Finale: Opposing Blades
Author's Notes: Here is is! The first part to the conclusion of Lyn's story! The action may begin now, but it doesn't reach to its full glory until part two. But with any ending to any story, can the heroes all make it out alive?
The sounds of feet marching in the streets filled Caelin as the city was splintered off into districts by the army. Five men to cover this street. Ten men to hold a plaza. Never before had Caelin's army been in such a state of emergency. Two of their most fearsome and top generals were no longer at their disposal. One, General Wallace, a walking legend among the foot soldiers, had turned traitor and joined the false heir of the throne's bid for power. General Eagler, the man who most soldiers were personally trained by had been killed by one of his dearest friends, the very man they regarded as a legend. Commanders who had made their names on the battlefield in conditions sorely against them that had lived to fight another day were being killed left and right like flies by an enemy that was all but invincible. The perpetrator of such atrocities? The false heir known as Lyndis and her Legion. Public enemy number one. With the news that the marquess had fallen ill, this girl of unimportant origins had engineered a plot to place herself on the throne, gaining allies through her silver tongue and false promises. The army as a collective whole would be the ones to finally end this madwoman's schemes.
"How fare's the mobilizing of the men?" Lundgren asked one of his advisors as he gazed out of the balcony of the third floor of the castle.
Lundgren was a man who only knew how to take whatever he wanted regardless of whether or not he was fit for it. His grey hair ran down past his shoulders and his small grey eyes only showed greed and desire. His chin protruded from the rest of his head, his many wrinkles marring what may have once been an attractive face. He wore purple robes with gold embroidery only reserved for nobility, while a white cap was tied around his shoulders. He carried his custom solver lance on his person, which was enchanted by almost every mage that Caelin had to offer. His armor was still being enchanted as they spoke.
"Sire!" An advisor saluted as he began to give a report, "The last few groups are forming in their positions! We have around one hundred men gathered and stationed within the city!"
"Only one hundred?!" Lundgren yelled, "How many of those fools are taking their sweet time wallowing in the fields when they should be marching back to the capital?! Do they not know of the danger presented by that usurper?"
"Sire," The advisor cringed as any others in the room busied themselves in whatever way they could find, "Need I remind you that you sent out many of our numbers attempting to catch this knave while she was still en route to Caelin as well as to neighboring territories? They will….take some time to return."
"And by the time they do, the capital will be set aflame by this madwoman!" Lundgren continued to yell.
"Sire, may I remind you that the houses constructed here are made of stone and mortar? They cannot be set-augh!"
Lundgren ran the advisor through with his silver lance without looking away from the balcony. "Does anyone else present wish to inform me of useless knowledge concerning this city?"
All of the other advisors stuttered out responses that could all be summarized as 'no'.
"I thought not" Lundgren said with a smug smile.
As Lundgren raged at what he thought was a lack of troop presence, Lyndis's Legion was observing the city from one of the only small mountain tops available to them without giving them away to the enemy. Michael was attempting to find a suitable point of entry for the Legion to exploit. He was lying down on the rocks, squinting his eyes to make out the little specks of people lining the streets. Almost every corner was lined with soldiers
"Any good areas we can go in from?" Lyn asked as she sat down next to Michael.
"Not a one," Michael grunted, "What I want to know is how they figured out we would be here already?"
"Word travels fast," Wallace reminded them, "Especially when the walls have ears."
"Are you saying we were being spied upon?" Kent asked.
"Lundgren wouldn't allow me and Eagler to be alone without some insurance," Wallace told them, "He'd want us under control."
"So General Eagler…?" Sain began, "Was forced to fight us!?"
Wallace gave Sain a nod of affirmation.
"All the more reason for Lundgren to be put to the sword" Lyn said.
"Don't bother trying to find a good entry point for us," Wallace warned Michael, "You can be here all day and you won't find anything."
"So you propose that we all just charge in blindly?" Michael asked him, hoping he wouldn't answer the way Michael thought he would.
"Of course!" Wallace yelled, "Any good battle is begun by a good charge! Besides, it leaves the other side in disarray as we attack!"
"Ok, then," Michael agreed, "You can lead the charge down, then."
"Really?" Wallace asked in disbelief, "I can?!"
"Do I ever lie?" Michael asked.
"This is going to be fun!" Wallace yelled as he went to mobilize everyone.
"Are you really ok with letting him do this?" Lyn asked as Michael stood up.
"When you have a moving wall of impenetrable steel at your disposal?" Michael asked with a smile, "Of course! Besides, there really isn't much more of an option."
"I just hope you know what you're doing" Lyn sighed with a wary tone.
"Of course I do!" Michael assured her, "Even when I don't, I do!"
During the preparations for the 'climatic charge' as Wallace put it, the Legion assumed their group formations ahead of time so they could easily separate and begin battling through their own delegated paths. Forming the frontal assault of the charge, stood Lyn's group, with Wallace spearheading the charge. In the rear formation of the group was Kent's group, since their objective was the farthest from the others and they had the most mobility. In the center of the formation was Michael's group. Being made of only three people, they would be exposed to a little of the fighting s possible before breaking off from the rest.
"Now here's how this whole thing is going to operate!" Wallace explained as he continued to yell, unfortunately for some, right in their ears, "When we charge; we all yell! When they hear the thunder of our feet against the ground and the rage in our voices, they'll all piss themselves as they scream and run home to mommy!"
"General Wallace, if I may," Kent interjected, "Won't that just give way to our position and make it all the more difficult for us to fight throughout the city?"
"Kent!" Sain yelled as him in a whisper, "Remember that this is General Wallace we're talking about!"
Wallace let out a large laugh as Kent spoke, "Ah, Kent! Ever the one for words of sense! Nut you see here, most of these peons can't hold a quill much less a sword! Remember that I am one of the men who trained all of these soldiers!"
"If Michael is allowing Wallace to command the charge," Lyn told Kent, "Then there should be no need to worry."
"Besides, if anyone is fool enough to get in my way, I'll just send them flying!" Wallace laughed.
"What about us?" Nils asked as he grabbed hold of Ninian's hand for support.
"The both of you will come down once the fighting has stopped," Michael explained to him. "Once we've all moved out, you can hide somewhere in the city where no can find you."
"But if we're hiding while everyone else is fighting," Ninian began, "How can we tell you if danger is near?"
"This is the final battle," Michael answered her, "Danger is around every corner and behind every shadow. This battle is one where no one's guard will be down."
"We'll win like always and then we'll have a rousing celebration!" Lyn told her with a smile, her bravado invigorating the Legion.
"Alright…" Ninian relented, "Please, everyone…stay safe."
"Lady Ninian!" Sain sang as he took her hand, "I swear by my honor as a knight that I will not allow any of my comrades to come in harm's way! I shall become the greatest shield in all the land!"
"Get into position" Kent ordered as he lightly slapped Sain over the head.
"This might be a stupid idea…" Erk mentioned as Sain went back to his position, "But wouldn't charging down a mountain, while being guarded by horses at the flank be a BAD thing?"
"Not with Wallace leading the charge!" Wallace yelled at him, "By the time I'm done with this mountain, it'll be a hill!"
"He's not joking" Sain reminded Erk.
"We COULD just use the path right in front of us" Dorcas suggested as he pointed a finger down.
At his pointing, both Michael and Wallace looked down to find a trading route carved into the mountainside.
"How did I miss that?!" Michael asked himself aloud as he slapped his forehead.
"There goes the fun in charging…" Wallace sighed as he slumped forward in disappointment.
So, with Wallace slightly disappointed in the cancellation of a climatic charge to what would no doubt be a terrific battle to the death, the Legion descended the mountain calmly and slowly, until they were able to better conceal themselves in the local flora. In what could only be explained as a bizarre miracle, the Legion was not spotted once while traversing the mountain. Not a simple task considering Wallace was amongst their numbers and he was not the most adept at keeping a low-profile, with his suite of armor that clinked and clanked as he walked.
Once behind sufficient cover, Michael was able to gain a better view of the layout of the city and how many soldiers were stationed at their entry point. From what could be assumed, the entire city was protected by high stone walls, with only a few gateways as entrances and exits. All of the gateways were opened, as if beckoning the Legion to invade. Lundgren must've ordered them open as to later entrap them once they were sufficiently blocked in with fighting soldiers. Along each path that followed every passageways were houses and stores while most of each street was set aside for roads both for people and animals to traverse. Soldiers were marching through the streets, occasionally stopping to begin a nervous chat or were patrolling the area.
Taking a deep breath to focus himself, Michael turned towards the rest of the Legion, "Everyone, this is it. The battle we've all be striving to fight is finally here."
"Let us make Lundgren know that we have and will conquer any challenges that he throws our way!" Lyn interrupted, "That no matter how outnumbered we are, no matter how ill-equipped, we will transcend those odds and deliver onto him a swift defeat."
With a resigning nod, Michael finished their rallying speech, "Let's compose Lundgren the greatest of requiems!"
With nods of approval from those that felt the need, the Legion began their charge. The soldiers stationed within the gate they entered through turned their attention towards the yelling to see a mass of enemy soldiers running towards them. One soldier that had a trumpet on his person fumbled with undoing the strap as the rest charged to meet the enemy. As the two forces met, the soldier was able to sound off on his trumpet, signaling to the rest of the army that the battle had begun. Any civilians that were still outside before the battle took place suddenly found themselves stuffed into whatever buildings the soldiers forced them into.
One such civilian, a merchant from Bulgar in Caelin for trade negotiations, was forced into the inn where she was temporarily residing. With a huff from being forced into the building, she went to one of the windows and peered outside. She saw soldiers anxiously forming barriers around every corner or running off towards the sound of the trumpet that blew just seconds ago.
"At least today will prove to be eventful…" She sighed to herself as she leaned against the windowsill as she twirled her red locks with her right index finger.
As the Legion charged into the initial number of enemy soldiers, there were only seven, leaving most of the Legion to number them two-to-one. However within the timeframe of two minutes, those numbers had changed to twenty-four. Soon, the Legion found themselves outnumbered two-to-one. But this news was all the better for the Legion. At first, they had been holding back, hoping to injure as little of the enemy as possible, only trying to knock them unconscious. Now, they could use their full might, as well as lessening the number of soldier they would have to engage as they all separate into their groups.
"Michael!" Lyn yelled to him as she passed him the iron sword "Give us some backup!"
"Right!" Michael told her as he caught the familiar blade, Lyn pulling out her steel sword as he answered her.
As Michael provided support to Dorcas and Sain, Michael engaged two of the enemy knights attempting to flank their side. As he engaged the two, he quickly found himself being pinned to defensive stances and dodging as quickly as he could. He felt sluggish with each move he tried to execute as the soldiers either evaded or blocked his strikes. After his defeat of Commander Yogi, which Michael had admitted to himself that was mostly luck that allowed him to win in the fashion he did, he felt as if he could contribute to the group when battles came along. From his current battle with simple enemy soldiers, he suddenly found himself questioning any skill he had. Stealing a glance at Lyn, Michel found that she was also dealing with multiple opponents, Florina covering her flank, who also appeared to be in a small struggle with them, but was showing more progress than him.
In that split second that his concentration slipped from the battle, one of the soldiers attempted to drive his lance through his abdomen. With barely enough time to fully avoid the attack, the lance pierced through Michael cloak and through his shirt, scratching along the side of his hip. Trapped by the lance, the other soldier attempted to perform the coup de grâce, but Dorcas intervened and brought his axe down upon the lance that had Michael pinned, breaking the head off allowing Michael to duck and avoid the last blow. Clutching his side as the small wave of pain ran through him, Michael retreated to the rear, deciding to administer commands and tactics instead of attempting to fight.
"Erk! Wil! Rath! Fall back and provide cover fire to the others!" Michael yelled out as Erk, Wil, and Rath retreated to the Michael's position.
The enemy soldiers seemed to be converging on them more for stalling and tiring them out instead of outright killing them. This tactic had been proven effective when they clashed with Yogi's forces, but this time, there was no archer and ballista to worry about. They also had Wallace with them now, who seemed to be toying with the soldiers that were brave or foolish enough to challenge him in combat.
"Alright you pencil-neck scrubs! Let's see how you all measure up against Wallace!" Wallace taunted the soldiers as they all apprehensively poked their lances in Wallace's direction, making sure to keep as much distance as possible.
"Wallace!" Michael called out to Wallace, "Go wild on them….but don't kill any of them…please?"
"A challenge!" Wallace yelled, "I accept!"
Without pause, Wallace bent down on one knee and preceded to ram headfirst into the group of soldiers. Some were lucky and were able to dive to the side in time for Kent, Sain, Dorcas, or Lyn to knock them unconscious with the hilt of their weapons. However, those unlucky enough to be found in the way of Wallace's charge were either run over or taken by their heads and tossed several feet into the air with comical expressions on their faces as they landed painfully on the ground. Every member of the Legion except for Kent and Sain looked upon the scene with utter dumbfoundment as Wallace cheerfully yelled at the enemy, treating the whole situation as if it was gigantic training exercise that they were all about to fail. In less than a minute after Wallace began his charge, the enemy soldiers were either incapacitated or running away to regroup.
"Well," Wallace sighed with a giggle, "That was fun!"
"With General Wallace amongst us," Sain boasted, "What could possibly go wrong?"
As Sain finished his boast, the gates that allowed the Legion to enter the city closed shut with a mighty slam as the steel bars came crashing down upon the ground.
"You just had to say it, didn't you!?" Michael yelled as he slapped his forehead in anger.
Elsewhere, the guard towers that manned the soldiers responsible for opening and closing the gates were sealed shut with solid concrete, blocking the Legion from being able to enter them, but also trapping the soldiers inside. They were to be sacrificed to keep the Legion corralled like animals.
"They are desperate if they are resorting to damning their own" Kent said aloud as he looked at the results of the army's handiwork.
"Well, we expected this from the start" Lyn reminded everyone as she thought back to the briefing Michael had given them all the night before.
"And we all have to begin our roles in this battle" Michael nodded in agreement.
Without a need for commands, the Legion split into its three groups and separated along the nearby intersection as each group began their missions.
Taking the northern path of the intersection, Lyn's group charged towards the heart of city, where most of the enemy was speculated to be gathered. As the group ran through the streets, they occasionally came across a small group of soldiers that attempted to either fight them outright of flank their position while another small group attempted to distract them. However, Michael's planning combined with Wallace's strength, Matthew's agility, Wil's archery, Florina's mobility, Serra's healing and Lyn's swordplay made them more than an equal match for their mass-produced foes. They were able to render most of their attacker's unconscious, but sometimes, one random but stubborn soldier would refuse to admit defeat, and they were forced to do what had be done.
"This is going extremely well!" Florina noticed with glee as the group finished their fourth battle while on the way to the center of the city.
"It's like these guy aren't even trying!" Wallace agreed.
"Maybe it's because you're here…" Matthew muttered softly to himself.
"You'd expect better from trained soldiers," Serra mentioned, "I haven't needed to heal any of you because you've all been avoiding injury. Not that I'm complaining, mind!"
"I'm sure there will be plenty of a challenge awaiting us when we meet the bulk of the forces in the heart of the city!" Lyn assured everyone.
"As long as we don't end up biting off more than we can chew, we'll be fine" Wil said with a smile.
"I just want to get rid of all the fodder as soon as possible so I can get my shot at Lundgren already!" Wallace shouted in anxiousness as he began to run ahead of the group.
The rest of the way forward was empty of enemies. Whatever the reason, the group was sure that they were in for the fight of their lives at the center of the city. They didn't have Michael to think up new tactics if things began to take a turn for the worst, so working together and maintaining a constant grasp of the situation would be key in making it out without unnecessary sacrifices. Then the group made it to the center of Caelin, the quickest path to the castle was blocked by dozens of soldiers. The soldiers had grim looks on their faces from what could be seem from their helmets. They were ready to die before they let Lyn's group through.
"How many guys do you think there are?" Wil asked, his smile fading as he registered the number of enemies.
"A lot" Serra pointed out helpfully.
"…Pegasus run?" Florina asked Wil uncertainly.
"Do we have a choice?" Wil asked her as he sighed.
"That always worked for us before" Lyn pointed out.
Before Wil and Florina could come to a final decision, the enemy began to rush them in a giant wave. As the group flinched at the sudden charge, Wallace let out a horrible battle cry as he rushed headlong into the fray. Soon following suit, Lyn charged into the wave of enemies as well, her steel sword shining in the sun as she disappeared in the ocean of enemies. Matthew had already disappeared, having most likely shadowed Wallace or Lyn, leaving only Florina, Wil, and Serra by themselves as some enemies broke off from the main body and made their way to them. Quickly grabbing Serra by her shoulder, Florina dragged her onto Huey and took to the skies before beginning to dive at the enemy, her steel lance eager to see combat, leaving Wil alone to provide support for them. At first, with Wallace amongst them, the enemy numbers began to fall within seconds, but after a minute into the battle, at the very first opportunity, Wallace took the nearest path to the castle and ran from the rest of the group.
"Wallace!" Lyn called out to him, partly out of anger as she broke her concentration from a soldier she was fighting. Luckily, Wil was there with his trusty bow and arrow to save her from being stabbed through the gut from her lapse of concentration.
"Forget about him!" Matthew called out from behind her as he stabbed a soldier in the chest, leaving him collapsed on the ground, "Fight the guys trying to shish kabob us first!"
Lyn nodded at his wise council as she gave out orders, "Everyone! Group up and don't break away from each other! We won't get past the rest of them if we're too spread out to help each other!"
"We're in for the long haul!" Wil yelled as Florina landed next to him, crushing a soldier that was sneaking up behind him at the same time.
"Let's show them what we're all made of!" Serra said as a battle cry.
As Lyn's group was fighting a terrible battle with the bulk of the Caelin forces, Kent's group was busy traveling through the more populated section of the city in the north. Michael had estimated that since this area was the most populated of the city, that a good portion of the soldiers, if not guarding the center of the city, since all roads led there, would be protecting civilians from attack. After all, soldiers weren't always soldiers, they had families and friends. If enough hostages were taken, the army would collapse to those who were loyal to country and those who were loyal to family and friend. Of course, there would be no hostages, but the army didn't know that.
Kent must have had an agonizing look on his face as they rode on because Sain felt the need to start speaking, "We'll do what we can to spare as many of our brothers from fighting as possible, but we will do what we must in the end."
"What makes you say that?" Kent asked him.
"You've been like this for some time," Sain reminded him, "Even Michael spoke to us about this concern already. As tactician, he knows that words have a greater affect than any sword."
"The best solutions are often the most difficult for both parties to accept," Lucius told them, "But in the end, it is the most beneficial to both."
"In the plains," Rath began, "Tribes often only went to war when a dispute could not be settled with just words. And regardless of the victor if it came to that, both sides attended the funerals of the fallen. No matter which side they were on, the people and leaders were sad that it had to come to shedding the blood of their children."
"That doesn't bode well" Sain mentioned to him.
"Sorry," Rath apologized, "I'm not one for words. What I'm trying to say is if the people you trust so readily can see even the smallest amount of reason, then there will be no conflict between us. But just because there is, doesn't mean there won't be."
"Then let us hope that negotiation is an option" Kent said grimly as they continued to ride.
The area was deathly quiet as they continued to ride. With each plaza or street passed, the tension that the four felt increased, cutting them like a sword fresh from the fires of a forge. Could Michael have been wrong? Did the enemy concentrate their forces elsewhere? If so, any of the other groups could have been destroyed by now. No. Thoughts such as those would kill moral and lower effectiveness in battle. There could be none of those thoughts.
Before Kent could give the order to forgo their route and begin to head for the center of the city, a roadblock of a little over a dozen soldiers appeared before them. The soldiers did not attack them as they came into view, but a few archers trained their arrows upon them. Stopping their horses, Kent gave the order to dismount. They would be only bigger targets on their horses and if they were shot out from under them, they could all be crushed under their weight. Opting to walk, the four made their way to the soldiers, one walking out from among the group to meet them.
"Halt" The soldier commanded with a firm tone, his voice was deep and full.
"I'm afraid I didn't hear a 'please'" Sain told responded.
"Now isn't the time for jokes, traitor" The soldier responded with an icy tone.
"Collin?" Kent called out to the soldier, "Is that you?"
"I don't remember giving my name to traitorous swine like yourselves" The solider told Kent.
"I believe that being a traitor has no relevance to answering one who has inquired to your name" Lucius told the solider.
"I'd advise you watch your tone, monk," The soldiers warned him, "A man of peace does not belong on the battlefield. Do you find such ambiguity as to twist your religion to suite your goal?"
"That biting tone, that razor wit. Definitely Collin" Sain confirmed.
"Do you not recognize us?!" Kent yelled, "We were all in training together! We all ate from the same dish as we were broken and reformed to serve Caelin!"
"A purpose that you both chose to betray," Collin responded, his tone still icy and disgusted, "The fact that you two even have the gall to show yourselves after killing General Eagler sickens the lot of us."
"We did not kill anyone that Lundgren decided to toss into the wind in hopes of keeping what isn't his!" Sain yelled at him in fury, "We would never kill the General! Do you believe the lies you have been fed with those silver spoons?!"
"ENOUGH!" Collin yelled, "I have said what all of us wanted to be said, now raise your weapons and submit yourselves to the deaths that are too merciful for ones such as you!"
The soldiers raised their lances and swords into the sky as the archers began to shoot their arrows. A scowl appeared on Kent's face as he pulled out his silver sword and engaged the first of the soldiers. Sain took out his lance and clashed with two sword wielders at once. Lucius and Rath stood behind the two, attempting to defeat the archers without causing fatal damage.
"We will not lose!" Collin cried, "For General Eagler!"
Elsewhere, at the southern section of the city, Michael, Dorcas, and Erk had been running for some time with extremely limited enemy engagement. They had only met enough soldiers to be counted on a single hand. Never more than one or two grouped together. It seemed that the southern section of the city, being mostly attractions and landmarks were left completely unguarded. This was both a blessing for the group, who had the least amount numerically, but was also a curse, as that only meant that the other groups would face more resistance.
"I don't like the looks of this…" Michael muttered to himself as they ran past their fourth street without meeting any enemies.
"It's like they're inviting us in…"Erk mentioned, "Almost as if we're not a threat…"
"They'll soon learn how wrong they are!" Dorcas told them confidently as he brandished his axe, his hammer swinging violently at his side.
"We'll be the ones to entertain Lundgren, then!" Michael reasoned, "It seems Lyn won't be getting the final blow again this time either."
"Three versus one…An easy victory" Erk agreed.
"This'll be a story for the people back at the village" Dorcas said in amusement as he chuckled to himself.
As the three continued to run, each responding to the other with quips to psych themselves up, the scenery began to change. What sued to be buildings and statues soon turned to lush green grass and an enormous paved walkway lined with statues as the caste came more clearly into view. As the three ran to the castle, Dorcas bashed the gates wide open with his axe, never slowing down. The three made it the entrance where they found a giant to rival even Wallace in size guarding the door.
Encased in deep purple armor as thick as Wallace's with a silver lance held in his left hand at his side, Lundgren loomed upon them.
"Hello there," Lundgren greeted them with a smile as if addressing ants through his helmet, "You are the first ones to make it here. I hope you'll prove to be an entertaining distraction before the main event begins…"