There was never a lull in the battle, there was only moments of relative quite and terrifying horror. Even when moved back to rest, she couldn't sleep. The screams of the flying demons had grown louder, and with the walls broken it made rest impossible. The haze of the battle grew worse as time passed. She didn't see her father or Pyoter anywhere, only by finding Saphira did she feel any peace. But talk was small and insignificant. Both of them were tired, and both would be worked to exhaustion while this battle continued. The first night was terrible.
The next day was worse. The rumors she heard, and sights she saw kept her afraid. Once she approached the defenses around the breach and saw the smaller demons in action. Most didn't bother with weapons, simply clawing at the soldiers. The few that did have weapons were blurs of whirling steel that killed men as easily as a scythe reaps grain. Even worse was that many of the demons used terrible magics.
Before her eyes five men died to a bolt of lightning from a demon's maw. Fire whipped through the air, turning the once chill air into an inferno. Worse were the demons who trailed thick yellow smoke that choked and killed those who breathed it.
Then there were the few amongst the soldiers who fought back. Knights in rune-reinforced full plate, able to stand up to many of the demons. The dark haired man, Takeshi, cast spells rapid fire, a terrible song on his voice, and a cloak of shadows and the night sky following in his wake. Saphira and a young man with a double ended spear moved across the battlefield, clearing paths, healing the wounded, and causing the corpses of the demons to burst into flames behind them.
A swordsman rushed to the center of a group of demons, challenging the largest amongst them and battling them with a terrifying, inhuman speed. These gave her hope, but didn't stop the bloodshed. And the battle continued to the next day.
The last day was a horror-show. The smoke and ash ensured the sun never rose. She had heard rumors of corpses walking the previous day, but now they were everywhere.
At the end of the third day she saw a half-demon fighting against a demon that made her eyes burn. The mana flowing off of them was so thick and potent that even her unaided senses could see the raw mana flowing around them, clashing, sparking, and burning in the intensity. They moved with a speed that was almost impossible to follow, and the clash of their weapons created explosions of air, fire, and mana that sent her running in terror.
She had barely eaten the last few days. Slept maybe four hours. She was covered in scratches and bruises. Her hair had turned red from all of the blood, and worse, most of it wasn't hers. She wanted to pass out, to faint, but there was too much to do, too many dangerous things running around. She had to help. She had to, but she didn't have the strength. Gwen passed out in a ruined building, and shortly thereafter the battle broke. And the sun shown down through the smoke.
