Victor had rushed in with the Ahura's forces, desperate to reach Acher, to do something before it was too late. Half of him was afraid he would find Acher already dead, and the other half was afraid to find it hadn't been possible for anyone to kill him. The hair on the back of Victor's neck stood up when he finally found him bloodied and pierced by crossbow bolts, but still standing, still knocking over rows of combatants.

One way or another, this had to stop.

He hadn't reached Acher without a few bruises of his own, or without a few stains on his armor and a heavy dent in his buckler. But his sword, though drawn, was still clean from his focus on defense. "Acher!" he called, straining to raise his voice over the surrounding violence, "You've lost this battle. Surrender."