Disclaimer: The end dialogue used in this Chapter are not my own, and belong to AreaNet and NCsoft, as part of the Guild Wars Franchise.
Chapter Eleven: Commencement
Dahgar rose to his feet and clutched his injured shoulder. He had been relieved of his prey in one surprise attack by an unknown figure. He glared at Captain Langmar, who was on one knee, struggling to her own feet. Behind her stood a young human girl.
"Remember me?" was her only words as he approached him, and he could see the hate in her eyes.
"Should I have?" Dahgar grunted. In one swift move Gwen threw him back to the ground. He landed hard on the ice and growled in pain.
"I'm the prisoner you threw into the Siege Devourer Arena ten years ago." she said.
"I threw a lot of prisoners into that arena." Dahgar muttered.
"I'm the girl who escaped." Gwen confirmed. Dahgar's eyes widened at these words. He remembered now. She was the prisoner who had caused a frail pillar to collapse on the devourer and kill it, as well as open up a passage into the caverns behind the arena.
"You..." he grunted. "it is you."
"Indeed it is." Gwen replied. "And this time, it's your funeral."
"We'll see." Dahgar said, a grin forming at the corner of his mouth. He slammed a clenched paw into the frozen lake, breaking the ice beneath Gwen's feet and throwing her off balance. Dahgar saw his chance and bolted forwards, seizing a fallen Charr's axe as he did so. He raised it above his head as he bounded forwards for his prey, but as he made his strike, a sword intercepted. Captain Langmar dropped to one knee under the powerful blow, but managed to force the Charr Commander backwards, giving Gwen the opportunity to regain her footing. For a long moment, the three of them stared at one another, and then, they moved at once.
Dahgar was beginning to fall under pressure from the two assaults that forced him backward. Captain Langmar struck out at his left, before ducking out so Gwen could move in for her attack, striking low. Both women knew that they had the Commander on the defensive, and it was only a matter of time before they broke through his defence.
"Nice try." Dahgar muttered as Gwen attempted a sweeping strike at his leg. He countered and landed the handle of the axe into the approaching Captain Langmar. The unsuspecting strike caught her off-guard and she was struck across the face, knocking her down and sending her sliding along the ice. She stopped a few feet away, her body not moving. Gwen saw blood trickling down her cheek.
"Captain!" she cried out.
"You're next, little mouse." Dahgar snarled. He rushed forward, blade in hand, and began to swing violently. Gwen stepped back in defence, and began to block her foe's attacks, giving her no time to analyse his moves. She didn't even have a chance to use her magic.
"I am going to give you the death you should have gotten ten years ago!" he roared loudly, bringing his blade down hard on Gwen. She buckled under the blow but managed to push back and jump away to give herself some distance.
x x x x
Anton commanded the Rangers and the Elementalists atop the battlements, however, the Charr forces attacking the walls were becoming too great. Though the iron fortress held its ground, the people manning it weren't. Arrows struck them in the chest, killing them instantly. Anton began to grow frustrated. He would order a retreat, but that would mean cutting all ranged defences indefinitely.
"Keep firing!" he said. He paced impatiently behind his men, wishing there was something he could do. He was not a ranged fighter; he was a specialist melee combatant. Then the idea came to him.
"You there!" he shouted, grasping a soldier by the shoulder. "You are now in charge of this battlement!"
"W-what?" the man cried out.
"Make sure it does not fall!" Anton replied hastily. With that he leaped off the wall and began to scale down it at a quick pace. It was a sheer death drop. If he hit the bottom he would not survive. Anton merely grinned. Shutting his eyes, he embraced his fall, and then drew out his pair of daggers. Then, in a blink of an eye, he vanished in a shroud of smoke. As quickly as he vanished, he reappeared behind the Siege Devourer that was launching its projectiles at the walls. In three swift moves, he had dismembered the legs of the creature, and caused it to collapse in a massive heap. Before the Charr around it knew what had happened, Anton had shadow-stepped away and re-appeared behind his next target.
"Oh yeah, this is more like it." he grinned.
x x x x
Gwen thrust her blade forward in a stabbing motion, attempting to expose Dahgar's defences, but this Charr Commander was clearly no pushover. He was an expert fighter, trained in the brutal Charr style of fighting. But Gwen had been trained to kill and combat Charr for two years. This was no different. She managed to get close to her enemy, and in a quick change of style, she thrust the tip of her blade into the ice, and drove her palm into Dahgar's chin. The Charr was caught off-guard and staggered backwards, just as Gwen turned and plunged her right heel into his stomach. Dahgar doubled over and fell to the icy ground hard. Gwen did not hesitate and jumped back to her impaled weapon and retrieved it, rushing over to the Charr Commander for the killing strike. Dahgar recovered quickly and poised himself on all fours. Sneering, he vaulted himself forward and used his full body weight to slam himself into an oncoming Gwen, who was shoved off her feet and onto the frozen floor.
"You have skills, little mouse, I will give you that." Dahgar muttered, grasping his weapon firmly in his large paws. "But you cannot possibly match someone who has been fighting your kind for over ten years."
"You might be surprised." Gwen said, spitting blood from her mouth and crawling to her feet.
"I highly doubt that." Dahgar mocked smugly. "By what I have seen so far you don't even compare."
Gwen merely said nothing as they locked blades. Dahgar grinned broadly as he shoved the young woman backwards and held out his blade in a stance.
"There's a reason why I am called Eye of Flame." he smirked. He held his blade out in front of him and the metal on the sword began to burn red-hot. As he lowered to blade, it didn't even have to touch the ice on the lake for the surface to begin to melt. Gwen stepped back a little. He had just conjured some kind of magic to cause his blade to emit fire. Before she could fully comprehend her situation, Dahgar had rushed towards her and brought his blade down on her. Gwen had no choice but to throw up her own weapon in defence. Dahgar merely laughed, and Gwen then saw why. His blade had sizzled in contact with hers, and her blade had begun to melt under the intense heat his weapon was emanating. Dahgar's weapon was slicing right through hers! Gwen disengaged and rolled away from her enemy and examined her weapon. It was useless now. Discarding it, she stood to face the Charr Commander weapon-less. Her eyes flashed violet and she positioned herself in a stance. Dahgar raced forward and aimed his blade at Gwen's neck, but she was all too ready. She held out a palm and his action was forcibly stopped. Gwen raised her other arm and pushed forward. Dahgar was lifted off his feet and throw across the battlefield, colliding with some of his own soldiers.
"Mesmer, ay?" Dahgar grunted as he strode back over, retrieving another sword in place of the one Gwen had disarmed him of. "Impressive abilities. But you're not the only one with special abilities." He held out the sword he was carrying and ran a paw across the fine blade. In an instant, the entire blade turned into a raging flame. He turned back to Gwen and snarled. "My turn."
x x x x
Anton shadow-stepped back up to the battlements, satisfied with his work. He had eliminated all possible Siege Devourer threats in the area. Now, the Rangers and the Elementalists could carry out their attacks without fear of getting struck by a large projectile. He looked across the blood-stained battlefield and spotted the Charr Commander battling with a young human girl... Gwen. He scanned the area for Captain Langmar and spotted her lying a few feet away, immobile.
"No!" he cried out, and rushed down the steps. He sprang out onto the battlefield, slipping on the ice, but maintained his grip. He rushed over to his fallen Captain and scooped her body up in his arms. "Captain, Captain can you hear me?" there was no reply. Anton checked for a pulse, and felt a faint beat. Gwen turned back and saw Anton tending to Captain Langmar.
"Anton, get her back into the Eye!" she cried out, giving out a shrill cry as Dahgar slammed his fiery blade down upon a shield Gwen had managed to scoop up just in time.
"But what about you?" Anton shouted back.
"I'll be fine, just get the Captain out of here!" she replied, ducking a wide swing and sliding across the ice to avoid another killing blow.
"Here, catch!" Anton unsheathed an emerald blade from his back and slid it across the ice towards Gwen's position before grasping Captain Langmar in his hands and carrying her back to the Eye of the North. She grasped the hilt of the Jade Sword firmly and jumped to her feet. Dahgar's fiery blade was coming at her head. Gwen held up the Jade Sword and blocked for impact. Sparks flew around their locked blades, and Gwen noticed that the Jade Sword was not melting under the heat of her enemy's weapon.
"Interesting." Dahgar growled, disengaging and pulling back. "I have not seen a sword like that before."
"It'll be your first and your last." Gwen gritted through her teeth. She sprang forward and unleashed a flurry of sword strokes at Dahgar, forcing the large beast backwards. Gwen aimed a strike low, which caused the heavy Charr to jump out of harm's way. However, his feet slipped as he made contact with the icy ground. He landed on his back with a heavy thud. Gwen strode up to him and flung his weapon from his hand, aiming the tip of her Jade Sword at his throat.
"Game over, Commander." she spoke softly.
"I don't think so." he grinned. He swiped his hand in the air, and blaze of heat trailing in its wake. Gwen staggered backwards from surprise, and shut her eyes to prevent the sheer heat from blinding her vision. Before she realised it, Dahgar was on his feet. He backhanded Gwen and she sailed into the air, landing in the cold snow just at the shore of the frozen lake.
"You have no idea how many of your kind I have slaughtered to get here." Dahgar said, striding towards her, grasping a nearby Vanguard Warrior, crushing him between his large paws and taking his weapon. Gwen could hear the breaking of bones as the man died instantly from the assault. Dahgar set the sword alight once more, this time it was burning more furiously than ever. Gwen felt around the snow for her fallen Jade Sword. She looked to her left and saw the hilt sticking out of the snow not more than a few metres away. She crawled over and grasped the handle, bringing the sword into a defensive position just as Dahgar swung his blade down hard. He pinned Gwen to the ground and bore down upon her, until his face was only a few inches from hers.
"This is where you meet your end, little mouse." he breathed. He slashed his sword to the right, causing Gwen to lose her grip. Her Jade Sword flung out of her hands and landed behind her, out of reach. Dahgar grinned in triumph as he raised his weapon for the final strike. Gwen had to think quickly if she was to survive. Mustering all the strength she had left, she focused her magic and halted Dahgar's attack just before it connected with her head.
"What kind of black magic... is this?" he grunted, struggling to move. He was locked on the spot.
"This is the power of the humans." she replied. Her eyes began to glow violet, as she reached into Dahgar's mind. The Charr Commander dropped his weapon and began to cry out in pain. He clutched his head as though he had gone insane and dropped to his knees. His cries were heard across the battlefield, and nearby Charr and humankind alike turned to see the Charr Commander, Dahgar, Eye of Flame, on his knees before a young human woman. Gwen continued to delve into Dahgar's feeble mind to cause as much pain and frustration as she could. This Charr deserved no mercy for his sins-him and his warband. At last, Dahgar, the once powerful commander of the Charr invasion army, lowered his arms. His eyes were dilute, his mouth open in shock-horror. Gwen walked over and grabbed her Jade Sword, holding it firmly in his hands. Then, in one clean swipe, she slit the Commander's throat. His limp body dropped to the ground and the snow was stained with fresh blood. There was a moment's silence, then, at once, all the Ebon Vanguard cried out in victory. With their new found inspiration of triumph, they drove the remaining Charr army back towards the north. Without their leading Commander, they were scattered. Gwen breathed a great sigh of relief. The final fight was over, the humans had won. For now.
x x x x
"Captain Langmar," Gwen said, hurrying over to the bed that contained her injured Captain.
"I am fine, Gwen." she replied, chuckling a little. "You performed brilliantly out there tonight."
"I only did what I had to." the young woman replied solemnly.
"Don't be humble." Captain Langmar spoke. "You saved my life. I know, when I leave for the Charr camp in a few days, I am leaving the Eye of the North and the rest of the Ebon Vanguard in more than capable hands."
"Thank you, Captain." she replied, smiling. Gwen marched out of the room with a new sense of determination. She had come from Ascalon, as a small, scared little girl, to the Northern Shiverpeaks, now a brave, resolved young adult, ready to fight and die for her people.
Several Weeks Later...
"How much further?" a man asked his two companions. One was short and stout, a dwarf, and the other was even shorter, with large bat-like ears that protruded from the top of his little head.
"Not long, not long, just over this hill." the little creature said impatiently.
"Are all Asurans like you, Vekk?" the man questioned with a small smile. "Impatient?"
"We prefer the word, intellectual." the creature known as Vekk replied.
"Even us dwarves aren't that proud." the dwarf said. "Are humans that way, Kyte?"
"Some of us can be extremely proud," the man known as Kyte replied. "But I wouldn't be so quick to judge, Ogden."
"I guess you are right." Ogden replied grimly. "By the way, is it true you were the one who recently conquered Abaddon in Elona?"
"Me? It was more like a group of us." Kyte chuckled. "As experienced as I may be, I cannot single-handedly outrank a God."
"I hear from Mhenlo that it was you as well who felled the Lich eight years ago, in Tyria, not to mention Shiro the Betrayer in Cantha, your home continent, if I am not mistaken." Vekk cut in.
"Those are true... but it wasn't just me alone, guys." Kyte replied. "I had help."
"Still, for a human to achieve such amazing feats... it must have been a pretty big decade for you." Ogden said.
"Yeah, I've been pretty busy." Kyte sighed. "That's why these 'Destroyers' don't come as much of a shock to someone whose seen a lot of terror for the past ten years. I've lost friends, close ones, but gained new ones in the process."
"Must be hard." Vekk said, but Kyte knew he was only saying that. He chuckled softly to himself. These Asurans were... strange creatures.
"Didn't the Norn say the Eye of the North was just up here...?" Kyte questioned, scaling the last few feet to make it to the top of the hill. Looking down, he saw the most magnificent sight he had witnessed in a long time. It was a beautiful iron fortress, sitting in the middle of a frozen lake.
"That's the Eye?" he asked.
"Aye, that would be it." Ogden nodded in agreement.
"Come, come, let's get down there. Time's a wasting." Vekk cried out impatiently. As they walked across the frozen lake to approach the fortress, the structure began to look more and more incredible.
"This is impressive." Vekk stated. "Even by Asuran standards."
"No dwarves built this." Ogden said. "Is it human-built?"
"No way." Kyte replied. "This building was put here by something even more powerful than men."
"Still," Vekk continued. "We may find your people here, and perhaps a way to contact ours."
"Yes, King Jalis would want to gather what allies we can to fight against the Destroyers." Ogden added.
"Watch out!" Kyte cried out, throwing an arm out to stop Vekk and Ogden from moving any further. A large, violet barrier had caged them in.
"Don't move!" a young feminine voice cried out. "What is your business here?"
"Please, we were told there were humans here." Kyte said, his arms raised, as a sign of surrender. "We want no trouble."
"This is the Eye of the North." the young woman said. She had a patrol of guards surrounding her. "Again, what is your business?"
"We're adventurers from the south." Kyte replied firmly.
"I... I was from the south." the woman said softly. "From Ascalon."
"We're seeking a place of safety." Kyte continued.
"Safe places are few and far between in the north. You are welcome to stay here." the woman answered, releasing the magical barrier. Kyte lowered his hands in relief.
"Thank you." he said.
"The Ebon Vanguard protects this place, but most of my fellow soldiers are away. I command it in Captain Langmar's absence." she went on. "My name is Gwen."
END
So thats it, I've finished! That was my interpretation of what happens to Gwen inbetween the Eye of the North and The Prophecies Campaign. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks to all my readers who commented and liked the story. I'm sure you all know what happens next... it beckons the start of the Eye of the North Campaign. Thanks guys! Can't wait for Guild Wars 2!
