Chapter 46: The Fugitives
Two men were chuckling to each other as they look down on the cliff they were standing on as they hide behind a rock. "We finally found it..."
"The base of the Band of Steels."
The members of the Band of Steels were either injures, sick, or just pain tired as their current leader, Cask, was looking at a map in her tent before Edward came into the tent carrying a bowl of soup as he spoke. "If you work too hard, your will not able to take it anymore."
"Edward..."
"I know how you feel, but you're the head of the Steels now!" Edward said as he told Cask. "Everyone is so tired due to all the running around, if you collapse on them-"
"I understand. Our spy in the castle in the capital city of Vytal just brought some news." Cask said, which cause Edward to be silent as he listen to her. "We have received word that Stultus is being held on the lowest level in the Tower of Rebirth. It's been over a month already, only a few people has heard his voice. But for this entire week... his voice has ceased altogether. Although everyone is dead tired, we're almost free... but if we don't act quicker-"
"You have to believe." Edward said as he put his hand on her shoulder before he told Cask. "You have to believe in more of your comrades. Just because we elected you as our leader... doesn't mean you have to take on all the responsibilities yourself. Each one of us... will do what we can."
"Edward..."
"If you don't rest a bit, then try to use your dead tired brain to think of a plan to save Stultus, it won't be any good." Edward said. "In other words, go to bed after dinner."
Cask was silent before she spoke. "You're right..."
Just as Edward was about to leave tent, Cask spoke to him. "Edward... thank you..."
Edward left the tent without a word before Cask attempted to eat before she suddenly fell unconscious on the table and slept.
Edward was walking toward the campfire where Hákon and Steve are at before Hákon asked. "How Cask's doing?"
"She said she'll rest a bit." Edward told them.
"That good. Cask haven't rest for a long time." Hákon said.
"Cask has done a really good job, if she wasn't here to lead us, the Band of Steel might have vanished already." Edward said. Everyone was silent as they ate their dinner.
'... At this moment... if she was here...' Hákon thought.
The person who was on guard tonight was sleeping against a tree before he heard something and was killed by a circle-shaped object, which was known as an charkram. It was thrown by none other than Silat himself, who was not impress by the guard's performance as he put out the charkram out of the guard's cleave head. "That's pitful... there was no reaction at all. Is the Band of Steel are really good enough to deserved my skills...?"
A bunch of armored soldiers appear behind him before he give them the orders. "GO!"
The armored soldiers then charged at the camp site of where the Band of Steels are at. The members of the Band of Steels were took by surprised by the sudden charged as the armored soldiers came in before they grab their weapon and start fighting them as someone shouted.
"ENEMY ATTACK! ENEMY ATTACK!"
Cask awoken by that shouting and grab her sword before she ran outside of her tent and saw the armored soldiers pouring in. Cask was shock by that before she give the orders to the rest of the members of the Band of Steels. "The enemy is coming from the north! Team 3 and 4 go and counter attack them! The rest bring the injured to the tents!"
"Decisive stragety and commands... no wonder you're the leader of the Band of Steels, you're very clever." Silat said as he appear behind her, which cause Cask to turn around, as he spoke to her. "But no matter who it is, as long as the leader is down, the game itself is over! You better get ready for this!"
Cask pull out her sword and point it at him as he continue to speak. "As long as you're holding a sword, I won't spare you any mercy... SURRENDER!"
Silat leaped forward and attack Cask with his kater daggers, but Cask manage to at least a few strikes before Silat got her sword's blade with his weapons' 3 blades before he attempt to kick her in the face, but she barely dodge it by arching her head backward. He attempt to hit her with his elbow, but Cask block it with her left arm before she was knocked down by a hit from his knee before he attempt to kick her again, but miss when she flipped to dodge it just before he do it again. 'What is this body technique? I can't move...!'
Cask then accidentally tip her foot backward before Silat trap her with his two kater daggers as he spoke to her while Edward and Steve attempt to make it to her while they are slashing and smashing their way through as Cask closed her eye to meet her own fate. "It's over! If you put your sword down and order your troops to surrender, then I won't kill you! I'll count to 5, make your choice! ... 1! ... 2! ... 3! ... 4-"
Silat was then interrupted when he was suddenly kicked in the head from behind his back as he was sent flying before skitting against the ground. Edward, Steve, and the other were took by surprised as they saw who it was the one who saved Cask from certain death. Cask slowly open her eyes to see that Ruby was looming over her with Crescent Rose on her shoulders in Scythe mode before she spoke to Cask. "Don't let the scary circus clown scared you and beat you, Cask!"
A/N: Oh hell yeah, Ruby make a big damn hero moment. I'll making a few more omakes for TGATW until it temporary stop.
