Deadliest Warrior of Fiction

by Zivon96

Warriors from all over fiction converge to fight to the death with other warriors of equal stature. Written with the help of DeadAliveManiac, Scarecrow'sMainFan and Undaed15. Current matchup: It's a duel of the sellswords as the ambitious Band of the Hawk takes on the Greil Mercenaries!

34. Greil Mercenaries vs Band of the Hawk

The warriors portrayed in this chapter belong to their respective creators and the outcome of the chapter is not representative of the overall quality of the works of fiction portrayed or my thoughts thereon

oxoxoxo

The Fight Club was abuzz with activity as tests were prepared for this fight's warriors. The experts' table was once more covered in weapons, these ones all from the late medieval era. A similar set of weapons, but with a few key differences. Behind the hosts were mannequins dressed for war, the first dressed in a set of polished white plate armour, while its opposite wore blue plate and a red cape. "We've got a different matchup than usual on Deadliest Warrior today," Zivon said "These warriors are not just a band of soldiers led by a leader, we're comparing two bands of characters: the Band of the Hawk and the Greil Mercenaries."

"When you look at the Hawks," Scarecrow pointed out "These guys are imposing. Right off the bat, they've got two big presences with Griffith and Guts, and looking at those two is going to have a psychological impact on an enemy force of any kind, just by seeing these two on the front lines."

"The weapons are going to be a crucial point here too." Zivon said, gesturing to the table before them. "On the Hawk side we're gonna be testing Guts' Greatsword! This thing is enormous! And on the Greil Mercenaries side we've got the blessed sword Ragnell."

"We also have to consider strategy and tactics here." DAM added. "Both of these warriors were instrumental for changing the course of the wars they fought in. We'll be analyzing Griffith's double feigned retreat at Doldrey Castle, as well as Ike and Soren's diversionary army at the Ribahn River. This is a pair of legendary bands, tactical geniuses and war heroes, and I can't wait to see who wins here."

The Greil Mercenaries

(A gruff, blue haired man in blue armour and a red cape swings a golden sword at the camera)

The world renowned Crimean mercenary band who turned the tide of two continent spanning wars.

(Ike and his mercenaries lead the charge against Begnion soldiers, several Laguz warriors following their charge.)

Versus

The Band of the Hawk

(A beautiful, white haired man in avian styled, white plate armour swings a saber at the camera)

The daring and ambitious army of mercenaries who single handedly ended a one hundred year war, and gained their fortunes.

(Griffith and Guts lead the cavalry at the forefront of their army as it collides with a Tudor force.)

WHO

IS

DEADLIEST?

To find out, the battles of fiction and modern science collide, as doctor and historian DeadAliveManiac dives deep into the physical injuries and battlefield tactics of the warriors behind the weapons, biomedical engineer Zivon96 will use advanced technology to uncover new data on the arsenals of these legendary warriors, and Scarecrow'sMainFan will collect all the data and create a no holds barred battle to the death between these two titans of the battlefield. When paired with research, a true battle to the death will occur between the two warriors pulled from the pages of fiction, legends will be rewritten, but only one will be crowned…

DEADLIEST WARRIOR!

In our high tech Fight Club, our experts are digging up new information on two bands of sellswords turned national heroes who won the wars of their time. In the end, the two forces will clash in a battle to the death, and only one will be left standing. First to the fight:

The Band of the Hawk the rising stars of Midland's army, led by the cunning and ambitious military genius Griffith
Series: Berserk
Leader: Griffith:
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 150lbs
Homeland: Midland
Loyalty: King of Midland
Armour: Steel Plate

And their competition:

The Greil Mercenaries Crimea's soldiers turned heroes led by the master swordsman and general Ike
Series: Fire Emblem
Leader: Ike
Height: 6'
Weight: 190lbs
Homeland: Crimea
Loyalty: Queen Elincia, Laguz Alliance
Armour: Steel Plate

"It might be predictable, but let's start off with the Tale of the Tape." Said DAM "First of all, let's look at these guys, the Band of the Hawk. They're led by Griffith during the Golden Age, and this guy isn't the biggest guy in the world, but he makes up for it in appearance, both looks and reputation. He's gorgeous, he's a master of the blade and of strategy, and he makes sure everyone knows who he is by his brilliant white armour with its hawk helmet. You see that, that's imposing, and you know exactly who you're fighting. Meanwhile, the Greil Mercenaries aren't as imposing, but their reputation does precede them. That reputation was built on defeating Daein's Mad King Ashnard and the Black Knight."

"I think a big X-factor in this fight is going to be strategy, since you'll be looking at it again DAM." Scarecrow said. "Ike and Soren came up with some great tactics, and Griffith is a military genius. Today you'll be looking at two of their most devious tactical maneuvers: Griffith's twice feigned retreat at Doldrey and Soren's diversionary army at the Ribahn."

"Physiology and tactics are gonna be crucial, but first we've gotta get us some weapons testing," Said Zivon "And today we've got another magic vs technology matchup, and you guys know how much I love those. Aside from that though, the weapons featured here are from almost the same time period, and have so many similarities. It's really gonna come down to the X-factors here, and I can't wait to see how they turn out."

The new digital combat engine takes into account a variety of X-factors, critical intangibles gathered by our legends research team led by Undaed15.

"A big factor here is going to be loyalty." Undaed said as the hosts gathered around his desk. "A good mercenary company is one that is loyal to more than just their next payment. The Greil Mercenaries are a found and sometimes literal family and those bonds have been cultivated in war and peacetime alike. The Hawks, meanwhile, are all entirely dedicated to Griffith and his dream. They would die for him, and that makes them dangerous."

oxoxoxo

A tall woman with fiery red hair in a braid down her back wearing white and gold armour took up a short axe and tested its weight.

First to the fight for the Greil Mercenaries is Deputy Commander Titania. Titania has fought for the Greil Mercenaries since they were led by Ike's father Greil and is a master with an axe and a blade.

"There is a reason the Greil Mercenaries are known across Tellius," Titania said. "We've fought two continent wide wars and impressed royals, nobles and clergy on all sides. Fighting another band of sellswords shouldn't be any trouble."

A shorter man with long dark hair and a strange brand on his forehead flipped through a large tome at a desk marked with a Crimean flag.

Rounding out the Greil Mercenaries experts is master tactician Soren. Soren is a constant companion to Ike, and has seen the company through many battles behind the table and on the front lines.

"The Hawks think they can beat Ike?" Soren asked, arms folded. "Two separate armies tried at the same time, and both failed. We can defeat some up-jumped mercenaries."

Beginning as a simple mercenary company, the Greil Mercenaries would grow in renown and reputation when they took up arms to defend Crimean Princess Elincia during the Mad King's War. During the war, company founder Greil would be killed in combat, leaving his young son Ike to lead the company.

"Ike took command of a simple mercenary company and came away from the war at the head of an army." Soren explained. "His success and the success of the company inspired people across Tellius."

Three years after the end of the Mad King's War, the Greil Mercenaries would once again take to the field at the head of a war between the Laguz Alliance and the massive Begnion Empire. During the war, the Greil Mercenaries would take center stage, dominating the battlefield once more.

"Even with entire armies to call on for battle, kingdoms still call on us to fight their wars." Titania concluded. "The Hawks might have an impressive reputation, but they still only fought one major conflict. Our experience will deliver the win."

That's news to our Hawk experts, both of whom claim high ranks in the famed band.

A woman with short, dark hair and brown eyes in plate armour gave an experimental thrust with a thin blade.

Recruited to the Band of the Hawk at a young age, Casca is ready to fight for her company. In a mercenary company where skill and talent are rewarded with positions of authority, Casca is considered in the league of Griffith himself.

"No force in Midland or Tudor was able to challenge the Hawks at their peak." Said Casca. "The Black Rams, the Purple Rhinos and the Blue Whales all tried, but in the end Griffith and the Hawks beat them all. There's no chance a mere mercenary company can beat us now."

A truly massive man with short black hair and grey armour hefted an enormous blade and tested a series of swings.

Taking up the blade for the Band of the Hawk is the most recent recruit and leader of the Hawk's Raiders, Guts. Guts joined the Band of the Hawk after he was bested in battle by their leader, and has become one of his finest warriors.

"I'd be surprised if any other mercenary company can even challenge Griffith," Guts said, polishing his sword. "Let alone the entire Band of the Hawk."

Beginning their lives as a mere mercenary company, the Band of the Hawk would recruit their members from all walks of life. From labourers to performers, and even former enemies, any who displayed talent enough to impress their leader would be recruited. Leading the band was the ever ambitious Griffith. The White Hawk.

"Griffith made his overall goal clear to anyone who he recruited:" Guts explained. "He would have his own kingdom. The way the Hawks fought, they may as well have been an army already."

As the Band of the Hawk grew in reputation, Griffith took his chance to gain his power. At nearly a century long, Midland's war with neighbouring Tudor had long been fought between the two nations. When the Hawks joined the war it was over in a matter of years. Griffith's genius and skill on the battlefield saw him raised to the peerage, but even that did not sate his ambition.

"When Griffith sets his eyes on a goal, the Band of the Hawk does not stop until that goal is reached." Casca said. "If his goal is to beat the Greil Mercenaries, he'll take them like any other enemy."

But how will Midland's most legendary fighting force fare against Crimea's homegrown heroes?

"It'll be no contest." Guts scoffed. "We face worse than the Greil Mercenaries on a near weekly basis."

"Looking at some of the armies the Hawks have faced," Soren remarked, shaking his head. "They're in for a rude awakening if they face our company."

When both mercenary bands hit the front lines of battle, they needed to hit the enemy as hard as they could. For the Band of the Hawk, they turned to the most advanced military technology of their day:

The Siege Cannon
Length: 92"
Weight: 1,350lbs
Material: Cast Iron
Ammunition: 12lbs

The newest advance in warfare, powerful enough to blast through stone walls with ease.

Guts and Casca stood before the hosts on the outdoor firing range, the massive cannon between them. "The Hawks don't usually fight lengthy sieges," Casca explained "But fire one of these into a cavalry charge and you'll see just how much they can help a smaller army fight a larger one."

"So is that why Griffith would use a weapon like this?" Scarecrow asked. "Thinning the enemy ranks?"

"Exactly," Guts confirmed. "It might not be the fastest weapon in the world, but anything it hits won't be a problem anymore."

A truly powerful weapon, but how much damage can the Hawks' cannon really do? To find out, our team has rigged up a series of targets in order to assess the cannon's accuracy, damage potential and reload time.

Zivon and Scarecrow led the experts out to the fields where the test had been set up. "So over here," Zivon explained "We have our Greil Mercenary fort, a brick structure similar in setup to a typical Crimean outpost, definitely not your typical stronghold, but they do still have a wall." Zivon gestured to the previously mentioned wall. "What we want to see is how well you can penetrate said wall. You'll have three shots with the cannon to get through."

"Is that it?" Casca asked as she and Guts prepared for the test, loading the cannon for its first shot.

"Don't get too cocky," Scarecrow added. "We also want to see how your reload time looks. We want to know if this is gonna bring down multiple mercs, or if this is a one shot wonder."

"You might want to stand back." Casca noted. The hosts obliged, getting to a safe distance.

Zivon picked up his timer. "Casca, Guts, you guys ready?"

"Ready!" Casca declared.

Guts simply nodded and handed Casca a torch.

"On THREE, TWO, ONE, OPEN FIRE!"

With her torch, Casca lit the fuse on the cannon, and in just a few seconds, the lit fuse hit the cannon. With a deafening bellow, the cannon roared to life, the ball soaring from the barrel and slamming into the wall, cracking a head-sized crater in the bricks and sending up a cloud of smoke. The experts whooped and hollered, but Casca and Guts had no time to celebrate as they began to load the cannon.

Reloading a siege cannon is a multistep process. A damp sponge is first used to extinguish any remaining live embers. Next, a packet of blackpowder is rammed to the back of the gun and pierced with a fuse. Finally, the twelve pound cannonball is loaded and rammed to the back of the gun with the powder.

"All in all, that was almost a minute and a half." Zivon said, showing the stopwatch to Scarecrow and DAM. "That's gonna hurt their score a bit."

The next second though, the score was forgotten as the cannon belched once more, the ball smashing through the already weakened stone wall, sending an entire section of the wall crashing down. The Hawks had a way into the fort.

As Guts and Casca begin reloading the cannon, Zivon ups the ante, adding a gel torso with the same density and viscosity as human flesh and bone to the target range.

"Alright, let's see how accurate you can be with a gun this big," Zivon declared. "Whenever you guys are ready, fire!"

Casca lowered the torch and lit the fuse once more. The cannon barked again, the ball soaring past the gel torso and smashing into the wall. Shattered bits of stone rained down, some shrapnel even hitting the target. The ball was still a miss.

"I'm takin' that guy with me to Vegas!" DAM remarked. "Luckiest man in the world!"

The experts clenched their fists in anticipation as Guts and Casca loaded their final shot, the ball being rammed down the barrel just after the powder. Casca and Guts adjusted the aim of the gun, sharing a nod as they prepared to fire. Lighting the fuse once more, the last shot was made.

The cannon roared once more, the blast propelling the final shot right into the gel torso, a torrent of stage blood falling as the ball ripped through the gel as though it wasn't even there and continued downrange, burying itself in the hillside.

The hosts were nearly as loud as the cannon as they approached the target, DAM putting on his gloves just for good measure as he looked over the target. "Do I even need to say anything here?" He asked as he pointed to the gaping wound in the target. "See this, right here?" He said, gesturing to the affected area on his own body. "There's a lot in here that you kind of need to keep a body functioning. This guy doesn't need to worry about that anymore. The blast would cause him to bleed out in shock within seconds. He's not gonna last and it's not gonna be pretty."

"I also liked how the cannonball isn't the only dangerous thing here." Zivon pointed out. "When that blast broke down the wall, it sent shards of brick everywhere. That's called shrapnel and it's deadly in its own right. You also have the sound of this thing. That blast is gonna get all the attention, especially in a world where gunpowder isn't widely used yet. It's gonna be psychologically impacting as well."

"It's dangerous, but it's also pretty damn slow." Scarecrow added. "It took you guys almost a minute and a half on average to load this thing, are you worried?"

Guts scoffed. "Ask this guy if he's worried." He said, gesturing to the target. "That's gonna be the Greil Mercenaries against this thing."

"And Griffith would fire this into enemy ranks, that would absolutely destroy a frontal charge of any kind."

The Band of the Hawk draws first blood, but what do the Greil Mercenaries think?

Soren raised a brow. "Really? That's your opening? You barely managed to hit him and you think this will be a game changer?"

Guts said nothing, just gestured to the target with a head sized hole in the torso.

"Whatever damage it does is utterly negated in this kind of battle." Soren explained. "You have no cavalry charge to fire this into, and no lines of cannons to fire."

"Not to mention Soren's weapon." Titania added. "Your weapon is far too obvious for a practical use in battle, but ours, you'll never see it coming."

With the Hawks making their first strike, the Greil Mercenaries respond with their own insane killer:

Wind Magic
Size: Variable
Weight: None
Must be cast from a tome
Tome weight: 1lb

The power of wind itself conjured from the page by magic.

Soren raised a simple seeming tome to address the experts. "This is our weapon of choice." He explained, opening the book. "With a few words in the old tongue, I can cast offensive magic against your cannon."

DAM frowned. "We've seen elemental attacks on this show, but they're usually a bit more solid than wind. So how is wind going to beat a cannon?"

"First of all, that torch they need to light it?" Soren said, gesturing to the Hawk's still set up cannon. The branded mage muttered a brief spell and thrust a hand forward, and an equally brief gale of wind blew through and extinguished the torch. "Good luck firing now."

Casca frowned. "Congratulations, you've annoyed us and delayed our win."

Titania stepped forward to continue the explanation. "Wind magic is one of the more versatile types of magic. It can attack from a distance, and can even be used against a far off enemy if the right spell is used. Its only disadvantage is that it requires a tome to cast and is not as instantly lethal as fire or lightning might be."

But just how lethal is Soren's wind magic? To find out, our experts have rigged up a pair of tests to judge Soren's magic both up close and at a distance.

"Alright Soren, here's your scenario. Over in the distance, fifty feet away, we have our Griffith stand-in. He's dressed in Griffith's traditional avian plate armour and mounted on a synthetic horse. We want to see what you can do to him at a distance first. Got it?"

"That shouldn't be too hard." Soren replied. "What's part two?"

"Right over here," Zivon continued, gesturing to the side "Are Griffith's angry soldiers. After that first shot, we have three foam torsos mounted to slowly advancing robots. They've also got pressure sensors so we can see what your magic can really do. We want to see how you handle them. Think you can take it?"

"Again, not difficult. You'd better give me some space."

"You got it, just don't start until we're ready." Zivon declared, running back to the other experts at a safe distance.

Soren nodded and pulled a tome out of his book bag.

Zivon looked over the testing grounds as Soren made ready to attack. "High speed's up and armed… Soren, you ready?"

"Ready!" The mage called.

"On three, two, one, GO!"

Soren raised a hand and the winds began to blow, pulling at his robes as he gathered power overhead. In a matter of seconds that power coalesced into a ball of ice the size of a man's torso. Gesturing in the direction of the mounted, armoured target, the orb flew, frost trailing behind it as it slammed into the armoured target, blasting it off its horse in one shot.

The hosts cheered their approval, even as Soren began to back away from the three advancing attack-bots as he stashed his first tome in his pack and produced a second one. Raising a hand and stepping back, Soren took a moment to gather his power, winds picking up around his open hand until he released it. The winds generated slammed into the advancing bots with the force of a small tornado, dashing the bots about in a gale force wind as small shards of ice flew with it, cutting into the targets as they fell. Not content, Soren readied another attack, the winds rushing from his hands in another verse in the old tongue, smashing into the already downed bots and crashing them into each other and the surrounding area. Soren dusted himself off and turned to the hosts. "Is that enough?"

Soren's magic was doubtless faster than the Hawks' cannon, but what kind of damage did it cause?

DAM and company first advanced on the Griffith stand-in. DAM was the first on scene and pulled on his gloves to examine the patient. "Okay, first of all, impressive accuracy has to be acknowledged. You took this guy out with an overgrown snowball on your first hit. Good shot there." Soren nodded at the compliment, but DAM continued. "We make jokes about putting ice in snowballs, but as we can see here, get enough ice and throw it hard enough," He said, gesturing to the target. "I've actually got a cracked skull here. We'd have to check the high speed footage and see if it was the impact from the ice or the fall from the horse that did it, but that's still a good hit."

Moving on to the mobile targets, though the initial wind was not instantly lethal, it did still manage to cause death.

DAM shook his head as he examined an attack bot with a cracked skull. "You tossed these three guys about like it was nothing, that's a pretty impressive shot, but this is still the only kill."

"Keep in mind though, the initial tornado wasn't one hundred percent lethal, we also have to consider the advantages it does have." Zivon said. "For one, the fact that you can call up a freaking tornado in the first place. That's gonna cause some havoc for the enemy if you can just whip that one out. Second, these guys are currently at your mercy. Even if only one is dead, the others just got tossed around, the world is spinning, they're gonna be reorienting themselves and that'll take crucial seconds to do."

The winds blow for the Greil Mercenaries, but the Band of the Hawk is not impressed.

"You counter our cannon with a stiff breeze?" Guts remarked.

Soren once again raised a brow at the larger man. "Tell you what, you can stand there next time, and we'll see how you take a 'stiff breeze.'"

"I'll take it better than you can take a cannonball." Guts said, arms folded across his massive chest.

"Good luck catching me with a weapon that clumsy, or firing with a doused torch." Soren shot back.

"Guys, guys, save it for the tests." Scarecrow said, getting between the two before they could go for their weapons.

And as those tests conclude, the team reviews the high speed footage of the tests.

"Alright, here's the wind magic ice ball test." Zivon said.

The slow motion footage began and no detail was spared by the recording. The Griffith target stood resplendent in its bright white armour as the incoming ice ball entered the frame. Though it took less than a second in reality, on the screen, the hosts watched in slow-mo as the projectile crept closer and closer with each passing second. When it first made contact, the experts winced. The impact wrenched 'Griffith's' head back, nearly 45 degrees after the hit.

"No amount of armour would have stopped that." Scarecrow pointed out. "That's breaking his neck right there, the fall just made it worse."

"It's gonna take him a good few seconds to charge that up though." DAM pointed out. "I like that with the cannon you just have to point and light to fire it, and anything it hits it gonna feel it."

"But then you also have to load it." Scarecrow added. "While the wind magic takes some time to charge, it's still faster than the full minute needed to fire a freaking cannon."

"And then what?" DAM asked. "Soren tossed those targets about pretty well, but got one kill. Plus, he had to swap his books around to get that second spell off. In that time, I can see him getting cut down by the Hawks."

"That's one more than you're likely to get from a cannon you can't really aim." Zivon pointed out. "I don't see that cannon scoring that many kills, and you know what's an easier kill than a guy swapping tomes? One knocked on his ass by one. My edge goes to the Greil Mercenaries and their wind magic."

"I'm gonna disagree and go for the instantly lethal cannon." DAM said. "The wind magic has the potential to kill, but the cannon kills anything it hits, whether it be man, horse or wall."

"It has to go to the wind magic for me." Scarecrow said. "It's faster to use, it doesn't have a full minute reload time, and it doesn't risk blowing up in the user's face."

In a two to one vote, the Greil Mercenaries take an early lead with their Wind Magic.

But this battle is just getting started. Both sides are packing entire arsenals of weapons ready for war. The Band of the Hawk seized the day with

The Siege Cannon
Straightsword and Cavalry Saber
Throwing Knife
Crossbow
And the Greatsword

"Griffith and the Hawks used the most advanced and powerful weapons money could buy." Casca explained. "With how well we were doing on the battlefield, the kingdom paid us enough to afford the best."

In response, the Greil Mercenaries stormed the field with

Wind Magic
The Silver Sword
Short Axe
Silencer Bow
And Ragnell

"Ike always made sure we had the best arms we could get our hands on." said Soren "We had merchant contacts who would supply our forces with any weapons or magic we needed, at any time."

With both of these warriors showing off their battle openers, the battle moves in closer as the warriors take up their long range weapons. The Band of the Hawk rained death on their enemies with

The Crossbow
Length: 30"
Weight: 4lbs
Material: Wood and Steel
Ammunition: Iron tipped bolts

Accurate death at a distance, standard issue for any army of Midland.

Casca stepped into the stirrup and pulled back the bowstring. "Now all it takes is to load an arrow, point and shoot." She explained. "There's a good reason so many armies use this weapon."

"She definitely makes a good point," Scarecrow said. "I mean, this is a weapon so effective, the pope outlawed it over here."

"But it's also a weapon we've seen a lot on this show," DAM pointed out. "So I'm looking forward to what the Greil Mercenaries can bring to counter it."

"I think we can counter it quite well." Titania said. "We've got a bow of our own to show off."

The Crossbow's reputation precedes it, but the Greil Mercenaries have their own long range death dealer:

The Silencer
Length: 36"
Weight: 3lbs
Material: Wood, horn

A custom made bow made by the Greil Mercenaries master archer Shinon.

Titania showed off the custom made bow to the experts. "Shinon takes pride in these bows, but has thus far only sold one of them. The rest he or his apprentice use personally."

"So how did you get this one?" DAM asked.

"It's from our own arsenal," Titania explained. "That's how confident we are in it."

Both sides remain confident in their weapon choices, but which one will come out on top? To find out, our experts have set up a series of targets.

"You'll both be firing on the same targets for this test." Zivon explained. "We've got three enemy targets, two moving and one behind cover, simulating what you might see in battle." As the host said, two targets were moving back and forth along parallel tracks, a third target, behind the two, was partially concealed by a pavise, leaving only his head and shoulders visible. "So we've got two enemy soldiers, and one counter archer. You'll have five shots each to get through them, and you will be timed. Casca, you'll be up first with the crossbow."

Casca nodded and loaded her weapon, the other experts and hosts stepping back into cover to watch the display.

Zivon readied his timer. "Casca, you ready?"

"Ready!"

"Alright, you're on the clock in three, two, one, loose!"

Casca wasted no time raising the bow and firing, striking a moving target directly in the chest. Not wasting time celebrating, she immediately stepped into the stirrup and pulled back the bowstring, readying her next shot. Placing the arrow at the ready, she took aim once more and, picking the second moving target, she fired, the bolt sticking in its shoulder. Reloading for a third shot, Casca aimed for the target in cover and fired, the bolt striking right in its neck, spilling a steady stream of stage blood.

"That one's a bleeder." DAM said. "He's probably choking on it."

Casca didn't even hear the doctor as she loaded her fourth shot. Raising the crossbow, she fired again, striking the first moving target in the abdomen. Stepping into the stirrup to load her final bolt, Casca took aim once more and loosed the shot, landing in the second moving target's left chest. "Done!" She called.

Zivon stopped the timer and examined the results. "Got fifty eight seconds, Casca. Not too shabby."

Casca shows off the crossbow's power and accuracy, but how lethal was it?

DAM looked over the first moving target, pulling out the bolt embedded in its chest. "We've got two beautifully placed shots in this guy, both absolutely lethal. This first one is almost dead center chest, hitting this guy right in that aorta, and that's gonna bleed like hell. As for the second shot, as though this guy wasn't bleeding out enough, this shot hit that sweet spot in the abdomen, right where that spleen is, and that organ just loves to bleed. You pop that sucker and you go down."

Leading the crew to the second target, DAM looked it over once more and gestured to the arrow in its shoulder. "This target's not quite as dead as the first one. Looking at this shot, he might lose use of his arm from this, but he's not dead yet and he's probably still fighting. This second shot, however, that's gonna be a death blow. That's hitting right in the left chest, right where that heart sits, and that's gonna be a kill shot." Moving to the last target, DAM pulled the arrow out of it's throat. "This one though, this is the money shot. This arrow is sticking right in the windpipe and actually might hit the spine if it hits at the right angle. This guy is gonna choke on his own blood and go down in a messy way."

"So bottom line," Scarecrow said "All targets are dead, and four out of five shots were instant kills."

"That last man is going to have enough trouble fighting Griffith with both hands," Casca scoffed. "One handed and he might as well surrender."

The Hawks have fired first, but Team Greil is ready to return fire with their own distanced death dealer.

Titania stood before the range, Silencer in hand and an arrow at the ready. Zivon raised his timer. "Titania, you ready?"

The knight nodded. "Ready."

"On three, two, one, loose!"

Titania pulled back her first arrow and let it fly, striking a moving target in the throat. As the stage blood spilled from the wound and the experts cheered, Titania was already pulling back her second arrow to fire. She drew back the arrow and loosed it, striking the second moving target in the forehead, almost right between the eyes. The trickle of blood from the wound wasn't even on the ground before Titania was stringing her third shot.

"Interesting, she's moving quickly, but still picking her targets more than expected." Scarecrow remarked.

Though Titania didn't hear what Scarecrow said, she still launched her third arrow, the shot striking the target in cover right in his right eye. Channeling Shinon as well as she could, Titania drew back a third arrow and loosed, nailing the second moving target right in the side of the neck. Finally, one last arrow was drawn back and loosed, hitting the first target once more, landing square in his abdomen. Raising the bow overhead she called "Done!"

Zivon stopped his timer and looked down at the time. "Not bad at all, forty three seconds Titania. Let's see what kind of damage you got."

The Silencer matched the crossbow for number of hits, but was it as damaging as the Hawks' weapon of choice?

DAM gestured to the first moving target and the arrows in its neck and abdomen. "Where you hit this guy, he's going down in a bloody way, right in the carotid and in the large intestine here. These are both going to kill, but only one is instant. This gut shot is causing a lot of pain, but it's gonna be a while before he dies."

With arrows in its neck and head, the second target is dead instantly, but what about the third.

"Dead in the eye, right here." DAM said. "Literally, this is going right through the eye, actually causing what we call the corneal reflex, the reflex that makes us blink, right as the arrow shoots him in the eye."

"Shinon does like to call himself a master archer," Soren pointed out. "What you're seeing now is the actions of such an archer. Titania only moved to the next target once the one before was dead, and we know they're dead because of where she put her shots."

"I do like that," Zivon said. "The Hawks all know how to use the crossbow, but the advantage the Greil Mercenaries have is that they do have that master archer."

"A lot of the Greil Mercenaries do have their own specialities," Scarecrow added. "While the Hawks are all trained in various fighting styles, the Mercenaries are experts in their own field. It'll be interesting to plug that into the sim and see how it plays out."

The Greil Mercenaries have shown off their ranged death dealer, but what do the Hawks think?

Titania and Soren stood before the last target, Titania embodying Shinon by slinging the Silencer over her shoulder.

Guts and Casca, meanwhile, did not look impressed. "First of all," Guts said, "What will you do when your archer goes down? How many of your men know how to use that bow if he's out of the picture?" Before either mercenary could answer, Guts continued. "Second, all our fighters are wearing armour. I want to see that bow tested against Hawk standard plate amrour."

To settle the score, both sides will be given a fresh target: a gel torso clad in plate armour. For the Hawks, their crossbow will be pitted against a Crimean soldier's breastplate, and for the Greil Mercenaries, their Silencer will fire at a standard issue Midland chestplate.

Casca looked down the range at the bright white armour of her target and raised her loaded crossbow. Pulling back on the trigger, the bow fired true, striking the target directly in the center of the breastplate, piercing the armour and letting loose a trickle of blood from the bottom of the breastplate.

DAM pulled back the armour and the bolt with it. Taking a ruler to the bolt, he measured the bloodstain on it. "Two inches pierced. That's usually enough to kill, especially with a shot this well placed. If you're lucky, that's a kill, if not, that's still a good chance it'll drop that lung. Either way, this guy isn't in a good place."

An impressive shot. How can Titania and her Silencer counter it?

Before a target of her own, dressed in gleaming plate armour, Titania drew an arrow and strung it, pulling back and loosing the shot. The arrow hit just above the sternum, puncturing the armour.

DAM once again pulled back the armour and measured the impact. "You did manage to pierce the armour, and you gave a good shot, but this isn't enough piercing to kill. At best, that's a good inch into the target, maybe enough to drop a lung, but only if you hit him just right."

"As ever," Zivon added "The accuracy is impressive. The way this amrour is constructed, you do have a less well reinforced zone, which you did manage to hit. That said, I don't like that you weren't able to get that kill shot here."

"The bow is accurate enough to pick targets though," Soren piped up. "Shinon is well known for hitting even the smallest of targets. Eyes, necks, joints, he's well known for being able to hit those sorts of targets."

We won't need to aim for that kind of a target." Guts countered. "A Hawk shoots you, and you go down, armour or no armour."

"Damage is damage," DAM said "And there is a reason the crossbow was more widely used than the bow and arrow later in its use."

"Not only that," Scarecrow added "But the crossbow has its first shot already loaded. While the Silencer is faster to reload, I like the fact that you can carry that first shot around before you strictly need to use it."

"I like the Silencer for its accuracy, but the combination of the armour piercing capability of the crossbow and its more widespread use gives it my edge."

With a unanimous score, the Hawks' Crossbow takes the edge at long range.

But as the battle drew closer, both bands of mercenaries would fall back on thrown weapons. As the Greil Mercenaries closed distance with their opponents, they would throw

The Short Axe
Length: 24"
Weight: 5lbs
Material: Steel

A handy weapon in close combat, or thrown at a distance.

Titania sat astride her horse, axe in hand. She gave it a quick spin as she addressed the hosts. "This might be a bit heavier than your average throwing axe, but it's still balanced enough to throw well, and it hits hard on impact."

"Why would the Greil Mercenaries use a weapon like this?" Zivon asked.

"This is a weapon that we can use in close combat or at a distance," Soren explained. "It's a versatile tool, and one you can use for any battle."

"Versatility is definitely something we like here, so we've got a quick test for you," Scarecrow said as he led Titania to the course she would run. "Over here we have our attacking Hawks, two on foot and one mounted in the distance. We want two melee attacks against the infantry, and then you're going to throw the axe at the mounted target. Think you can handle that?"

Titania smiled. "I think you'll want to step back."

"Don't need to tell us twice," DAM replied. "Let's get out of here."

The hosts evacuated the range as Titania led her horse back to the starting line and gripped the reins.

Zivon looked over his instruments and made sure everything was set up. "High speed's up and armed… Titania, you ready?"

"Ready!"

"On three, two, one, ride 'em down!"

With a crack of the reins, Titania sent her horse into motion. Within seconds she was on top of the first target, swinging her axe down into its head, the shattering foam torso's skull with one swing. The stage blood hadn't even hit the ground before Titania was already gone, riding with thundering hooves at the second target, a second swing slamming right into its shoulder. The target was thrown to the ground in a torrent of blood from the wound.

"That's gotta hurt," DAM remarked. "Even if the wound doesn't kill him, he's not getting up without some effort."

Titania rode down the final target, her horse gaining speed as she rode it down. With a final gallop, she reared back and hurled the short axe. The axe flew through the air, end over end, slamming blade first into the target. Still riding, Titania rode right past the target, rounding behind it and returning to the hosts in a quick trot.

The damage looks devastating, but how lethal was it?

DAM merely shook his head as he gestured to the first target. "I mean, do we really need an ER doc here? Real human tissue wouldn't shatter like this, but if you smash a sharp piece of metal into a human skull like this, he's gonna remember it. At least, for that one moment before he's out like a light." Moving on to the second target, DAM had to pick it up off the ground to show it to the others. "This one isn't as instant a kill. He's still gonna die, but a blow like this is gonna be a bleeder. Maybe you drop a lung, maybe hit the heart and kill him, but it's more than likelt he'll just bleed out from this one."

"The mounted guy is probably a goner too, doc." Scarecrow said, gesturing to the torso with the axe buried in its chest. "That doesn't look pleasant."

"Not in the least," DAM confirmed. "Hit like that is gonna go right through those ribs, and on the off chance that doesn't kill him instantly, it's gonna cause what's called a flail chest with the amount of broken ribs we'd see here."

"So that's three kills, all done from horseback, and one from a distance." Zivon summarized. "Hawks, what do you think."

Guts grunted and Casca rolled her eyes. "I, personally, would love to fight someone with that axe." Guts said. "She disarmed herself beautifully."

"It's not the only weapon I have." Titania confirmed. "And I think I'm in better shape than Griffith would be after getting hit with that."

"We've got something in our arsenal to throw too." Casca replied. "And unlike yours, we've got a lot more."

The Greil Mercenaries hit hard with their axe, but the Band of the Hawk replied with a storm of blades:

Throwing Knives
Length: 6"
Weight: 2lbs
Material: Iron

Carried en masse by the Band of the Hawk and thrown at the enemy with precision.

Guts gestured to the belt of knives strapped over his chest. "Most Hawks carry a belt of these if we need an extra weapon." He explained. "They're lightweight, sharp, and I can throw them either one at a time, or a handful if I feel like it."

"So why would you use a weapon like this?" Scarecrow asked.

"We would use them as a distance weapon, first and foremost," Casca explained. "It can either kill a man if they're thrown in the right place, or give us a chance to close the distance with other weapons."

"So while the Greil Mercenaries are killing with their thrown weapon, yours is more of a distraction?" Zivon asked.

"Oh, I can still kill with these." Guts said with a grin. "Let me show you what I can do."

"Holster your knives and follow me then." The host said with a slight gulp. "Over here we've got a similar test to Titania's. Three targets, the only difference is we've taken the third target off of horseback. What I want to see is two targets hit from the horse, and then I want to see what you can do on foot. Think you can handle that."

As an answer, Guts hauled himself into the saddle and rode to the starting line, the hosts taking that as their cue to back away from the course.

"Alright, high speed's up and armed… Guts, you ready?" Zivon called.

"Ready!" Guts answered, pulling a pair of knives from his belt.

"On three, two, one, ride!"

Guts cracked the reins and his horse galloped off. In seconds he threw his first knife, sticking right in the ribcage of his first target. Before he passed it, Guts threw a second knife, ust missing the target as he rode past. Snarling, he drew another knife and whipped it at the second target, nailing it in the shoulder. Whipping out a fourth knife, he threw it at the same target, striking it in the neck, spilling a torrent of blood over the foam torso.

"When it hits, it's certainly effective." Scarecrow remarked.

Nearing the final target, Guts swung himself off his horse, using the motion to throw his first knife at the final target, striking it dead in the ribcage. Grabbing three more knives from his belt, he hurled them all at once, though only two knives hit, one in the shoulder and one in the abdomen. With a final snarl, Guts turned and called to the hosts "Done!"

Throwing seven knives, Guts scored hits with five of them. But how much damage did he do?

DAM pulled the knife out of the first target's ribcage. And gestured to the distance punctured. "Well, this one is deep enough to kill, but the placement is off. This might drop a lung, maybe knick the heart if you're really lucky, but this guy can still fight."

"And you're really not off to a good start since your second knife missed." Zivon pointed out.

"How about that second target?" Scarecrow asked.

"I don't think there's much to ask there." DAM replied. "He's super dead with that second shot, cutting right through that neck, into the jugular, that's gonna bleed and he's gonna die." Continuing down the course to the final target, DAM looked him over and removed the first knife. "This one was your first shot, and again, just like the first, you've got a good shot, but he might actually survive this one. He's gonna bleed, he's gonna hurt, it might drop the lung, but there's a good chance this guy's still alive."

"I think the second and third hits fixed that, DAM." Zivon pointed out. "I especially don't like the look of that gut shot."

"You're probably right to worry about that one," DAM pointed out. "With a wound like that in the guts, it might not kill instantly, but depending on what it hits, it could bleed a lot, it could puncture a lot of important organs, possibly leading to sepsis and death."

"So out of all of that," Soren piped up "We have one confirmed, definite kill, and two maybes?"

Guts raised an eyebrow at the mage. "You want to try fighting Griffith with a knife in your chest, be my guest."

"Only if you fight Ike with an axe in yours." Soren smoothly replied. "Seriously, we've got two healers in the company and they see worse injuries than this all the time. Even I could heal some of those injuries if I needed to and I'm not as good at it as they are."

"You can certainly try," Guts snarled, pulling another knife from his belt. "I'll be happy to injure you again if you do."

Both sides' thrown death dealers have dished out the damage, but which do our hosts think is

the superior weapon?

"It's gotta go to the axe." Scarecrow said. "While both can be thrown, and fairly accurately, in melee the axe can be used off horseback, it has superior range and its weight will let it bite deeper."

"Not only that, but let's look at what happens when you get hit." DAM said. "You take a hit from a thrown knife, it has to be pretty spot on to kill, but if you get hit with that axe, it'll ruin your entire week if it doesn't kill you outright. Edge to the axe."

"The knives are convenient since you can carry a lot of them at once, but I can't see them piercing any armour the mercenaries might be wearing." Zivon said. "My edge goes to the short axe."

At medium range, the Greil Mercenaries take the edge with the short axe.

The two battalions have worn each other down from afar, but it's time to take the battle into close range. Griffith would cut down his opponents with his personal weapon:

The Cavalry Saber
Length: 40"
Weight: 3lbs
Material: Carbon steel
Single edged

And the blade of his Hawks

The Straightsword
Length: 36"
Weight: 3lbs
Material: Steel
Double edged

A deadly duo of blades that cut the Hawks' path to victory.

Casca sat atop her horse, Griffith's saber on display in her hand, while her own straightsword was sheathed at her waist. "Each member of the Hawks carries one of these," She said, gesturing to her straightsword, "But Griffith has his own personal blade, as you can see here."

"Why have two different swords for your army?" DAM asked.

"The biggest reason is appearances." Casca explained. "Griffith is well known on the battlefield and off, and does everything he can to stand out from the crowd. As such, his personal sword has a different appearance from ours. They both serve the same purpose, and you'll see similar results from both, but one has a more distinguished profile."

"Well, no matter what profile they have, we're gonna see what they can do in a two part test." Zivon explained. "We've got a selection of targets for you, represented by sides of beef tied to posts. We want to see what your straightsword can do against those to gage its damage potential. For your third target, you'll dismount and have two shots to attack a standing target, this one a gel torso. After that, you'll remount and repeat the test on our second targets which have been set up behind it. Same principle, two sides of beef, one gel torso, only this time you'll be using Griffith's saber and the gel torso will be dressed in Ike's steel plate armour. Think you're up for it?"

"I'm ready when you are." Casca confirmed, sheathing Griffith's sword at her belt.

"Alright, mount up and head to the starting line, I'll count you off." Zivon said. The hosts retreated from the course as Casca mounted her horse and drew her blade. "Alright, high speed's up and armed… Casca, you ready?"

"Let's go!"

"On three, two, one, cut 'em down!"

As soon as the words were said, Casca galloped off with a crack of the reins. Sword raised as she bore down on the first target, Casca gave a mighty swing, biting deep into the meat of the target. Without pausing, Casca rode on, bringing her blade back as she approached the second target, stabbing forward and piercing right through the target, front to back, knocking the post down as she rode by.

"Damn, right through it like butter." Scarecrow muttered, getting a nod from the other hosts.

Casca brought her horse to a halt and dismounted as she approached the infantry target. Lunging forward, she stabbed with her blade, catching the target in the ribcage with her first hit. Pulling the blade back, she swung for the neck, cutting nearly halfway through it in one swing, spilling a flood of stage blood across the blade and getting a series of hoots and hollers from the hosts.

Without wasting a beat, Casca sheathed the blade and remounted her horse, drawing Griffith's saber before cracking the reins and charging again. She raised the sword and swung down at her first target, cutting the beef firmly in half, the only thing keeping it from falling being the bindings on the post. Charging forward again, Casca raised her blade for another attack, her swing cutting a massive gouge into the meat as she rode by.

"Love that saber cut" DAM remarked. "So clean, but so much damage."

Casca once again dismounted as she approached the final target. Stepping up to the armoured gel torso, Casca made her first swing, cleanly decapitating the torso in one hit. The hosts cheered as she set up for her second swing, chopping down onto the target's shoulder. With a shower of sparks, the blade slid cleanly off the armoured shoulder. Begrudgingly, Casca stepped back from the target and called "Done!"

A look at the first beef targets reveals both are kill shots.

DAM poked a finger through the neat hole Casca stabbed in the second target and shook his head. "There's a good chance that first guy is gonna bleed out, but this guy, if you put that shot right, he's dead instantly."

"Now that is a bit of an 'if' though." Scarecrow pointed out. "With a piercing shot like that, you have to be more accurate to get that kill, and that can be difficult on horseback."

"It can be," DAM confirmed, "But with a sword like this, you have to consider the flexibility of the sword. As it's stabbing the target, that metal is bending, it's ripping up his insides and that's just gonna cause more damage. Long story short, you place that shot right, this is a killshot. Moving on to the third target, this gel man is not in a good place. That shot through the ribcage pierced right through the lung, through the heart, and if I check… Yep, just like the beef, you're going right through and out the back. Great shot there, and the neck shot is just as impressive."

"You don't often give a straightsword any credit for cutting," Casca pointed out. "It might be stronger with a pierce, but don't forget just how much it can do with a cut as well."

"Speaking of cutting," DAM added. "Let's go check out what the saber did.

Looking at the beef targets, the damage is devastating.

"This is why I love a saber on horseback." DAM said, gesturing to the cut on the second beef target. "Look at this, right through the meat, through the muscle, through the bone even. This guy is deader than dead."

"Not as dead as this guy." Zivon said, picking up the decapitated head of the gel torso. "I like the logic here, by the way. You've got a powerful cutting weapon, swing for the unarmoured parts first, then try the armour."

"Now that is where your sword is letting you down." DAM added. "Ike does have a good amount of armour, are you worried?"

"He's got armour everywhere but where it matters most." Casca said, gesturing to the stump that was once the torso's neck.

The Hawks cut a bloody swath, but what do the Greil Mercenaries think?

Soren and Titania approached the course. "Impressed yet?" Casca asked.

Soren raised a brow. "I'm certainly impressed by Griffith's ego." He said. "If you have access to a blade that well made, you make sure your soldiers have it as well."

Titania patted the blade at her hip. "Ike made sure anyone who needed a blade was armed with the best we had access to, and that was this one."

The Greil Mercenaries strike back with

The Silver Sword
Length: 38"
Weight: 3.5lbs
Material: Folded steel

One of the finest blades available in Tellius.

"So what's a mercenary company like yours doing with a blade like this?" Scarecrow asked as Titania drew the sword. "It certainly looks pricey."

"It's more expensive, but you also get what you pay for." Titania answered. "This is a high quality piece of work, razor sharp and well made."

"As for how we can afford it," Soren added. "We work jobs for kings, queens and even an Empress once. When you send people like that the bill, you have the money for weapons like this."

"Well, we have a similar course for you to run, but since you only have one weapon we have it only one stage." Zivon explained. "You'll charge two beef targets on horseback, then dismount and have two shots against an armoured target." Zivon stepped up to the target in question, a gel torso armoured in Griffith's hawk pattern plate armour.

"Remember what I said about Griffith's ego?" Soren muttered.

Guts rolled his eyes as he, Casca and the hosts cleared the range. Titania mounted her horse and readied her blade.

"Alright, high speed is ready…" Zivon said. "Titania, you ready?"

"Ready!"

"On three, two, one, go!"

Titania spurred her horse on and charged, swinging her blade down at the first target as she rode by, biting deep into it with a heavy swing, cutting the meat in half with one swing. Recovering her blade as the hosts cheered, Titania rode on, bringing her blade back for a second swing, an upward slash that nearly cleaved the beef in two once more.

"Say what you will about a heavier sword," Scarecrow commented "You do get that heavier swing with it."

Titania drove her horse to the end of the course and dismounted. She rushed the armoured torso, sword raised and swung down on its helmet with an audible 'CLANG' of metal on metal. Recovering from her first attack, Titania let her blade swing again, cutting through the torso's neck in one cut. She raised the bloodied blade in the air and declared "Done!"

Titania matched Griffith's saber blow for blow, but how much damage did she do?

DAM shook his head as he looked over the damaged beef targets. "The damage here is insane," He said simply. "You're again, cutting through the meat, through the muscle, but when it comes to the bones, you're almost breaking them rather than cutting them. When you look at the clean cuts the saber gave us, this is almost a bludgeon in comparison."

"At least it is until we get to the armoured target." Zivon said. "I like that when you swung for the armour you still went for the head, but looking at the numbers we got from the pressure sensor under the helmet, he's not getting concussed by this. We'll check the high speed footage to see if we've got any spinal damage from this, but the point is that shot might hurt, but it's not gonna kill or even really stun him that much."

"The second shot is lethal though." Titania said, gesturing to the torso's severed head.

"Mussed up Griffith's pretty face there." Soren commented as DAM picked up the head.

"It is lethal, but until that shot, the armour is doing what it's supposed to do, and your sword isn't getting through it." DAM said.

"And if you think you're getting that second shot after Griffith's let you have that first, you're sadly mistaken." Guts said, folding his arms.

Both sides have shown off their close quarters weapons, now it's down to the finer points of each blade to compete for the edge.

The hosts watched the high speed footage as Griffith's saber cut through the gel torso's neck, frame by frame as the razor sharp blade cleaved through the gel, not even slowing or bending as it did. "Man, I love a clean cut like that." DAM said. "Beautiful, just beautiful cutting power."

"Now let's compare that to the straightsword." Zivon said, switching the video. As the straight sword bit into the gel torso's neck, the bend in the blade was obvious, but the cutting power was still obvious and visible as the sword cut through its target. "It's not got the same cutting power, but I still love the piercing shots Casca showed us. It's pretty obvious what this sword is best at, but I love that you have those options."

"Let's see what the silver sword can do." Scarecrow said. "I wanna see if it did any spinal damage when it hit that armoured target."

"Your wish is my command." Zivon said, switching the videos again. As the video played, the crew watched as Titania's blade collided with the hawk pattern helm. Zivon paused the video right after the impact. "I gotta say, that helmet is doing its job. I'm not seeing much bending in the neck here."

"It's the pattern of the armour there." DAM pointed out. "The beak makes any shot it takes less likely to be a direct hit."

"I think after seeing this I've made my choice." Zivon said. "The silver sword has the power a heavier sword gives you, but if it can't pierce Griffith's armour, it's not doing any better than a lighter blade. Edge for me goes to the Band of the Hawk."

"Not only that," Scarecrow added, "But the saber is a lighter sword and a longer one. Edge to the Hawks."

"More cutting surface, more speed, less weight and two options." DAM concluded. "Edge goes to the Band of the Hawk.

In a hard fought battle, the Band of the Hawk takes the edge in close quarters weapons for the straightsword and cavalry saber.

This battle between two mercenary legends is nearly ready to commence, but before each side can demonstrate its most insane weapon, it's time for DeadAliveManiac to dive deep into the tactics of these legends of the battlefield.

"Griffith slowly but surely gained massive prestige on the battlefields of Midland," DAM explained. "And his greatest military stroke was at Doldrey Castle, in a fight that ended a hundred year long war."

DAM and Casca stood before the Touch Table. "How would you describe Griffith's approach to warfare?" He asked.

"Audacity, deception and never surrendering." Casca explained. "Griffith always has a plan in battle, and backup plans behind that. On top of that, Griffith will use everything he knows about the enemy to his advantage."

"And is there a battle that shows this off?" Said DAM.

"No battle better than his victory at Doldrey Castle." Casca replied.

"Alright, I'll set up the Touch Table and bring us to Doldrey." DAM said. "So set up the battlefield for me."

"Griffith has his army set up just outside the range of Doldrey's archers, but within sight of the walls." Casca began. "Tudor took Doldrey in the early years of the war, and the armies of Midland have been unable to take it back throughout the entire hundred years of war, but Griffith believed he could take it."

"That's where the audacity comes in," DAM pointed out. "Griffith is upping the ante of the war, declaring that he can do what no other general has before."

"Exactly," Casca confirmed. "Not only that, but he also has a much smaller army of five thousand as compared to the Tudor thirty thousand. Griffith, however, has a plan. First, he takes half his army and leads them to Doldrey's gates. Now, Griffith knows one thing about the lord in charge of Doldrey, Governor Gennon: he wants Griffith to himself, and he wants him exactly in the way you're thinking."

"Gross." DAM said.

Casca nodded. "But that's a weakness Griffith is willing to exploit. To try and take Griffith, Tudor sends out its own cavalry to counter him."

"But this isn't the only part of Griffith's plan here, is it?" DAM asked.

Casca shook her head. "In a previous battle, we managed to capture one of Tudor's generals, and disguising our troops as his and holding him at sword point, I managed to sneak a whole squad into the castle without anyone noticing."

"And just like that, Griffith has one of his best soldiers and her troops inside the enemy's walls," DAM said, marking it on the Touch Table. "And right through the front door, too."

"Once Tudor has committed though, Griffith begins to pull his soldiers back, and this is where the rest of Griffith's plan comes into play." Casca continued. "Gennon orders all his knights into the field and tells them the man who captures Griffith will be rewarded with anything he wants. With that reward promised, the cavalry charges. In the midst of their charge, however, Guts breaks off from the main Hawks and leads his raiders in a flanking maneuver, going after Tudor's general, the best fighter in their army, and the commander of their heavy cavalry. Once he has his attention, the raiders pull back and draw the commander away from his men."

"So now Griffith and the Hawks have the Tudor army's attention, and Guts their commander's attention." DAM summed up. "What happens next?"

"What happens next is twofold." Casca said. "First, my soldiers kill or capture all remaining Tudor soldiers inside Doldrey. We took them by surprise, moved all Griffith's remaining troops into the castle, and barred the gates to prevent any messengers from informing the rest of the army." Placing a Midland flag atop the castle, Casca continued. "The Castle is now under our control, and perfectly timed with this, Guts kills the Tudor general. With their leader dead, the Tudor forces begin to fall into disorder, and the chaos only continues when they look back at Doldrey and see the Midland flag flying over the castle."

"And that's when the chaos sets in." DAM concluded.

Casca nodded. "Soldiers begin to flee the field. Gennon isn't enough of a commander to keep his men in line, and so even his loyal guards cut and run. Griffith turns to his troops and rallies them for one final charge, breaking and routing the Tudor army."

"And so Griffith, at a six to one disadvantage and fighting a fort built into a mountain has done the impossible." DAM concluded.

"At this point, Tudor has lost its last foothold in Midland." Casca concluded. "And while there might be a few scattered battles here and there, the war is effectively over."

Griffith knows just how to use every Hawk to the best, and his secret weapon is Guts. Guts would storm the field with his own signature slayer:

The Greatsword
Length: 6'

Weight: 9lbs
Material: Steel

Three times as thick as a normal sword for three times the damage.

Guts drew his blade from his back mounted scabbard and DAM rubbed his hands together in glee. "This is the weapon I've been waiting for." The doctor said.

"Well it never disappoints in battle." Guts said. "I've killed men and beasts alike with this sword, or both at the same time."

"With a sword like this, and obviously a man to match its size, that actually fits into the x-factor of reputation." Scarecrow pointed out. "Everyone knows Griffith for his White Hawk armour in the field, but people still look for Guts and his Raiders in battle. We can definitely plug that into the sim."

"That, and the damage this sword does," Zivon said "And we have just the test for you over here. Now you say you can kill a beast with this thing? Well I'm gonna get you to put your money where your mouth is, Guts. Over here we have a ballistic gel horse head, same thickness and density of real flesh. I wanna see what you can do to that."

"I think I can arrange something." Guts replied.

"And after that, we have a second target to see what your sword can do to an armoured target." Zivon continued. "So over here we have a gel torso dressed in Ike's plate armour, and I wanna see what you can do with that."

Guts gave a savage grin. "I think you'll want to stand back."

"Don't mind if I do…" Zivon said, pulling the hosts back with him to a safe distance. "That thing scares me before you even swing it."

"Please tell me we have the high speed up for this one." Scarecrow said.

Zivon nodded. "Got it all up and armed. Guts, you're obviously ready," He said, as the berserker gripped his blade. "On three, two, one, KILL IT!"

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Guts gave a brutal war cry and swung his blade with all his might, the horse losing its head instantly as the blade cleaved through it. It took only a second for Guts to recover his blade, and screaming in rage he brought it back and unloaded a massive swing, cleaving apart the gel torso at the chest, armour, flesh, bones... and even the metal support rod holding it up. Flashing that same savage grin to the hosts as the ruined torso spurted stage blood, Guts asked a simple question: "That enough?"

DAM was almost rolling on the floor in laughter while Zivon and Scarecrow had to catch their jaws before they fell off.

The damage is unreal, matched only by the brutality.

DAM merely looked over the remains of the torso. "I mean, do I really need to say anything? Look at where he cut here. That sword just cleaved through the armour, into the ribcage, through the lungs, heart and spine. I mean, this man is dead by blood loss, decapitation and a blow to the heart all at the same time. And we're down a torso mount. These things are insured, right?"

Zivon nodded at the doctor before turning back to the display of carnage. "Holy sh*t dude, this is insane. We talked about reputation before, but this also feeds into psychological warfare. When you go out onto the battlefield and you see your men being cut apart, armour and all, that's gonna scar you for whatever remains of your own life."

"No contest." Guts said. "I'd like to see if they can bring anything to match my sword."

Soren folded his arms and frowned. "No contest? No technique is more like it. This is basically hack and slash and hope for the best. And did you see that recovery time?"

"I mean, quick recovery time is nice," DAM said "But what's the recovery time on something like that?" He said, pointing out the destroyed target.

"Nothing," the tactician replied as Titania stepped up next to him with a large golden blade. "Not if Ike can get within your range with his own weapon."

"That's a big if." Scarecrow said. "Let's see what you've got."

The damage from Guts' greatsword is unreal, but the Greil Mercenaries believe they have an answer to it: a sword of divine origin.

Ragnell
Length: 54"
Weight: 5lbs
Material: Divinely blessed steel

A blade blessed by the Goddess Ashera and originally wielded by the first Empress of Begnion.

Titania rested the tip of the blade against the studio floor. "This sword was the blade Ike used to defeat the Black Knight, and since then he has almost become more associated with it than the Empress who first used it." She explained. "It's a much more reasonable sword than what the Hawks are bringing, both in length and weight, and its blessing gives it a few extra advantages."

"Okay, the silver sword was one thing, but how does someone like Ike come into possession of something like this?" Scarecrow demanded.

"Initially," Soren said, "The Black Knight offered the sword to Ike's father, but Greil turned it down and was killed. Ike carried the sword afterwards, but only used it against the Black Knight. The sword was returned to the Begnion Empire after the Mad King's War, but was later given back to Ike as a payment by the Empress to work for her."

"Well, let's put this thing to the test and see how it fares against Guts' greatsword." Zivon said, leading Titania to the testing ground. "Over here we have our target, another gel torso decked out in Griffith's White Hawk armour. I wanna see just what this sword can do to that armour. Think you can do that?"

"I think I can make that work." Titania replied, taking up the sword.

"Alright, on my count then." Zivon said, bringing the hosts back to a safe distance. "High speed's up and armed… Titania, on three, two, one, cut it up!"

Titania gave a war cry as she raised the blade, slamming it down into the torso's armoured shoulder. With a sickening grind of metal on metal, the blessed sword cleaved through the armour, coming to a rest just below the ribcage. Pulling the blade back, Titania wound up and swung again, this time horizontally, cutting into the target's abdomen, once again through the armour. The knight pulled the blade back again and walked away from the target, holding up a hand to stop the hosts from coming forward. "The other great thing about this sword is," Titania gave a downward swing of the blade, a magic shockwave blasting out and slamming into the target, crumpling what remained of the armour. "It can attack from a distance."

DAM whistled as he walked over to the remains of the target. "Titania, I have to say I'm impressed." He said. "We wanted you to challenge Guts' sword, and I have to say you've delivered such a challenge. That sword went right through that armour, and actually what I like about it is it's not just the blessed metal of the sword, but also that blade has that weighted head, so when you wind up for those big swings, you get more momentum than with a normal sword."

"Not to mention the magic attack," Scarecrow said. "That's gonna take the Hawks by surprise for sure."

"Alright, I admit I'm impressed." Guts acknowledged. "You've got a fancy sword with some neat tricks. But I've cut through bigger swords than that before, and I can do it again."

"Really now?" Soren replied. "Then I propose another test."

Guts narrowed his eyes. "Bring it on."

As one final test, Guts will attempt to cut through the blessed sword Ragnell.

Guts held his sword at the ready, the golden blade of Ragnell locked in clamps before him. At Zivon's signal, Guts roared and swung with all his might, the sound of metal against metal echoing through the studio as the two swords met.

Ragnell was unscathed.

"Should we have mentioned that one of the side effects of the goddess' blessing was that Ragnell is indestructible?" Soren asked, the barest hints of a smirk visible on his face.

"There's still only one of that sword," Casca countered. "And that's after you insulted Griffith for having his own personal weapon."

"Let me just ask the goddess for another sword then," Soren replied. "I'll see if she answers quicker than your local blacksmith."

Even after these tests, however, our experts are undecided.

"It has to go to Guts." DAM said. "It has the longer blade, it's wielded by a stronger man, and we just watched it cut apart a man, armour and all. We have never seen a melee weapon do that much damage in one hit, and as a doctor I can't let that go."

"But let's get inside the range of that sword," Scarecrow countered. "Guts' sword has an insane recovery time, and Ike can hit him hard and fast within that time, or attack from a distance with Ragnell's magic."

"I like Ragnell for its magic, but I also like Guts' sword for its sheer power, I'm totally torn on this one!" Zivon said, realizing he was the tie breaker. "I think I'll have to call this one even. Guts' greatsword does more damage than any other melee weapon we've covered so far, and Ragnell's blessing and the weighted head might be enough to counter it."

In a hard fought battle, at close range the edge is even.

But this battle will be decided by the warriors behind the weapons, and crucial to those warriors were strategy and tactics. DeadAliveManiac has already analyzed the strategy used by Griffith at Doldrey Castle, how will the Greil Mercenaries counter that strategy?

"The Greil Mercenaries have often been the deciding force in the wars they wage," DAM said. "What we have to analyze is how one small force of mercenaries can so effectively turn the tide of battle."

Like with Casca before him, DAM and Soren stood at the Touch Table. "You and Ike have been at the tip of your armies for most of your careers, how would you describe your approach to warfare?" DAM asked.

"Simple:" Soren replied. "Know your enemy, find his weakness and exploit it. No matter how strong the enemy's army is, it will have a weakness, what's important is finding that weakness and finding a way to use it."

"Can you give me a good example of that?" DAM asked.

"How about outmaneuvering two armies that had us surrounded at the Ribahn River?" Soren offered.

"Alright," DAM said "Let's head to the Begnion Empire. Set up the battle for me."

Soren started by drawing up the battle lines. "The Laguz Alliance, our employers in this war, have just suffered a major loss and are being forced to pull their forces back. However, Begnion doesn't just want to win, they want to wipe out the Laguz once and for all. So they pull some strings to bring another army into the war, calling in the Daein army to flank us from the west."

"With Begnion's Central Army coming from the east and Daein to the west, the Laguz Alliance is trapped in the middle." DAM summarized. "You'll be crushed between two armies here."

Soren nodded. "Our troops need to escape, or it'll be genocide."

"So how do you work around this?" DAM asked.

"Essentially, we found the enemy's weakness." Soren replied. "The Daein army was smaller than Begnion's. Not only that, but their army had just come out of a war for their own independence, so they weren't in the best shape. Finally, their commanders were inexperienced at fighting Laguz. When fighting beast men, you want ballistae they can't easily counter, and fire mages to counter them in close. The Daein army had few of each. From there we learned their other likely weakness: Begnion was not communicating with them other than to give orders. As such, they likely didn't know our numbers or any of the tactics we had used before."

"Alright, so you have your weak link, how did you exploit it?" DAM asked.

"Simple: a diversionary tactic." Soren answered. "One thing the Daein army knew was that Ike and the Greil Mercenaries were part of the army. Now, we defeated Daein three years before when we worked with the Crimean army, they know us and they know we lead armies. So when we took to the field with a chunk of the Laguz forces, they knew we were leading the charge and fielded their army in response."

"But that wasn't your plan, was it?" DAM said.

Soren shook his head. "It was entirely diversionary. While Ike led the Laguz forces from the front, the Hawk King Tibarn led a force of his own in behind the enemy lines while they were focused on our army. While Daein fielded most of its troops against us, we outflanked them."

"So the bulk of the Laguz army sneaks around behind the Daein forces while you have them distracted." DAM summarized.

"Indeed," Soren confirmed "And they proceeded to wreak absolute havoc. Daein's entire camp is burned to the ground, and the Laguz attack their army from the rear. From that point, the battle quickly becomes a rout as the Daein lines fall apart. Daein retreats from the field, and the Laguz Alliance is saved from destruction."

"With one battle," DAM summarizes "The Greil Mercenaries have managed to defeat one army, evade two, and stop a genocide."

"And it was all done by a simple diversion tactic." Soren concluded.

Having reviewed both warriors' cunning strategies, which one does DeadAliveManiac believe is superior?

"Both of these warriors are experts at identifying opponents' weak points and exploiting them," DAM explained. "However, I have to give the edge for tactics to the Band of the Hawk. The Greil Mercenaries managed to outmaneuver two armies and force one to retreat, but the Band of the Hawk managed to do what many claimed to be impossible and take Doldrey. Not only that, but you have to look at the outcomes. Ike managed to stop a genocide with careful planning and execution, but Griffith single handedly ended a one hundred year war. My edge goes to Griffith and the Band of the Hawk."

For strategy and tactics, the edge goes to the Band of the Hawk, with the battle that ended a war.

With the testing complete, our experts will now analyze the X-factors of these warriors. Critical intangibles that could tip the battle to one side or the other.

The hosts stood by Undaed's desk, his computer behind him ready and waiting to begin the battle. "The most important X-factor we need to discuss is loyalty." Undaed began. "Both of these warriors have soldiers who are incredibly loyal to their cause, an important aspect to any mercenary company, they can't just be loyal to their next payment." As the other hosts nodded in agreement, Undaed continued. "In this X-factor, Griffith and the Band of the Hawk took the edge, scoring a 95 to the Greil Mercenaries' 85. It's a close, but ultimately important difference, because while the Greil Mercenaries are largely a found family, sometimes even a literal one, there have been moments when members have left, such as Shinon and Gatrie after the death of Greil. They've been loyal to a man after the Mad King's War, but we do have to compare this to Griffith's record. The Hawks follow Griffith with an almost cult like mentality, some more than willing to die for his dream alone. That's an insane level of loyalty, and it gave him the edge here."

"What about reputation?" Zivon asked. "These two mercenary bands are pretty well known, and with that reputation comes intimidation, so how do they stack up against one another in that regard?"

"With regard to reputation, you're right, both sides are well known across their respective lands." Undaed replied. "Both were personally responsible for ending a war that others did not see possible, both are well known as champions of the battlefield and both are known to be led by a charismatic figure who is skilled almost beyond compare, but that's where the similarities pretty much end." He explained. "In the end we had to give this one to Griffith too, and that's largely due to one simple fact: presentation. Griffith is the White Hawk, everyone knows this, and when they see him on the field in his white armour, on his white horse and with his beaked helmet, they know exactly who they're fighting. In the end, he got a 90 to Ike's 80. Ike isn't that far behind since he's still well regarded by ally and enemy alike, but on the battlefield he doesn't stand out nearly as well."

"What about specialization?" Scarecrow asked. "The Greil Mercenaries have some pretty specialized troops in their ranks, how is that going to affect the final battle?"

"Well, the Greil Mercenaries are definitely going to take this one," Undaed began. "While Griffith's troops are all skilled with their weapons, they rarely have any real masters of their craft. The Greil Mercenaries on the other hand are largely experts in their own fields. Shinon is a master archer, Titania is an expert as a heavy cavalry soldier, Soren is a master tactician and mage, etc. In this regard, we gave the Greil Mercenaries a score of 90 to the Hawks' 76. The Hawks do have some specialists, but largely not to the same degree as the Greil Mercenaries. Now, this might work against the Greil Mercenaries in the end, as with a few exceptions the Hawks will be able to pick up the weapons of their fallen and use them successfully."

"How about command structure?" DAM pointed out. "We know each side has a well defined chain of command, how well does each one function without their leader?"

"This was actually an interesting one to consider." Undaed answered. "In the end we had to give it to the Band of the Hawk, with a score of 83 to 78 for the Greil Mercenaries. This is because we know that Casca was able to take command of the Hawks after Griffith vanished, however, they were nowhere near as effective without the White Hawk. She was, however, able to keep them alive and moving while being hunted by the Midland army. As for the Greil Mercenaries, we know that Titania and Soren could lead the group without Ike, however, they have not had an opportunity to do so to any meaningful degree, with the exception of Titania leading missions before Ike took over."

"Alright guys," Zivon said "We've got the weapons data, we've got the X-factors, all that's left to do is start the fight and see who wins."

"Either way," DAM said "We're probably gonna see some rage. Either Griffith wins, or Guts dies…"

"Luckily I had a bunker installed under the Fight Club for just such an emergency." Zivon explained.

"Glad to hear we're safe after this." Scarecrow said, wiping his brow. "So let's get this party started."

The all new digital combat engine will run a simulated battle to the death one thousand times between these two bands of mercenaries, and the analysis is neck and neck.

For special weapons, the Band of the Hawk's siege cannon was blown away by the Greil Mercenaries' wind magic.

"The wind magic might not be as lethal as a cannonball," Scarecrow said "But it's faster, more versatile, can extinguish the torch you need to light the cannon's fuse, and it won't blow up in your face."

Edge: Greil Mercenaries

At long range, the Greil Mercenaries' pinpoint precise Silencer was outshot by the Hawks' crossbow.

"The Crossbow isn't as fancy a weapon as the Silencer," DAM said "But there's a reason most armies adopted the crossbow for the majority of their soldiers over the bow. It takes less expertise to use, the shot can be held in reserve until needed, and it had more success piercing the enemy's armour."

Edge: Band of the Hawk

At medium range, the Hawks' throwing knives were cut down by the Greil Mercenaries' short axe.

"While it's impressive that the Hawks can throw multiple knives with admirable accuracy, the short axe is more useful as a melee weapon as well as a thrown weapon." Scarecrow pointed out. "The knife if it hits you is going to hurt, but the axe… That's gonna hurt a lot more."

Edge: Greil Mercenaries

At close range, the Band of the Hawk's combination of straightsword and saber outdueled the Greil Mercenaries' silver sword.

"The silver sword hits a bit harder," DAM said "But that's not enough to make up for the Hawks' swords being lighter, cutting just as well and having more options."

Edge: Band of the Hawk

For signature blades, the Band of the Hawk put Guts' colossal greatsword against Ike's blessed sword Ragnell.

"I like the magic aspect of Ragnell, as well as its indestructibility." Zivon said. "That was enough to counter Guts' usual tactic of cutting through the weapon and into the man using it. That said, I don't know if it'll be enough to counter the man using the sword, so the edge here is even."

Edge: Even

Finally, in a question of battlefield tactics, Griffith's Double Feigned Retreat at Doldrey Castle outflanked Soren and Ike's Diversionary Army.

"Ike and Soren created a real masterpiece of a plan, incorporating terrain, enemy lack of communication and their own fame to their advantage." DAM explained. "Griffith, however, managed to do all of that to a greater degree, and with a more significant outcome. One army prevented a slaughter and arguably a genocide, the other ended a century long conflict in one battle. You tell me which is more impressive."

Edge: Band of the Hawk.

With the testing complete, the battle for the title of Deadliest Warrior of Fiction will begin.

"The Band of the Hawk is going to take this match." DAM said confidently. "Looking at their weapons and tactics, we've seen a lot more trauma from the weapons and some more impressive strategies."

"The Greil Mercenaries have more versatility in their weapons," Scarecrow said "They have magic in their arsenal, and they're packing weapons and techniques the Hawks have never seen or even heard of before."

It's hero

(Griffith and Guts ride at the head of their army, swords raised as their troops charge behind them)

Vs hero

(Ike and Soren stand side by side as they fight their way through Begnion's army.)

With one last line of code typed in, Undaed hit enter and the battle began.

0010101110101011010010101

The Crimean sun shines over the Greil Mercenaries' fort as the company plans their next campaign. Inside the somewhat meagre walled fort, Soren Ike and Titania stood over a table with a map spread across it. Soren had spread out models across its surface to demonstrate allied and enemy positions. Before the company would head to war, they would ensure they were ready for anything. Ike watched as Soren placed a small marker on the map to represent their fort, their position nearly in the center of the two armies.

Meanwhile, outside the war room, what members of the company were present were taking advantage of the good weather. Mia and Boyd were out in the yard, training with wooden weapons, their own silver sword and short axe sheathed at their waist and back respectively. Above the fort, Shinon was half asleep on lookout duty, his silencer lying next to him as he sat atop the roof.

Greil Mercenaries: IIIIII

Were Shinon to pay attention to the surrounding lands, he might have seen the approaching enemy force as it arrived. The remaining senators of Begnion, knowing the Imperial Army was needed to counter the approaching Laguz Alliance, had hired a mercenary company of their own to take care of the Greil Mercenaries, and no company came more highly renowned (or expensive) as the Band of the Hawk. Sitting atop his horse at the head of the force he had brought, Griffith was resplendent in his gleaming white armour.

Pippin and Corkus rode behind him, their horses pulling along a massive, loaded siege cannon. Casca and Judeau flanked him on one side, with Guts on the other, all on their own steeds. Griffith and Guts shared a nod as Pippin and Corkus dismounted and readied the cannon to fire.

Greil Mercenaries: IIIIII

Band of the Hawk: IIIIII

Hearing the sounds of approaching horses roused Shinon from his dozing, the archer getting up just as Guts and Corkus brought forward the cannon. "Ike, we've got company!" the master archer declared.

Inside the fort, Ike, Soren and Titania looked up from the map, and made for their weapons, but timing was not on their side.

Outside, Griffith made a simple gesture forward, and Corkus nodded, lowering the torch to the fuse of the cannon.

Shinon strung an arrow and prepared to fire, but before he could even take aim, the cannon roared, the cannonball slamming into the fortress and knocking the archer about with the impact. The gates of the fort were strong, but not meant to withstand the blast of a cannon. Pippin and Corkus began reloading before the smoke had even cleared, but before their second shot could even be loaded, an arrow burst through the smoke and struck Corkus in the forehead. The former thief fell to the ground without a word.

Greil Mercenaries: IIIIII

Band of the Hawk: IIIII

Pippin reached for Corkus' body, but Griffith interrupted him. "Leave him, let's go."

With a simple nod, Guts mounted his horse once more and the Hawks charged, their thundering horses clearing the gunsmoke in seconds as they made for the shattered remains of the gate.

Shinon, meanwhile, lined up another shot. That knight in white, he was clearly their leader and would pay to be taken down. He nocked an arrow in his silencer and took aim. One clean motion. No hesitation.

The Hawks' charge was all but halted as an arrow flew from above, striking Griffith right in the chest and knocking the Whtie Hawk from his horse.

The remaining Hawks stopped dead in their tracks as their leader hit the ground, Griffith groaning as he worked his way into a sitting position. He felt around his neck in relief. The Behelit had saved his life once more.

His eyes widened as he looked past the aghast Hawks. "Get out of the way!" He cried.

It was too late for his words, as a gale force wind blasted from the entrance to the fort, sending Hawks scattering like leaves in a tornado and knocking Casca and Judeau out of the saddle. Soren stood in the gateway, tome in hand, muttering in the old tongue as he readied another spell. Ike stood by his side, sword drawn, ready for the enemy to attack again

Hauling herself to her feet, Casca was immediately shaken out of her daze when an arrow flew right past her head, passing so close she could feel it brush past the tips of her hair. Rolling aside as another arrow flew past she darted for her discarded saddle, unholstering the crossbow on it and immediately firing, the bolt striking Shinon in the shoulder and knocking him back.

Before either could respond with another arrow, Judeau was already making a shot of his own, hurling a knife with all his might and sinking the blade into the master archer's pectoral. Shinon coughed up blood as he stumbled and fell.

Greil Mercenaries: IIIII

Band of the Hawk: IIIII

Guts watched as Griffith regained his feet after the archer fell. Casca and Judeau moved to his side as he whistled for his horse. As planned though, Guts was ready to take the initiative. He and Pippin hadn't been unhorsed by the winds, and as Griffith recovered, he they charged.

Ike moved to stand in front of Soren as the two horsemen charged, the mage muttering another spell. "Soren," Ike muttered, the hooves of the horses shaking the ground as they got ever closer. "Anytime now." The mage seemingly ignored him, merely continuing his spell, the air around them dropping in temperature with each word. Ike's heartbeat sped up as the thundering hooves of Guts' horse drew ever closer.

With a war cry Guts raised his blade for the attack, ready to cleave both mercenaries in twain, but just as he did, Ike stepped aside and Soren unleashed his spell. The temperature plummeted as the ice emerged. A massive wave of ice jutting from the earth, beginning as a wave of water before instantly freezing solid into spikes. Guts' horse reared back as spikes impaled it across its front, the berserker just leaping off before a spike pierced his stomach.

Soren wasn't done yet, and with another spell a burst of wind slammed into Guts and Pippin both, knocking the former blacksmith off his horse and tossing Guts about until he slammed his sword into the ground, using the blade as an anchor. Pippin was less lucky, the burst of wind flinging him from his panicked horse. Guts didn't even have time to check on him before an axe flew past his head,another burst of wind blowing it back to the hands of Boyd as he and Ike charged as one.

On the other side of the newly created wall of ice, Griffith had little time for concern after the ice was cast. Casca had just remounted her horse and his was just arriving as he began giving orders again. "Judeau, over that wall! Help Guts." Judeau nodded, using his knives to clamber the sheer face of the ice wall. Griffith was about to mount his horse once more, when an axe flew just past its head, making the horse rear back in panic. The white hawk jumped back to avoid its flailing hooves, the dodge just saving him as Mia attacked. The purple haired girl launching into a flurry of slashes, immediately forcing Griffith onto the defensive, countering her blade with his saber.

"Griffith!" Casca shouted, drawing her own blade. Before she could ride to save her leader, the axe flew back past her again, the path of the weapon and the sound of hoofbeats drew her attention as Titania charged her, catching the axe and slashing at her with it. With Casca drawn away and Judeau gone, Griffith was on his own.

Forced onto the defensive, Griffith was immediately on the back foot. Mia's speed was impressive, even with the heavier blade of her silver sword, but Griffith was no slouch, managing to block all her attacks, even with the weight of his heavier armour. Blocking a stab from Mia, Griffith knocked her blade aside with his own and stepped into her guard, smashing a gauntleted forearm into the side of her head.

Seeing stars from the strike, Mia just managed to raise her blade in defense as Griffith came back around with his own sword, the blade very nearly taking her head off, only stopped by her sword and reflexes. Kicking out, Mia smashed a boot into Griffith's knee, stumbling the Whtie Hawk and giving her a chance to attack again, aiming a stab right at Griffith's chest.

Griffith recovered quickly though, dropping to the ground as Mia's stab drove right over his form. Before the mercenary could recover, the Hawk made his move, stabbing upward with his saber, the point driving right through Mia's sternum and out her back, her orange coat stained red.

Greil Mercenaries: IIII

Band of the Hawk: IIIII

Griffith rose to his feet, pushing Mia's corpse from his blade with a boot as he rose. Whistling for his horse, its hoofbeats were drowned out by Casca's horseback duel with Titania.

The two matched one another blow for blow as their horses circled one another. Titania might have had the heavier and thus slower weapon, but as Casca found out, a slash against Titania's heavy plate did little more than scratch its paint. Her armour was a different story. Lighter and covering less, she knew that should Titania manage to hit her with a direct hit, she was finished.

Titania jerked back on the reins and her horse reared back, kicking at the air with its hooves. Casca pulled her own back, just as Titania struck, using the weight of her descending horse to swing her axe down, knocking Casca's blade down with it. Ike's deputy swung again, this time from below, Casca only just dodging out of the way as the attack sheared up past her face.

Recovering quickly, Casca returned the attack, stabbing out with her blade, the tip just shearing off some of Titania's hair as the mercenary pulled back on the reins once more. Casca took her chance to gain some space, pulling her horse back from the near deadlock. Titania did the same, both women silently grateful for the breathing room, even as they kept their eyes locked on one another.

Titania's horse stomped at the ground in anticipation, Casca's mimicking it as both riders waited for the other to make the first move.

In the end, both kicked the reins at once, spurring their steeds on. Both raised their weapons, ready to cut the other down, each one letting out their own war cry, blending into a cacophony of screams, clattering armour and horses hooves.

After only seconds, the noise reached its peak as their weapons clashed, a brief but bright flash of sparks and the sound of steel on steel as axe met sword for the briefest of moments.

Casca rode on, hands shaking from the impact. She ground her teeth as she pulled back on the reins, readying her horse for a second pass

Titania wiped the blood from her cheek. The reach of Casca's sword was going to be a problem. She swallowed and spun her axe in her hand as she turned for another pass.

The two locked eyes once more as their horses turned once more. Casca narrowed her eyes and Titania ground her teeth.

As one, once more, they both cracked the reins and spurred their horses on. Casca brought her sword back, ready to end this in one last stab, while Titania raised her axe high above her head. Meer feet from one another, time seemed to slow. Casca stabbed forward, ready for her horse's momentum to drive her blade home. Titania though, was ready for her, and struck first.

Her axe flew from her hand, the momentum of her horse and her throw sending it speeding forward, lodging itself in Casca's sternum.

Casca dropped her blade, her horse continuing on as she faded away, eventually dropping from the saddle in a heap, Titania's axe embedded in her chest.

Greil Mercenaries: IIII

Band of the Hawk: IIII

Titania would have gone to retrieve her axe, but the sound of clanking armour and hoofbeats drew her attention. Quickly drawing the silver sword she kept for emergencies, she just managed to bring it up in time to block Griffith as he charged her, his saber ringing of it in a shower of sparks. Wasting no time, Titania struck out with her own blade, her horse circling Griffith as the two jockeyed for any advantage over the other.

Titania's face was wide open to her opponent, showing every ounce of sorrow and rage at the sight of Mia's blood still on his sword. Griffith, meanwhile, was as cold as ever, betraying not a single emotion from behind his visor as he struck and blocked again and again, the sounds of clashing steel ringing out across the fort.

Finally, Griffith made his play. Knocking aside Titania's blow, he stabbed out, his saber catching her horse in the throat. The great beast whinnied in agony and panic, rearing back and hurling Titania to the ground. Griffith leaped off after her, his stabbing his sword into her neck.

Greil Mercenaries: III

Band of the Hawk: IIII

Meanwhile, Judeau hastily clambered over the wall of ice, cresting its height just in time to watch Guts block a series of strikes from Boyd's axe while Ike rushed Pippin. The large man had his hammer at the ready and struck first, swinging down with the large, heavy weapon. Ike ducked away from the attack, raising Ragnell to slash back, Pippin blocking the attack with the haft of his weapon, knocking Ike's sword to the side and raising his hammer to smash him into the ground.

Ike raised Ragnell to block, and Pippin, sure that the weight of his hammer would shatter the blade, swung down with all his might.

The hammer came down, and with the sound of metal on metal, Pippin was shocked when the sword held.

His shock didn't last long. Ike knocked the hammer aside, sending Pippin stumbling back. Spinning to gain momentum in his blade, Ike swung with all his might, the blade of Ragnell biting through Pippin's armoured shoulder, spilling blood across the ground as he fell in a clatter of muscle and steel.

Greil Mercenaries: III

Band of the Hawk: III

Judeau watched as Pippin fell, before a miniature cyclone slammed into him, hurtling him from the top of the ice wall. Judeau rolled as he hit the ground, dispersing the impact. Quickly he regained his feet and found the source of the wind. Soren stood before him, tome in hand, as he readied another spell.

He wouldn't have the chance to use it. Drawing his straightsword in his right hand, Judeau used his left to fling a handful of knives at Soren as he charged. Caught off guard, the mage barked something in the old tongue, a burst of wind blowing the blades off course and likely saving his life. Judeau, however, followed the blades, sword at the ready. Soren ducked aside as Judeau's blade sliced through where his head was a moment before. Not giving Soren a chance to recover, Judeau pressed his advantage, making a series of swings and thrusts with his sword that forced Soren not onto the defensive, but into a retreat, barely able to dodge and without a weapon of his own to parry the Hawk's attacks.

Soren jumped back as Judeau slashed right through where his ribcage was a moment before and summoned a gust of wind. Ducking underneath the miniature cyclone, Judeau came up with a thrust of his blade and Soren did the only thing he could: he hurled his tome in front of himself for protection. As Judeau's blade bit deep into the wind tome, Soren threw it aside, its weight catching Judeau off guard and stumbling him enough to allow Soren to retrieve a second tome from his pack. Stepping into the swordsman's guard, Soren planted his hand on the man's chest and muttered a spell.

There was nowhere for Judeau to run, the high pressure blast of wind crushing his ribcage as shards of ice ripped into his flesh, nailing him to the wall of ice.

Greil Mercenaries: III

Band of the Hawk: II

Guts batted aside Boyd's initial attack and came back with a downward slash of his blade, but Boyd dove aside as his sword opened up a fissure in the ground. Before Boyd could attack, Guts hit him with a savage backhand, giving him plenty of time to recover his sword as Boyd recovered his senses. Readying his blade again, Guts made a wide swing, one Boyd rolled under and leaped up with his axe, bringing it down at Guts' head. Guts blocked the attack and knocked Boyd aside, swinging in a wide arc that just missed the axman as he came back with another chop. Guts ducked aside and elbowed Boyd in the face, gaining not a small bit of pleasure as he felt the other man's nose break under his elbow.

Boyd recovered quickly though, and as Guts leaped at him, sword raised to cleave him in twain, Boyd rolled aside again. Guts moved quicker though, and before Boyd could retaliate further, he gripped his sword by its blade and spun up towards the ax fighter, driving the head of his massive blade through the man's chest. Boyd coughed blood as he looked down, four feet of steel lodged in his chest. Guts snarled, shoving Boyd's corpse off his sword with his boot.

Greil Mercenaries: II

Band of the Hawk: II

Boyd's corpse fell from Guts' blade just as Ike and Soren arrived. Ike gripped his blade in a white knuckled grasp as his enemy turned, Boyd's blood still staining his sword. "I'll take him head on," Ike said simply, voice grim but devoid of rage. "You keep at a distance."

"I saw what that sword can do, and I'm in no hurry to experience that." The mage replied, gathering his magic.

"Now is not the time." Ike replied.

Guts spat and readied his own weapon. "You two," He muttered. "You talk too much!" He roared. Guts leaped at Ike, blade raised, but Ike ducked aside, Guts' strike glancing off the blade of Ragnell. As soon as Guts landed, Soren made his move, a cyclone smashing into Guts and launching him back.

Ike quickly gave chase, charging after the launched mercenary with blade raised. Guts landed in a crouch, recovering just in time to raise his own blade as Ike came down with a slash. Guts parried the blow and slammed the pommel of his sword into the Hero of Crimea's guts.

The wind knocked out of him, Ike stumbled back, recovering just barely in time to jump back as Guts made another swing, the tip of his sword just scraping the front of Ike's chestplate.

Guts smirked. "Think you can dodge all day?"

Ike narrowed his eyes. "Can you?"

Guts was about to demand an answer when a drop in temperature and the sound of ice forming gave him his cue to jump out of the way. Guts leaped at Ike, sword raised, as a boulder of ice flew past where he stood a moment before. Ike batted aside the blade and began his own assault, a series of slashes at Guts that forced the berserker onto the defensive. Ike's blade Ragnell hammered down on Guts' own blade at a speed few would anticipate from a sword that size.

Guts was fast too though, and when Ike took just a second longer than before to recover, he slammed his blade forward, smashing Ragnell aside as he made another slash, ready to cleave Ike apart, sword and all. Guts reared back and swung, all his might behind one blow. Ike raised his sword in defense and Guts readied himself to cut Ike down.

The sound of metal on metal and the halting of his attack caught Guts off guard. Ragnell had held, and Ike now held him at a deadlock.

Guts had no time to think as another cyclone smashed into his chest and blasted him back. Ike charged after him, Soren catching up and running close behind.

Guts halted his flight by slamming his sword into the ground, recovering the blade just as Ike attacked, blocking the mercenary's blade with his own, forcing the golden blade to the ground and slamming his head into Ike's with a savage blow. Ike stumbled back as Guts brought his blade back for another swing. Ike wasn't going to recover before he let it fly. Gripping his blade, Guts swung with all his might, ready to cleave apart man and armour alike. He felt the wind pick up, knowing that the little wizard was trying another trick, but it was too late. Even as Guts shut his eves and struggled against the rushing winds he swung, feeling satisfaction at the sensation of his blade meeting and carving through flesh.

Opening his eyes though, that satisfaction turned to annoyance. Standing before him, rapidly loosing blood and with his sword midway through his ribcage was Soren. The mage had jumped in front of the attack and thrown Ike out of the way.

Greil Mercenaries: I

Band of the Hawk: II

Eyes wide, Ike watched in shock as Guts hurled Soren's body aside. "What a waste." He muttered, taking up a stance with his sword again.

Ike snarled and wordlessly gripped his blade, almost mimicking Guts' stance. "I'm going to make this as painful as I know how to."

Guts, bruised and bloody himself, raised his blade. "Show me what you're made of then."

With that, Gust launched himself at Ike, the mercenary just getting his blade up in time to block, the impact from Guts' strike sending shudders up his entire frame as his arms practically screamed in pain. Fighting past the pain, Ike shoved Guts blade to the side and pulled a page from his opponent's playbook, slamming his armoured fist into Guts' head. Guts stumbled back with the blow, spitting up a bloody wad as he regained his senses long enough to swing, his sword just stopping a charging Ike before he could reach him.

But Ike would not be stopped here. With all his might, he parried Guts' attack, shoving away the massive blade and swinging with all his might. Ike's sword smashed into Guts' arm, severing the limb and dragging a protracted scream of pain from the berserker. Ike kicked him in the chest. "That was for Boyd." He snarled. He readied another swing, but Guts struck first, swinging his own blade one handed. Ike parried once more, the effort noticeably weaker, but no less ferocious.

As Ike cleared Guts' blade, he brought his own around and up for one final blow, driving Ragnell down onto Guts' shoulder, the blessed blade cutting through plate, flesh and bone alike, coming to rest at the base of his ribcage. "And that," He said, ignoring Guts as he spat a mouthful of blood onto his armour. "Was for Soren."

Greil Mercenaries: I

Band of the Hawk: I

Ike pulled his sword from Guts' body and let it fall to the ground, only to be greeted by the sound of thunder and the shattering of ice from behind him. Turning, Ike watched as the fragments of Soren's ice wall fell to the ground. In the midst of the wreckage, standing tall in resplendent white armour atop his horse, beaked helm gleaming in the sun was Griffith, a smoking siege cannon behind him.

Griffith looked to Guts' body, his eyes narrowing as he saw the blood on Ike's sword. "You will die for that." He hissed, pointing his saber at Guts' murderer.

Ike took a long, deep breath and readied his sword, pointing the tip of Ragnell at his final opponent.

Neither side moved. Griffith fought down a bubbling rage at seeing Guts in that state. He knew he would need his mind in the right state to win, but also knowing just how far he would go to avenge Guts.

Ike, meanwhile, fought down his own rage, rarely knowing anger this strong since he saw his father dead at the hands of the Black Knight. He knew Soren would tell him to keep his anger down and keep a clear head.

Both men knew only one would leave this battle alive.

Griffith struck first, spurring his horse and cracking the reins, sending it charging at Ike, saber at the ready.

Ike watched as Griffith charged and stepped forward, slashing down with Ragnell's blade, a wave of energy surging from its tip at Griffith. The White Hawk's eyes widened and he leaped from the saddle, showing remarkable acrobatics from a man in full plate. Sailing over the magic of Ragnell, he missed the moment it slammed into his horse, crumpling its armour and skull.

Griffith hit the ground running, rushing Ike on foot with a flurry of swift slashes and thrusts, forcing the mercenary onto the back foot. Ike could only back away, Griffith was too close, well into the length of Ragnell, and much too close for him to swing. The White Hawk did not allow him a single moment, laying into Ike with a furious assault, Ike's plate armour being the only thing to save him from multiple otherwise deadly strikes.

Griffith pulled his blade back and stabbed forward, aiming for the throat. But Ike ducked aside, finally seeing his chance to make his move. Reaching up with his free hand, Ike grabbed the end of Griffith's saber, clutching it in his gloved hand, the leather just preventing him from losing his fingers as he jerked it aside. Reversing his grip on Ragnell, he smashed into Griffith's head with a brutal pommel strike, denting his hawk helmet.

Griffith staggered back, tearing the helmet from his head and hurling it at Ike. The mercenary batted it aside with a swing of his blade. It was more than enough opportunity for Griffith, the White Hawk rushing Ike once more, using Ike's recovery time of his sword to begin his assault anew.

Ike was ready, however, and batted Griffith's blade aside. Griffith didn't take this lightly, however, backhanding Ike across the face with a savage blow. Ike reeled from the hit, but Griffith wasn't done. Stepping into Ike's guard, he returned the favour from earlier, reversing the grip on his saber and slamming the pommel into Ike's jaw.

The mercenary stumbled back, using the distance to ready an attack, raising his sword and swinging down at Griffith' The Hawk narrowed his eyes. He knew just how to counter an attack like this. Stepping to the side of Ike's blade, Griffith once again showed his incredible athleticism and leaped over Ike's attack, landing with his armoured boots on the blade of Ragnell. Griffith snarled as he landed. It was almost too easy.

Ike's eyes widened as Griffith stabbed forward. In desperation, he leaned his head to the side and shoved forward, just managing to avoid impaling his head on Griffith's blade as he overbalanced the Hawk. Griffith and Ike both crashed to the ground in a clatter of armour and blades, both scrambling to their feet and scrambling back in anticipation of another attack.

Griffith recovered first and made one last charge, blade at the ready. Ike, however, was ready for this.

Levelling Ragnell at Griffith, Ike waited until seconds before the White Hawk struck. When Griffith was nearly on him, he made his move. Ike hurled Ragnell in the air, the blade spinning overhead as he leapt up to catch it as it, just missing Griffith's slash. Ike spun in mid air with the blade, flipping forward to come right down on Griffith. The White Hawk raised his saber to block the attack, but the force of Ike's blow sheared through the sword and cleaved through Griffith's skull. Griffith crumpled to the ground under the impact, his ambition ended.

Ike jerked Ragnell from the remains of Griffith's skull, the impact jarring loose a red necklace from around Griffith's neck. Pulling the pendant free of his foe's neck, Ike avoided contact with the strange looking stone on the end of the string. He'd had enough of strange pendants for one lifetime. With his opponents dead, Ike jammed Ragnell's tip into the ground and heaved a mighty sigh of relief.

Winner: Greil Mercenaries

"We ran a thousand battles," Scarecrow explained "And in the end, the Greil Mercenaries ended up taking this fight by a fairly slim margin. This is largely because of two factors: the Band of the Hawk's siege cannon being meant for open warfare, and their own magic weaponry. Now, let's not make any mistakes here, If Ike and the Greil Mercenaries were to fight Guts post Eclipse, it would be a very different story, but in this context, the Greil Mercenaries take the victory over the Band of the Hawk."

But it was a hard fought battle for the Crimean heroes, with the Band of the Hawk having a clear advantage at close range and long range with their combo of straightsword and saber and their crossbow, but it was the Greil Mercenaries' magic and the blessed sword Ragnell that pulled them across the finish.

Greil Mercenaries Kills
Wind Magic: 122
Silver Sword: 95
Short Axe: 83
Silencer Bow: 113
Ragnell: 128

Total: 541

Band of the Hawk Kills
Siege Cannon: 44
Straightsword/Cavalry Saber: 112
Throwing Knife: 54
Crossbow: 121
Greatsword: 128

Total: 459

X-Factors

Loyalty:
Greil Mercenaries: 85 Band of the Hawk: 95

Reputation:
Greil Mercenaries: 80 Band of the Hawk: 90

Specialization:
Greil Mercenaries: 90 Band of the Hawk: 76

Command Structure:
Greil Mercenaries: 78 Band of the Hawk: 83

"Were we to run this battle in a different context," Undaed explained "It might have turned out differently. If it were to be run as an army on army war, taking place over a longer period of time and with armies to throw around, the Band of the Hawk has enough of a lead in the X-factors to come out on top, especially with the Hawks' command structure meaning that a different Hawk could lead the company if Griffith were indisposed. That said, in this battle it was that key X-factor of specialization that made the difference. The Band of the Hawk does have some specialist fighters like Guts, Griffith and Judeau, but many others are just soldiers and can't measure up to masters on the other side. To put it another way, any Hawk can fire a crossbow or swing a sword with competence, but Shinon is a deadly marksman and Mia is a trueblade swordmaster. In a head to head battle to the death, that can make all the difference."

"I'm more than surprised the Greil Mercenaries managed to take this one." DAM admitted. "What really shocked me though, was the equal scores Ike and Gust specifically had for their swords."

"The Greil Mercenaries took this battle with a combination of sheer skill and magic." Zivon explained. "It would be interesting to run this battle again and replace Ike's Ragnell with a normal sword, but for now, the Greil Mercenaries are the Deadliest Warriors of Fiction."

Guts snorted and snarled. "It's only a fake fight. In reality, these mercenaries couldn't stand between Griffith and his dream."

"Am I surprised we won?" Soren asked. "No. To be the Deadliest Warrior in a fight like this, you need to be the better leader and the better fighter. As Ike proved today, he's both of those things."

Ike stands outside the Greil Mercenaries temporary camp as Mist and Rhys desperately work to save the other Mercenaries. He carefully examines the blood red pendant he took from Griffith, the man's saber also resting at his belt. The Herons will know what to do with this thing.

Sorry to Berserk fans…

Next time on Deadliest Warrior of Fiction, things get truly monstrous as our experts examine two inhuman warriors from beneath the surface

(A decaying humanoid creature with razor sharp teeth and corpse pale skin in rusted armour roars and swings a rusty scimitar)

The Darkspawn, the Blight upon the lands of Thedas who burn and destroy all in their path in the name of fallen gods.

Vs

(A towering figure in charred plate armour takes up a massive ornate blade and swings it at the camera)

The Black Knights, the personal soldiers of Gwyn who followed him into the Kiln of the First Flame.

WHO

IS

DEADLIEST?

Between work, avoiding the virus, helping a friend move apartments and the sheer distraction factor that is video gaming, the sheer amount of hemming and hawing I did over this match certainly did not help with my writing. Griffith is a tactical genius, but so is Soren. Ike is a master of the sword, but so are Griffith and Guts, but Ike also has Mia… this went on for months as I debated with not only myself, but also the other hosts over who would win. DAM and Undaed15 were in favour of the Hawks, while Scarecrow leaned more in favour of the Greil Mercenaries. In the end I came to the conclusion I mentioned above and wrote that as the ending to what I think is the single longest chapter of this story that isn't a Back for Blood match, but I'll be damned, I can't decide whether this outcome or Master Chief vs The Arbiter was more difficult to decide.

Either way, as a potentially deadly disease continues to ravage the planet, let's see if the Black Knights are able to stomp out the Blight and beat the Darkspawn. What do you guys think? I'd love to hear your bets.

Also, and I'm not sure how much good this statement does, but I feel like I should say it anyway, special thanks to all those working to keep the people safe and keep the world running. I include any of you readers who work essential jobs, whether you be grocers, farmers, labourers, doctors and nurses, maybe there's even a scientist reading this. Whatever the case, thank you for doing what you do for us. And to the rest of you reading this, try to keep your head up and remember that even with all the terrible things going on in the world, there is still good. The world has seen a global pandemic break out, and within a year has developed more than one vaccine to it. At any other point in history, that would be impossible, so remember that and use that to remind yourself that there is still good in the world.

Now, just to keep you guys excited, let's have a look at that fight schedule for the rest of the season.

Legendary Jedi Killing Bounty Hunter clashes with a Plague Surviving Galactic Warrior

English Assassin shoots it out against an Outworld Outlaw

The Allomantic Lawman goes after the Alchemical Colonel

Captains of the Prequels and Sequels blast it out

SEASON FINALE! The Wolf of War lays siege to the Black Eagle

And since I gave you those teasers last chapter, while you're guessing those, how about I give you some sneak previews of next season:

The King of Lions raises his Spear against the Emperor and his Hammer

The Baron of Chicago opens hostilities with the English Vampire Hunting Heiress

The Hero of the Imperium duels blade to blade with the CIS' Cyborg General

Enjoy.