Toni was a runner.

  A good runner.

  She'd won a number of medals and trophy's for her running. When she was asked why she ran she always had some random, inane excuse.

  "Oh I just really love the feeling that running gives me!"

  "It's such an interesting, unique sport."

  "Everyone runs, I'm just competitive about everything y'know?"

  But that had never been the real reason. If she'd told anyone the real reason they would ugh at her, surely. Or shake their heads in mock sympathy while judging her. After all the reason she ran was pathetic.

  She needed to be fast so that when her brain finally made her legs move she would fucking MOVE.

  MOVE!

  MOVE!

  She was screaming the words in her head now as the few remaining bears held a tide of bone at the edge of the waters below. Her eyes tched to the grinning mockery of Timbear's dead face as it watched her and nothing else. She needed to run, to get the goblins or... or...

  But her legs shook yet did not move. Freezing up again in the face of a real challenge. Why?

  Why?

  Why why why wh-

  Soft orange light, like the flickering of a fire or the setting of the sun filled the space. The bears in retreat stopped backpedaling. Terrified growls and half-hearted swats of paws became roars of outrage and violent impacts.

  And Toni's eyes left Timbears to find the lights source.

  Pipuck stood their ground, hands shifting gently as light wafted off them like a scent. Soothing orange twilight filled the air as they looked to Toni and smiled.

  "Feelin' better ss?" Pip asked with a soothing smile. Toni had seen that smile on her grandparents many a time long ago after that first bad breakup. She nodded dumbly.

  "Goo', I don't pn on learnin' the Righ's lesson jus' ye'. Ge' your legs movin'." Pip told her.

  "Where's Ren?" Toni asked. Trying to drown the sounds of violent, cttering bone from beyond. "She's not he-"

  "She 'eade' up already, gone to ge' any 'elp she coul' after she couldn't ge' you to move." Pip cut her off. "Now go ss, I can't keep this up forever, an' when I stop..." They trailed off.

  "Well come on then, let's get going I can carry you." Toni reached down to grab Pip who spped her hand.

  "Nah ss sorry, bu' this don't 'ave the greates' range so I gotta stay 'ere to 'elp the bears stay strong." Pip expined.

  "No. No you'll-" Toni looked up to where the Lich watched the battle in amusement. She examined the lines of bone and bear, noting the number of skeletons wasn't all that overwhelming as she'd thought. It was however constant.

  Anytime a marcher was destroyed another would join from the muddy waters shortly after. Occasionally a new one would join to swell their numbers, but it was slow. Like... Like the Lich couldn't just raise a horde in an instant.

  Of course it couldn't.

  "They'll be fine, there's not that many skeletons. Come with me and I can colpse the tunnels on the way, we'll bury them here with the bears, just like we pnned." Toni reached to grab Pip once more, and again their hand spped hers.

  "Pip wh-"

  "I'm not runnin'." Pip grunted. "No' when I can 'elp. I've made tha' mistake too much. I'll be safe, I can bury myself in the earth when the lines break. I doub' one little fel is worth chasin' through muck an' mu' when it 'as a whole city remainin'." Pip smiled up at Toni and she forced a smile back.

  "I'll wait as long as I can before I colpse the tunnels, give you guys a fighting chance." Toni said.

  Pip nodded. "Don't wai' too lon'. Who knows wha' tha' lich can do in Timbear's body. I'll mee' you up top after this so don't go dyin' on me ho' hea' go' tha'?" Pip smiled at Toni and she grinned back.

  She leaned down and kissed Pip on the cheek. "Same thing to you stinky, you die and I swear to g- the twisted lights that I'll find your soul and smack you across the spiritual face got it?"

  The two ughed for a second. Then a snarl of pain broke the moment as a bear stumbled backward in pain. Toni stood, stared the Lich down for all of a second to burn that smile into her mind and did what she did best.

  She ran.

  She ran and she focused in. Looking for those little pieces of metal embedded in the tunnels roof. Dragging her attention away to the many minor effects she constantly discovered of each of her [Power]s. At the entrance to the tunnel she stopped, turning back and holding her attention on each piece of metal.

  Each a small, cylindrical device wrapped around a compact, explosive combination of materials the bears could provide. Just like how she'd imagined it when they first mentioned the ingredients avaibility back during the spider incident. Which reminded her of the armor and her eyes widened.

  Shit. Where had she left-

  "Toni! You okay!" A fur ball smmed into her back and scrambled up her shoulders.

  "Ah! Hey Ren! Y-yeah" Toni smiled up at the gremlin who stuck her face down over Toni's own head. "Pip is still down there helpin the bears, they'll be fine." She forced confidence into those st words as she saw Ren's eyes widen.

  Ren nodded then pointed over her shoulder. Toni followed the gesture, silly as it was for the upside down gremlin to jab her arm over Toni's shoulder. There behind her was a small army. Goblins, daog, even a few more bears and to Toni's greatest surprise, small swarms of bees and seillean leading htem.

  "I get help." Ren said, grinning as she cmbered back down Toni's side.

  Though with the fact they were only about a foot different in height it was really more of a hop then a cmber. Toni examined the forces behind her, then looked further down the tunnel. Calm. Examine.

  Best options. Toni put a hand to her head and began running her fingers slowly through her hair as she thought. The other resting on her reholstered- really more rebanded- gun on her hip.

  Pn one: Charge everyone down there and try to rescue the bears. Optimal result: Get everyone out and away safely, bolstering numbers for further conflict. Not all that big a benefit considering they were few, tired and weak. Worst result: Everyone here gets stuck into the fight and they just die.

  No, not that.

  Pn two: Send the bears down in support, have one drag Pip back to safety. Colpse the tunnel on them all. Optimal result: Get Pip back before they're completely worn out and confirm their safety. Worst result: They get stuck in the fight and no one makes it back and she weakens herself here.

  Eh, still not great.

  Pn three: Toni and/or Ren go down, tell Pip to pull everyone back. Forced retreat and reset lines here. Detonate the tunnels on the following marchers without worry for colteral. Optimal result: Get Pip back, slow Lich's advance, strengthen their defenses even a little. Worst result: They get stuck in the fight and lose leadership.

  But. If Toni goes she can greatly increase the chances of success, plus practically nullify her chances of getting stuck in a fight. Worst case scenario she colpses some of the tunnel as the enemy tries to get her stuck in.

  Toni ran through a number of other pns in her head but in the end the best option was just pn three. It was also the personally riskiest, and she had already pyed with so many lives today...

  "Alright Ren, wait here I'm gonna go tell Pip to pull back. We'll get as many as we can back safely and colpse the tunnel on the marchers as they chase us." Toni said. She fingered her gun uncertainly, worried about everything that could go wrong.

  A soft tail wrapped up around her arm. "I be here, Master waiting too. No die. Most important." Ren whispered up to her and that soft reminder steadied Toni.

  For the people she loved, she would wade through fire. Or... Something equally dangerous since she was kind of fire immune now. Quickly she leaned over and kissed Ren who exploded into fluff at the sudden affection. Then she was doing what she did best again.

  Running.

  The run was shorter this time, not by much but Pip had clearly been pulling the bears back on their own. When she reached the front she grimaced. The bears were outnumbered 3 to 1 now, and were fewer then before. Not by much, to Toni's relief, but still fewer. There was also no orange light.

  The marcher's around one bear surged with sudden energy, a [Power] from the Lich no doubt, shing at the weakened, frightened bear. Then there was light, the soothing orange surrounding that bear as Pip wearily stumbled over toward them.

  "'Ol' fas'! You're the s' line between them an' your family! Your friends! 'Ol' firm like the earth you trea'!" Pip shouted.

  Toni watched as the bear tossed the marchers off with a roar of fury and pain as they bit and cwed at their side and limbs. A small brown bear throwing two rger bear skeletons away with great effort. Yet it wasn't enough, the bear stumbled as darkling bones crashed beneath it.

  It fell, and bone swarmed it's body tearing flesh and fur from the poor thing. To Toni's shock every bit of flesh they tore seemed to burn away the moment it was separated. Much like how Temate's kills would burn away quickly. Yet the need for these things to tear the flesh off first made this grotesque where his was somber, but beautiful in a way.

  Toni stopped in her tracks and dragged her attention away from the dead bear being rended of its flesh. She turned to Pip and gave a shout as she drew and fired two quick rounds into a couple marchers.

  "Pip! Fall back! We've got a second line!"

  Pip turned to look at her, their eyes widening in panic.

  "[Dance Macabre], [Bones Ctter], [Rigorous Mortis]" A growl came from the towering Lich behind. Now it's form was covered down to the shoulders in that rotten flesh like material. What that was Toni had no time to consider as the marchers burst forward.

  In an instant they tore through the remaining bears, their bodies seemed to grow bigger and heavier. The sounds of their bones along the floor shook Toni's head and caused her such pain she could feel her nose start to bleed. A hand csped her leg as soft orange light covered her and Pip both.

  With a grunt she hefted the Spiras off the floor in a fireman's carry and once more, she ran. She ran like she never had before. She passed under the first cannister of explosives in the ceiling and grasped at it. A cwed thing sshed into the back of her thigh.

  She pushed her [Inner Confgration] outward and ignited the explosive. A thundering roar bsted her ears as the tunnel colpsed behind her. She turned to the thing still gripping at her leg, shing with the shroom sap to bash the limb apart. Freed once more, she continued to run.

  Every few feet she set off an explosion. One after the other she buried the tunnel and the Lich within. Halfway to the finish the light around her went out and she felt the slump of a body going unconscious in your arms. Thankfully, from years of training with her father and brothers, she didn't stumble.

  She muttered a quiet good work to the now unconscious Pip around her shoulders as she continued running. Feet pounding the earth, fire pounding the ceiling. When she finally reached the entrance to the tunnel she colpsed onto the ground. Or she tried to, but Ren caught her and held her, petting her head gently.

  "Good job. You did good Toni. Very good." She cooed into Toni's ears and Toni sighed.

  She was feeling kind of cold again, but not quite so bad as Pip clearly was.

  "Ren. Pip is-" Toni groaned as she felt at her chest.

  "Too much power, like you with big bomb." Ren finished for her, "Like you now too. Too much power, need rest." Ren motioned to someone off to the side.

  A bear Toni didn't recognize stepped forward. He was an old, gray furred bear with brows that seemed to cover his eyes. He had only one front leg but walked so casually on all three he seemed to be mocking the world for trying to cripple him. He leaned down to Toni and with a gentle nudge, she warmed.

  Instantly Toni sat up and looked at the bear who smiled back at her.

  "I am not much in a fight in my age, but I've learned a thing or two about life." With that said, he turned toward Pip and gave them the same soft nuzzle.

  Pip's face flushed with color, but they did not immediately wake. The bear nodded and with his one front leg grabbed Pip and hefted them onto his back. All without falling or standing upright. Then he turned and headed off into the crowd of bears who parted silently for him.

  "Wait! Who are you? Where are you taking them?" Toni shouted after him. He turned and looked at her quizzically.

  "Who? Me? Oh hmmm, I am Beo." Beo smiled broadly. "Spiras Pipuck seems to have truly burned his spirit, much like you did. So I will take him to one of my healing fields that he may recover." Beo answered.

  "Thank you!" Toni shouted after Beo as he turned and continued away. Then she turned to Ren. "Well, that's dealt with for a bit. We should start setting up defenses here a-"

  RUMBLE

  Toni and Ren's ears both shot up as they turned to look at the colpsed tunnel. What was that-

  RUMBLE

  Again, closer this time. The earth was shaking, as if something were moving it en masse. As if-

  RUMBLE

  "Oh shit." Toni said, eyes widening at the third even closer rumbling of shifting earth.\

  Ren hissed as her hairs stood on end. "The coming, feel ground moving. They- it shaping."

  "No, that's not- can it do that?" Toni stood slowly staring dumbly at the wall.

  RUMBLE

  Ren hissed again and turned to the gathered group. Those who were recently sves, civilians, literal honey farmers. They too were looking at the wall now as the rumbling grew closer.

  RUMBLE

  "What defense!" Ren hissed at Toni.

  "W-what?" Toni mumbled back.

  "How defend! You say defenses, what make!" Ren barked at Toni. After another deep rumble with no response Ren spped Toni's face, hard.

  "O-ow!" Toni grabbed her cheek and looked around. Then she spped herself. She'd frozen up again! Stupid stupid stupid!

  RUMBLE

  Toni snapped to attention and turned to the crowd, many already looking panicked and ready to run.

  "Narrow the tunnel, we need it as narrow as possible quickly! Get anything you can to block it up, anything not earth or stone would be better!" She shouted.

  Everyone looked at her dumbly.

  "You hear! GO! You, go get stuff from near pce!" Ren snapped pointing to some goblins.

  Immediately the area exploded into action as Ren and Toni both started issuing orders. The braver faced members of those gathered were stationed in front of the building defenses. Tasked with fighting if, and when, the marchers broke through.

  Toni knew they wouldn't have defenses by then, instead focusing on building slopes first they could fight from atop of. That at least would limit the fighting somewhat. And then, when that was done she could focus on-

  CRRRUUUUNCH

  The cavern beyond opened with a sickening crunch and a tide of white bone. There was no movie moment of the dust settling in tense silence before the hordes marched. They came with the crumbling of the wall. Timbear turned Lich towering behind them as a menacing half bck rot, half bone monster.

  The white wave crashed against their defenses, bone coming to meet flesh which shook in panic. A cttering cacophony drowning out all conscious thought, driving everything in the area to instinct. Already some of the defenders were fleeing.

  "[Overwhelming Soul]." The voice roiled out like cloying smoke from the Lich's lips.

  And once more Toni was running. She didn't even know how or when she'd started, just that something terrible was here. Something she had to run from. Ren was beside her and all around her was the same.

  Everyone ran.

  An overwhelming fear, a panic she'd not felt since she was a teenager. Not since she'd learned self-defense to stop another asshole from hitting her. Not since she'd learned to shoot to protect herself. The primal fear of an errant speck of dust before the rushing of a river.

  She ran as she felt Ren's [Enshadow] cover them. As creatures screamed and died around her and bone rended flesh to make more of its own. She ran until she stumbled and fell.

  Then she froze. Ren grabbed her hand and tried to drag her away. Shouted something to her that she couldn't hear as a presence fell over her. She was dimly aware of the sun shining from the hole above, the rivers wards repaired as per the pn.

  "Look at you. Frozen in terror." A voice hissed into her back and she felt Ren's arms scken.

  Toni turned to face the thing in Timbears body. The Lich. As it towered over her.

  "Much more docile then your big friend aren't you?" It mocked her, grinning as it sat on its backside. "I had a lot of fun with him, but you? Well there's no fight left. No fun in tearing that."

  The Lich hefted one, massive, bck, rotten paw. White scythe like cws which had once made a now ashen bde gleamed at its tips.

  "So I'll make your death quick, and you can join me."

  The paw came down. The air screaming around it. Yet in this moment Toni's fear seemed to vanish. In a fsh of inspiration she drew on her [Inner Confgration] and let it fre bright. The Lich roared and backpedaled slightly.

  Toni felt her fear melting away as something else covered it up. A familiar, reassuring presence. She stood and drew her gun as her mind became her own again. Around her she saw others doing the same. The running ceased.

  "You impudent wretch!" The Lich snarled and flicked it's paw at her again. A bolt of rotten bck flickered toward her, too fast to dodge.

  Thumph

  And a white object flew passed her vision absorbing the impact. Toni blinked and turned to see a heavy, bone pted sphere holding a familiar shield. A boney sphere which uncurled and stood into a creature.