Kaladin smelled blood and smoke, and he could only hear the cries of the dead; his hand was wrapped around the cloth-bound hilt of his short sword. The once clean blade was now coated in dark red blood, and the dark green shield now bore new scars. It was about midday, three hours since the beginning of the battle, three hours after the death of his entire squadron. The faces of his comrades floated up before him; Seraph, Schuler, Tereth-before the sight of an Alvarez soldier broke his thinking. The man wielded a sword, and was holding it low for a swing attack. How had he not seen him, and he was even right in front of him! The Alvarez soldier swung, before he was taken down by Rei.
The man had come out of nowhere, the emerald blade of his spear flashing to parry the sword, before being impaled inside the chest of the soldier. The dark haired man turned towards Kaladin, the hint of a small smirk appearing on his lips as he caught the swordsman's eyes. "Thinking of something Kal?" He moved the spear back and blocked a swing from a swordsman, quickly sweeping around and taking him down. He seemed like a wind; gentle and calm, before turning into a raging tempest. The green-eyed man seemed to be fairly proficient in battle, truly bearing the title of "specialist". The man turned back to Kaladin, before being attacked by three soldiers.
Three arrows flew past Kaladin's head, black feathered arrows with black fletching; Zeria. He half-turned to regard the black-haired women, her fair face calm and collected. She was another specialist, and seemed to smoothly work together with Rei. She was dressed in black leather armor, with a grey sleeveless coat that ended just below her waist. Her black quiver hung on her right hip, and her black wooden longbow was held high, another arrow being nocked to take down another soldier. He had only learned her name when Rei had called her out when they had managed to find a few minutes of peace. From what he could gather, she was a rather professional individual, one who took her job seriously. He didn't have enough time to inquire about her specific job before they had gotten into the fray once more.
"...No, I'm not." The swordsman replied, turning around to parry a swing and quickly counterattacking. The man in front of him was armed with a longsword, and the two exchanged blades for a good fifteen seconds. Then, when the man's blade rang off of the shield, Kaladin dove forward, blade sliding through the leather and entering his stomach. While shock captured the man, he withdrew the blade and slashed again, a long cut appearing on the man's side. Kaladin stepped back, drawing even with the line of their forces.
He and his new squad was now near the frontline of the right flank, the one to the east. West of them, he could see rockets going off. That would be one of the Spriggan 12…'Stay away from the Spriggan 12. Let the mages deal with them; focus on their normal troops and maybe the captains.' The words of Ragnos Vista rang back to him. They were only the Fiore military; non-magical troops, and they were fighting against the Alvarez Empire, whose military had both magical and non-magical soldiers. Taking one last look to the west, he shook his head and pushed his way to the front line once more.
The fighting went on for another hour, with him and Rei leading the charge, Zeria in the back firing her arrows into the melee. The other fourteen men and women fought near them; Lang, who wielded a massive warhammer. The redheaded "tank" was backed up by the lithe Tika; who wielded daggers and fluidly moved from man to man as her partner took their attention. There was Rowan, a sword and shield soldier like himself, who fought alongside his brother, Bowen, who wielded a spear and shield. Both men had brown hair and dark skin, clad in clothes that seemed to be from the eastern deserts. Of the others, he had not known their names, but he vowed he would. They were apparently his new squad, and he was their leader.
Soon enough, they reached their objective. The commander of their battalion had ordered them to find the captain of this flank; one of the Spriggan 12's lieutenants. They wouldn't be as powerful as any of the Spriggan twelve, but they still posed a distinct threat to the Fiore army. And there he was...or well, it.
Kaladin had never seen something like this; it was humanoid, but it definitely wasn't human. It was covered with bronze plate armor, everything seeming to mold together like skin. It's head was odd; a mesh of polygons that formed together to form a triangle, with three red glowing spots that seemed to be eyes. Instead of arms, it had blades, and it cut down everything that strayed into it's path. Though one man did stand against it, managing to stay alive against the whirling blades.
He had brown hair, long yet neat. He was dressed in black leather armor and a long navy blue trenchcoat, seemingly unaware of it as it didn't hinder the man's movements. His skin was neither fair nor dark, but a tanned olive color. In his hands was a single blade; one-edged, with a slightly blue sheen to it. The hilt was wrapped in the same color or his coat, and if that wasn't odd enough, instead of a traditional hilt, it was the head of a red rose, the dark red contrasting against everything else about the man. He moved like a storm, his single blade matching the movements of the machine; he must have been the one that was sent to aid them. Kaladin turned towards Rei and grinned a bit, before the man shook his head.
"I'm better at fighting on the lines, not in a one on one duel. Zeria will support you though." The man shrugged and darted forward, quickly engaging another enemy. Zeria turned towards Kaladin and shrugged a bit, nocking another arrow. The swordsman groaned, before darting forward.
The knight-like swordsman glanced towards Kaladin, quickly taking a step and letting Kaladin join him. The robot had paused as well, and now looked at the two soldiers, seeming to think.
"Galad Asteri, you are?" The man shifted his stance, keeping the blade low and to his side as he watched their opponent.
"Kaladin, good to meet you." He shifted his grip on both his sword and shield. their opponent had yet to do anything, though he thought he heard the rotation of gears.
"Well Kaladin, seems like you'll be helping me to take on this piece of shit." The man chuckled softly, before darting forward, blade clashing off of one of the swords. The man seemed to take this too lightly, as if this fight wasn't troubling for him. Sighing to himself, Kaladin moved forward, beginning to engage the machine as well.
Galad moved like a storm; filled with energy and rage, but with a kind of grace at the same time. Each slash was precise, and he seemed to be at a fairly high level as well. The machine and the man went back, though while it seemed like both were evenly matched, Kaladin knew that Galad was better. Nonetheless, he engaged as well, catching a blade on his shield and swiping at the robot's legs. Confronted with this new threat, the machine let the blade clang off of it's metallic leg, quickly jumping back to assess the two men.
Then, the battlefield seemed to grow quiet, the clicking of gears the only distinct noise. Then, the singular blades for arms switched out, changing into a double-bladed sword. Kaladin's eyes widened with both fascination and fear; the two of them were going to be taking this monster on? Galad seemed especially excited now, already taking a few steps forward. "Shouldn't be that much of a problem right?" He laughed softly as he darted forward, blade seeming to glow in the bright sunlight.
How many times has he marched off to war, how many times has he jumped into the middle of battle? When they had gotten the orders to face this insurmountable empire, he had felt his soul drop. But, he was a soldier, and he had to protect those he had sworn to serve. Though when he looked at Galad, he saw a man who knew how to fight. When he saw Galad, he saw a knight who was willingly throwing himself in to die, his fighting style reflected that. He held nothing back; every slash, strike, and move was meant to try and kill the enemy in a single blow. How could he be like this man? The man who left nothing behind, who didn't seem to care for his life. With a soft cry echoing from his lips, Kaladin ran forward, catching one of the blades with his shield, and another with his own. He would fight on this field, and he would help this reckless knight.
The clash of blades rang out across the field, sparks emitting from the blades. Kaladin didn't know how long they fought, but all he knew was that his shield was shattered, and he had gotten a small wound on his side, but the enemy had been defeated. The machine lay on the ground, blades covering the dirt and grass, oil and springs and gears littering their dueling space. Apparently both armies had made space for the trio, which had been nice. Kaladin didn't want to deal with others during the duel. He looked over at Galad, a slight laugh leaving him.
The man seemed to be unscathed, despite the few tears in his jacket here and there. The man's blade still shone with an almost holy light, he'd have to ask him about that later. Moving a hand, the man wiped some of his hair back into place, before turning to Kaladin and frowning at the wound. "Well, you'll need to get that checked out." He sheathed his sword and turned away, heading farther west, towards the far right flank. "Take care of yourself, I have a feeling this won't be the end of our war." Within moments, the man had disappeared, almost as fast as he had shown up.
Kaladin had wanted to stop the man, had wanted to ask him how to fight like him. Though, something held him back, he had a feeling that if he tried to imitate Galad, things wouldn't end up so well for him. They were two different warriors; one a storm, and the other a rushing wind. He'd stick to the sword and shield, not the acrobatic fighting style of Galad.
A slight grin tugged at his lips, though it quickly faded as he turned to watch the ongoing battle. Yes...their war wasn't going to end soon. The Alvarez Empire was the most militarily advanced empire they had ever seen, with the magic power to back it up. However, they weren't going down without a fight. They would fight back, they had to. 'Let the mages deal with Zeref and the Spriggan 12. We're just here to fight against their infantry, to fight a normal war.' Ragnos Vista; the image of a strong man clad in gleaming plate mail with a sword strapped to his back popped into his mind. While Lord Darton was the Minister of Defense, Vista was the Commander of the Army, the one responsible for leading.
Kaladin let a sigh leave him, trotting forward to join the line once more. This was their land, their fight as well. Fairy Tail and the other guilds wouldn't fight alone, the Fiore Military and the Magic Council Security Forces stood with them. With that thought in his mind, and his sword raised high, Kaladin rejoined with Rei, and went once more into battle.