Chapter Twenty

Fox had no idea where he was going; he just wanted to leave. Fasaldesk would probably be destroyed anyway, and it was too painful for him to remain near Maria's grave. He tried not to think about Maria, but his mind would wander. He hoped he would only remember the good times they shared together, but that usually turned into dashed hopes and the sorrows of wasted dreams. It was irresistible yet painful to remember.

He traveled east, towards the interior of Uno, where he met up with some heavy rain and a dense forest. The former Mafian slid through the countryside and rocked back and forth from the pelting drops. Fox slowed for the former Mafian soldier, as the poor man was obviously not a very skilled rider.

Fox kept an eye on Jefeo during the whole trip, trying to figure the man out. He wasn't an evil person, Fox thought. He just appeared perplexed, like he did not know where to turn. He looked like he had been through a lot, and had already seen the horrors of war and the sadness of death. Fox shook his head.

They entered through another forest. Fox wondered if he would ever see signs of intelligent life again. Dodging past trees and jumping over low obstacles, he felt like he was back in his forest, shared by Maria, running with her and skipping over exposed roots and downed limbs as his legs would never stumble or fail. Then he'd finally catch up with her and kiss her with love seeping from his warm heart. With a great smile, she'd kiss him back, and… Fox shook his head. He knew tears were falling from his eyes so he wiped them with a free hand and kept his gaze foreword, trying hard to concentrate on the scenery and not the memories.

They pressed on until they came across a large field with droves of men marching. It was a Unonian army division marching across a grassy field, speckled with tress and brush, spread out for miles, it seemed. They did not look like a skilled fighting force at all, even from what Fox could see through all the rain. Dressed in long coats, jeans, and stain-laden shirts, it looked more like a prison march than a powerful division. Some didn't even have guns – just their fists were enough, apparently. The two rode their bikes toward them, and the division suddenly came to a halt. Fox jumped off his bike and sprinted to the front of the line in a hurry. To his amazement, Colonel McHeske was leading the charge!

"Ah, my boy!" he elated. "How have you been?"

Fox looked for Jefeo, but he was hiding, apparently. He wiped some rain drops from his face. "I've had better days, sir. Where are we going?"

"We?" Colonel McHeske replied. "Fox, you are no longer with the Unonian army!"

Fox furrowed his brow. "What?" he asked. A soft rumble of thunder made both of the men look up.

"It's true, unless you make it back to Givevsk in two hours. McIsko gave you an honorable discharge, for he felt you would leave the army anyway after what happened in Fasaldesk. He did it with good intentions. If he would've waited longer, it would have turned into a dishonorable discharge, since your absence at the base would be a major offense. After two hours from now, you would have faced a dishonorable discharge if you tried to quit the Unonian army."

"Really?" Fox said while crossing his arms. "So, what does that make me?"

"Well, Fox," the colonel began, "You could always go back and get restated, but that would take a while. What I suggest is just staying around us and becoming a mercenary. We don't have much time to debate."

"Mercenary?" Fox asked. He nervously tugged at his rucksack on his side as lighting struck and thunder cracked nearby. "I don't know if that's what I want to do. I'd rather hold ranking in the army. After all, you saw me at the base. I'm still, and always will be a Unonian fighter, sir. Nothing will change that." Fox remembered Maria again, but this time he held back the tears.

Colonel McHeske paused. "Fox, a fighter is not judged by what ranking he holds or which company he belongs to. A fighter is judged solely on how he fights and how he protects the innocent. Between you and me, I consider you still with the Unonian army. But, technically you aren't. Just leave it at that for now. I promise I will not hold you back from anything, so long as you don't give me a reason to. Face it, you are a Unonian fighter, regardless of what position you do or do not hold."

Fox paused as he brushed rain off his muzzle. "So I'm a mercenary. Does that mean I can ask for payment to serve your group in battle?"

Scratching the back of his head, the colonel rolled his eyes. "I suppose so. We don't have much money now, but we need all the help we can get for the upcoming battle."

Fox paused as his eyes danced. Finally, he shook his head. "No, I don't want money. True fighters don't fight for money, especially Unonian fighters. I fight for someone else. All I ask for is food and supplies."

The colonel raised an eyebrow and gave a wry look. "Um… done. Is that all?"

"Nothing more."

"Great," the colonel began, "I'm glad to finally have you in a battle, Fox. I've seen and heard a lot about you, and I'm sure you'll be leading men to battle one day instead of being hired out if you live up to your promising looks back at the base."

Fox shook his head, trying to ignore the compliment. "Sir, I didn't come alone. I brought another man with me." Searching around the mass of troops around him, Fox took a few steps down the hill as rain continued to fall. "Jefeo! It's safe, you can come out now!"

Suddenly, from behind a lone jaku tree appeared Jefeo, wide-eyed and looking like a nervous wreck. He stumbled from behind his spot with his hands high in the air, moving his head around as if he was trying to watch every soldier in the group at one time.

"Fox!" Colonel McHeske shouted, startling Jefeo. "He's a Mafian! He'll squeal on us for sure!"

Fox shook his head as the timid fox stood behind him. "Not this man, sir. He wants to fight with us. His group left him for dead at my home during the attack, and now he wants to help us."

With a long look, Colonel McHeske paused and brought a hand to his muzzle, sighing deeply. "I can't trust a Mafian, but I can trust you, Fox." He pointed a finger at Fox as he furrowed his brow. "He's your responsibility."

"I understand, sir," Fox replied. Jefeo breathed a sigh of relief.

The colonel leaned over to Fox as thunder boomed in the distance. "And Fox, I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your village yesterday."

"I can't change the past, sir," he muttered. He looked down at the ground for a moment, but then shot his head up and stared back at his employer. "Where are we going?"

"We are marching to the town of Lesasko, some ten miles from here. The Mafias have taken control of the town in a surprise attack three months ago. We have been given orders to liberate the inhabitants and sack the town. We could really use some of that fighting style you said you learned, Fox." He leaned back to glance at the sky. "I remember when your father, Frankjo, and I would get into scraps. They were amazing with that way of fighting, so I trust you'll do just as well, maybe better." He paused. "Please say you will, Fox."

Fox hastily pulled his guardian staff out from his rucksack. Jefeo's eyes widened and he scampered behind a soldier. "I'm on it, colonel!" Fox proclaimed.

"Excellent, my boy! Now then, as your employer, I will tell you what to do. Um… that's how it works, right?" He paused as he waited for Fox to nod. "Good. I want you to escort these men into the town with me. We must fight until every enemy soldier has either retreated or been killed. We were given orders to leave nothing behind."

"That goes without saying," Fox whispered under his breath.

The colonel smiled. "Remember, I'm counting on you. Grab your bike. Meet me at the front of the line, and we'll commence the march. It'll be just like I'm marching with your father again." Fox saluted the colonel and headed down through the droves of fighters to board his vehicle. Jefeo followed close behind. As they got to their bikes, Fox gave Jefeo a nod as they both jumped on their swiftbikes and sped up to the front. Fox tried to ignore the hundreds of eyes staring at him and his new partner as he traveled, but he knew they weren't staring because of his odd clothes or green eyes. They looked like they needed hope.

After traveling to the front, the colonel ordered the division to march on. Fox followed him as he tried to keep his speed constant with his employer. Passing over hill and valleys, they traveled through endless countryside. Fox admired it, though. After all, Frankjo always said Uno had millions of acres of green grass because God blessed them with so much rain. However, as they crossed a bridge over a small river, the sun started to peer through the clouds and began to dry up the waterlogged soil.

It was a humbling feeling for Fox to hear the hundreds of boots stomping through the landscape. So many lives depended on him now, and he knew he could not give up. Not for them. Was this what Maria was talking about? Is this what she mean by the trials? Feeling a little confused, Fox let his mind wander as the scenery began to get repetitive. But, when Colonel McHeske gave him orders to stop his bike, Fox snapped out of it. He got off his bike and awaited orders.

"Men of Uno!" the colonel boomed. "Men of God! Today, we have been given orders to sack a town just beyond this hill in front of me! It will not be easy, but I have faith in you as my men. We must work together. We must never give up. We are like a slave's chain, since we are all equal iron links in the load. If one of us is weak, we will not make it. All of you have to be strong." Turning to Fox, he gave a nod. "I've hired Fox McCloud's services. He is a master of the Chaljsko, a mysterious and difficult fighting style. I've known a few of these fighters in the past, and all I can say is their staff speaks for their reputation. He will help, but we are far better together than apart." With a pause, he looked back towards the hill, the hill that all of these men will travel up to and either face glory or doom. "You wanted to fight for Uno. Now that wish will be granted." The colonel began to walk up to the hill. When he reached the top, his men began to cheer, eagerly waiting for the command to finally put to use all the training and skills they had learned. "This is it!" Colonel McHeske grunted. "In the immortal words of McVanke II, 'protect those that need protected, and kill those who must be killed.' Charge!"

Like a large stampede, hundreds of foxes, raccoons, and humans clawed their way up the hill, full of energy and vigor. Fox tried to remain with the flow, but he tried to keep an eye on Jefeo, who was being mauled in the onrush. Giving up on him, Fox let out a scream and whipped out his staff, extending it to full length. They all sounded like a pack of wild wolves going for a kill. With a resurgence of energy in his heart, the Chaljsko fighter bolted up the hill to the top.

When he reached the top, he spent very little time in viewing his surroundings. Lesasko was a large town, sprawled out in a valley bordered by teams of knolls. Almost tripping down the hill, Fox ran out in front, becoming one of the first men to witness the attack. He hoped his speed would make his father proud. Mafian men began to scatter, like they were trying desperately to regroup. Hundreds of them nervously and hastily ran through the dead streets, trying to stay organized. Fox grinned. This was it – his first battle was at hand!

"Move in!" Fox shouted over the screams and cries, surprised at what he was saying. He searched for Mafian men, but it wasn't hard to find them, as most had already regrouped and charged at the division with great force. Fox met up with one who ran out in front of him from a dark alleyway. He fired his weapon, which was some type of Mafian gun, and watched as Fox blocked each bullet with his staff, accompanied by a sharp ping. Still in shock, he watched as Fox drew back his weapon and sliced the soldier's head clean off.

As if the slice had triggered more to fight, Fox suddenly found himself being surrounded. He fought his way through the crowd, using his guardian staff as both a blocker and a weapon. He tried to remember everything Frankjo told him. Without sustaining a hit, Fox tore his bladed weapon through chain mail and flesh, leaving eerie cries and shrieks behind him. More crowds gathered around him. Some of McHeske's men joined in, however, as Fox seemed to be the center of the brawl. Trying to get out, the fighter whipped his staff around as fast as the turbines in the jet he used to pilot. Mafians everywhere were torn to pieces. Those that were still alive were shocked to see the strange fox who wielded an even stranger weapon that seemed to block all of their attacks.

Fox pushed a Mafian wielding a machete to the ground after the enemy tried to push himself into Fox's body. Fox wasted no time in slicing off a limb of his attacker, but his screams were drowned out by the intense fighting around them. As he fought, his determination was fueled by the death of his love. Every here Mafian must pay for her death, Fox felt.

When he finally fought his way through the bloodbath, he looked back to see what was happening. Unonian Royal Army soldiers chased the Mafian men through the streets of the town, keeping a close eye on the civilians. With great enthusiasm, they pushed forward in sincere determination, like they too were fighting for a great cause.

Keeping watch of civilians nearby, the Chaljsko fighter fended off any attacks that would befall them. Soon he had a large crowd of innocent ones around him.

"Get out of here!" Fox screamed to them as he blocked a swing of a machete from a Mafian soldier. "Hide in that building over there, or you'll all be killed!" As he stabbed his staff through his opponent's muzzle, making crunching sounds as he drove it through his skull, he watched as the civilians moved to a large building next to Fox marked Butcher Shop.

As Fox turned back towards the battle, fighting his way forward, he noticed Jefeo. The former Mafian was not fighting, but instead he was timidly hiding behind two rain barrels. Fox ignored him as he drove forward, raining a collection of jabs and slices on his opponents.

Limbs and blood dotted the ground, as the Mafians were all but finished. Many Unonian men were still alive, and they began to fight harder when they noticed they were almost finished.

This is too easy, Fox thought. There has to be something else here.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked a building next to him. Fox turned around in all directions, searching for the source. Then, another explosion fell to the street, blasting both live and dead bodies, hurling them in every direction. Fox's heart raced. Something was coming!

The Unonian Royal Army division tried to regroup under their superior's orders. Fox perked his ears up. From a distance, he could hear waves of shouts and explosions coming just beyond the hill in front of him. "They're trying to cut us off!" Fox warned. It was almost as if they were being surrounded. Fox wasted no time in storming forward. Under orders, the colonel's men followed him closely behind.

Soon, near a tree-lined hill, droves of Mafian men poured out onto the battlefield in a chorus of shouts and screams. Fox tried to keep them away from the town, taking out as many as he could. The landscape, already greased in fresh blood, made the whole battle difficult to fight, especially if one had just eaten breakfast.

More Mafians came after the Unonian army division, smashing into their defenses. Pandemonium struck the battlefield, as many men died not only by their enemies, but also by friendly fire. Villagers ran into houses and watched in horror at the bloody siege.

Fox used his sick like a master of the Chaljsko. He blocked gunfire from all angles, stabbed, and butchered his enemies with his guardian staff. It cracked like a whip as it tore through the morning air, striking both vulpine and human flesh. The memory of Maria was still fresh in the young vulpine's mind, as it drove him to taste victory. One more kill made him an inch closer to Uno's freedom, Fox thought.

"Jamano!" Colonel McHeske screamed. "Get these men off my back!"Immediately, Fox dashed over to his employer and sliced the men to bits before they could even turn around to view their killer. Blood gushed from their backsides as they slowly fell to the ground, screaming and contorting in unbelievable positions.

The battle quickly developed into a massacre, and the streets soon became paved in dead bodies. Fox picked up a body nearby and used it as a shield to protect himself from the relentless gunfire. He was tired. He didn't know how long the fighting had lasted, but he hoped it was dying down. More bullets rained on him as a grenade exploded nearby, taking out men from both sides. Every so often, an enemy would try to jump him from behind. Fox, however, could sense their presence, and slashed them before they ever knew what was transpiring. At times, the staff moved so fast that it became nearly impossible to spot.

When just a small crowd of Mafian soldiers remained, they retreated out of the town. Cheers soon dominated the screams and gunfire in the aching and sore landscape.

"Go after them!" Colonel McHeske commanded. No one hesitated to the colonel's orders. Fox sprinted up the demanding hill, taking out enemy soldiers with his staff and being quick to block attacks from them. He stabbed one in the back of the neck, and drove it forward with a collection of grunts and shouts. "You deserve this! How dare you take her from me!" He noticed another Mafian was charging at him, so he ripped his staff out of the dead man's neck, turned around, and struck his opponent on the shoulder blade, causing him to lose his balance and fall as blood spattered around him. Fox waked up to him. "You'll pay for what you all did to her!" He flung his staff square on the man's chest, causing his body to jump as his ribcage crushed in an assortment of cracks and snaps. "Never! You will never kill again!" He drove his staff through the enemy until he heard his bloody torso scream with severing tissue and bubbling blood coming from his open heart.

"Fox!"

Fox turned around and noticed Colonel McHeske was running up to him. "Yes?" Fox asked.

"What is the meaning of this?" he pointed at the bloody fox at his feet, directly at his unresponsive eyes and gaping mouth.

Fox sighed. "I'm… sorry." He lowered his head as he set his staff on the ground. Apparently, the fighting was going on elsewhere, and Fox found himself alone with the colonel.

The colonel placed a hand on Fox's shoulder. "It's okay, Fox. You still remember what happened to you. But, you must learn to fight with a good heart instead of one bent on revenge. God will assist you then, Fox."

Fox shook his head. "I'll never forget what they did to her."

The colonel smiled reassuringly. "Just concentrate on fighting for innocent people, Fox." He pulled his hand away from him. "I understand, but I don't understand." Fox looked up at the colonel and stared at him. "I learned that from an old friend," he added.

Fox approached the colonel until he was face to face with him. "Sir, something's been on my mind. Why did you call me Jamano?"

Nervously, the old man scratched the back of his neck and turned around to face the landscape behind him. "Fox, I'm sorry. It's just that fighting and seeing you wielding your guardian staff made you look so much like your father did. You seem to be just as skilled as he was, and I commend you for that." He turned around. "I saw you out there. No one could lay a finger on you." He extended out a hand. Fox grabbed it and shook it.

"Yes sir, but why Jamano?" Fox asked. "His name was James."

Colonel McHeske sighed. "Jamano is his real name. He changed it when Frankjo, he, and I left Drawshk to… help him forget his past."

"What? You mean he had been living under a changed name the entire time?"

"It was for your safety, Fox. If the Mafia had found out where your father lived, they would've killed him on the spot. So, he moved to a remote village and changed his name."

The men who chased the fleeing Mafian men returned with great smiles on their faces. The Unonian army division won the battle in the town of Lesasko in a matter of hours. Fox congratulated the men, only to be congratulated himself. As Fox looked up at the sky, he felt this victory made him one step closer to potentially freeing Uno