"CHAAAARGE!"
Jaeger wasted no time in raising his sword and sweeping the men behind him into a contagious rage. Soon, his cry was overshadowed by an eruption of anger and righteous fury as the men behind him exploded into battle cries. Only the most jaded veterans and the most fearful recruits failed to join in.
Jaeger leveled his sword at Celtic's army, and the legions behind him spilled forth down the hill in a stampede. Across the field, Celtic's formerly complacent and collected soldiers dropped their composure as they began howling like banshees before charging out on the battlefield, seeking to drench it in Bumblebee blood. Celtic and his three lieutenants looked on as the slaughter commenced.
"My liege, should I rally my men?" Greatness asked. Celtic quickly scanned the battlefield as he formulated his orders.
"Yes. Don't have them engage directly; have them march around, through the forests. Attack from behind and cut off the enemy's escape." Greatness nodded and beckoned for his men to follow as he marched into the forest.
Celtic's remaining two lieutenants stayed, awaiting their orders.
"Celtic, may I try out my new invention?" Maker asked. "Jokey and I spent days preparing it, and I'm eager to see what it can do." Though she tried to conceal it, Maker's voice swelled with childish glee and anticipation. The king grinned, pleased that she too would take part in the bloodshed.
"Do whatever you wish, so long as it brings harm to our enemies." He turned to Nachbar. "Both of you."
Nachbar smirked and crept into the treeline.
Maker finally unpinned her ever-present cloak, watching as it fell to the ground. Underneath, she was a leather vest that stretched down over her stomach and lower back. Beneath the vest she wore a simple cotton tunic and pants, the ends of which were stuffed into her gauntlets and leather boots. She flexed her fingers, admiring the gauntlet she had created and an arrow loaded in it that would soon pierce an unlucky soldier's skull. She beamed at Celtic before tearing off in search of blood.
Austin and Gwydion were too caught up in the heat of battle to notice the blonde menace bolting across the battlefield, nor the mercenary legion creeping through the trees. Gwydion looked around, noting two of his allies had vanished.
"Nitesco and Quixotic have disappeared."
Austin sighed. "I think that was inevitable." He paused. "What exactly is Jaeger's plan?"
Gwydion shrugged. "Don't look at me. You're the one who's supposed to have the bright ideas."
Austin crouched behind a rock; Gwydion followed suit just as an arrow flew over his head.
"Speaking of ideas," Gwydion said, "do you have any? Now would be a good time."
Austin growled in frustration. "I don't know why Jaeger is being so reckless. We're outnumbered three to one, but right now we have the higher ground, so we can keep up the offensive. If Renora lends their help, we'll be able to survive this battle, but that's the only way. Unless we left now…"
Gwydion suddenly shook him out of his stupor. With a horrified expression on his face, Gwydion pointed to the soldiers streaming out from the trees, intent on pulverizing them from behind. Austin followed Gwydion's gaze, and seeing their hope of escape dashed, began looking around frantically for another route.
"Austin! What do we do now?" Gwydion's voice rose in panic and fear of what seemed to be their imminent death. Austin merely stood and drew his sword.
"We fight. I'll figure something out." He smiled, masking his fear with an expression of certainty and hoping it would calm his colleague long enough for him to regain his focus. They looked over the edge of the hill they were on, watching as the mercenaries of the infamous 942nd Cavaliers tore through the Bumblebee soldiers like rotted parchment. A few broke through the lines and started making their way towards the pair's position.
The two charged forward, wildly swinging in front of them and forcing the mercenaries down the hill. As a platoon of Bumblebee soldiers marched behind them and came to their aid, the leader of the legion stepped down from his horse and readied his greatsword.
"Aha! More lambs to the slaughter." He angled his blade at Austin, scrutinizing him.
"I've not met you-" He quickly turned to Gwydion, looking him up and down through the thin slits in his helmet. "But you. You seem familiar."
"If I recall correctly, I took you down like a little bitch during the siege of Bumblebee." He hissed tauntingly at the behemoth of a man, hoping to provoke him to anger. Greatness merely grunted and leaned closer, scrutinizing Gwydion further.
"No, it wasn't just that. Something more. Something… before that." Greatness suddenly snapped himself out of his own stupor and readied his sword.
"Not that it matters. I'll figure out who you are once you're dead." Greatness lunged forward, his weapon swinging around like a steel whirlwind and knocking his enemies aside. Austin was brutally struck aside, while Gwydion pressed the assault.
He was surprised by how quick Greatness' weapon was, despite its weight and power. The commander swung it into the ground, knocking Gwydion's sword to the ground before pinning Gwydion against a rock with the long hilt.
"Cut me…break my bones…sure. But no one, no one disrespects my swords!"
Gwydion felt his anger rise from deep within him as he raised his foot. He brought it down as hard as he could into the side of Greatness' knee, chuckling as Greatness' weight forced him to the ground. The blacksmith dove for his sword, grabbed it and stood up as Austin recovered from his beating. Both leveled their swords at him.
"Give up, you crazy fool!" Austin shouted as he took a step towards the fallen giant, who only laughed.
"But I have the upper hand."
Greatness reached behind him, unbuckling a crossbow and leveling it at the veteran, who instinctively took a step back. Greatness merely smirked and pulled the trigger. The arrow flew through the air and skimmed Austin's hand before skimming his jawbone and continuing onward. He reeled back, pressing his free hand on the wound as Greatness charged Gwydion, forcing him back. "Austin!" He cried out, hoping he would come to his aid. Austin, despite his intense bleeding, managed to blindly swing at Greatness, which unbalanced him long enough for Austin to find an escape route.
"Gwydion! Follow me!" He turned and sprinted down the side of the hill, through the writhing masses of clashing warriors, trying his hardest not to be hit or drawn into a skirmish. Gwydion, after casting one last glance behind him, followed Austin as he made a path through the battle.
The other pair fared just as poorly.
Quixotic had known it would be difficult. He had brought his lucky dagger along, the one with his initials engraved into the hilt, but he'd failed to realize how many men Celtic actually commanded. He'd thought Renora would leap at the chance to destroy Celtic, but so far, no aid had come.
And now he was surrounded and outnumbered. He'd known it would be difficult, but this was ridiculous.
Another soldier lunged at him, but Quixotic swiftly sidestepped it and punctured the attacker's abdomen, watching as he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. General Jaeger was busy as well, fending off the remaining soldiers attacking him. He didn't even need to kill them, one slice from his serrated sword was all he needed to push them back.
Nitesco tried to fend off Celtic's men using nonlethal methods, but ended up on the defensive as one of the soldiers charged him ruthlessly. Quixotic, seeing this, lunged at the man and stuck his dagger through his neck. He watched as the blood sprayed from the wound as he pulled his blade out and let the body hit the ground.
"Jaeger!" He screamed, angry. "Give the order to retreat! Renora has abandoned us, and we're getting slaughtered!"
"Not yet!" The general whirled around and beheaded an unfortunate Arkos recruit, who had been sprinting away from a group of Bumblebee soldiers. "We can still turn this around!"
"I don't think so!"
A curiously armed woman descended upon them, leaping gracefully over the corpses that now decorated the area before she stopped and whirled around.
"Greetings, Jaeger and company!" She sounded positively giddy, in a slightly disturbing way. "I am so glad to finally have the chance to meet you after all these years." Saying this, she gave a mocking bow. "Tell me Jaeger, do you remember me?" She reached her hand out, as if she was going to pry the answer from out of his mind.
"You…"
She cut him off, gesturing theatrically as she did so. "I am Octavia Breath, but you may know me better as Maker. I was King Knight's personal physician, before your uncle assassinated him, imprisoned me and killed his wife shortly afterwards, that is." She laughed maniacally.
"You may not have the Vespula name, but you carry their blood through your mother. The Vespula are a stain on the Subreddit, an example of the corruption that we must cleanse through chaos. You and all those who stand with you, must be wiped from the face of the Earth. To the two of you, I offer you a chance to leave."
The trio merely readied their blades in response.
"So be it." She charged, her strange gauntlets whirring and clicking as four blades protruded from either side of her wrists, two from each gauntlet. Nitesco charged her, only for her to raise her palm at him and, with a flick of her middle finger, fire an arrow from a mechanism on the underside of her arm. He barely dodged the arrow and watched as it flew past him and struck Jaeger square in the shoulder.
Quixotic ran at her, madly swinging in an effort to put her on the defensive. Instead of backing up like he had hoped, she leaned into the strikes, blocking his hits with her surprisingly durable wrist-blades. Maker pushed him, unbalancing him and causing him to fall before barreling towards Jaeger. She flew into a rage, stabbing and swinging at him, but being blocked every time. Nitesco body-checked her, but she quickly regained her footing and fired her other arrow at him. This time, the arrow connected, piercing his hip and sending him to the ground.
Quixotic and Jaeger attacked in unison. Maker parried her two attackers with her two hands, frowning slightly after seeing the distinctive marks Jaeger's sword made on her weapon. The alchemist leaped backwards and unbuckled a small sphere from her belt. Nitesco instantly knew what it was.
"Don't breathe!" He cried, and shielded his face.
The blast was not of poison gas, however, but of shrapnel. Bits of metal flew into Quixotic's arm and back as he turned to shield his vulnerable torso. Maker took the opportunity to ready her blades and swoop in for the kill.
Maker advanced towards the injured Jaeger and Quixotic, but failed to see Nitesco stirring behind her. He picked up his sword and as silently as he could, prepared to kill Maker. Unfortunately for him, she took notice and parried the strike, sending him to the ground. Quixotic and Jaeger saw the opening and began attacking ruthlessly, beating her back. She fell to the ground and desperately fumbled with another grenade on her belt. Jaeger angled his sword at her, preparing to finish her off, when she pulled the pin.
Poison gas exploded, filling the air with a sickly green cloud. This was unlike the gas used during the siege of Bumblebee, which had a light orange tint to it; this was clearly meant only to kill. Maker shielded her face with her elbow before fleeing down the side of the hill into the open field.
The trio stumbled backwards, trying desperately to escape the deadly cloud. They ran up the side of another hill, away from the poison and into the trees. From across the battlefield, an especially loud voice rang out: "Retreat! Retreat!" Nitesco leaned against a tree and listened.
"Is that Austin?"
His attention was quickly taken by a squad of Night's Watch soldiers coming over the edge of the hill and plowing through the forest, making a beeline for the trio. In their weakened state, they could not handle all of them.
"Run!" Jaeger screamed, and tore off into the wilderness as fast as he was able. Quixotic followed him, but Nitesco broke off and ran in a different direction, hoping to draw his pursuers away from the general. His plan succeeded, and half of the squad detached and began chasing after him.
Nitesco ducked behind a tree and slid down a wide, mud-covered ridge. He reached the bottom and landed in a small brook, listening as his followers discussed what to do.
"Bart, you stay here in case he doubles back. Brown, you search over there. I'll search over here." Nitesco heard the sounds of footsteps trudging through the forest grass away from him, and began running through the forest again.
The sound of running caught the attention of the soldier left behind, who, upon seeing Nitesco, gave chase. Nitesco sprinted as fast as he could, but tripped over a rock and faceplanted.
"Not again…" He mumbled to himself. The soldier chasing him, apparently named Bart, leaned over Nitesco's motionless form. He chuckled, and raised his axe to finish him off.
Nitesco reached for his sword and brought it around, into Bart's side. Bart collapsed to the ground, wheezing for breath. Nitesco gripped the sword and readied it, preparing to end his attacker's life.
"Please…" His eyes pleaded for mercy.
Nitesco brought his sword down, down into Bart's chest, listening to the violent crack of shattering bones and seeing the gush of blood as it spilled out of his chest. As Nitesco wrenched the blade from Bart's ribcage, the magnitude of what he'd just done washed over him.
I just killed a man.
He staggered as his adrenaline-addled mind made the connection.
I just…
He kneeled on the forest ground and vomited. He'd killed a man, without cause. The man had been on the ground, injured, bleeding, and begging for mercy. Even during the battle, he'd held back. He didn't kill anyone. Until now.
He'd chosen to kill Bart. He'd chosen to take that life.
Deeply disturbed by what had just unfolded, Nitesco dazedly picked himself up. He sheathed his now-bloodied sword and numbly made his way to the other side of the forest, hoping that Quixotic or Jaeger would be there.
Unfortunately for him, Quixotic and Jaeger had their own problems.
The pair, despite their shrapnel wounds, managed to escape their pursuers. Even after they were certain the soldiers were out of visible range, they continued sprinting until they found a clearing at the top of a hill, a vantage point that would allow them to see if the soldiers still followed them.
Jaeger, out of breath, laughed triumphantly. "Oh dear, we certainly gave them the slip!" He continued laughing as Quixotic breathed heavily. Quixotic silently drew his blade. His mission could be ended here.
Jaeger turned around and saw Quixotic, who was holding his blade menacingly. The general's celebratory expression faded, and one of bitter realization replaced it.
"Quixotic," He asked angrily, "What is this?"
Quixotic leveled his blade at Jaeger. "I know what you did. I know what you desire. You need to be eliminated."
Jaeger's hand clasped the hilt of his sword. "Quixotic. Don't do this."
The agent sighed. "It's too late for that."
"So it seems."
Jaeger lunged forward, swiping madly at the traitor, who barely managed to raise his dagger to defend himself. Sparks flew as the general's serrated sword clashed against Quixotic's blade, leaving scuff marks wherever he made contact. Jaeger stepped back, spun around and swiftly knocked Quixotic's blade from his hand with a sweeping blow. Quixotic rolled away from Jaeger, who stumbled blindly in his direction.
"I knew something was off about you! I should have killed you long ago!" He folded his sword against his chest, readying for a final thrust.
Quixotic leapt over to his dagger, and in one final, desperate move, threw it at Jaeger.
It connected, striking him in the chest, just to the left of his heart. Jaeger pried the blade from his body and threw it into the bushes before beginning to advance towards Quixotic again.
Instead of walking, however, the warrior collapsed to the ground and began coughing blood. He rolled ungracefully onto his side, facing Quixotic.
"I knew you were a traitor. I knew you didn't truly serve us." Quixotic knelt next to him and placed a hand on Jaeger's sword.
"You can't deceive me, Kuchen," he said. "I know you worked for Celtic."
The warrior laughed darkly.
"Then you're a patsy, boy. A flunky. You've been manipulated, and so have I. I never worked for Celtic. Never. Even the thought of it nauseates me." He spat up more blood and continued speaking.
"You've been played, boy. But I suppose you'll find that out for yourself, soon enough."
His eyes rolled back into his head, and he expired.
Quixotic stood up and sighed.
"Whatever awaits you on the other side, Jaeger, I'm sure you deserve it."
He sheathed the general's sword and began making his way out of the forest.
From out of the woods behind Quixotic, a cloaked figure emerged. He walked over to Jaeger's body and examined it, verifying the leader's death. He made his way over to the bush where Jaeger threw the dagger, and after shuffling through the foliage for a few seconds, found it.
He examined the blade. It was scuffed from Jaeger's sword, and it bore Quixotic's initials on the hilt. Nachbar smiled.
"Ah, my pupil, you have done well."
He shoved the dagger into his cloak and disappeared into the night.
