Special thanks to:
-Xenophos24 -Ken Law -Xolef
I don't own Arknights or Type moon content.
Ursus empire's northwestern tundras / year 1082 / snowy.
Dawn approached, and with it, loomed the coming moment of conflict.
Edward surveyed the ursus forces with his bird familiar, Patriot sitting by his side, accompanied by his trusty spear and greatshield, the soldier's arms gleaming menacingly, no longer tainted by neither rust nor cracks.
Edward opened his eyes , and his expression looked conflicted.
"What did you see?"
"They've split up into three forces, each of them is trailing a small distance behind the other though, I believe they want to try and trick us into charging at their first unit by making us believe they don't have backup behind them, losing the cover the forest gives us."
"They want to end this quickly, it seems they have a commander with a sound mind for once."
"They know that with the difference in numbers, they'll burn through their provisions way faster than us, in addition to the fact that we beat them to the forest, where we can hunt the animals to sustain ourselves and possibly hunt down any scouts they send, so they want to try to end this quickly."
Patriot nodded in agreement, impressed by the child's foresight, his gaze grew somber, imagining what it took for such a boy to become like this, magus or not.
"How do you think we could capitalize on this?"
"We could play the same trick, they will grow confident because of their superior numbers."
"That's possible, I remember overhearing one of the officers talking about a full on reckless assault, and I don't think he would be the only one to have that mindset, only held back by their lack of opportunity I'd imagine."
"Typical foolishness, we will use their confidence to have them break formation."
Edward nodded, standing up and stretching, feeling satisfied by the popping sounds of his bones.
"Commander, we're set to go."
Lazarus approached them, wearing his armor and trusty broadsword in hand, his smirk never leaving his face.
Patriot nodded, before he moved to the front of the soldiers, his eyes gleamed with determination.
"Soldiers, ready yourselves."
"Yes sir!"
"Watch each other's backs, I want you all to survive."
"Yes sir!"
All of the fighters looked ready, some looked at Patriot with slight joy, seeing their commander being more like his old self, in both appearance and spirit, while others gave Edward thankful looks, their own readiness and condition in no small amount attributed to him.
"Alright, boys, time to head out, so look sharp."
As everyone began to move out, Edward was suddenly stopped by two's eyes met, and Edward understood what Buldrokkas'tee wanted.
"...You can't be serious."
"I am."
"I'm not going to leave you to fight on your own, you should know that I'm not incapable of fighting."
"I am aware."
"Then why?"
"Children should not fight while the adults are present."
"Children shouldn't be born in Originium mines too, but unfortunately, it happens."
"Edward."
"Look, I don't wish to argue with you, but I'm definitely going to help you in battle, at least give me a support role, I can serve as an archer."
Buldrokkas'tee looked adamant, his musing stopping when Lazarus coughed to get their attention.
"Commander, I think we should have him come with us as support, it'll be better than entering battle while also worrying about him secretly following us, something he is perfectly capable of achieving."
Patriot's gaze shifted between the two, he couldn't let the boy wander after them on his own, even with his unnatural powers.
His hands were simply tied, and he could only reluctantly accept.
Edward sighed in relief, his eyes gratefully looking at Lazarus, the horned man giving him a thumbs up when his commander wasn't looking.
"If you need anything during the fight, let me know, I'll leave my back to you, Edward."
"Sure thing, you can count on me."
"Big bro!"
Edward stopped in his tracks as he turned to the coming children, led by Yelena as usual.
Smiling at the group, he patted their heads gently, he could see clear worry in their eyes.
"Are you really going to fight with the others?"
"Yes, I can't leave them to fight on their own."
Yelena's eyes looked at him with a strange glint, her fists tightening, and Edward noticed Petrova and the others nodding towards her encouragingly.
"Then, we'll fight with you."
"Yeah, we'll help you, big bro."
Edward did not respond, opting to flick the bunny's forehead, while giving the others a strict stare.
"Absolutely not, you will stay where I told you."
The kids looked despondent at the rejection, but they didn't want to retort his words, some of them knew that they couldn't fight like Edward and the soldiers could.
Edward knew it was hard for them to be helpless like this, but that's an issue only time and preparation would solve, he already acknowledged the fact his siblings are going to fight and kill others, but he'd be damned if he allowed them to step into a battlefield so soon after exiting the mines.
He removed his shroud, and draped it across Yelena's shoulders, before he helped tie it.
"This shroud was a gift from my best friend, he entrusted it to me when I became sick and couldn't help him on his path anymore, so that we'd always have something that connects us. I'll entrust it and your younger siblings to you. Can you take care of them while I'm gone, little rabbit?"
Yelena held the shroud, feeling the warmth within, something she had been missing ever since she used her arts in the mines, before nodding.
"That's my girl, now listen up, kids, you're going to listen well to Yelena while I'm gone, you have the weapons I gave you, and you know what I told you to do at times of emergency, so take care, ok?"
"Yes, big bro."
The magus bid them farewell, before he joined the fighters as they ventured towards battle.
Lazarus trailed behind until Edward caught up to him, the friendly redhead giving him a smirk as he nudged him with his elbow.
"Hey hero, I hope you're not too mad at the commander, he only wants you to be safe. You are a valuable asset to us, in all the ways we could think of, but we all knew that old Bul wouldn't use an argument that he himself didn't care about."
Edward looked from his companion to the walking form of Patriot, noting the giant sarkaz's stealthy glances towards him every now and then.
Edward held back a chuckle, he felt slightly embarrassed by the wendigo's attention, he was grateful for his care.
"No worries, I understand where he's coming from, although I didn't expect Patriot to be this caring even under such circumstances."
"That's our commander alright, that fearsome armor and helmet hides the softest and kindest man you'll ever come to know, little fellow."
Both of them shared a grin as they continued on in silence.
'Eden, prepare to install the class card when we approach the outskirts.'
'Understood.'
Everyone noticed a subtle difference in Edward when they neared the exit of the forest. Before his companions' astonished stares, a black body armor manifested, which consisted of a black tight and sleeveless shirt with silver accents and a metal plate on his collar, black pants that had two black straps on his thighs, and another two strapped around his shins separate from each other, in addition to black metal plated shoes, which appear to be attached to his trousers.
A familiar red mantle appeared, only this time as two separate sleeves connected by a metal plate at the back which covered his arms and was cut off showing his upper torso and midriff, and had a separate red open skirt which ended above his shins with the top fashioned and tied with a knot none of them could recognize, covered by a silver metal plate.
The boy's disposition seemed to change, his presence felt more dangerous, akin to a sword ready to be drawn.
Everyone could only look with slight wonder at the show that happened before them. Lazarus whistled as he gave the outfit a critical look, while Patriot noticed the boy frowning.
"What is it?"
The group was on high alert the moment that question was asked, everyone keeping attention on the magus.
"Enemy approaching, approximate distance between them and the forest outskirts is about four kilometres."
"How can you tell, you usually need to close your eyes to see from your bird."
"I can see them, dead ahead."
Everyone sucked in a deep breath at that statement, in any other situation, most of the group would either sigh or laugh at someone who claimed to spot an army from over four kilometers away from their position inside the forest without any binoculars, but knowing the boy's abilities, no one found it in them to do so.
"Wizards sure are something else."
Lazarus chuckled before he smirked at his group, he gave a quick nod to Patriot. It was time to enact their plan.
"Ok boys, it's showtime!"
"Yeah!"
And with that said, the group headed towards the incoming army's direction, Edward sighed as he looked over his best friend's armor.
'Now and always, right Shirou?'
His eyes gazed at the incoming opponent, a grey color briefly flashing in his blue eyes, he felt his mind and body automatically falling into the same indifferent setting he always used in every battle.
It's time for the hunter of the red plains and the reaper to cross another battlefield, together as one.
"Steady, men! today we shall bring judgement upon the enemies of Ursus!"
Lieutenant Alfred shouted as he and his troops marched onwards to the forest, his mind and heart still burning with the fury of the humiliation he suffered yesterday during the meeting.
'Those shitty old timers.'
He frowned as his eyes traveled across the snowy landscape surrounding them, some of the coldness seeping past his thick clothes and armor.
He felt his mood turn sour, his eyes glaring daggers at the forest in front of them. He fought tooth and nail to get himself as the vanguard, he wouldn't allow those geezers to get the chance to hog the merits.
Soon his forces neared the outskirts of the forest, and he immediately noted the group emerging from it, a feral smile appearing on his face.
"Looks like their plan worked after all, too bad for them they won't be getting the chance to benefit from it."
His mind raced with the notion of escaping this barren tundra with the accomplishment of dealing with the famed Patriot.
He looked at his comrades, noticing how agitated they grew as well, the temptation of climbing the ranks with this opportunity, none of them wished to wait for the others as was the plan.
The temptation was simply too great.
Alfred raised his fist high up, his face etched in an expression of excitement and impatience.
"Soldiers, the enemy has appeared before us, they wish to confront us in their arrogance, let us show them that it shall be their doom!"
The soldiers cheered as they charged along with their officers, a head on approach that almost felt maniacal. A hunger for glory and bloodlust reeked from their bodies.
Alfred could see how the faces of the enemy fighters turned from neutral to horrified, his confidence growing at the sight of their fear as they hurried back into the forest.
"Don't let them get away, men!"
Soon, his force of seventy men stormed into the forest, chasing after their prey in reckless abandon.
Through the bushes and trees, the ursus forces neared their target bit by bit, their relentless and reckless pursuit driving them deeper in the woods.
Alas, their enemy managed to elude them through the ample covers of the forest's trees and bushes, disappearing completely from sight.
Alfred gritted his teeth in frustration, having blown the single greatest opportunity he had, although his thoughts were mercilessly interrupted by a shrill scream.
Everyone turned to the back, only to be met with the gruesome scene of the body of one of their comrades nailed to a tree by the strangest arrow they had ever seen, looking more like a twisted contraption of steel than an arrow.
The arrow started to disappear too, dissolving into unknown blue particles, as if a passing nightmare or hallucination, the lifeless body of their brother in arms the only evidence that what happened was completely real.
"Everyone! Defensive formation!"
The troops soon circled around each other, carefully looking for the archer, anxiety building up in their ranks from the unnerving silence.
Alfred felt shivers down his spine as he could hear the distinct sound of footsteps echoing louder and louder with each moment, a looming shadow appearing before them.
"Men! Shield wall!"
His soldiers were quick to action, forming a shield wall in front of the monster, their hearts pounding and threatening to burst through their chests.
Then, the shadow moved, calm steps quickly growing into a fast dash that its large frame had no business having, almost as if the armor he wore had no weight to it.
The closer the figure approached, utterly unaffected by the bolts that rained on him, the more the soldiers felt fear grip their hearts. Others in the back felt their legs shaking, eyes dilating at the realization of facing such an opponent.
Just as the renowned Patriot was closing in on the shield wall, crossbow bolts rained from the sides, the sudden hail of projectiles taking the troops by surprise.
The momentary confusion and chaos was only worsened as Patriot slammed and pierced through the shield wall like a wrecking ball, the two soldiers unfortunate enough to have stood in his path sailed through the air, slamming into their fellow comrades.
Chaos dominated the scene as the wendigo's poleaxe claimed lives with each swing, its unnaturally sharp edge slicing through their armor with incredible ease.
The rest of the guerilla force soon joined the fray, encircling the troops and laying waste to them, their armor seemed extremely sturdy, and their weapons were unlike anything that the ursus forces had expected from a ragtag group of deserters.
The ursus forces found themselves boxed in by the immovable shielders as the snipers hiding in the trees made quick work of the crossbowmen amongst them.
Any soldier who tried to get behind one of them was swiftly plucked by the same metal arrow that started this battle, the unknown archer methodically dispatching any threats to any of the fighters with precision.
It didn't take long for the soldiers to realize their folly, their morale crumbling into ashes as they began to flee for their lives, but even that proved to be impossible as arrows of steel made quick work of any stragglers.
Alfred ran as fast as he could, his eyes full of fear as he saw one of his fellow officers pierced through the stomach by one of those accursed arrows, his mind was gripped with horror, almost at the edge of madness from witnessing such a massacre.
'I have to escape, I have to tell the others to retreat as far away from these freaks as we can.'
Alas, his wish was not to be, an arrow pierced through his leg and amputated it, leaving him in agony and despair as it buried itself completely in the earth.
Calm footsteps trailed behind him, the officer hyperventilating as he felt his mind grow feeble because of the blood loss, he could see black metal tipped boots in front of him, before a hand grabbed his throat and raised his body until he was on eye level with his murderer.
He found himself face to face with a young boy of all things, garbed in black armor and a red mantle, his piercing eyes looking at him with indifference.
"You will tell me everything you know about your operations and plans."
The soldier's mind felt probed, an unnatural buzzing in his ears that seemed to revibrate into his brain, his face became one of confusion and settled into a trance look, not even mustering the effort to move a muscle.
Everything Alfred knew spilled from his mouth almost mechanically, every detail he was informed about, laid bare for the boy in front of him, it was only once he had nothing more to offer, that a broadsword put an end to his pain.
The sword dematerialized, and Edward rummaged through any useful items the soldiers might have had and placed them into the inventory.
He channeled magical energy into the ground, the earth around the corpses swallowing the bodies completely, leaving nothing behind.
Edward returned to the battlefield, the guerilla forces cleaning up their weapons and resting up, Patriot remaining vigilant from his seat in the very center.
The fighters immediately took notice of his return, their sympathetic eyes following his figure as he walked up to the leader, his disposition as calm as it was when he set out with them.
His steps came to a sudden halt when his eyes got a clear look of Buldrokkas'tee's weapon, a flood of information flowed to his mind.
Memories of a wendigo who wished to protect everyone around him.
Visions of a warrior who detested senseless slaughter, an inspiring figure whose presence was akin to a blazing sun in the dark.
A man who walked through countless battlefields for the cause he came to believe in, never once giving in to the cruelty of his fate.
"Promise me, Buldrokkas'tee-"
The feeble voice of a woman reached his ears, her sincere pleas felt heartbreaking to the ear.
"Oi, Edward, are you ok?"
Edward snapped out of the sea of memories, noticing that Lazarus and Patriot were looking at him with clear worry.
"The stragglers have all been dealt with, I managed to acquire new intel from one of their officers too."
"I Guess sending out Jack and his crew was unnecessary after all, but more importantly, are you doing alright?"
Edward met Lazarus's worried eyes with a neutral stare, he scratched his head and avoided his stare.
"About as good as I'll be, I suppose, how are the others?"
"More than fine, lad. The battle went without a hitch, with no injuries on our part, I almost can't believe it myself to be honest, although I think you're going to have your hands a bit full with maintenance, especially for the big guy here. The other teams just gave in their reports, the ambushes went on without a hitch. "
Patriot's eyes were focused completely on Edward, the later examining the slight dents and scratches here and there from both crossbow bolts and weapons, he guessed that reinforcement and alteration alone wouldn't have been good enough even for power armor.
"Lazarus, tell everyone to hurry up. We leave as soon as possible."
"Understood, I'll call Jack back too."
As Lazarus moved away, Patriot approached the boy in front of him, his hands grasped his shoulders as he kneeled down. There was a sense of fatherly worry coming from the ancient Sarkazian.
"You said you gained intel?"
"Yes, I know what you're thinking, I didn't torture him."
"Then how?"
"I hypnotized him into spilling everything he knew, of course, I wouldn't be able to look a certain old hag in the eye if I tortured someone."
Patriot's shoulders visibly slumped down in relief, a puff of vapor emerging from his helmet, he stood up, patting the boy's head.
"You won't stop doing that any time soon, I guess?"
"No, I won't. Isn't that what you tell Yelena?"
"Touché, didn't know you had a sarcastic bone in your body."
Patriot didn't answer, opting for an amused huff that actually felt like one for once.
'Edward, the enemy has established their positions, the locations match the information we obtained, with only slight changes.'
'Alright, keep an eye on them, no doubt the loss of nearly half their forces has them on edge.'
'I shall.'
'Thanks, partner.'
"So, what did you discover?"
"It'll be more accurate to ask what I didn't discover."
"No sass child, it is unbecoming of you."
"Sure, let's go with that. Anyways, I guess any expected attacks from them is scratched for now, losing almost half their forces in one day, so deep in the tundra and far from reinforcements, they'll just be keeping to the control points on the east."
"How many points?"
"Originally? They planned on 4 major camps, but with this big reduction, it's safe to say it'll be less, you think they'd retreat?"
Buldrokkas'tee's eyes felt somber as he gazed to the east, his bloody poleaxe held firmly.
"Ursus doesn't back down, retreat won't be tolerated."
"I see, in any case, I'm keeping my eyes on them, once they're done separating, I'll let you know."
The group gathered in a few minutes, retreating deeper in the forest, the bodies of their enemies sprawled everywhere. Once the group returned back to their camping site, they found it empty, the children still out of sight.
Although Edward, Patriot and most of the fighters could spot a few figures in the trees around, doing their best to cover themselves, armed with crossbows, while the others seemed to hide behind boulders or guard the trees the would-be archers stationed themselves in.
It was overall one of the sloppiest attempts at an ambush that the group had ever witnessed, but for kids, most of them had to admit they got the basics right.
"Hey! Get out, you brats!"
Edward's call was first met by silence, before Yelena showed herself, followed by the rest of the children, their eyes fixated on Edward's figure.
"Big bro!"
As one, the group moved frantically towards the magus. Accepting his fate, Edward simply dropped to a knee, and spread his arms as he withered the charge.
Edward thanked his lucky stars that he didn't deactivate the install of the class card, his strengthened body falling under the combined weight of the little fellows, but not quite suffocated by the burden.
Patriot looked down at the boy helplessly accepting his fate under the pile of children with a smile, who had killed soldiers with disturbing ease and efficiency not too long ago .
He stepped past the pile of small bodies, ignoring the pleading Edward as he walked towards the little rabbit. She stood a few feet away, content with smiling at the scene.
"It's good to see you return safe and sound, I hope no one is injured."
Patriot smiled under his helmet as he sat down beside her, his hand reached out to pat her head, causing her to pout.
"Stop that, I'm not a child."
"Yes you are, little one."
"I'm not little!"
Patriot took her frail blows with small satisfaction, her carefree attitude bringing him peace of mind.
Finally, Edward managed to break free from the hoard of huggers, his chest heaving as his lungs thirsted for air. Meanwhile, the onslaught of questions started from his armor to how the fighting went.
"Let him rest, he's been fighting just now."
Yelena's voice felt like the rope of salvation for Edward, he deactivated the class card, his armor dispersing into his usual attire, consisting of a torn mess of the Ursus soldier's uniform.
Yelena came up to him, the shroud in her hands as she held it towards him. Edward smiled as he took the red shroud back, using it to pat the little girl, ignoring her indingant cries.
"You've done well, Yelena, thank you for keeping it safe."
He looked around at the others descending from their posts in the trees, crossbows in hand.
"You guys should get some of the fighters to teach you how to properly hide, but your positions were not too bad for newbies."
"Yes big bro."
He gave the group a small smile before he went to his own corner, preparing himself for the repairs and maintenance he had to do soon. Sure enough, it didn't take long before the soldiers came by, one by one, to get their equipment fixed.
He noticed all of them asking about his condition after his first battle with them, it was a new experience in a way, he never fought in such a big unit before, so seeing every one of the fighters this attentive to him felt endearing.
Soon came Patriot's turn, the hulking man, devoid of his armor, save for his helm, sat near him as the boy analyzed the armor's structure for the damage, his circuits thrummed to life as he altered the deformations and dents back to their former state, finalizing the change with a small push of strengthening.
His hands traced the armor for any anomalies, finalizing his examination. His attention turned to the weapon, the blade already cleaned, although the small chips here and there needed to be dealt with, in addition to resharpening the edges.
Buldrokkas'tee watched the boy handle the equipment with a professionalism that still felt wrong to see from someone of his age. He was overcome by a certain nostalgia, remembering a certain other young man, tirelessly working despite the bad circumstances.
He shook those feelings off, concentrating more on the present.
"How are you feeling?"
Edward drew his eyes from his work, he looked confused for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"How was your first battle?"
"Oh, well, it went fine I suppose, nobody on our side died or got seriously injured, so I'll take that as a job done well."
"Then why do you look so conflicted?"
Edward looked back at the repaired poleaxe, he gently laid it on the ground in front of the wendigo, before starting a quick check on the greatshield.
"I guess it's because of how meaningless this fighting is, to have to kill others for survival."
"I see."
"Still, it's not like I'm stuck on it or anything, knowing how common this is going to be from now on. Come what may, I will still continue to push on forward."
Edward grunted as he pushed the greatshield next to the weapon, even with runes reducing its weight, the thing was still terribly heavy, he's still having a hard time believing Patriot managed to run with it in addition to the weapon and the armor.
Buldrokkas'tee gave his equipment a quick check, before he looked at the food the boy manifested between them. Edward gestured for him to eat, picking up an apple and started diggin in.
"Don't give me that confused look, I'm starving, and I bet you're the same, hunger is the enemy, right?"
Patriot chuckled as he began eating as well, a comfortable silence washing over the two of them.
"Well, I'm stuffed. Now to get to the juicy part."
Edward moved to the poleaxe's blade, projecting a needle in his hand, before pricking his finger, drawing blood.
Patriot watched intently as the boy used his own blood to draw strange symbols over the surface of his poleaxe's blade, before moving down to create even more of them over the length of the shaft.
It was eerily similar to some of the witchcrafts he saw in the past, people drawing symbols on their bodies to produce supernatural effects.
Once he was done with his drawing, Edward activated his circuits, using his reinforced strength to carry the big weapon. He pumped magical energy into the weapon, the drawings glowing for a few minutes.
Patriot noted the distinct red coloration that seemed to spread on the blade's edge, he could feel the heat from his place, his eyes gazing upon his trusty weapon with caution.
Edward flashed a proud smirk as he approached the nearby boulder, He took a standard stance.
'Sowilo.'
The runes on the blade flared intensely, the blade's edges taking on a bright crimson hue as flames licked the outline. Edward swung the weapon with all his might, and as he expected, the weapon met little resistance as it cut through the boulder, leaving a black gash, smoke exuded from the boulder, a foul odor permeated from the makeshift test subject for the magus's experiment.
Turning his attention to Patriot, Edward felt a small sense of pride looking at the flabbergasted eyes of the famous stoic wendigo.
"With this, you should have a much easier time out there, although it's heavier than it was before, give it a test."
Patriot nodded as he took the weapon, feeling unfamiliar warmth from his grip of the shaft. He tested the new weight of his trusted poleaxe, his blows generating gusts of hot wind, a feat on its own considering the frigid tundras tended to be.
Satisfied, Patriot set the weapon down as he started to wear his armor again, his eyes looking at the symbols engraved upon it in a new light.
"Thank you."
"I'm not done yet, give me your gauntlet for a minute."
Edward drew another strange symbol on his gauntlet, Buldrokkas'tee felt out of his depth as he stood there wondering what the little wizard had in store.
Once he was finished, Edward gave the gauntlet back, before he copied the symbol on his palm, and requested the weapon.
The little boy threw the poleaxe towards the nearby tree, embedding it in the trunk, before he extended his hand, the rune on his palm flaring up.
Buldrokkas'tee focused on his weapon, and his eyes narrowed as he noticed it trembling, his mind coming to one conclusion as to what would happen.
Proving his assumption correct, the poleaxe removed itself from the tree and returned towards Edward's hand, his feet leaving a short trail in the snowy ground as the weight of the weapon proved a little too much to stop completely.
With a proud smile on his face, he offered the weapon back to the wendigo for him to test.
Buldrokkas'tee reached out for the weapon. He braced himself as he saw his trusted companion return to him after he threw it. He felt his body shake minutely from the impact, but nothing that he couldn't handle.
"That should help you get it back should you somehow lose it or decide to throw it."
"Thank you."
"No problem, it's the least I could do."
"Do you have any news of the enemy?"
"Oh yeah, they've set up two major camps as far as I've seen, along some small control points here and there between them."
"They want to keep the numerical advantage."
"From what I gathered from the officer, their total force was two hundred men, we managed to eliminate seventy of them today, so that leaves a hundred and thirty of them divided in two camps, not that much bigger than our force separately."
"I have a plan for tomorrow in that case"
"Care to share it?"
"Tomorrow. For now you should rest up."
Edward wanted to press for more information, but it seemed Patriot would have none of it, the man calmly leaving to his own tent.
Edward leaned against the tree, his eyes looking to the stars, his thoughts taking him from one thing to another. He held his forehead as he felt a bit of pain surge for a moment, his face twisting into a frown as he gritted his teeth.
Visions of death and slaughter flashed before his eyes, his ears heard the sound of flesh sliced and pierced, his stomach churned as he heard the cries for help silenced one after the other, replaced with the incoherent gurgling of those on the throes of death, and the screams of terror.
'Don't be afraid, I'm here.'
His muscles tensed as he felt the sensation of someone hugging him, a voice he couldn't quite distinguish cut through the violence that plagued his mind.
His breathing felt labored as his heart was lulled into a more relaxed rhythm. Edward felt confused, he activated his circuits out of instinct in order to ensure everything was ok.
Once he was sure there were no abnormalities, Edward started to finally get a hold of himself, that strange feeling hadn't left yet.
He looked around him, but found nothing at all, his confusion continued to grow.
'Eden, what's happening?'
'There's no anomaly or ailment detected in your body, it seems that using the heroic spirit's Mind's Eye skill has left some residual side effects, the visions should clear with rest.'
'Noted, I guess that other sensation was just my mind playing tricks on me.'
'I shall investigate further on this strange sensation, if I find anything, I shall notify you.'
'Thanks, partner.'
"Big brother?"
Edward blinked as he realized the kids were here with him, they must have entered while he was talking with Eden. He welcomed them in, the little ones excitedly huddled up with him, talking about all kinds of things.
He sat silently as he was content with watching the group merrily talking among themselves. Some tried to ask about the battle, but the magus refused to indulge them, it is not yet time for them to know the burden of death.
Soon, all turned in for the night, Edward wondered what idea Buldrokkas'tee would propose.
Unable to sleep, the boy decided to do something to shift his focus, he sat alone and traced the poleaxe again, allowing his mind to peer once more at the memories held within.
He will make sure that those promises and wishes made by the wendigo would be upheld.
Meanwhile, in one of the ursus camps, emotions were running high, as the commanders discussed amongst themselves about the crushing defeat they suffered.
"This is madness, captain, we should have stuck together rather than split off."
"There is no other way to tempt Patriot into striking one of the camps. Even with his presence, they won't be able to defeat one camp before the reinforcements from the other side come to support, and at that point, our chances of victory are higher than staying together whilst those fighters chip away at us bit by bit."
Most shared the same somber expression, the weight of their loss proved crippling for any good strategy.
"Dammit! It was all because of that stubborn waste of a lieutenant."
"Save your anger, we have to concentrate on surviving this dangerous predicament, all of you, prepare for tomorrow, I want watchful eyes on both camps at all times. If one camp is attacked, I want the info to be transmitted as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
The captain's solemn look never left his face as his officers left the tent, his second in command was the only person that stayed.
"...It's impossible, isn't it, sir?"
The ursusian gritted his teeth in frustration, while the captain nodded in defeat.
"Why not issue a retreat?"
"...Micheal, we were sent on a suicide mission from the start. The moment we return without any proof of success, we'll be executed for dishonoring ursus."
The old soldier paused as he looked absentmindedly at the lamp on his table, sadness was the only emotion that colored his face.
"Given only a mere two hundred soldiers, most untested and greener than a blade of grass, and asked to slay the Patriot himself? Preposterous."
"You know him personally, sir?"
"Unfortunately, no, however, I had the honor of fighting with his unit during my early years as a soldier, I couldn't count the number of times we would have died had it not been for Buldrokkas'tee."
"I see…"
"You should rest, lieutenant, tomorrow is going to be a stressful day to be sure, however, if you see Patriot or that the fighting is not going our way, either surrender or hide, do you understand me?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
With a final salute, the lieutenant Micheal left, leaving the captain to his own thoughts.
His face became forlorn, one could even say he was crestfallen. He exited the tent, his eyes looking to the horizons, the land of a country he once served with pride.
"Beautiful country of mine, where has your splendor gone."
The man spoke to no one in particular, his mind was filled with cherished memories of a lost joy, of a time when he would gather with his comrades and celebrate the glory of their righteous victory against those who would seek to harm the people of ursus.
"For your riches were squandered, and your children butchered."
His steps took him to the edge of the encampment, he stopped and stared at the forest in front of him, his heart felt like breaking at the thought of harming his savior.
He knew that he and his unit would get exiled here under the guise of hunting the guerrilla forces sooner or later, his stomach felt sick just by remembering the fact that the soldiers who came with them were nothing more than either collateral to ensure his downfall, or other unfortunate targets.
Seventy of those good men and women had fallen in one day, and they were too much. All that was left was the pile of power hungry delusional idiots sent to die alongside them in the tundras should they fail to overcome the Patriot, and his unit, its members huddled in this camp of theirs.
With his mind settled, Captain Kozlov Igor Yurievich returned to his tent, his mind settled on what he needed to do, both as a captain and a citizen of the Ursus he believed in.
"Country of mine, even as my enemy, my love for you will not falter."
Glory be to Ursus, and its emperor.
Waking up, Edward never imagined Patriot's plan to be anything remotely close to what he was hearing now.
"Please tell me he's joking, Lazarus."
"I wish I could, Edward, but you know there's no helping it."
Both of the two stared incredulously at their commander, Edward already feeling an impending headache.
They moved near the outskirts of the forest, watching the encampment as the rest prepared their equipment one final time.
"Okay then, Edward, think you can snipe the lookouts and those drones?"
Edward turned off the mission notification from Eden, before he examined the layout of the camp from their position.
"No problem, I'll give you guys something even better, just get ready to take advantage of the opportunity."
Edward gripped the bow in his hand, and started climbing the tree. Once he reached the top, he quickly traced arrows and shot down the sentires and the drones in his field of vision.
Not wasting a second, he jumped down and dashed, his arrows flying at any enemy that was caught in his line of sight. He also spared some explosive arrows that rained down on the camp.
Some had their heads ripped off from the projectile's velocity.
Others less fortunate were impaled through the stomach.
He felt Lazarus and the others following right behind him, the momentary confusion that plagued the camp allowing them to cross most of the distance between the forest and their target.
Edward's eyes narrowed as he spotted the crossbowmen, his hand tracing regular arrows and shooting down the bolts that were heading their way.
Lazarus felt his blood run cold at the sight of the magus not only massacring the soldiers in the camp before they even got there, but also having enough skill and speed to deflect crossbow bolts with his own arrows while he was at it.
"Come on, lads, we shouldn't have the boy killing for us, now do we?"
"Yeah!"
The fighting began in earnest as the squad stormed the camp, mowing through all the soldiers they could find together.
"The enemy is here! Fight for Ursus!"
Edward kept watch over his allies as his eyes scanned the area for any high ranking officers, his arrows ready to be fired at a moment's notice.
Screams and shouts filled the camp, and blood dyed the snowy fields red.
The magus felt his mind wandering to a different issue at hand, his efforts increasing to end this fight quickly and go to the other camp.
'Old fool, you better know what you're doing, I'm not allowing you to break another promise.'
Captain Igor felt a hidden hand gripping at his heart, his eyes darting to the trees every now and then in caution. A certain sense of dread and fear was almost palpable in the air.
His soldiers gathered to hear an announcement he decided to give them after much thought.
'I guess it is now or never.'
"Soldiers, I have something I must tell every one of you, so listen well."
"Sir!"
"I'm proud to have been your commanding officer for a good twenty years now, so I'm well aware that there isn't a single idiot under my watch, so I trust you know the truth behind our dispatchment to this region?"
He could spot the immediate reactions on their faces, he's always prided himself over the tenacity and perception of his soldiers, but it pained him to see them in such a depressed state.
"Sir, yes sir!"
Micheal advanced and saluted, Igor could tell that he would have made an excellent commanding officer thanks to his initiative and hard work, had it not been for the state Ursus was in.
"So I ask you, what do you think? And why have you decided to follow me, knowing that we're likely heading to losing battle?"
"Sir, I believe I speak for all of us here when I say that we are devastated by the situation, but we don't betray our own. You are our leader, who had put his faith in us and saw us through a number of battles. I believe it was you who taught us that we don't leave a man behind in this group."
Igor held back the lump that formed in his throat, his posture straightening even more, he could not allow his soldiers to see him in such a weak state.
"Then I shall ask you this, do you trust me?"
"Sir, excuse me, but I believe the answer is evident."
"Even if I ask you to betray Ursus?"
"Sir, yes sir."
Igor faltered when he saw the lack of doubt on any of their faces, he felt blessed to have had the chance to serve with these warriors. His mind felt calmed, the turmoil and indecision finally put to rest.
"Then I ask all of you this final question, will you follow me?"
The soldiers saluted in response, their minds made up, and their hearts settled.
Igor stepped towards the exit of the camp, and kept watch as he soon spotted a very familiar figure step out of the cover of the trees.
Igor had to admit that the one who wrote the reports about the Patriot's equipment had to be either the most incompetent person he'd ever know, or one with a very wild sense of humour.
There was no rust nor any hint of damage to the armor and weapon the wendigo was using, the captain would argue that they looked as pristine as the day they were made in fact.
He ordered his soldiers to stand down, before he started walking towards the approaching Buldrokkas'tee, his heart growing more nervous with each passing second.
For his part, Buldrokkas'tee grew curious as he saw the single officer heading his way, devoid of any weapon, while the other soldiers stood back.
He stepped forward, cautiously looking out for any signs of an ambush as he stayed out of the range of the crossbowmen.
The two finally stood across from each other, Buldrokkas'tee's curiosity growing still, wondering what this officer was planning.
"Buldrokkas'tee, it's a pleasure to meet you, albeit I wished it was in better circumstances, my name is Kozlov Igor Yurievich."
"For what reason do you wish to talk?"
"I, as well as my soldiers, wish to join you and your group, we can no longer return home, nor would I wish to have my soldiers dying in vain. We have more chances of survival if we join you, and I know you are someone we can trust."
"I don't know you."
"I've had the honor of fighting beside you and your soldiers in the distant past, when Ursus was a better place than what it has become. I know that I can entrust my life as well as that of my soldiers, to you."
"What of your and your soldiers' families?"
Igor's face turned solemn, his eyes turning once more to his troops, his own thoughts drifting to his family. He wondered how they were doing, and how they'd take to news of his supposed "death".
"We have issued an emergency signal when we got word that the other camp was attacked, but any reinforcement would probably only show up in a week at best, finding nothing but remnants of the other camp, we'll be taking most of our own camp equipment there to destroy them, make the camp seem bigger than what it was. The snow should be able to cover our traces. At least this way, we'll have a chance at seeing our families again one day."
Patriot stood in silence as he contemplated the offer, the man appeared sincere, yet he had no way of being certain they wouldn't stab them in the back should they let their guard down.
'It's not wrong to help others.'
The thought appeared in his head, the sentence that helped him recall the reason for all his fighting and struggles in these countless years.
He wanted to protect everyone around him, and even if that path has been nothing but failures up until now, he would not allow his fate to deter him from that desire.
He decided to take the risk.
"I accept."
He could see the man visibly relaxing, as a smile overtook his previously somber face. Patriot could tell that the expression was genuine enough from years of experience.
"Thank you, Buldrokkas'tee, sir!"
"We can keep some of the equipment with us as well"
"But that would slow the group down a lot."
"We have the means to avoid that."
Igor gave a salute before he ushered him to the camp. Patriot was still cautious, something that was mutual as the soldiers themselves were also very nervous to be around such a legendary figure.
They saluted him in a formal line, before Igor happily relayed the news of their addition to the group. The soldiers appeared to be relieved as well, before they started to pack up their belongings.
Patriot hoped the rest wouldn't be furious with his decision.
Edward's brow twitched in agitation. He felt like his mind was struggling to come up with a proper way to admonish Patriot for the risk he's taking.
He knew that anything he said would be halfhearted bullshit that would only be a hypocritical mess, so he could only muster a frustrated huff.
Worst of it all, is how Lazarus and the others were taking it in stride, the worst reactions were more or less like him. Lazarus seemed more focused on laughing at the magus's irritation.
"Do you trust them, Buldrokkas'tee?"
"I believe they are sincere."
"I see, I'll keep an eye on them for the time being, just to be sure."
"You believe I was wrong?"
"Not in the least, I'm happy that you managed to save them instead of killing them, but I will make sure that should they harbor any malicious intent, I will kill them."
Buldrokkas'tee nodded, accepting the strange medicine that the boy always provided for them to help with their oripathy. He could feel the mysterious liquid's effect as his throat felt slightly better, and the soreness in his body seemed to diminish.
Edward left the tent, and headed for his siblings. He found one of the ursusian soldiers accompanying them, Edward didn't see any abnormality in his behavior, nor any signs of deceit as the man played with them.
Most of the soldiers were very surprised to see a group of children with the guerrilla forces, and once their origins were brought to light, a lot of them felt sorry for the former miners.
One such soldier was Michael, who was now playing with some of them when he noticed their boredom. He was a bit startled when he finally took notice of the eldest, Edward, if he remembered correctly.
The boy's disposition and general demeanor felt off to the former officer. He assumed that the mines had most likely left its mark on all these children, and so they were reasonably distrustful of them.
The two hardly discussed as Michael excused himself before rejoining his comrades, a few birds perched on the trees that surrounded them, ever watchful.
Even with his suspicions, Edward hoped that in time, these new acquaintances would grow to become something more.
Only time will tell.
Name: Ahkmatov Edward Viktorovish. (Formerly Edward Miles)
Race: Ursus.
Age: 15 years old.
Element: Fire, Air, Earth.
Originium-Cell Assimilation: 3%.
Originium blood concentration: 0.4 u/L.
Arts: Telekinesis.
Current condition: Healthy.
Inventory:
-" Introduction to the field of Alchemy. "
-" Intricacies of Transmutation. "
-" Advanced Bounded Fields. "
-" Advanced Runes and the engraving process. "
-" The paths of Healing magecraft and Spiritual healing. "
-Ursus weapons.
-Rations.
-Class card( Archer class heroic spirit: "Nameless" )
-Holy shroud.
-5000 LMD.
Points: 13000.
Sowilo: Rune of the sun.
Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day and stay safe.