Into Hellfire

Epilogue, Part Three

The first wave was about to crash over them, and Patrick prepared himself for the worst. But the wave never came. Instead, they were halted by a hailstorm of arrows that originated from behind them. As Patrick turned, he saw the familiar faces of Kane and Ciara, standing at the head of the Netherbane forces.

Kane let out a chuckle. "Did you think we were gonna miss this?" Beside him stood Phantom and Wolf, their weapons extended. They'd brought help.

Of course, this minor triumph was short lived as hundreds of the Nether Horde charged at the Frostbourne army. The Netherbane archers fired, but where one Wither Skeleton or Pigman fell, three more were there to take its place. Their small force wasn't enough to tip the balance.

End Particles rained down on the battlefield as hundreds of Endermen warped in, hacking and slashing at the oncoming wave. They gave no regard for their own lives, standing only to gain retribution for their deaths.

Ceris stood in awe, only to snap out of it when Cora walked beside her. "You looked like you could use some help. Let's get these bastards, shall we?"

Ceris nodded, charging forward with her group of Ender Watchers, Cora right by her side. The Frost Mercenaries backed them up quickly, Allison joining Cora's side as they hit the line of Wither Skeletons and Pigmen. Cora's blade sung as it sliced through flesh and bone, leaving everything a bloody, broken mess in her wake. Ceris preferred to use her fists, pounding each enemy into the netherrack floor with lightning speed. Soon, that wave had too been cleared. It was obvious that General Naeus had become enraged; he was ordering everything forward. Thousands of Wither Skeletons poured forth from the lava surrounding the battlefield, all trying to get at the Frostbourne Army.

Then, a voice cut through the sounds of combat. "Open fire!"

The air turned black as hundreds upon hundreds of arrows filled the sky. With almost perfect accuracy, hundreds of the Nether Horde fell to the volley. General Patrick, confused and on edge, looked to where the arrows had originated. As he did, he saw a familiar pair of white eyes standing at the head of a group of skeleton archers.

It was Nera. Iris stood at the side of the Daughter of the Undead. "Forward, Undead! Wipe them out!"

On her command, a wave of zombies washed over the Nether Horde, cutting them down with spears and swords. The skeletons held their maintained fire, dropping monster after monster. Nera nodded towards Patrick.

The Grandmaster knew what she meant. "Charge!" He ordered.

Hesitant but obedient, the Frostbourne armies charged to join the ranks of the Ender Watchers. Man and beast alike fell when the lines collided, but the Frostbourne stood steadfast against their opposition.

Sigil and Phantom ended up side by side on the battlefield, the latter using his psionic powers while the former kept him safe with her daggers and the help of Celestia. The Argent would occasionally dive, picking up a skeleton and throwing it into another, or just straight crushing its head to dust with her claws. Phantom released shockwave after shockwave of psionic energy, tearing any nearby skeletons apart and pushing back those that were further away. At distance, he would propel fragments of netherrack or broken shards of bone at other Wither Skeletons at such high speeds that they tore through the charred bone as if it weren't even there. Sigil practically danced through the air as she jumped from skeleton to skeleton, stabbing them or just kicking their heads straight off of their bodies. Her movements were as graceful as they were deadly- with every move, another skeleton fell dead.

Swan and Mantis stood together, Swan using her rifle to keep the skeletons at a distance and Mantis cutting down any that snuck by with his scythes. The pair fought without a hitch, almost as if they shared the same mind. As soon as one of the Horde snuck past Swan's gun, Mantis was already swinging to take it down.

Wolf held her own, her claws deadly weapons against the Pigmen of the Horde. As one Pigman attacked her, she caught its blade with one of her claws, wrenching it from the beast's hand as she impaled it with her other claw set.

Rain and Stella fought in tandem, the Dragon Tamer using the End Greatsword to keep the ground-based enemies at bay while the Enchantress used the Dragonseer's Staff to knock Wither Angels and Ghasts out of the sky. However, neither of them were perfect with their weapons. A Wither Skeleton managed to dodge Rain's slash, swinging its blade and hitting Stella in the side, forming a bloody gash. She fell to the ground with a scream, and Rain disengaged the rest of the Horde, rushing to defend her. In doing so, he missed the Ghast fireball that was heading straight for them.

Iris moved before she thought. Using her armor, she warped between Rain and the Ghast, using a dagger to return the fireball before drawing back her bow and loosing an arrow into the creature, killing it instantly. She looked back, giving a smile and a nod to Rain before turning back again and firing off arrows into the oncoming troops.

The Nether Horde's numbers had dwindled significantly, going from several thousand to only about a hundred after the Frostbourne's reinforcements arrived.

Naeus, his powers still nullified, grew enraged. "Sombre, Enderheart, kill them!"

"Yes, General Naeus," Enderheart replied. Sombre just nodded.

The two morphed back into dragons, rushing onto the battlefield and plowing into the Frostbourne Army. Enderheart let out a blast of fire onto the Ender Watchers, but the Endermen teleported away safely. Seeing the futility of trying to burn them, she just bit and swiped at them, to much greater effect. Sombre, on the other hand, engaged the Frostbourne, who were scattering quickly. None of the human soldiers had been prepared for a dragon.

"We're not gonna be able to win, not with them here!" Patrick shouted to Abigail.

The Exiled Queen scoffed. "You doubt me?"

As soon as the last word left her mouth, a rumbling filled the space. Abigail's Ancient punched its way through a shelf of netherrack, trudging towards the dwindling Nether Horde.

Seeing this, Rain and Stella retreated, rallying the Ender Watchers around them. Nera called her Undead Hordes back to her. General Patrick rejoined his army. The factions all got clear as the massive beast began to attack what remained of Naeus's army.

Looking up, Abigail saw their key to victory. A large overhang of netherrack was over the Nether Horde. With a flash from Ruby Thorn, the Ancient grabbed onto the overhang and pulled hard, bringing the entire thing down on the Nether Horde. When the smoke finally cleared, not a single combatant remained standing. The Frostbourne had won after all.

The factions rallied on their battlefield, their leaders gathering at the front of the group.

General Patrick was the first to speak. "Today marks the end of the Nether Horde! We are free from their iron fist!"

A cheer rose from the crowd, only cut through by Rain's voice. "The End and the Nether are free! We hope that with these victories, we can begin to rebuild! Not only rebuild our homes, our stores, and our castles, but our relationships and alliances!"

Stella spoke next, silencing anyone who would've interrupted. "The Ender Watchers will always stand ready to assist the Frostbourne, no matter the reason! They are the reason we continue to live today, and we will always be in your debt."

It was Abigail's turn. "The Nether stands ready to fight by your side at a moment's notice, General Patrick. You have given our home back. As for my people, our new lives begin today! Lives free of General Naeus and his tyranny!"

A cry rose up from the Nether Rebels. "Long live Queen Crysteffor! Long live the Frostbourne!"

The cry echoed to those not of Nether origin. "Long live the Frostbourne!"

General Patrick smiled. They were truly free of Naeus now. Azura walked up beside him, taking his hand once again, and this time, he returned the gesture.

***

"Welcome to the Crystal City, General. Your people can recover here, among my own. When you are ready, we will teach them a lesson they will never forget."

"And what of them until then?"

"Don't worry, General. I'll see to that."