Kir leads the way with Tycho's Shish Kabob squad. As they near the hidden outpost, Kir calls for a halt and addresses his allies,
"A great danger lies beyond, and it is one which must be dealt with quickly and quietly. We shall take our squad and deal with it ourselves. We are assured that it is safe for you to remain here briefly, so do not worry. We shall return in time to continue our mission without risking discovery."
Kir directs his handful of ranger's forward. One soon motions for a halt. Kir approaches the ranger who points at 4 figures clad in dark plate armor. Had Kir not seen these creatures with his own eyes, he may not have been able to adequately instruct the rangers what to watch for. Fortunately, he took that risk and it has paid off. The iron guardsmen are in the perfect position to ambush their squad!
Kir held two fingers up with one hand, and pointed towards two rangers with his other hand. Then with the first hand he points at Tycho. He motions for the three of them to get just a little closer and wait. Then he motions for the other 3 rangers to follow him.
"We will catch them in a pincer attack. With Tycho distracting them, we will take them from the rear and end this quickly."
While Kir's group was circling behind the iron guards, Tycho sneezed. He sneezed fire. And all hell broke loose.
The iron guards yelled some gibberish and charged Kir's group. His was the closer group, and the fiery sneeze illuminated them clearly through the unnatural darkness.
Kir shouted to his rangers,
"Fall back! Fall Back! Gather around Tycho and protect him. Tycho, Burn them all!"
The shish kabob squad regrouped and then rallied around Tycho, and Kir assaulted the Iron Guards head on. Tycho's squad kept the enemies from overwhelming Kir all at once. Any time there was an opening for another iron guard to step in, a blazing inferno erupted in that very spot.
"Kir. This enemy is too much for you alone. Your rangers, too, are insufficient for this task. These creatures can suck the very soul of a man into their weapons, Kir, and their armor is formidible," Asnir boomed inside Kir's mind. Another man might have been deeply disturbed by these words, but Kir was a warrior with unshakable faith in the deity within him, and he merely battled on while Asnir spoke.
Laughter booms within his head, and across the battlefield, as Asnir continues,
"But I have not had any fun in quite some time, Kir, and I am not a man.
Orange lightning fell from the heavens and struck one of the iron guards and arced between each one before striking Kir in the chest. As it touched him, Kir grew in stature. His muscles bulged and his eyes leaked divine light. His staff responded to it as well, each end bursting into holy flame.
Asnir and Kir shout at the enemies before them,
"We shall release you from the evil which binds you. No more shall you plague this realm!"
With the strength and will of a god fully inhabiting his body, Kir dispatched the iron guards beautifully. Tycho and his men watched, mesmerized as Kir parried each slash, simply danced around others, and bashed in armor with blow after blow.
Yet, still the battle raged. Kir dispatched the first one by cracking its armor in half with his staff. As the breastplate fell from the undead's mummified torso, he used his god imbued strength to impale the guard with his staff, piercing its heart. Holy fire burned through its body, disintegrating it entirely and leaving nothing but plate armor behind.
Kir danced between the remaining three iron guards, and similar fates awaited them. He dispatched one after another, and when the last one fell, an enormous thunderclap pealed out across the battlefield, and a massive bolt of lightning struck upwards, into the heavens.
It lasted only minutes, but the battle was so intense that it felt like hours. In their excitement, Tycho and the shish kabob squad cheered out into the unnatural night, foolishly, but it was cut short. As the divinity fled from Kir's body, the Mystic collapsed to the ground. Tycho reached him first, and Kir whispered between bloody coughs,
"The cost...is high when...when the gods act directly upon our realm."
Tycho helps Kir up, and Kir nearly collapses when he tries to steady himself. Kir asks Tycho,
"Help me back to our forces, my friend. I will have recovered enough to walk before we get there. And tell no one what this battle cost me. It would not do to have our allies concerned over such minor injuries."