. "We know what the blackguard has come for, and we've returned to help-to make up for my mistake." He shook his head toward Jozan and Alhandra. "If you won't believe me, at least listen to the cleric or the paladin. They had no part in my leaving. Surely their words should carry weight."
The duke scratched his beard and studied Jozan and Alhandra. He nodded. "Yes, I see you keep good company." He stepped up to Jozan. "Tell me then, good cleric, is Captain Regdar telling-"
The line of elite guardsmen surrounding the duke and the prisoners suddenly buckled. A flood of black-clad soldiers poured in, and behind them strode Lindroos, a long, black cape billowing out as she walked. The cultists and jann cleared a path before her, and she moved right through the New Koratian soldiers up to Duke Ramas. Lifting her enchanted black blade, she lunged forward.
Regdar watched the blackguard. Time seemed to slow down, and the sounds of the battlefield drifted away. Straining with every muscle in his body, Regdar struggled against his captors. The soldiers held his arms tight, but Regdar let out a tremendous yell. Summoning strength he never knew he had, he gave one last, desperate push. He could feel his face burn bright red with the exertion. Blood vessels popped out on his forehead and biceps. Then his arms slipped free of his captors' grasp, and Regdar sprang forward with all the force he mustered. His body was like an arrow launched at the blackguard.
In a blink, his shoulder collided with Lindroos's midsection. The blackguard hollered as she was hit, and the two warriors smashed into the ground with a loud bang, tumbling away from the duke in a pile of heavy armor and muscle.
Captain Masters reacted in an instant, running through two jann and a human soldier with three quick blows. The gnome turned and forced the duke back and away from the advancing attackers. The temporarily stunned guardsmen reacted to the actions of their captain and reformed their frontline, forcing the invaders back.
When Regdar and Lindroos came to a stop, Regdar sprang to his feet. His sword was still on the ground somewhere in the swirling collection of elite guardsmen. Without a weapon, he stepped back and clenched his fists, then looked at Lindroos. The blackguard rose to her knees, then slowly lifted herself up, appearing to be in no hurry. Unlike Regdar, she still had her sword.
"It's a pity," Lindroos said as she rose to her full height, "that my girlfriend didn't finish you off when she had the chance."
A bolt of crackling, purplish-blue energy arced over Regdar's shoulder to strike Lindroos squarely in the chest. The stunned blackguard dropped her sword and fell to her knees, shaking and twitching from the lightning blast.
Naull stepped up beside Regdar. "I wasn't your girlfriend," she shouted. Then she grabbed the big fighter by his elbow and pulled him back toward the elite guardsmen.
Naull and Regdar crashed through the frontline, stumbling through a small gap the soldiers opened for them. They came to a stop only a few feet from the fighting. Regdar looked up to see Whitman, Tasca, Alhandra, and Jozan. All of them had been freed and were armed.
Beside them stood Duke Christo Ramas. The old fighter glared at Regdar for a minute.
"I should make an example out of you for disregarding my authority," he said, obviously perturbed, "but I have bigger problems right now." He ran his hand across his face. "Fighting against impossible odds has always been your forte."