Chapter 1: Shunned
The Arc Legion was a proud one, brave and assertive in both their manners and methods, that was a fact one could not simply ignore, especially for it's size, having only eight members to the hold, they walked the battle as equals, with no foot soldiers, no distractions, just them, and their blades, hammers, poleaxes, and other methods of murder. While one could not deny their bravery, everyone, and I mean everyone, every Viking, every samurai, every knight, all of them would say their beliefs are idiotic. To appose the will of Apollyon, even a decade after her death, was seen as perhaps the most absolute death sentence... and yet despite this, The Arc Legion was yet to lose a single man, their manpower having only grown over the last three years, from the original two, to it's now minimalistic eight. Every time a battle raged, The Arc Legion came, they slaughtered everything that moved on that battlefield, until only they, or a new member, were left, then they surged back into the forests or icy wastelands they came from, heading for the next battle. They understood exactly what Apollyon wanted, and would not fall for it, they had attempted to turn the greatest powers of factions to their side, and it only worked on one occasion, although all of his men abandoned him to the war anyway.
The group's eight members consisted of warriors, those who had seen the war firsthand, and knew that it was most definitely not the path of righteousness, nor any path that wouldn't lead to a swift death.
The most recent addition was Sverker, a Berserker of unparalleled skill, equally matched to his brutality. The only viking of The Arc Legion, he was originally a legend amongst the vikings, now a mere wisp of what he used to be, he agreed to join The Arc Legion after they appeared to his outpost, however his warchief, and subsequently all of his men, went against him and put a blade in his back, so the Legion wiped the outpost, and supposedly Sverker with it. Loud-mouthed, often clumsy-footed, and a large fan of taunts, Sverker is a welcome addition to the ranks.
Next was the most recent addition from the knights, an old legend who had a hand on the death of Apollyon, in fact, it also happened to be her right hand man, Holden Cross, The Lawbringer. Little explanation is needed to describe Cross, he was long thought dead during Apollyon's raid, he had lived in the woods, killing anyone who crossed him, and using their supplies to get by. However he found himself curious at the sheer diversity of The Arc Legion, after all, a group of knights, Vikings, and samrai, all walking together is not a common sight, so he questioned, and then joined.
The latest samurai addition came in the form of an Aramusha, who has long since forgotten his name, he merely calls himself Tengu now, after some sort of ancient demon he remembered. He joined purely out of neccessity, he was an Aramusha, a disgraced samurai, any chance at kingdomhood available, he pounced on, although eventually he began to follow the same tune of the rest of The Arc Legion, marching against Apollyon's wishes. Tengu wields his dual-blades like a butchers cleaver through a the neck of a hen, destroying all in his path in a flurry of wild swings. Lecherous and perverted in nature, it makes sense why he had fallen from his so-called grace.
Next was the Shinobi, a man who swung his kusarigama as if he had no care of what stood before him, refined and reserved, he makes the perfect stealth unit, however when the time for battle comes, he is more than suitable, he calls himself Yamato nowadays, although he seems to be known by many. Yamato was discovered attempting to assassinate Tengu during a battle, however he was quickly stopped and apprehended, he listened to our arguments against the war patiently, and thus he joined, claiming he was "Sick of his pig boss."
Next, was Blut, a Conqueror wrapped in chain and steel, and an iron will like no other. Blut understood exactly what was wrong with Apollyon's teachings, she was indiscriminate, by their thought, anyone who thought in any way could join, as long as they were a predator, although the likes of Cross begged to oppose her thinking methodology. Blut was among her nay-sayers, he had been for many years. Blut had joined after his surrender on the battlefield, in front of his men no less, and to show his gratitude, he slaughtered his old men, and joined The Arc Legion, who thought the same way he did, Apollyon was a bitch who had to be put in her place, even after death. He was also known to never let go of his steel shield, The word Schnee studded into the steel shield, he claimed it was family to him. A true thinking mind, a lover of psychology, Blut was perhaps the most bizarre member of The Arc Legion.
Next, was The Centurion, who only spoke in a variety of grunts, eerie cackles, and a few rather non-descriptive phrases, we simply called him Etiam. He appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but offered a handshake, which was reciprocated, recieving an "Incredibilis!" from him, ever since he has followed. We don't know where he came from, or what he has done, but he is a monster on the battlefield regardless, the only thing sharper than his blade, was his insults.
Next, was the original two of The Arc Legion, the founders. A Warden, and a Nobushi. Both were captured by Vikings during the aftermath of a battle, they were subsequently brought to the arena to battle. During their time in the bloodpit, they got to understand each other, and worked together to not only escape, but take every warrior who stood in the city, although life didn't get much better outside of their enslavement, shunned for their relations, they both lived together as nomads, slowly building their legion over the last three years, on their own, either was a force to be reckoned with, but together, they were unstoppable. The Warden, Reynauld, was known to be honourable, steadfast, and incredibly trustworthy, a secret was safer with him than inside a vault. The Nobushi, Mae, was known to be hot-headed and incredibly assertive. Reynauld and Mae managed to fall into a lover's relation shortly after they were shunned by all of Ashfeld, their dependance on one another sprouting the flower that was their romance.
We are The Arc Legion
Alone we survive
Together we thrive
Apollyon's will is tainted
Our battle-cry is sacred
/
The battle of Sanctuary Bridge had been raging for hours, the knights attacking the final large-scale samurai city, thankfully the vikings had no bearing in this battle, as they were suffering from dwindling numbers, and battle of this scale would end them quickly, instead they tended to stick to smaller villages to ransack. The samurai had held their bridge well, with the majority of their men intact, and their archers suppressing the incoming onslaught, while the knights foot soldiers were rapidly running dry, only their captains remained at this point, the remained of the foot soldiers had been ordered to retreat and alert The King of this mess of a battle. A Centurion, A Peacekeeper, and A Conqueror, standing against a full set of Samurai captains, and the miasma of foot soldiers ahead of them blocking their path.
/
Reynauld stood a few hundred metres to the bridges left, inspecting the battle, this battle wasn't a fair one, he could tell that. Three captains against near double and a horde of walking distractions, now that was a death sentence.
"How's the battle?" Mae questioned from behind him, a small twinge of annoyance in her voice.
"We may not need to intervene, the knights are outnumbered heavily." I grunted back.
Turning, I saw Mae leaving against her Naginata, her mask up, although the annoyance was practically seeping through the eye slits.
"What's wrong Mae? Tengu get grabby again? I swear..."
"No, he surprisingly hasn't done anything dirty, it's just... I didn't want to see my people like this, in war again, so soon after the last."
This particular samurai tribe had just finished a war a few days ago, their resources were running extremely thin, and their foot soldiers were only so big in number, because the majority of the fallen samurai today were mere children in comparison, some appeared to be before their teens, war truly was brutal.
"You know we can't save them Mae, the best thing to do is put them out of their misery, they won't survive the next winter, even if they win this battle, it's better from a blade than the cold."
Mae sombrely nodded, then turned to walk away, presumably to get the others ready for battle.
This was gonna be one hell of a bloodbath.
/
The knights had managed to remove the foot soldiers from the equation, the remained had fled the blood flurry to defend the gates as a final stand in case their captains failed.
The samurai lined themselves across the bridge, while the knights did the same, a few metres away.
Both sides readied their blades and bludgeons.
Three against five...
Or at least, that's what it was supposed to be.
A puff of black smoke popped up seemingly out of nowhere, accompanied by the shuffling of metal against metal.
Soon the smoke cleared, providing a horrifying sight for both the knights and the samurai.
The Arc Legion had arrived, all decked in black and gold, with blood smeared all over them.
Both sides immediately knew...
They were doomed.
/
"HALT!" Reynauld demanded, blade poised equal to his cheek.
"Cease this needless war, knights, samurai, your people need you."
Neither the knights or the samurai lowered their weapons...
"...Very well." Reynauld mumbled.
The Arc Legion all pounced onto their respective prey, with Reynauld attacking the conqueror.
The conqueror began the battle by attempting a shield charge.
Big mistake.
Reynauld slid to his left, dodging the shield by a hair, while simultaneously swinging his blade into the calf of the unnamed shield-bearer. He grunted in alarm, before turning and swinging his flail towards him to smack Reynauld's right.
Reynauld jolted his blade out to the right at the last second possible, taking the conqueror by surprise, causing the flail's chain to become wrapped on Reynauld's blade. Reynauld quickly jolted his right arm back, while swinging his left fist forward. The conquerors face careens into Reynauld's encapsulated fist, knocking him clean onto the floor, now unarmed. Reynauld quickly stood up, and stabbed his blade into the conquerors neck.
Deceased.
Reynauld sighed, not due to the death, but due to the waste of life, that conqeuror could have lived to see another day, had he not been so keen for war, he likely had family that needed him, now doomed because of his stupidity.
Reynauld observed his partners, their adversaries were had all met a similar fate, a quick death, as painless as it could get.
The one standing out the most was Sverker, who was continuously slashing at a corpse while laughing.
He also happened to notice Etiam poking at the corpse of the Shugoki, clearly expecting more passion for battle and blood for such a lumbering man, with a club of that magnitude, He sullenly mumbled "Incontenens." before sauntering over towards the others.
Reynauld attempted to walk forward, but got caught on something while sheathing his blade.
The flail of the conqueror was still wrapped around the blade...
Perhaps this is a sign.
Reynauld removed the flail from its curious entanglement, and begrudgingly wrapped it around his left leg, as a new backup, secondary weapon, he hadn't used a flail before, but it could save his behind one day.
I began walking towards the samurai city, to alert them of their captains fates.
I grunt to the others, and they all follow, except for one.
Yamato.
He was leaning over a dead body, the Kensei he had killed.
I walked over to Yamato, putting my hand on his shoulder.
"What bothers you, friend?" I ask.
"That... that was my father, the last Kensei of sanctuary. He..." Yamato choked back a sob. "He didn't even recognise me Rey, his own son."
I fall to my knees, and tighten my grip on Yamato.
"He was too far gone, too obsessed with this unneeded bloodshed, to the point he didn't recognise his own son... Yamato, that man isn't your father, he appears to have died long ago, this seems to merely be his husk."
Yamato wraps an arm around me, his mask tugging upwards at the corners where his mouth would be.
"Thank you, my friend... Perhaps, perhaps I can still save mother, in his memory."
"Perhaps, Yamato." I reply.
The Arc Legion walks the gate of Sanctuary, weapons sheathed.
The few remaining foot soldiers sombrely walk back through the gate towards their homes, presuming a raid, to spend their dying moments with their family, they leave the gate open for The Arc Legion.
They wander in, slowly, weary of any ambush lying in wait, but weapons still sheathed.
"We have no reason to stay here, or any other reason to be here... Yamato, do you remember where your mother stayed, if she's even still here?" I ask,
"I... faintly, yes, although it may take time." He replies.
"Make it as quick as you can, but we'll buy you as much time as you need. Legion, we follow Yamato, be vigilant."
/
It took Yamato a long, mundane amount of time, an hour or two, to discover what he seeked, however eventually, we found it. A small, quaint house, in the typical samurai architecture, a small river winding past the house, and a large tree outside, the leaves drooping down, touching the houses roof daintily.
"There... that's the one." Yamato stated, pulling his mask off.
"Are you sure, Yamato?" I question.
"I'm positive." He replied.
I nodded to him, while stating "Legion, wait here, remain vigilant for ambush, I will join Yamato."
They nod, and begin to spread out slightly in defensive stances.
I follow Yamato towards his childhood home.
He gently knocks on the door.
…
The door opens a crack, to reveal one peering, studious turquoise eye, which frowns upon spotting me, but once it hits Yamato, the eye widens.
The door swings open, revealing a woman in her late thirties.
"Yamato!" She exclaimed practically pouncing onto him, wrapping him in a tight embrace.
/
A small amount of time passed, with the mother horrified at the actions Yamato had commit for war over the many years he had been absent, but seemed happy with his presence nonetheless.
"Mother, I want you to come with us, on our journey, for peace." Said Yamato.
His mother was obviously skeptical of this.
I decided to speak for the first time since being invited into her home.
"Miss." I state, my deep voice seeming to rumble throughout the small building. "If you decide to join us, rest assured that we shall keep you safe from every danger out there."
"...Do you promise?"
"On my Arc's oath, you have my word."
She seemed content with my answer, after all, despite my disgraced nature, my families name still remained...
An Arc never goes back on his word. It is resolute.
/
We had left the city of sanctuary, however once we reached the bridge I stopped in my tracks, thinking.
The footsteps behind me stopped as well, however one stopped rather abruptly, rather obviously the mother.
"I have been thinking, Legion." I turn to face the Legion. "Ashfeld, I feel, may be doomed... I think we should relocate, perhaps there is a war in another place that we can actually stop."
The Legion agree with nods quickly.
"To the North is ocean, To the West is ocean, To the south is the knights, but to the east, past Sanctuary... well, there's nothing charted back there, there has to be something, some other kingdom, principality, anything."
They also nod.
Tonight, we head East, until we hit something."
I turn and begin walking once more.
/
We had been walking for hours, hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, and the people appeared less and less, now there was nobody around but themselves.
They hadn't seen another face for a month now.
They had stopped to rest for the night, resting against various trees and rock outcroppings. However Mae and Reynauld took small walk a few metres out from camp, for some long required alone time.
Reynauld removed his helmet, while Mae removed her mask.
He looked over to her, and smiled at the sight.
A pale complexion, with slightly small eyes, containing a pair of pearlescent blue iris, which seemed to match my grey-eyed gaze, a small scar lining from her left ear down her cheek, and arriving at the chin below the left side of her mouth, supple lips enough to taint any man's thoughts. Speaking of which, Reynauld felt like he wanted some of her.
Reynauld pushed her slowly into a nearby tree, kissing her deeply, using his left hand to caress the scar along her cheek.
They would have gone further, except...
"eep!"
Both turned, to see Yamato's mother staring at them, her turquoise eyes seeming rather shocked at the sight... perhaps she wasn't used to seeing a samurai and a knight together in this manner, if any at all.
She quickly turns away.
"Sorry for intruding." She states.
"It's fine, miss." I begrudgingly state, removing my mouth from Mae and smirking at her on the way.
She attempts to continue walking, but I grab her shoulder lightly.
"Miss, I can't keep calling you that, what's your family name?" I question.
She turns to us, still walking off, and states "Valkyrie."
"Miss Valkyrie, then." I state, turning back to Mae.
"Care to continue?" I lustfully jest.
Mae smirks, pouncing me once again.
/
It had been a few more days, the trees, which had been green for the last few months, had become red, although not from the autumn season, every leaf was the same hue of red, as if normality, a truly bizarre sight.
We continued walking until we hit a cliff, extremely steep, however trees and the now strangely red grass was still sprouting from the cliff downwards.
"Something's off about this place." Holden states, looking around rapidly, drawing his halberd in the process. Yamato, Tengu, and Holden encircled Miss Valkyrie, ready to protect.
"I agree, there's something watching us, weapons at the ready, allow me to look around for a bit." I stated.
I looked out towards the horizon of the clearing... there appears to be a huge city, we were too far out to hear the noises of the place.
"Out there, a kingdom, I knew we'd find something out here, Legion, follow."
The Arc Legion walks towards this new, mysterious kingdom, weapons at the ready, but unprepared for the experience set out afore them.
To Be Continued...
So, this was a thing, I've enjoyed writing it, and since I've been playing For Honor lately, I figured... why not?
Also, there are some facts in this chapter you hopefully picked up on which are crucial to the story, and if you can't see them, well, go back and check.