Hey, I'm back with a quick turn around on this chapter. This is the one chapter I've been waiting to write for a long time and I'm glad I finally got to write it. After this the story will start to wind down. Really only a few chapters left. I wanna thank everyone that has hung with me through this whole thing, including those that came back even after I took almost a year off. Let's finish this thing strong. I'd like it if I could get every single person who reads this chapter to leave a review. With just those last few chapter left I really wanna know what everyone thinks. So get to reading everyone!

Chapter 29

Spittle flew from his mouth as Gregor charged forward, screaming incoherent phrases at his worst enemy. His vision, blurred from his rager side, saw Roderick moving away from the corpse of Vikus, readying himself for the battle at hand. Gregor watched as Roderick raised his still bloody sword to a ready position and started a slow advance towards him. Infuriated, Gregor roared, his body feeling like a mother grizzly protecting her young, and charged forward faster. There were just feet between him and Roderick and he brought his sword back over his head. He took his speed and pushed himself into the air in a mighty leap. His sword flashed down with all the force of his arms and the weight of his body behind it.

Metal crashed on metal as Gregor's sword met Roderick's. Gregor landed and pushed as hard as he could on his blade, trying to force Roderick back and off balance. He could feel his arms start to quiver as Roderick pushed back against him. With a grunt, Gregor pulled his sword away and spun out of the way of Roderick's follow up blow. He spun back, his sword a blur as he swung for Roderick's body. His arm jarred as again he met resistance. His sword pulled back and he started a combo of blows that he rained down on Roderick.

To anyone viewing the sword play, it would have looked as if Gregor was dominating, driving Roderick back with each blow. But in reality it was the opposite. Yes, Gregor was driving Roderick back, but he was tiring and there wasn't a single wound on Roderick. Inside Gregor's fury was still as strong, but his arm felt like jelly. His rager side had gotten so far out of hand that he had expanded past using its guidance. He was ignoring all of the things it was telling him to do instead using brute force to try to beat Roderick down.

Gregor pulled away and retreated to catch his breath. His eyes stung from the sweat that ran down his brow. He sucked in a deep breath of the not so sweet air and let himself calm. But his reprieve did not last. He sensed the incoming blow before he saw it. He rolled to the side and popped to his feet, Roderick already swinging at him again. Gregor ducked away, the sword clipping past his arm so close that he felt it. He saw in the corner of his eyes the sword slam into the ground and heard Roderick's grunt as he fell off balance. "This is my chance," Gregor thought as he crouched low and sprang forward. His shoulder slammed into Roderick's torso, knocking both of them to the ground.

Roderick's sword spun away on the ground. Gregor's fell out of his hand from the jarring impact. He was lying on top of Roderick, his first thought to reach back for his sword. His right hand groped behind him trying to grab the handle of his blade. That's when something collided with his stomach. The pain was negligible due to the armor he was wearing, but the wind left him none the less. He rolled over trying to pull in deep breathes of air, but it was an effort as his diaphragm worked hard to get working again. He watched as Roderick grabbed his sword and walked over to him.

"This is how it ends warrior," Roderick said from above him. Gregor heaved in a deep breath still unable to talk. Roderick's sword was poised point down over his chest and he felt that the end was nigh. His revenge was gone. But then he got an idea. Roderick pulled the blade up ready to drive it home and at the same time Gregor raised his leg. Roderick went to strike, but Gregor struck faster. His foot slammed forward. Right into Roderick's knee cap. The former first sword reeled back, his knee bent the wrong way. Gregor took his opportunity and grabbed his sword which was only inches from his hand. He pulled it into his hand and leaped to his feet.

Roderick was howling in agony his knee clearly broken and worthless. Gregor felt a slight tinge of regret for what he was about to do, but forgot it when he remembered what Roderick had done. He held his sword loosely in his hand and he said some silent words to himself.

"No, Roderick. This is how it ends," Gregor said as he pulled the sword up. Roderick stopped his howling and relaxed. His eyes closed and his breathing slowed. Gregor closed his eyes and let his arm move where he knew it was supposed to. He felt the sword bite into the flesh and severe muscle, ligaments, and nerves. It met no resistance a split second later. He opened his eyes to see Roderick's head lying next to his lifeless body, a pool of blood forming next to the stump of his neck. "Good riddance," Gregor spat.

His body calmed and his vision cleared. The sound of battle came to his ears and he spun around to see that the stingers and the humans were in full swing. Fliers were moving everywhere diving in and out of the dangerous pit of stingers and claws. He watched Mareth on Andromeda as they swooped down upside down, Mareth cleaving through a stingers defense with one strong swing. On the ground Eisen and a small group of soldiers were in an arc moving along taking on one stinger at a time with mixed results. A muffled scream came from the battlefield and he watched as a stinger's stinger pierced the belly of a flier, the human tumbling off. A purple streak plummeted after him disappearing behind the mass of stinger bodies.

Artemese rose from the mess, the human in his claws. With strong wing beats he flew the wounded man back towards Gregor. Over his head Artemese flew and Gregor turned and followed the bat. The flier deposited the human near the medics which were already busy with several other wounded. Howard turned his attention to the new arrival and issued a string of commands. Other doctors came to the man's aid and he was instantly gone from view behind them.

A hearty cry came from the battle and Gregor spun around again to face the battlefield. Eyes scanning the battlefield he saw the reason for the cry. A mass of gray and black was flooding from a tunnel. Ripred had arrived and with him were several hundred gnawers. Gregor could make out Ripred as he started to spin, a dust tornado forming around the rat. Stinger blood joined the funnel as the first stinger attempted to attack him. Around him the other rats swarmed onto the field, clambering over stingers, swiping and biting at them with their razor sharp claws and teeth.

Gregor could feel his rager side starting to take back over his body and he readied his sword before he raced towards the battlefield. He was at full sprint ready to sink his sword into the closest stinger when he felt a strong gust of wind above him. Boots dug into the ground and he looked above him. Mareth was leaning off of Andromeda shouting something at him.

"Huh?" Gregor roared back over the din of battle.

"Luxa!" was the only word Mareth screamed back, his finger pointed behind Gregor. Gregor spun around and saw exactly what Mareth was warning him about and he started to run. Run faster than he ever had. His body was moving like that because he was angry. He was afraid. And most of all he was scared. Luxa and Perdita were backed up against the wall of the cavern, Bilius advancing towards them sword drawn. Aurora was flying interference to give them a chance to get out, but Bilius wasn't alone. One of the stingers had broken from the ranks and accompanied Bilius. Around the stinger laid several dead Regalian soldiers and their fliers.

He watched as with each of his steps Bilius drew closer to the two women. Both had their blades drawn, but Gregor had a feeling that they wouldn't stand much of a chance. Both were excellent fighter, but there was a vibe around Bilius that just made him seem as if he was the much superior fighter. As Bilius came closer he saw Aurora dive down at him. The sword moved faster than any Gregor had ever seen. Red blood shot from the wound that had opened on Aurora's wing. She fell hard to the ground, but got back up in the air, barely able to fly. He could hear Luxa calling something to her and Aurora flew away from them before collapsing to the ground. He was within a hundred feet of them, but Bilius was only a few yards away.

A Regalian soldier dove in at Bilius and the stinger. With one quick move, a pincer plucked him off the back of his flier and crushed him. Gregor heard the scream, saw the blood and the organs as the stinger let the man drop to the ground. His flier tried to help get Luxa and Perdita out of there, but his effort was lost as Bilius plunged his sword into the passing flier with even greater speed than he had before. Gregor was now only twenty five feet behind the stinger, but Bilius was standing just a few feet in front of Perdita and Luxa. Perdita was shielding Luxa from any attack, her blades poised to strike and defend. With mere feet before he reached them, Gregor drew his dagger.

He could hear Bilius laughing about something and his anger and rage spiked. He snorted and flared his nostril as he launched himself onto the back of the stinger. With one fell swoop he plunged his sword into the shell above the brain. The sword went clean through the shell and all the way up to the hilt. With a thud, the stinger collapsed to the ground and Gregor wrenched his blade out. Bilius had turned at the commotion and a wicked smile graced his face.

"I was just about to handle these two silly little girls, but I believe that you will be a much better choice," Bilius said his voice icy cold. Gregor hopped off the stinger corpse and looked Bilius right in his eyes.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Gregor said his voice steely and flat. But his eyes showed all the emotion he needed. Bilius seemed to contemplate his statement and then threw his head back in laughter, his beard bouncing with each one.

"You would not say that if you knew what I am," Bilius replied. "I am sure Vikus did not tell you why I was banished, so let me tell you. I discovered I had a special ability that made me different than every other kid my age. When we played ball or trained, I was always faster, stronger, and more precise. As I aged I grew deadly, accidently killing a friend of mine as we played ball. I was eight at the time, but I ended up killing more people by accident over the next years of my life." Gregor already had a feeling he knew where this was going. He knew the feeling that Bilius was talking about because he was feeling it right then.

"I eventually got caught in the act and put on trial, but it was revealed by doctors that I was actually a rager. They had me try to control it, but it was of little use. I was too accustomed to it to even try to control it. I had let it control me for so long that I did not possess the ability to contain it, so they banished me. They gave me food and water for a week and a sword and left me in the uncharted land. I never struggled there, always being able to fight and win for food against the beasts that live there. I grew more and more ferocious, but also much more intellectual." Bilius proceeded to squeak several times in a range of pitches. The same sounds Gregor had heard rats use on different occasions to communicate. "See, I can speak gnawer fluently. Y eso no es todo. That is spanish. Aber es gibt mehr und. There is German. I am much smarter than they had anticipated and have survived to take my revenge on them."

Gregor was stunned into silence. Not only was he a rager that had lost control, but he also was able to speak gnawer and languages that Gregor didn't even understand that were from the overland. Bilius was a much greater adversary than he had expected. Now it was time to stall.

"How did you learn that stuff?" Gregor asked hiding his new fear behind the words.

"The overland languages were quite difficult. Sneaking to the surface was very hard, but I had assistance from some creatures I met in the uncharted lands. The gnawer was easy. There were many of them with me in the uncharted land. They feared me more than I them."

"I thought you couldn't control your raging," Gregor said, not sure why anyone would associate with someone who couldn't control their ability to kill you.

"Ah yes, I was very much unstable when I was banished. But I am very much in control now. More so than even our pal Ripred. I took practice and patience, but it was worth all of it. You shall see just how great I am." Bilius silenced himself and readied his sword. Gregor prepared himself letting his rager side slide over him. He started to back away from the wall they were near to hopefully allow Luxa and Perdita to escape. Bilius started to follow, but not far.

"That is plenty far enough I think," he said right as Gregor bumped into one of the many large boulders of obsidian that littered the floor. In his peripheral vision, Gregor saw Artemese fly over his head and scoop up Luxa and Perdita, carrying them away. Now it was just him and Bilius. A battle of ragers.

Bilius wasted no time gauging Gregor. He stepped up and with an impossible quickness launched a series of attacks. Gregor was already on the defensive, blocking each blurred blow with whatever he could. His dagger caught one followed by his sword and then back to the dagger. He even blocked one with the metal on his gauntlet, the plate denting and biting hard into his arm. His teeth ground as he gritted against the pain, but there was no reprieve as another stroke was already coming for him. He skipped back the blade missing him by a hair's width.

Gregor sucked in air and swung his sword taking to the offensive. His sword flashed in arcs as he tried desperately to land any blow he could. But every single one of them met the sword of his opponent. Fruitlessly he kicked out at Bilius only to meet nothing but air as the rager had disappeared. His sword moved on it's own swinging to his right to catch the slash that would have shortened him by a head. His arm jarred all the way to the shoulder and it took all the effort and energy he had to pull it back and ready himself. But it was futile as something collided with his side and he went flying.

Gregor slammed into the ground and slid several feet in the dust, skidding to a halt. Ribs aching, he tried to stand, but could only get up onto a knee. The point of his sword was on the ground, his dagger hanging loosely from his left hand. Bilius wore the most wicked smile he had ever seen and he knew he was finished. Bilius was just too much for him. He had killed the most dangerous rat in the underland, survived everything back then, and yet he was going to die here unable to do what he was born to do. He couldn't kill the one person that he needed to. Gregor bowed his head in shame and waited for the blow that he knew would come.

He sat there on his knee waiting. Time seemed to slow and the sound of death eased from his head. There was silence except for the sound of his breathing. In his head he could hear a voice yelling for him to stand, to push himself back to his feet and continue to fight. He gritted his teeth and tried, but his body wouldn't let him. His arm screamed in pain. His side moaned with a dull throb. His hands trembled with weakness. There wasn't a chance he had to do anything. He sat and waited for death to come knowing it had to be mere feet away. "This is taking to long," a voice whispered to him from deep inside him.

He looked up and saw to his surprise that there was third party in the fight. A giant rat stood between Gregor and Bilius, grey fur covered in dust and the blood of stingers. One of his claws dripped with red blood. Ripred was there. Gregor couldn't take his eyes off of the rat as Ripred slowly moved around Bilius. A fresh cut poured blood from the other man's arm and Gregor could see the unrestricted anger in his eyes. And then Ripred pounced.

A blur of fur, claws, and teeth, Ripred threw everything he had at Bilius. One second he was on the right and then he was on the left. Ripred's ferocious attack drove Bilius back, but not a single swipe or bite landed. Bilius was a master at blocking attacks and with a single sword none the less. Ripred paused his onslaught for a second, his chest heaving from the exertion on his aged body. Foam ran from the corners of his mouth and he looked defeated. But when Gregor caught his eyes, he knew that Ripred was far from finished.

The rat came back into the action, his right paw swiping in from below and as Bilius moved, Gregor saw that it was a feint. Ripred's tail was swinging down from above at the same time. Bilius seemed to see it too and he had the choice to make: disembowelment from claws to his gut or a snapped neck from a tail whip. He choose the claws.

Bilius' sword changed direction so fast; Gregor wouldn't have believed it possible for a superhuman to do it. The sword met the pink tail halfway down its length. A howl of shock and pain erupted from Ripred's mouth and a fountain of blood sprayed from the stump of his tail. It rained down onto Ripred's back and Bilius' face. Gregor watched as the piece that had been cut off twitched on the ground and then sat still dumping its small supply of blood out into the dust.

Ripred roared in fury and lunged forward into a deadly series of moves. Front paws came from above as back paws flew up from below. Gregor had never seen anything like that. He watched as a streak of red flew from Bilius and then more blood sprayed from Ripred as Bilius somehow caught him with his sword. Blood was soon flying everywhere and Gregor had no way to know who it belonged to.

The two parted, both breathing heavily. The number of wounds was spread unevenly between the two. Bilius was only covered in minor scratches and a few treatable wound. Ripred was, however, covered from head to toe in deep cuts and one of his paws hung limp at his side at an awkward angle, clearly broken. All that coupled with his tail wound it was a miracle that Ripred was still standing.

Gregor watched in horror as the one thing he never thought he would see. Ripred teetered on his hind paws and collapsed backwards, his belly facing the ceiling. Bilius took his chance and walked forward towards his downed foe, eager to land the killing blow. He brought the sword back over his head and swung down. Gregor watched unable to close his eyes as the shiny blade cleaved through the air. The blade met flesh and Gregor watched a fountain of red erupt from the wound. But Ripred was still alive, the blade never touching him.

The blood had come from a new fighter. In a heap on the ground laid a great gray bat. Euripides had sacrificed himself to save Ripred. Blood poured from a deep gash in his neck from the powerful sword stroke. The wound was so deep that he could see the vertebrae separated, the spine torn in two. It was a quick death. And one that Gregor wouldn't let go to waste.

He shoved himself to his feet and ripped his gauntlets off relieving the pain on his arm. He gripped his sword and dagger and sprinted towards Bilius. Bilius had already reset himself to deliver the killing blow. His sword sung down in the same arc as it did the time before. Gregor lunged forward and caught the blade on his own mere inches from Ripred's chest. With strength he didn't know he possessed he shoved Bilius' sword back and sent the man stumbling.

Gregor advanced on him, stepping over Ripred's barely alive body. Gregor swung his sword with more speed and strength then he knew he could. He felt the blade collide repeatedly with Bilius', his dagger swinging in aiming for his stomach. Bilius had just enough speed to move out of the way. With a quick feint, Gregor swung a side hand, but changed it instantly to overhand and threw Bilius off. His sword went to catch Gregor's strike and he hopped out of the way of the dagger. Except Gregor hadn't swung the dagger.

He brought the dagger down from below and scored a hit on Bilus' shoulder. He felt the blade cut into flesh and saw the blood running fresh and hot from the open wound. Bilius flared his nostril like a bull and dug his feet into the ground. Any advantage Gregor had was lost. He started giving ground as blow after blow came at him. Even with his rager side he could barely keep up. Side hand, backhand, overhead the blows struck at him and he had to keep retreating away unable to block all of the dozens of sword strokes. And then he couldn't retreat any further.

His back collided with the obsidian boulder he had encountered earlier, but the blows never stopped coming. He blocked each one with his sword and with a roar of rage, Bilius swung his sword down on Gregor from above. Over and over he swung and like a hammer striking a nail Gregor started to move lower and lower. He was stuck on his knees, his arm dead again, the muscles screaming for him to stop. But if he stopped he died. Bilius reared back both hands on the handle of his sword. He sung it down and GRegor acted instinctively. He braced his sword with his dagger, forming an X. The edge of Bilius' sword struck the flat side of Gregor's and with the last remaining strength in his arm Gregor shoved back as hard as he could. Bilius stumbled backwards and Gregor rose back to his feet. He had to end this now or else it was over for him and all of Regalia.

He took a few steps back and then rushed forward towards the boulder. He planted his foot and shoved off towards Bilius. Gregor soared through the air and struck with his dagger. His shoulder collided with the ground and he rolled, popping back to his feet. The dagger had hit home. He felt the blade penetrate and it was good. Gregor had struck true and the blade was buried halfway into Bilius' head. The man was still on his feet, but he collapsed to the ground a second later. Blood ran from his mouth and his eyes, his pale skin growing paler. Gregor stood and stared for a few moments. He had won.

Weariness set in and his entire body felt as if it had been hit by a semi truck. He fell to the ground and laid there in his back. All of the battle sounds flooded back to his head, but they seemed to be diminishing. His vision started to blur but not with red this time. Everything just got hazy and unfocused. Purple filled his vision and he felt soft hands on his arm.

"It is okay, Gregor," a quiet voice whispered in his ear. "You are okay. Close your eyes and rest," the voice said to him. Gregor obliged and closed his eyes, letting the darkness take him.

Okay, we be through the climax. Time to wind this whole thing up and there is just a few more things I gotta do. I'll see if I can get chapter 30 up by the end of the weak, maybe even by Friday. Hope everyone enjoyed and remember to review.