[Cutthroat's P.O.V]
I dodged another spray of bullets, rolling forward towards the man. I swept my leg under his feet, breaking his balance, then sinking my knife in his chest as he fell down to the ground.
I pull out the knife, blood dripping from the blade as my other companions took care of the other soldiers.
Flames still burnt everywhere around the bombs we placed executed perfectly. And just in time, I heard that Alpha Unit has broken in, and is already heading towards the main tower.
I look up, and gazed at the tall skyscraper in the midst of all the destruction. Why hasn't Drago made a move yet? Something isn't right. Plus, Night Fury still isn't here...
"Sir! Incoming!" I hear one of ours shouted.
I turn around, as an entirely new battalion of Drago's men appeared behind us, armed with RPGs and MLs. With one click of a trigger, rockets and bombs spilled out of the canisters and zoomed towards us.
My eyes widened as we jumped out of the way, taking cover behind a half-crumbled barrack. A flash sparked, and flames burst out of the shells, incinerating the ground where we used to stand.
"Zen, we can't stay here for long. We need to regroup and join the Alpha Unit." I tell the agent beside me.
She nodded, "I'll send a flare up, sir. But we need a clear ground. And we don't have the firepower to deal with them."
As if the gods heard us, a honk got our attention, along with the enemy battalion. All of a sudden, an armoured jeep burst out of the wall of a garrison, sending broken concrete and glass everywhere as they drove recklessly towards the enemy battalion. Shouts can be heard from the jeep, as a large man fired a large gatling gun, spraying what seems to be little spears, from the back of the jeep. It rolled by past us, as their shouts continued to grow.
"Shawn! Aim for them!"
"I am aiming for them!"
"Like hell, you are!"
"Let me and Kai handle this!"
I didn't get a good look at the driver, because I was too focused on the two persons who poked out their upper body out of the jeep, each holding a M134 Minigun and aimed it at the enemy battalion. Drago's men seems to be caught off guard, as the two men fired rounds and rounds of projectiles straight at them, peppering their bodies with bullets. The guy on the back must've got the hang of it, and joined his two companions in shooting Drago's men with a barrage of tiny spears.
I, along with the rest of my companions, stared dumbfounded at the chaos happening right in front of us. It's not everyday you see a weaponized jeep barreling through ranks of soldiers to save us. The jeep continued to bombard its way towards Drago's men, successfully hitting and breaking through the front lines and ceaselessly running over everyone in its path. The two men laughed with glee as they gun down Drago's men with their Miniguns.
That's when I saw two other men, popped out from the back seats, holding their own set of firearms. They locked and loaded their weapons and released hell, taking down more of Drago's men. I don't know if I saw it right but I swore one of them had the insignia of Drago, accompanied by the uniform; a black combat vest, a red scarf around their neck, and a black tactical helmet with the symbol of Drago imprinted on their vest.
I don't know what's going with them, but they seem to be friendly... for now.
The two other men holding the Miniguns, dropped what they're holding on the ground. The guns must've overheated or was out of ammo. But my eyes widened as they grabbed something from the back and then came, raising it in the air.
It was a cluster bomb...
Duct taped to two molotov cocktails...
And they threw it...
Large crackling sounds popped up, sounding like a thunder clap, followed by a wave of blue flames billowing and spreading like a water spill. The surviving men were met with countless small explosions from the cluster bombs, then a tsunami of liquefied blue flames spilled from the molotovs, engulfing them in fire, slowly burning and melting as they scream in agony.
And just like that, the entire enemy battalion has be vanquished. We came out from our hiding spot, searching for the mysterious jeep that saved us. At first, when we saw no sign of it from the flames, we thought they were burned as well.
Until we heard a familiar honk, and the same jeep emerged from the flames, leaving a trail of smoke as it rumbled towards us. Then we heard several pops, as the tires melted off, leaving the wheel bearings screeching on the ground. Sparks flew out of the ground, as the jeep slowly came to a stop.
"Holy shit! That was the most exciting thing I've ever done!" A voice could be heard saying.
"Kai, get your ass off me!"
"Hang on! This big lunk of meat is trapping my leg!"
"What did you call me?!"
"Everyone, just get out!"
The door opens, as all of the passengers fell out, crashing onto each other. Then from the driver's side, the door opened and...
"Astrid?"
The blonde glanced at me, her eyes lighting up. "Oh hey, Cutt- sir." Astrid said, waving at me.
"Mind explaining to me what the hell was that?" I asked firmly. I wasn't really angry, just confused. Where did they get this kind of idea anyway? Not that I'm not grateful or anything.
Astrid tilted her head, "I don't get it. It's a jeep, isn't it?"
I face-palmed, and groaned. "You know what? Nevermind. Who are those fellas?"
Said men began to get up, dusting off their clothes and groaning. Then I recognized one of them to be Zythid Lethe, a newly graduated agent that I happen to run into before.
"Oh, they're ours, sir. We just don't have our combat armor. That's why we, uhh... are like this. We just graduated." Astrid replied.
My eyes widened with the new information. "What? You all just graduated?"
They all nodded. "Weren't you in the graduation?" One of them, a stocky guy, asked.
"Nah, I wasn't. I was... busy." I lied. Well, not really but I don't have to say what I've been doing. They don't have to know that I've been cleaning rooms just to pass time...
"So, what's the deal with that one?" I say, quickly changing the subject as I point at the person wearing our enemy's colors.
Zythid then wrapped his arm around said person, wearing a grin. "This, sir, is Gavin Larson. A former soldier of Drago. Apparently, he was sick with Drago's way of life and decided to join us."
Gavin then shyly waved his hand at me. I raised a curious eyebrow at him. I've never heard of a soldier of Drago converting to the peaceful side. Well, there's a first time for everything. But that does not mean I trust him.
"Whatever. Just as long as he doesn't do anything funny, he can come with us." I say.
"Where are we going, sir?" Astrid asked.
"Regrouping with Alpha Unit. Right now, they're about to storm the tower. They need all the help they can get. Which reminds me, Zen?"
"Already done it, sir." Zen replied as she loaded her signal pistol and aimed it at the air, then firing a flare into the air which explodes into a yellow billow of smoke.
"Let's go. Just follow the sounds and chaos. The louder it is, chances are that that's Alpha Unit." I said.
"YES, SIR!" They replied, raising their weapons.
"Move out!"
Afterwards, we began to move between the destruction, following the sound of chaos, just like I said.
Hm, feels kinda good to be a leader. Which reminds me, I haven't recently heard anything from Atali. She said she'll contact me.
Maybe she just forgot. Whatever it is, I hope she's alright. She's my little sister, after all.
[Normal P.O.V]
"Fire!" The captain ordered from on top of the wall as the catapults and ballistae unleashed waves of death destroying everything underneath them. Dagur and his unit immediately jumped out of its trajectory, and took cover from the incoming projectiles. Most of them were able to avoid it, but some weren't as lucky.
Dagur cursed under his breath. He never expected another line of wall surrounding the tower. They were able to break through battalions after battalions, but once they reached the tower, they were met with another line of wall, equipped with enough defensive weapons to wipe them out in one go.
The catapults and ballistae continued to fire furiously, trying to demolish the units' hiding places. Then while they were being reloaded, turrets began to fire bolts repeatedly at the battlefield. The pattern continued up until now.
"Sir, our artillery can't hit the wall without taking us out as well!" The agent screamed through all the loud blasts.
"Fuck! Tell Omega Unit to fall back! They'll be wiped out as well." Dagur ordered.
Just then, Cutthroat, along with Astrid and some of his team, crawled in the cracked barrack where Dagur and his team were hiding.
"Dagur, sir!" Cutthroat called out.
Dagur whipped his head to the right, and paled. "Cutthroat! What the hell are you doing here?! Fall back! Don't let the Omega Unit-"
"Don't worry. We were able to avoid the chaos." Astrid interjected. Dagur glances at Astrid, giving her a weird look, then back at Cutthroat.
"But we can't fall back. When we were on our way here, a platform opened in the south gate. An army emerged from it. About thousands of them came out." He spoke up, eyebrows furrowed.
One of the agents gasped, "But we can't move forward either without taking out the wall's defense system. We didn't even know there was another wall!"
Another barrage of bolts and boulders slammed into the earth, causing everything to rumble. Everyone covered their heads as shards of concrete fell from the ceiling.
"That doesn't matter now. If the map was wrong, then it's wrong. Nothing ever runs smooth and perfectly." Dagur muttered, ruffling his hair.
"The wall, huh?" Cutthroat scurried towards a window, and sneaked a peak. "I can try forming a plan, but I'll need someone to help. Which reminds me, where's my sister?"
Dagur suddenly stiffened, and paled. His eyes avoided Cutthroat's, averting his gaze at the ground beneath his feet. Dagur was never really a good liar, and everyone could see right through it, even Cutthroat. Said man narrowed his eyes, already noticing something's wrong.
"Dagur, where's Atali?" He asked with a dangerous tone, pushing Dagur to answer.
Dagur mumbled something incoherent. When Cutthroat suddenly raised his voice, he couldn't take it anymore.
"She's gone!" He yelled out.
Cutthroat's eyes widened, his mouth gaping. He tried to breathe, but somehow he found it hard to do. A sharp pain stabbed him in the heart as the words bounced in his head.
"She jumped in the way of fire. Took a bullet to the heart. Saved me." Dagur said sadly.
He glances up. Cutthroat was motionless, his head down. Astrid placed her hand at his shoulder. She knew the pain of losing a loved one, though she never knew he had a sister.
Dagur bit his lip, and sighed, "Look. I'm sorry. I know-"
A fist then connected to Dagur's face, forcing him to crumple to the ground. Cutthroat jumped up, and straddled him, repeatedly sending punches onto his face. Dagur just laid there, taking everything. He knew he could easily take him down, but he just lost his sister. So for once, Dagur let someone beat him up.
"You said you'll protect her! I trusted you! I fucking trusted you!" He cried out through his choked back tears. Astrid and another agent instantly held Cutthroat back, pulling him off of Dagur.
Dagur got up, wiping the blood from his lip. He held his hands between his nose, and snapped it back in to place. He didn't say anything, accepting the beat down he just took. This is the first time he didn't retaliate during a fight. He stared at Cutthroat, whose face was curled up in anger and rage, with his fists balled up and bruised.
Dagur then inserted his hand under his back pocket and fished out a small pendant. A small necklace, made out of twelve karat gold. The chain was so intricate, it was almost as if each cable ring was molded by hand. The actual pendant was made out of some kind of silver ore, molded into a shape of a dragon's claw.
Dagur moved towards Cutthroat, facing him while holding the pendant.
"This was in Atali's armor. Her hand was on top of it, when we found it. I believe it belongs to you." Dagur spoke softly, which was unbelievable because he's usually loud and annoying.
Astrid and the other agent lets go of Cutthroat, allowing him to move freely. With trembling hands, he reached for the pendant. He held it in his hand as if it were burning, letting it fall on his palm.
He held the silver claw between his fingers, noticing a hidden message on it;
Happy Birthday, Cutt!
I know you don't like being called that but where's the fun in that? Anyways, I don't know your real age but I'll round it up to around 36. I'd just like you to know that I appreciate you for being my best friend during my years in Drakos. I hope that I can repay you with this pendant. Don't recognize it? It's the claw of the creature that you saved me from. It's a reminder of how great a person you are. I love you, and always will.
From your sister, Atali
Hot tears began streaming down his cheeks like a river escaping a dam. His face felt numb, as he read it. He wasn't sobbing, or hysterically crying. He just let the tears fell, his bottled-up anger fading and vanishing. Light shined through the cracks on the barracks, as if it was heaven opening up. The sun began to rise over the hills, signaling that it's a new day.
"I'm sorry, Cutthroat. I really am. But for now, I need you. I need the warrior in the battlefield. When we go back, I'll allow anything you want. Be it my head or leaving Drakos. But I need you now." Dagur told him firmly.
Cutthroat stared at the pendant with his tear-stained eyes, then glanced up at Dagur. He lifted his arm, and rubbed the tears from his eyes. He stood back up with a new sense of determination.
"Yes, sir." He said firmly.
A grin formed on Dagur's lips, standing up with him, "Then let's go take out that son of a bitch. For Atali!"
Cutthroat grinned back, "For Atali!" He repeated.
All of a sudden, they heard a loud bang of a gun, followed by a wave of shouts and cheers. Everyone looked at each other with wide eyes
With the barrage of attacks gone, both the Omega Unit and the Alpha Unit rushed out of their hiding spots, and into the light-filled battlefielf, to be met by a giant army of Drago's soldiers coming out, and from around the wall. They came by the masses like a huge wave. Their legs moved in perfect timing, synchronized by an unheard beat. Each pant leg fell to the second lace of their over-shinned boots. Drago may be madman, but he's an amazing leader; able to strategize a formation and how he trained his soldiers. Armed with possibly the best equipment they have, they held it in their arms as they marched forward. Right now, Drakos is in a terrible disadvantage.
"Cutthroat, this will be a good time to for a plan." Dagur gritted his teeth.
Cutthroat stared slack-jawed at the gigantic army in front of them, "Sorry, Dagur. But this..." He trailed off, too shocked to comprehend words.
If it couldn't be any worse, a new horn was blown, and everybody turned their heads to see a new army behind them, and you can tell they were different. Thousands of warriors in white-and-gold armour, with a large variety of weapons in their disposal. The front liners were armed with glaives and scutum shields, ready to charge head-on. Interspersed among their ranks were two dozen riders on their horses, which was covered by a dark cloth, nearly covering entire animal. The riders raised their tridents in the air, their sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset and flaming bolts nocked in their crossbows.
Everyone knew it. They already lost. They lost many agents just to get here and they can't even complete the mission. Were their deaths going to be in vain? Apparently so. However, Cutthroat frowned at the army that had just shown up. There was something familiar about them but he couldn't place his finger on it.
"Wait, that's weird." Cutthroat muttered. "That's not the..."
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BEEP!
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BEEP!
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BEEP!
Cutthroat furrowed his eyebrow and searched where the sound was coming from. His hand eventually found it, and when he whipped it out— it was the walkie-talkie for contacting Johann. He sucked up a breath and pressed the button for transmission.
"You're too late, man. We already lost." Cutthroat sighed.
"Don't get your undies in a bunch. The war has just started." Night Fury's voice came in.
Cutthroat's eyes widened, "Night Fury?"
"Look up, Cutthroat."
He did, and guess what. In front of the new army that came in, dressed in his black battle armor, wielding a flaming sword in one hand, and, a walkie-talkie in the other, is Night Fury.
Cutthroat's jaw dropped, leaving him gaping like a fish. The others also followed at what he was looking at, and stared indecorously at the man.
"Sorry for being late. But I brought an army with me, and they're thirsty for Drago's blood..."