As the team noticed War's head on the ground they looked in shock.
The severed head lay there on the scorched dirt, plasma edges still glowing faintly orange at the clean cut, the rest of the body standing motionless for one impossible second before it toppled sideways with a heavy thud that sent a small puff of dust rolling outward.
Silence crashed over the battlefield first, thick and ringing in every ear, then the realization hit like a hammer.
He did it.
They had actually done it.
The cheer erupted all at once, voices cracking with raw relief and triumph that echoed across the blackened field where the smell of burned grass and melted metal still clung heavy in the cooling air.
"THATS OUR VICE CAPTAIN FOR YA! VICE CAPTAIN LACH! THE BLUR, THE LIGHTNING, THE UNSEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" The words rolled out in a thunderous wave, fists pumping, boots stomping the dirt as the entire group surged forward in a chaotic knot of bodies and armor.
Lach stood up on shaky legs, trying to run toward Mira, but his knees buckled instantly and he crumpled face-first into the dirt.
His team sprinted the last few yards, sliding to their knees around him in a tight protective circle. Hands reached out everywhere at once, gentle but urgent, pressing against his shoulders, his back, his neck to check the pulse that still hammered strong beneath sweat-slick skin.
One knight peeled off a gauntlet and laid cool fingers against Lach's forehead, murmuring soft reassurances while another carefully lifted his head to keep the airway clear, the elf's chest rising and falling in shallow but steady breaths.
"He's breathing, he's breathing," someone kept repeating, voice thick with emotion as they wiped dirt from his cheek with a trembling thumb.
Praise poured out in a nonstop flood, the longest, most heartfelt spectacle of adoration the battlefield had ever witnessed.
"You absolute legend, Vice Captain. That speed of light blitz, I've never seen anything like it in my life. You saved all of us, turned the tide in a single heartbeat."
Another voice cut in, hoarse with awe.
"The greatest elf alive, no question. You took on a literal incarnation of war and left him headless on the ground like it was nothing. We owe you everything."
They crowded closer, voices overlapping in a warm, overlapping chorus of worship.
"No one else could have done that. Not the captain, not the whole order combined. You're the blur, the lightning, the unseen blade that ends wars before they start. We're not worthy to stand in your shadow, Lach. You're the reason we're still standing here breathing."
Hands patted his arms, his back, careful touches that lingered with gratitude bordering on reverence. One burly warrior actually had tears in his eyes as he gripped Lach's hand.
"I've fought beside legends, but you, Vice Captain, you're something else entirely. The way you sacrificed a century of your life without hesitation, the way you moved faster than thought itself, it was poetry. Pure, deadly poetry. You're the heart of this team, the reason we believe we can face anything." The praise kept flowing, layered and sincere, every word soaked in the kind of hero, worship that made the air feel thicker, warmer, charged with the simple truth that in that moment Lach was their everything, their savior, their unbreakable light in the face of impossible darkness. (HOP OF HIS DICK DAMN!)
Lach grinned weakly from the ground, eyes half-lidded but sparkling with that familiar cocky spark. "Haha, dont worry about it, im an elf, is still got an extra, what? 600 years left? Im still at my prime, what am I, 19? 20? This was chump change."
The words came out a little slurred from exhaustion, but the grin stayed wide and genuine, the kind that lit up his whole face even through the sweat and dirt streaking his cheeks.
Silvet, his half-elf girlfriend, dropped to her knees beside him without hesitation. She was way taller than him, her six-foot-three frame folding down gracefully as she cupped his face in both hands and pulled him into a deep, hungry kiss right there in front of everyone.
Their mouths moved together slow and desperate at first, then faster, tongues sliding warm and wet as the taste of salt and adrenaline mixed between them.
Lach's fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her closer even as his body stayed limp on the ground. They swapped spit with shameless intensity, soft wet sounds carrying on the breeze, her taller body curving protectively over his smaller frame until they finally broke apart gasping for air, foreheads pressed together, breaths mingling hot and ragged. Silvet's voice came out low and husky, lips still brushing his.
"Im soo pegging you when we get home." Then they were kissing again, slower this time, deeper, like the rest of the world had faded to nothing but the feel of each other's mouths and the steady beat of hearts still racing from battle.
The group chuckled softly around them, exchanging knowing glances full of warm amusement and quiet affection.
A voice appeared then, limping and ragged but teasing. Mira staggered forward, one hand pressed to the side of her face where a bad burn throbbed angry and red across her cheek, skin blistered and shining under the fading light. "Wowww, you're gonna leave me out of your little get together? I almost bloody died, man, and from my vice captain no less." She slapped him lightly on the back with her free hand, the impact solid but affectionate, then straightened with a tired grin.
"We should go back home. I'm just glad every thin is okay and nothing is ever happening agai—"
VROOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A giant burst of energy whizzed through them, the air suddenly so hot their clothes caught little flames that flickered and died almost instantly, leaving faint scorched patches and the sharp smell of singed fabric hanging thick.
Emerging from the horizon came John, this time in a new full knight armor that gleamed dull and heavy under the sky, the helmet still strapped on until he reached up and tugged it off with one casual motion. It was John again, face bare and grinning as he stopped thirty feet away, boots planted firm.
"Hey, mira was your name right? I think i finally understand why you dont wear the helmet, you have to make the enemy see your face, i think im gonna do that too."
He chuckled, the sound light and almost friendly, carrying easily across the short distance. The people on the other hand did not find it funny. They looked at War in pure terrifying silence, eyes wide, bodies frozen in place as the impossible sank in. John was so jolly, voice bright and conversational like they were old friends catching up over drinks.
"Oh! You're probably wondering why im not dead right? Yea i asked that too, but it turns out, when you're made of 'Strongly coupled plasma' what ever that is, means any and all cuts, are non affective, neat isn't it? Oh, AND DONT FEEL BAD GUYS! That speed of light speed blitz? IMPRESSIVE! That oughta put you at near planetary right? Well, earth planetary, i doubt you could go around this planet in under 2 minutes, not important, you elves seem to be good at this magic schtick. Kinda seems unfair that elves have better potential in magic since they have more life to give right? I'm guessing there's a couple people unhappy with that huh?"
John had a whole one sided convo on everything he just learned, words tumbling out fast and cheerful, eyes bright as he gestured with gloved hands like he was explaining a particularly fun board game. But he stopped himself suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish laugh.
"Oh, im sorry, i might be talking too much, 'holy yaps' amirite? HAHAHAHAHHA- anyway! LETS PLAY A GAME!"
His voice grew more excited as he said the word game, almost bouncing on his heels.
"You wanna know what game I played that wasn't dnd, yugioh or Beyblade? Oh my game was 'The floor is lava!'"
As he said that the entire square mile area surrounding the patch they were on were covered in lava, the ground bubbling and glowing molten orange in an instant, heat rolling upward in thick visible waves that made the air shimmer and sting the eyes.
Kota then experimented, he made some of the lava elevated into slightly tall square lava blocks, then he removed the temp of those elevated lava, and it became a rock like obsidian.
"This! Is the floor is lava! The rules are simple… dont die!"