Ten thousand troops were at his back, waiting for the order to move out.

He heard light footsteps as someone came to stand beside him. “Looks like your old man’s doing a pretty good job without us, kid” spoke a man clad in black and red, a gun in one hand and a metal claw-like appendage as his other arm.  “Indeed.  He’s always been one of us at heart, Augustus.”  He said as he continued to watch the fighting. “It looks like it’s beginning to deteriorate.” Augustus said as he squinted his eyes to get a better look “Luck can only hold out for so long, even as good as those guys are. There’s just too many of them.” Garrett nodded and responded “We’ll deploy on your order then, Commander.”  The man in red and black nodded in turn, then he raised his hand.

 * * * * * * * * *

Joseph Van Burace believed that he was finished.  He felt the hot, wet pain of his blood pouring out from the numerous wounds that Tempests’ soldiers were inflicting, but for every blow, every cut he received, one more soldier died, cut down by his blade.

Sparky The Malkavian’s skin was beginning to smoke a bit from the sunlight, his pale body turning slightly red, both from the injuries received and his blood boiling.  He was undead, so pain of the normal variety didn’t hamper his attacks.  But the sunlight was taking its toll.  He was surrounded, almost back to back with Joseph at this point, fighting with the ferociousness of a Brujah on a feeding frenzy.

They did not know how the others were. And then the soldiers stopped their attack and spread out, shouting out orders to each other, suddenly fighting a new, unknown foe.  Thousands of men came in from various angles, assaulting the citadel, and some of them held aloft a banner that Joseph found to be familiar, and he laughed.  Sparky, gasping for air, though his lungs did not need it, looked at the fleeing soldiers and then at Joseph “What in the sam hell is goin’ on here?!”  Joseph pointed at the banner of the New Hunters Clan.  He laughed and picked up his blade as he yelled out to Sparky “The cavalry has arrived! Let’s go!”

* * * * * * * * *

“I am a Hunter, therefore I hunt!” Augustus yelled out as he dropped his arm and charged, with Garrett at his side.

Then came the cry of ten thousand voices in unison. “Hunters don’t die! We win!”

Dividing their forces into two main attack units and numerous other smaller units, led overall by either Augustus or Garrett, the newly reformed New Hunters attacked with all their might.  They cut a quick, brutal swath across the battlefield, catching their opponents trying to swat the deadly gnats that had come into their territory and had them on their toes for so long.

Now, the odds were even.

Joseph and Sparky quickly hooked up with Garrett’s unit after indentifying his banner, and kept themselves out of the main battle, trying to recover their strength.

Ailill and Tristam, flushed out of the forest, half expected themselves to be swiftly killed, but instead walked into the middle of an all out brawl between Tempests’ and Augustus’ troops.  They quickly joined the fray on the side of the NHC, rallying behind Augustus’ banner.

Kel and Locke had failed to even enter the power generator. Trapped by a sealed door and a collapsed archway standing between them and death, suddenly found themselves with new hope as ther attackers broke ranks, the New Hunters Cavalry speeding in from their flanks. Led by a fiery young man named Aidan Demetrius, whose banner, though smaller than Garrett’s or Augustus’ was still carried with pride by the Cavalrymen.  They quickly leapt out of their hiding place and were lifted up to ride away in safety.

* * * * * * * * *

Garrett and his group made a daring attempt for Tempest’s front door, with Augustus’ unit coming in as the second wave.  Joseph and Sparky quickly jumped to the head of the pack, leading the way as the fiercest of Tempest’s troops were exiting the Citadel.  They quickly found themselves flanked by Locke and Kel, who had been darted to the forefront by Cavalrymen.
“Together again” Joseph said as he took the head from one dog soldier. “For the last time, Joseph!” Came Kel’s response as he used his Orochi flames to incinerate a pair of them. “Let’s … make… this… count, boys” Came Locke’s response as he ducked, weaved, danced around some attacks before counterstriking and killing an enemy.

Sparky looked behind them, and saw that Garrett and his unit were in heavy combat, and Tempest’s reinforcements were coming from their hind flank.  He wanted to warn them, but he knew he’d be too late.

He darted the other way, to his three companions’ surprise “What the hell are you doing?!”  Came the frantic call from behind him.  He didn’t know who it was, the voice almost drowned out by the battle.  “I’m saving all of our assess! Y’all’d better remember this!” His eyes turned inky black as he took a deep breath, using Obtenebration at its highest level, calling out to every single shadow in the battlefield, differentiating between friend and foe using Auspex, and in a single, all-consuming display of power, the shadows came alive.  He dropped to the ground, absolutely spent, and was absorbed into it by his own shadow. "Don't forget me, my friends..." Came Sparky's last, gasping mental message to the three Heroes that still stood.

The enemy soldiers' screams of surprise and agony rattled the New Hunters and chilled even the most hardened of them to the bone.
Tempest’s soldiers were being consumed by their own shadows.

The effect wasn’t far-reaching, but it went far enough that the soldiers that planned the sneak attack decided to flee.

Joseph heard the screams, but dared not turn aback.  He knew Sparky was gone, but that his last breath had caused the enemy irreparable damage.  Locke and Kel looked at each other sorrowfully, knowing the same thing as Joseph did.  They fell in behind him as they entered the Citadel as the massive gate closed behind them.

 * * * * * * * *

Tristam Of Kiorre saw and heard the spectacle that Sparky created, unaffected by the sight.  He had seen far worse, after all.  His wife Ailill, however, was far more innocent.  The sight brought her to her knees.  He could not leave her side now.

And as Joseph, Kel and Locke entered the Citadel, the door closing behind them, he could only shake his head in grief at what he was sure would be the loss of his friends and loyal colleagues.