Chapter 10: Stalemate
"I see them! Our reinforcements have arrived!" A Cross Lieutenant yelled at the first watch.
"Excellent, let's pummel those bastards and go home." Alan smiled.
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"Lord Halloween, allied troops have arrived from Estil."
"Thank you, Commander. Now, it's only a matter of time before I get to fry them all!"
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"Tomorrow, the day of judgement shall come." Alviss mumbled as he started toward the enemy encampment.
"Yeah." Dorothy spoke, staring out there with him.
The two were the only ones at watch after Alan roared in each of their tents and forced them up. Dorothy was barely awake, but, for some reason, she didn't feel that tired with him around.
"Will we be ready for it?" He turned to her, with concern in his eyes.
"Al... Don't worry about me. You should watch your own back. I'll be fine. If anything, I'll be watching yours."
"Then I'd better care for you as well in the battlefield. Neither of us can die tomorrow... Or in any battle, for that matter."
"Al..." She was struck speechless. "Don't act like I can't defend myself, jerk!" She snarled at him. She tried her best to make it sound as harsh as possible. After all, she had to test him.
"Oh, I'm sure you can give Pinnochio or Candice a sound beating again... But I'm worried that Halloween will go after you, or they'll team up on you. After all, you're quite strong, and they'd want to get rid of you as soon as possible. Don't underestimate them, Dorothy." Alviss spoke with equal firmness.
Dorothy felt annoyed at his 'knight in shining armor' routine. Yet, somehow, she couldn't really get mad at him for it. It confused her, really. If Nanashi were to tell her that he'd make sure that she wouldn't get hurt, she'd whack him with her broom and say that he was sexist. But Alviss, well, Alviss seemed to be a different story.
The two continued to stare out at the enemy camp. "You know, Al, you've been a great friend and comrade. I'm sure that this fight wouldn't be half as successful if you weren't around." Dorothy spoke after a long pause.
"Same to you. You help inspire many of us to keep fighting. Your passion for taking out those Chess is much greater than many of our comrades... Your strength can hardly be matched by any single opponent either. After all, you're the one who took down Chimera. I'm sure that any one of us now would still be having an extremely tough time against her." Alviss replied with a smile.
"He smiled..." Dorothy was stunned.
"But, anyway, we can't afford any distractions. As Gaira would put it, if we let ourselves lose our concentration, we will lose the battle. Once the sun rises, the call to arms will begin. We shall destroy the enemy, and nothing can stand in our way!" Alviss clenched his fists with rage as he thought of the countless citizens of Mar Heaven who fell before the Chess. Dorothy looked at him with worry: Passion was a good thing, but wield it unwisely and it may lead to your demise. She was afraid that Alviss would get too enraged and not think straight, and, in battle, that could cost him his life.
Standing together under the setting moon, the two warriors of the Cross Guard looked at the near future with both hope and fear. They hoped for victory, and were eager to fight side by side, yet, they were also fearful... They were afraid of death or of defeat, for they could afford neither in these circumstances. Dorothy grabbed Alviss's hand: "Don't be stupid like you usually are, Al... Don't get yourself killed!"
"Same to you." Alviss scoffed as he headed towards the Cross campground. It was someone else's watch duty now.
The Caldean shook her head: "Broke your stupid ego, didn't I?" She sighed and waited for their replacement shift to arrive.
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The day had finally arrived, both armies were arranged in their respective formations, and the animals of the area seemed to hold their breaths in anticipation for the coming storm. Standing at the head of his army, Halloween yelled: "Cowards of Lestava and Luberia, come face us Chess Pieces like real men!"
"Don't let yourself get angry, people! We can't let their taunts affect us!" Alviss shouted at the Cross lines.
"Ekiar, lead our primary strike force at the Luberian formation." Halloween ordered.
A Chess Piece wearing a long black cloak lept from the Chess lines, he was immediately followed by about thirty people.
"That's a Bishop... The earing is golden... Ah, that's not good news." Gaira stroked his chin with his hand.
"What do you mean, Gaira?" Nanashi and Jack were confused.
"Those scum... Back in the First War Game, they'd separate Bishops into three different levels. Gold Bishops were the highest class. Many Gold Bishops had the power of Knights, but were kept as Bishops to either be leaders or to motivate them to be even stronger. Silver Bishops were the typical Chess Lieutenants. They normally were quite strong, but not enough to be like Knights. Bronze Bishops tended to be weaker than the other levels, and were mainly there to maintain order between the high and low ranks. Some of their assignments were based on tenure, or on meritorious service rather than actual strength." Alan explained.
"If that's the case, why should be worried? At worst, Ekiar's as strong as a Knight. So what?" Jack asked.
"So what? Fool, it means that they have enough resources and strength to make such distinctions between their troops. They're planning something, and I bet that Halloween's training Ekiar and whoever else happens to be a Gold Bishop. They've got enough troops to divide and work on them, and that means that we'll be fighting with more enemies than we thought. If we stay naive and stupid, we'll die, get it?" Alviss glared at Jack.
"Seriously, stop being so impatient with that monkey. He is a pain, but he does have his perks every once in a while." Dorothy offered.
"..." Jack was struck speechless.
Galian, Sophie, and Charley were marching with the other Luberians. The moment Ekiar was in range, Charley ran towards him. "You wanna mess with us, punk?! Come take me on!" He challenged.
"You're too weak for me." Ekiar laughed. "Sophie, of Luberia, I challenge you to a duel here and now!"
"Don't ignore me, jack-arse! Come and face me like a real man! What kind of man challenges a girl to battle? If anything, it's the other way around!"
"Fine, if you want to die, go ahead and face me in combat, fool." Ekiar smirked.
The two warriors prepared their duel, while their subordinates watched intently. Both Sophie and Galian were curious as to what a Chess Bishop was capable of.
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"Weapon Arm: Vulcan's Hammer!" Charley began by activating his giant hammer.
"Weapon Arm: Thirsty Sickle!" Ekiar yelled. A huge Sickle appeared in his hand, it was so large that it looked like a scythe without a handle.
After exchanging a few blows, Ekiar managed to stab Charley in the arm. The thief yelled as he began to feel much weaker.
"Thirsty Sickle drains the blood from opponents, but unlike Peta's Arms, it can't use that blood for anything... This weapon is merely a sickle that deals major damage in the form of sucking your blood dry! You've embraced death by challenging me, so I hope that you realize that you're completely powerless against me!" Ekiar laughed.
"I'm not going to lose this one. Weapon Arm: Bee Darts!"
The swarm of Darts hit Ekiar square in the chest, and Ekiar was forced to let go of his sickle. Charley pulled it out, lept back, and used the Holy Arm Healing Angel on himself.
"A cheap Holy Arm like that won't do much for you..."
"But at least it helps give me some more strength to help pummel you!"
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Ekiar's attack on the Luberian lines became the signal for the Cross Guard to retaliate. Alan and Alviss led the assault, with their comrades close behind. The Thirteen Totem Poles proved to be an effective method for either stabbing Chess Pieces or sending them into the sky for Flying Leo to consume.
By separating Thirteen Totem Poles and having them smash themselves into the advancing Chess Formation, Alviss was able to create enough of a comotion for Nanashi's Electric Eye to take effect. Because these Chess Pieces had their metal spears, swords, and armor everywhere, Electric Eye was able to channel through these objects and fry the Chess army. A good twenty percent of the Chess troops were killed off this way.
Dorothy and Rolan faced off in the air, while Nanashi found himself battling Alibaba. Gaira found the opportunity to hold Weasel off, letting Alviss take his place as infantry killer. And, of course, Alan spent his time blasting Halloween with his Air Hammer.
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With a flying kick, Ekiar was able to hit Charley square on the chest and knock the Thirsty Sickle from his hand. "You are weak, and you call yourself a warrior? Heh, maybe I won't need to use my Guardian Arm after all. Nature Arm: Thunderclap!" Lightning flew from hands and gathered itself into a ball that hovered over the battlefield. The ball of lightning proceeded to fire small bolts that tried to pound Charley, but the theif used Clay Cloud, and was able to protect himself from the attack.
Charley took out an Arm from his pocket, and gasped: "It's a blessing that I was able to convince my troops to give me this Arm from the convoy. Guardian Arm: Raging Bull!"
A large bull burst out from a bracelet on Charley's left arm and charged at Ekiar. "You fool! Guardian A... Ahh!" Ekiar yelled aloud as he began to feel intense pain. The Bishop collapsed on the ground in a heap. "I... It hurts... I can barely move..."
Charley laughed: "That's the poison from Bee Darts kicking in. Raging Bull, crush him!"
And Ekiar could only watch as the Bull charged towards him, and promptly ran him over... (1.)
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Galian drew the Hiraiken: "Hey, Chess lunatics, surrender or you'll regret it!" He threatened.
The Chess replied by mobbing both him and Sophie, and as the Luberians tried to fight off these attackers, Ekiar was dragged back to the Chess base.
With Electric Feather and a series of blasts from the Sonic Blade, the Chess army was finally pushed back. Taking a light breather, Galian and his comrades continued to advance the Luberian lines, hoping that their Cross Guard allies had similar good fortune.
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Life wasn't so good for the Chess fighting the Cross on the ground. When Weasel, being pelted by Frost Storms and having Yggdrasil destroyed by Charybdis, was forced to retreat, Charybdis was redirected at the Chess lines. With both Alviss and Gaira making a combined attack on them, the Chess were forced to undergo a mass retreat from that particular front.
Rolan continued to ensure that Chess airspace would not fall to the Cross. Using his Elle d'Angel Arm, he continued to stay in the air, and Dorothy did whatever she could with her wind manipulation tactics to knock him out of the sky.
As the victorious Cross troops watched with anticipation, Dorothy and Rolan exchanged blows. Cockatrice and Flying Leo continued to bite and peck at each other, but Dorothy would order her Guardian to retreat when the demented bird would attempt to petrify it. (2.)
Rolan smiled as he activated Stone Cube. "You and Alviss aren't that different, you know? You're both often too serious for your own good, and your stubborness tends to get you hurt, just like him. Lighten up more and you'll effectiveness in battle will improve." Rolan ordered his Stone Cubes to cluster around Dorothy and explode, just like what he did to Alviss, but Dorothy was well prepared for him.
She quickly darted out of the way, forcing the cubes to cluster and seperate again as they tried to chase her. "That's a lie! You can't try to trick me with fake kindness." She yelled.
"They're made of stone, so if I strike them with enough speed and force, they'll shatter." She thought. "Nature Arm: Broom of Zephryus!" The wind behind the broom began to boom with intense force, and the Stone Cubes began to fall into pieces.
"Good, good, this will be even more fun!" Rolan laughed.
"Bring it on, blondie!" Dorothy snarled. (3.)
Rolan activated Rapier Whip, and tried to snag Dorothy with it, but Dorothy, being one of the fastest Cross Guards around, was easily able to dodge him. Using various sonic booms and blasts of wind, she tried to keep him away from her while slowly increasing her magical energy.
The land based Chess were able to regroup about six miles east of Castle Pilava. Halloween ordered his troops to make a stand. He, Candice, and the other high-ranking knights were also wishing for Rolan's safe retreat.
The Knight sacrificed a few feathers from Elle d'Angel in the form of darts that flew at Dorothy, but the witch laughed and, using the Broom of Zephryus, blew the darts back at Rolan.
Rolan's eyes widened, realizing his blunder, but it was quite late for that. The wind and the darts stabbed into Rolan's body, making him wince and squeal. The combined blasts were also successful in damaging his wings, forcing Rolan to dip lower and lower. "Looks like I have to go... It was fun, Dorothy, but it looks like I won't be able to play any longer." Rolan laughed half-heartedly as he glided away as fast as he could.
Dorothy, knowing that pursuing Rolan would only put herself in danger, decided to land back where her comrades were.
The moment she landed, Jack came running towards her, praising her skill in battle. Nanashi, too, threw a bunch of random compliments at her, earning an annoyed roll of the eyes from her.
Alviss and Gaira had used a lot of their magical energy to force the enemy to retreat, so both of them were actually quite tired. Halloween, realizing that the situation seemed much more dire than he thought, decided to force his troops to train. Weasel would send them all into the training gate for a few days, and, once again, Halloween negotiated another cease fire with Alan.
Only a day had passed, and, yet, there were still quite a few Cross casualties, totaling about 1100. The Luberians lost a quarter of what was left of their forces, which totaled to 540 soldiers. (4.)
As the Cross Guards were healing each other and resting again, Alviss came up with an idea. "Everyone!" He yelled to the others, gathering them around.
"Our attempts to take out the Chess Pieces have been in vain so far, but the fact that they sent so many troops here means that they're trying to expand. If they're expanding, that would also mean that their headquarters is not as heavily guarded.
"Now, this might seem really scary, but listen, we have to find some way to defeat the Chess quickly, right? Well, I have a plan: Reginelif has been implanted into all of our Andartas, as has this place and Lestava. If we utilize all of our Andartas, we can bring up to 2500 soldiers with us, considering the fact that we're much stronger than we were last year. Now, I say that one of us, probably Alan, should use his Andarta to fetch Magical Roe and return here. Afterwards, the Chess will probably want to fight us, so we'll have to beat them off and earn ourselves another ceasefire. Once we succeed in doing that, we'll have to go through the training gate and get ourselves pumped up...
"Once that's settled, we'll activate all of our Andartas and have them take us to the doors of Reginleif's main room, its throne room. That room happens to be quite large, and I'm sure that securing it would be of dire importance. Using the throne room as our base, we can repel the Chess and eventually break through the halls to reach the flagpole and raise our colors. If we succeed, the Chess Pieces will find that their capital is in our hands (or, at least, appears to be) and their morale will plummet. Our troops can thus chase their forces and reclaim large amounts of territory. Worst comes to worst, Andarta doesn't take much magical power, and we can retreat if necessary." Alviss offered.
"You're making a gamble, Alviss... A big one..." Gaira warned.
"I made one before, and won, didn't I?" Alviss smirked.
Gaira instantly shut up. Dorothy, Nanashi, Galian, and Alan exchanged glances, and seeing that no one was in disagreement, Dorothy spoke: "Then let's do this!"
Alan succeeded in fetching Magical Roe, but, to everyone's relief, the Chess did not want to continue the battle. They made the excuse that they were trying to rest, but, in reality, Weasel was having all of the major Chess Pieces enter his Training Gate.
Gaira had the rest of the heroes of Mar Heaven enter his Training Gate as well, claiming that, as an old man, there was little time for him to improve, but the others could easily improve dramatically.
For three days and three nights, the Cross Guards and Chess Pieces had their heroes train in the Training Gates. Eventually, the Chess Pieces officers emerged with more confidence, while the Cross Guards (Mar Alliance, to be more technical) also emerged, but they had determination. Standing together, Alan had 1800 Cross Guards and 200 of the finest Luberian Thieves huddle together, and, activating all of their Andartas at once, our heroes warped to Reginleif!
Their greatest challenge was about to begin!...
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1. :) You probably can tell that I have a weird sense of humor.
2. The Cockatrice is a demented freak of nature. Enough said.
3. Even in Mar Heaven, people make fun of blondes. Why do you think that Nanashi gets ridiculed by Belle so much?
4. The Luberians are getting picked off like flies, aren't they? Well, that just goes to show the extent of the damage Peta gave them.
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ATTENTION: Because of the fact that my floormates have practically left me here during Thanksgiving Break, I will have barely any "life." Because of that, I have decided to dedicating myself to finishing up this fic.
Future updates will occur whenever I have seven or more hits, as seven is my favorite number. However, in more extreme cases, I might even update with only five hits.
The number of chapters that will be uploaded will consist of one chapter per major event, as I want to have as much room as possible to describe each main event, in the tradition of the Mar Heaven manga. However, this may also mean that the number of future chapters may exceed the ten chapters that have been posted as of this writing (including the current one that just ended).
You can expect some epic fights to come up soon, in the fine War Game tradition (oops, was that a spoiler?)
Please stay tuned!