Isaac grumbled as he climbed out of bed. It was early, and he didn't want
to get up; no one really would at three in the morning. Nonetheless, he
rolled out of his bed and grabbed his gear. His Gaia Sword strapped on his
back and Earth Shield strapped to his left arm, he prepared to leave Mia's
house. As he reached for the door handle, he recoiled for a moment. Not
being able to resist, he walked back into the main room, where he had slept
on the same bed as before. He cracked open the door to Mia's room quietly,
an peered inside. Mia was sleeping soundly in her bed, looking very
peaceful and serene. Isaac smiled to himself, pulling the door shut again.
Next, he checked on her apprentices in a similar fashion. The two
children shared a room together, and both slept heavily in their own beds.
They too, looked peaceful, bringing to Isaac the realization of why he was
fighting. Reenergized, Isaac left the home and headed for the palisade
walls. He reached the walls after a few moments, and took his position at
the north wall. The night was freezing cold; luckily Mia had given him a
warm set of robes to go over his clothes to keep the wind out. They were
working, thankfully. As he reached his post, Dargon stood waiting for him,
fully clad in his armor.
"Good to see you, Isaac. All's quiet on the northern front, if you will."
"The fires. . . have they gone out yet?"
"No. They remain lit for the time being. I don't imagine them putting them out; it would give them away. I don't imagine the siege to come during your shift. Isaac, I know you came to take your position, but you need to be fully rested for the siege; you may very well be our best hope at winning."
"Dargon, you can't stay up here for too long; they say you're a great swordsman, but we might need you for the siege."
"Isaac, please do not question my judgement! You get back to bed and rest!"
"Sorry, Dargon, but I cannot obey that order. A and B companies, you are relieved. Get some rest."
"Damn it, Isaac! Why are you so damned stubborn?"
"Because I want this town to survive. You do too, correct? I may not be a Jupiter Adept, but it's clear to me that we need you to get your rest."
"Jupiter Adept? What in the hell are you talking about?"
"Jupiter Adepts can see the future, Dargon. Trust my judgement."
"Like you trust mine?" Dargon questioned. Isaac gave him a stern, commanding look, and he knew it would be fruitless to argue any further. "Very well, Isaac. See you in six hours then." Dargon consented, climbed down the ladder and down to the town below. Isaac could see him remove his helmet indignantly and stomp down the street. Isaac smiled; the man was really wanting to do what was best for him, but he refused to be treated with bias. Dargon was indeed a fine warrior, and a good friend to boot, though he could never replace Garet. Of all the times for him and Garet not to be together, this had to be it. Though his somewhat oafish friend was never a good shot with a bow, Isaac could count on Garet no matter what the circumstance. He wished if anyone who wasn't here could be here, he'd wish in an instant that his best friend would be.
"Sir Isaac, are you okay?" One of the archers asked him.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"How I wish my friend Garet was here." Isaac replied.
"Was he one of the ones you came here with a year ago?"
"Yes, in fact. The big one with red spiky hair."
"What kind of journeys did you guys have?"
"I'm not going to tell right now. Maybe on break, but certainly not when we should be keeping our eyes watchful and our minds mindful of the present."
"Understood, sir." The archer saluted, and went back to his post. Isaac sighed. The centaur force that would arrive later today would undoubtedly 300 or more strong; most likely its full army spanned of 750 of the beasts, but he remained unsure. That was a tough comparison to the total population of Imil: 350. Of them, only about 120 were able to defend the town. The odds were at least five to one in the favor of the enemy; hardly acceptable to any defending commander, but the small town of Imil really had no choice but to defend their hometown from the marauders. Isaac cursed himself to think about what would happen should the defense give out. The centaur would be free to run rampant in the town, slaying every last man, woman, and child that resided here. He knew the men and women defending the town understood this fact, and they were all the more inclined to defend their homes. Isaac decided to stop thinking of 'what- ifs' and to start focusing on the present. He turned his eyes on the inky horizon, and awaited the arrival of the centaur army.
***********************
"Hey, Isaac! Your shift's up!" Dargon shouted up to him. Isaac glanced back down and nodded. Secretly, Isaac was glad his shift was up. He was sick of waiting for something to happen. It just was something he wasn't used to. Isaac climbed down the ladder and saluted to Dargon, who promptly returned it.
"Thanks, Dargon. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome, Isaac. Just do me a favor and go rest up." Dargon stated, putting on his armored helmet, then climbed the ladder to his post. Isaac turned and headed back to Mia's dwelling to fulfil Dargon's favor. He reached the dwelling, kicked the snow from his boots, and walked inside. He was greeted by a hug from young Megan.
"Hi, Isaac!" Megan said, cheerfully.
"I'm guessing your happy to see me. May I ask why?"
"No reason." Megan smiled. She was obviously hiding something.
"Don't mess with my head, Megan. What are you hiding?"
"Nothing, except I know how Mia feels about you."
"So, I know too." Megan looked puzzled. "You heard me. I already know."
"That's great! I always knew you two were perfect for each other."
"You already told me that, and Justin already disagreed with you. I appreciate your concern over the issue, though. How'd you weasel it out of Mia, anyway?"
"I asked her about you, and she told me. It was that simple."
"I see. So, where is Mia now?"
"She's at the inn helping the kitchen staff again. What, do you plan on dropping in to see her?"
"No, I just wanted to know. I promised Dargon that I'd get some rest, and I intend to do just that. Please excuse me; I must be getting to bed." He patted the young girl on the head, and went immediately to his bed.
"I'm glad to see this whole thing is working out, Isaac. You'd make a more fun big brother than Justin."
"Mia's your sister?" Isaac asked, confused.
"No; she's our guardian. Our parents passed away when we were younger."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay. Mia is a nice a family as you could get. Well, I'm going to leave you to your rest. Sleep well, Isaac." The young girl replied, walking quietly out of the room. Isaac smiled, yawned, rolled onto his side, and went to sleep.
***********************
Isaac awoke with a start as Mia jostled his shoulder. "Isaac! They're sounding battle stations! The centaurs have returned!" Isaac nodded, and leapt out of bed, slipping his boots on, and grabbing his sword, shield, and bow. Just as Isaac was dashing from the room, he paused a moment to kiss Mia on the cheek. Then he was out the door in a flash, faster than a Fenrir with a hotfoot. Mia stood still, blushing for a second, and then ran for the inn to take her place for healing.
Isaac made a mad dash for the ladder, followed closely by many members of the C and D companies. He made a dash for his post, catching Dargon there.
"Dargon! Report!"
"They're on the move; look out there!" Dargon replied, pointing to the horizon. Snow was being kicked up from the ground across most of the horizon. They were coming, all right.
"All archers, be ready to open fire! This is going to get ugly, Dargon."
"I know. Are you sure you'll be okay? You're not wearing any armor."
"I'm wearing a set of Dragon Scales under this tunic. I'll be fine."
"Dragon Scales?! I guess that makes this suit of armor a tad obsolete."
"Can the jokes, Dargon! They'll be in firing range in ten seconds. Archers! Pick your targets and prepare to fire on my mark!" Dargon and Isaac picked up their bows and drew the strings back. The horde drew into range. "MARK!" Arrows flew into the ranks of the enemy, and several fell immediately.
Suddenly, a crossbow bolt shot right past Dargon, merely scraping his armor. Dargon stepped back in surprise. "TAKE COVER!" The sound of warning came from his mouth. Isaac and Dargon dove next to the Ironwood wall and crouched beneath it. Several archers did the same. A bolt blew through the chest of an archer that stood next to Isaac, and the young man fell from the wall, bolt still impaled in his heart. There was no hope for the unfortunate soul, but Isaac leapt from the wall anyway. The crossbow bolt wasn't wood; it was an icicle. Isaac gasped; the ice would make the wound sting and extremely painful; not to mention the ice could easily be laced with poison of some sort, though that didn't appear to be the case.
"MEDIC!" Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. "MEDIC!" He cried, as he noticed two more fall from the wall. He rushed over to one who was impaled in the shoulder; blood spurted from around the wound. The archer was a female; quite young, red hair, deep blue eyes. She was barely conscious from the blow, and she struggled to speak.
"Gggge-et Mi-i-a." She stammered, through her wound, but without fear.
"Relax, I'm here for you." Isaac decided the projectile needed to be removed. He grabbed the icicle with both hands, and pulled with all his might, dislodging the frozen arrow from her shoulder. He quickly put his hand over the wound, and his hands began glowing gold. The wound slowly closed up, and the bleeding halted. "You'll be fine." The girl looked back up, still tired from the wound.
"Isaac!" Mia shouted. "I'll take it from here! Get back up there and give those creatures what-for!" She rushed out and finished the healing job while Isaac blasted back up the ladder. When he got back up, there were icicle bolts impaled all over the walls; luckily, there were few casualties. Isaac grabbed his bow and let fly an arrow that knocked a crossbow straight from a centaur's grip. The creature looked down in confusion, and was quickly impaled in the chest by three other arrows fired by different archers. Isaac quickly turned to his next target, and launched another projectile from his weapon. The arrow whizzed through the air, streaking for the next target. The centaur brought up a shield and the arrow stuck itself within it.
"Damn!" Isaac muttered, drawing another arrow from his quiver and placing it on the string of his bow. The centaur warriors armed with melee weapons managed to reach the walls below, while the crossbow-armed enemies hung back, covering them with consistent and accurate fire. "Dargon, we can't fight them all with those damned crossbowmen getting clear shots! I'll slow them down while you and your men take out the melee fighters!"
"What are you going to do, Isaac?!"
"You'll see. Just get ready to fire on my mark!"
"Men, prepare to shoot low! Aim for the swordsmen and ignore the crossbowmen!" The archers complied and prepared to aim downward. Dargon nodded to Isaac, who raised his arm into the air. His arm began to shine with a golden light, which shot through the air and into the ground near the archers. The ground tremored, and split open, causing the crossbowmen to fly in several different directions, weapons flying everywhere; some bolts flying around at random.
"MARK!" The archers aimed directly down at their enemies' heads. They didn't even see the arrows coming. Several fell dead on the spot, arrows jaunting out of the tops of their skulls, blood spurting everywhere. Several cheers came from the Imilian Defenders, but the battle was far from over. The crossbowmen who survived Isaac's Quake Sphere were now back on their feet, and the greater bulk of the melee attack force was heading to the wall. "Don't celebrate now, troops, they're coming back for more!" The legion headed to the wall was about 300 in bulk, while the crossbowmen were about 100 in numbers. The Imilians stood at 100 archers; 20 of them had been incapacitated by wounds or death. The odds were not looking good at all. "Aim for the crossbowmen!" Isaac shouted. "Fire at will!" Arrows flew at random from the palisade walls and struck several of their targets.
A volley of ice shards came flying back to greet their attack. The archer to the left of Isaac fell from the wall and impacted the ground with a sickening thump. Isaac turned, but he quickly recoiled; it was too late for him. The bolt had lodged itself in the unfortunate warrior's throat. As he turned back to the battle, he heard a gasp from below; it had to have been Mia. Isaac was tempted to leap from the wall and assure her he'd be okay, but he had work to do. He pulled another arrow from his quiver and drew the bowstring back to his chin. Picking his target, he let slip the point of steel from his bow, sending it careening into the chest of the murderous centaur. Isaac smiled, trying to convince himself that the archer's soul had been avenged. He turned for his next victim, gladly picking one taking aim at him. He ducked to avoid the incoming missile and popped back up for his shot. He released the string, sending the arrow flying 3 feet above the centaur's head.
"Damn!" Isaac muttered, ducking behind the wall again. He checked his quiver; he had only four shots left. Imil really did have an ammo shortage; there were still arrows in reserve for the third wave, but odds were they'd be tapped into before this battle was done. Drawing another shot, he launched his arrow at his previous target, striking the enemy in the shoulder, causing him to reel back and fall into the snow wounded. There was no point in wasting further ammunition finishing him off.
"Isaac, the melee troopers are close to the wall!" An archer shouted to him.
"I'm on it. Keep me covered."
"Yes sir!" The archer shouted back in reply, shooting an arrow into an aiming centaur. Isaac stood, arm raised and glowing, but rather than unleashing Quake Sphere, he unleashed the fury of Mother Gaia. The force of the Venus Psynergy sent most of the centaurs into the grave right then, causing the others to fall back. The crossbowmen began to withdraw as well, though still turning back to fire when the opportunity presented itself. When the enemy had ran out of range, Isaac held up his hand.
"Hold your fire, let them go!" Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. All arrows from Imil ceased, and Isaac turned to Dargon. "Get me a headcount; I'm going to go assist with the wounded." Isaac turned; there was an injured archer still on the platform, with two bolts of ice protruding from his left shoulder and his right leg; blood was spouting from both wounds as he and another tried to stem the flow. He turned to the ground. "Mia! A soldier up here needs help; I don't know if I can help him!"
"I'm on my way, Isaac. Hang on!" She shouted, running to the ladder. When she ascended the platform, Isaac noticed her white boots and gloves were now a deep crimson in hue, along with much of the lower parts of her robes. Isaac grimaced at the sight; the casualties were probably worse than he thought. Mia walked over to the unfortunate man and she pulled the two bolts from the wounds. Quickly, she placed one hand over each wound and began to glow a blue aura. The warrior's face soon had color returning to it, and it looked like he'd be okay. "Take him to the inn; I doubt he'll see action tomorrow, he's lost too much blood."
Isaac grimaced again; this had apparently been the scene for Mia the whole day. He turned back and gazed out to the crimson fields below; blood from centaur stained the snow an eerie color of red. Countless bodies lie unburied in the field, and the anguished cries of the wounded on both sides tore through Isaac's soul. He looked where the line of crossbowmen had been, only to see the one he had wounded stand up again; loaded crossbow in hand. The centaur took aim; not at Isaac, but at the figure to his right: Mia.
"Mia, Look ou---" Isaac exclaimed, jumping directly in front of her. Isaac could feel nothing except the piercing cold in his left shoulder; soon the world grew dark, and he fell from his feet right into Mia, and they both fell from the threshold. They landed in the snow next to each other, and Mia turned to the unmoving Isaac; she quickly saw the bolt impaled in his shoulder and that his eyes had become blurry and nearly lifeless.
"Isaac!" She cried, confused, not knowing what to do. Tears fell freely from her eyes, fearing she had lost the most important person in her heart. Acting quickly and desperately, she tried to dislodge the projectile from his body. She managed to yank it out with all of her might, and she began glowing an intense blue. She sat next to Isaac, hands pushed on his shoulder hard, tears still streaming from here aqua eyes. "Isaac, wake up, please!" She shouted, intensifying her Ply aura to an unheard of level. "Isaac, please. . ." She moaned. Her energy faded as more tears welled up in her eyes; Mia closed her eyes and laid her head on Isaac's still chest. Wait; she heard the beating of his heart. . . he was still alive!
Rgh. . ." Isaac mumbled, slowly lifting his head. His sapphire eyes opened, and he locked eyes on Mia, who was still resting on his chest. "Mia? Are you okay?" He asked, sounding perfectly fine. Mia looked up at him with tear-filled eyes in disbelief and love. Mia sniffled, smile beaming on her continence as she gazed back at Isaac, tears of joy falling from her eyes. Grabbing Isaac around the neck, she pulled him up into a tight hug, implanting her face into his previously wounded left shoulder.
"You're okay! I thought I'd lost you. . ." Mia sobbed quietly in his ear.
"I gave you my word, didn't I?" Isaac whispered back. "I still intend to keep it; even beyond the length of the siege."
"Does that mean that?. . ."
"Yes, I'll stay here after the siege." Isaac whispered in return. Mia eased on her embrace and pressed her lips to Isaac's.
"Thank you, Isaac, for everything."
"Good to see you, Isaac. All's quiet on the northern front, if you will."
"The fires. . . have they gone out yet?"
"No. They remain lit for the time being. I don't imagine them putting them out; it would give them away. I don't imagine the siege to come during your shift. Isaac, I know you came to take your position, but you need to be fully rested for the siege; you may very well be our best hope at winning."
"Dargon, you can't stay up here for too long; they say you're a great swordsman, but we might need you for the siege."
"Isaac, please do not question my judgement! You get back to bed and rest!"
"Sorry, Dargon, but I cannot obey that order. A and B companies, you are relieved. Get some rest."
"Damn it, Isaac! Why are you so damned stubborn?"
"Because I want this town to survive. You do too, correct? I may not be a Jupiter Adept, but it's clear to me that we need you to get your rest."
"Jupiter Adept? What in the hell are you talking about?"
"Jupiter Adepts can see the future, Dargon. Trust my judgement."
"Like you trust mine?" Dargon questioned. Isaac gave him a stern, commanding look, and he knew it would be fruitless to argue any further. "Very well, Isaac. See you in six hours then." Dargon consented, climbed down the ladder and down to the town below. Isaac could see him remove his helmet indignantly and stomp down the street. Isaac smiled; the man was really wanting to do what was best for him, but he refused to be treated with bias. Dargon was indeed a fine warrior, and a good friend to boot, though he could never replace Garet. Of all the times for him and Garet not to be together, this had to be it. Though his somewhat oafish friend was never a good shot with a bow, Isaac could count on Garet no matter what the circumstance. He wished if anyone who wasn't here could be here, he'd wish in an instant that his best friend would be.
"Sir Isaac, are you okay?" One of the archers asked him.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"How I wish my friend Garet was here." Isaac replied.
"Was he one of the ones you came here with a year ago?"
"Yes, in fact. The big one with red spiky hair."
"What kind of journeys did you guys have?"
"I'm not going to tell right now. Maybe on break, but certainly not when we should be keeping our eyes watchful and our minds mindful of the present."
"Understood, sir." The archer saluted, and went back to his post. Isaac sighed. The centaur force that would arrive later today would undoubtedly 300 or more strong; most likely its full army spanned of 750 of the beasts, but he remained unsure. That was a tough comparison to the total population of Imil: 350. Of them, only about 120 were able to defend the town. The odds were at least five to one in the favor of the enemy; hardly acceptable to any defending commander, but the small town of Imil really had no choice but to defend their hometown from the marauders. Isaac cursed himself to think about what would happen should the defense give out. The centaur would be free to run rampant in the town, slaying every last man, woman, and child that resided here. He knew the men and women defending the town understood this fact, and they were all the more inclined to defend their homes. Isaac decided to stop thinking of 'what- ifs' and to start focusing on the present. He turned his eyes on the inky horizon, and awaited the arrival of the centaur army.
***********************
"Hey, Isaac! Your shift's up!" Dargon shouted up to him. Isaac glanced back down and nodded. Secretly, Isaac was glad his shift was up. He was sick of waiting for something to happen. It just was something he wasn't used to. Isaac climbed down the ladder and saluted to Dargon, who promptly returned it.
"Thanks, Dargon. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome, Isaac. Just do me a favor and go rest up." Dargon stated, putting on his armored helmet, then climbed the ladder to his post. Isaac turned and headed back to Mia's dwelling to fulfil Dargon's favor. He reached the dwelling, kicked the snow from his boots, and walked inside. He was greeted by a hug from young Megan.
"Hi, Isaac!" Megan said, cheerfully.
"I'm guessing your happy to see me. May I ask why?"
"No reason." Megan smiled. She was obviously hiding something.
"Don't mess with my head, Megan. What are you hiding?"
"Nothing, except I know how Mia feels about you."
"So, I know too." Megan looked puzzled. "You heard me. I already know."
"That's great! I always knew you two were perfect for each other."
"You already told me that, and Justin already disagreed with you. I appreciate your concern over the issue, though. How'd you weasel it out of Mia, anyway?"
"I asked her about you, and she told me. It was that simple."
"I see. So, where is Mia now?"
"She's at the inn helping the kitchen staff again. What, do you plan on dropping in to see her?"
"No, I just wanted to know. I promised Dargon that I'd get some rest, and I intend to do just that. Please excuse me; I must be getting to bed." He patted the young girl on the head, and went immediately to his bed.
"I'm glad to see this whole thing is working out, Isaac. You'd make a more fun big brother than Justin."
"Mia's your sister?" Isaac asked, confused.
"No; she's our guardian. Our parents passed away when we were younger."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay. Mia is a nice a family as you could get. Well, I'm going to leave you to your rest. Sleep well, Isaac." The young girl replied, walking quietly out of the room. Isaac smiled, yawned, rolled onto his side, and went to sleep.
***********************
Isaac awoke with a start as Mia jostled his shoulder. "Isaac! They're sounding battle stations! The centaurs have returned!" Isaac nodded, and leapt out of bed, slipping his boots on, and grabbing his sword, shield, and bow. Just as Isaac was dashing from the room, he paused a moment to kiss Mia on the cheek. Then he was out the door in a flash, faster than a Fenrir with a hotfoot. Mia stood still, blushing for a second, and then ran for the inn to take her place for healing.
Isaac made a mad dash for the ladder, followed closely by many members of the C and D companies. He made a dash for his post, catching Dargon there.
"Dargon! Report!"
"They're on the move; look out there!" Dargon replied, pointing to the horizon. Snow was being kicked up from the ground across most of the horizon. They were coming, all right.
"All archers, be ready to open fire! This is going to get ugly, Dargon."
"I know. Are you sure you'll be okay? You're not wearing any armor."
"I'm wearing a set of Dragon Scales under this tunic. I'll be fine."
"Dragon Scales?! I guess that makes this suit of armor a tad obsolete."
"Can the jokes, Dargon! They'll be in firing range in ten seconds. Archers! Pick your targets and prepare to fire on my mark!" Dargon and Isaac picked up their bows and drew the strings back. The horde drew into range. "MARK!" Arrows flew into the ranks of the enemy, and several fell immediately.
Suddenly, a crossbow bolt shot right past Dargon, merely scraping his armor. Dargon stepped back in surprise. "TAKE COVER!" The sound of warning came from his mouth. Isaac and Dargon dove next to the Ironwood wall and crouched beneath it. Several archers did the same. A bolt blew through the chest of an archer that stood next to Isaac, and the young man fell from the wall, bolt still impaled in his heart. There was no hope for the unfortunate soul, but Isaac leapt from the wall anyway. The crossbow bolt wasn't wood; it was an icicle. Isaac gasped; the ice would make the wound sting and extremely painful; not to mention the ice could easily be laced with poison of some sort, though that didn't appear to be the case.
"MEDIC!" Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. "MEDIC!" He cried, as he noticed two more fall from the wall. He rushed over to one who was impaled in the shoulder; blood spurted from around the wound. The archer was a female; quite young, red hair, deep blue eyes. She was barely conscious from the blow, and she struggled to speak.
"Gggge-et Mi-i-a." She stammered, through her wound, but without fear.
"Relax, I'm here for you." Isaac decided the projectile needed to be removed. He grabbed the icicle with both hands, and pulled with all his might, dislodging the frozen arrow from her shoulder. He quickly put his hand over the wound, and his hands began glowing gold. The wound slowly closed up, and the bleeding halted. "You'll be fine." The girl looked back up, still tired from the wound.
"Isaac!" Mia shouted. "I'll take it from here! Get back up there and give those creatures what-for!" She rushed out and finished the healing job while Isaac blasted back up the ladder. When he got back up, there were icicle bolts impaled all over the walls; luckily, there were few casualties. Isaac grabbed his bow and let fly an arrow that knocked a crossbow straight from a centaur's grip. The creature looked down in confusion, and was quickly impaled in the chest by three other arrows fired by different archers. Isaac quickly turned to his next target, and launched another projectile from his weapon. The arrow whizzed through the air, streaking for the next target. The centaur brought up a shield and the arrow stuck itself within it.
"Damn!" Isaac muttered, drawing another arrow from his quiver and placing it on the string of his bow. The centaur warriors armed with melee weapons managed to reach the walls below, while the crossbow-armed enemies hung back, covering them with consistent and accurate fire. "Dargon, we can't fight them all with those damned crossbowmen getting clear shots! I'll slow them down while you and your men take out the melee fighters!"
"What are you going to do, Isaac?!"
"You'll see. Just get ready to fire on my mark!"
"Men, prepare to shoot low! Aim for the swordsmen and ignore the crossbowmen!" The archers complied and prepared to aim downward. Dargon nodded to Isaac, who raised his arm into the air. His arm began to shine with a golden light, which shot through the air and into the ground near the archers. The ground tremored, and split open, causing the crossbowmen to fly in several different directions, weapons flying everywhere; some bolts flying around at random.
"MARK!" The archers aimed directly down at their enemies' heads. They didn't even see the arrows coming. Several fell dead on the spot, arrows jaunting out of the tops of their skulls, blood spurting everywhere. Several cheers came from the Imilian Defenders, but the battle was far from over. The crossbowmen who survived Isaac's Quake Sphere were now back on their feet, and the greater bulk of the melee attack force was heading to the wall. "Don't celebrate now, troops, they're coming back for more!" The legion headed to the wall was about 300 in bulk, while the crossbowmen were about 100 in numbers. The Imilians stood at 100 archers; 20 of them had been incapacitated by wounds or death. The odds were not looking good at all. "Aim for the crossbowmen!" Isaac shouted. "Fire at will!" Arrows flew at random from the palisade walls and struck several of their targets.
A volley of ice shards came flying back to greet their attack. The archer to the left of Isaac fell from the wall and impacted the ground with a sickening thump. Isaac turned, but he quickly recoiled; it was too late for him. The bolt had lodged itself in the unfortunate warrior's throat. As he turned back to the battle, he heard a gasp from below; it had to have been Mia. Isaac was tempted to leap from the wall and assure her he'd be okay, but he had work to do. He pulled another arrow from his quiver and drew the bowstring back to his chin. Picking his target, he let slip the point of steel from his bow, sending it careening into the chest of the murderous centaur. Isaac smiled, trying to convince himself that the archer's soul had been avenged. He turned for his next victim, gladly picking one taking aim at him. He ducked to avoid the incoming missile and popped back up for his shot. He released the string, sending the arrow flying 3 feet above the centaur's head.
"Damn!" Isaac muttered, ducking behind the wall again. He checked his quiver; he had only four shots left. Imil really did have an ammo shortage; there were still arrows in reserve for the third wave, but odds were they'd be tapped into before this battle was done. Drawing another shot, he launched his arrow at his previous target, striking the enemy in the shoulder, causing him to reel back and fall into the snow wounded. There was no point in wasting further ammunition finishing him off.
"Isaac, the melee troopers are close to the wall!" An archer shouted to him.
"I'm on it. Keep me covered."
"Yes sir!" The archer shouted back in reply, shooting an arrow into an aiming centaur. Isaac stood, arm raised and glowing, but rather than unleashing Quake Sphere, he unleashed the fury of Mother Gaia. The force of the Venus Psynergy sent most of the centaurs into the grave right then, causing the others to fall back. The crossbowmen began to withdraw as well, though still turning back to fire when the opportunity presented itself. When the enemy had ran out of range, Isaac held up his hand.
"Hold your fire, let them go!" Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. All arrows from Imil ceased, and Isaac turned to Dargon. "Get me a headcount; I'm going to go assist with the wounded." Isaac turned; there was an injured archer still on the platform, with two bolts of ice protruding from his left shoulder and his right leg; blood was spouting from both wounds as he and another tried to stem the flow. He turned to the ground. "Mia! A soldier up here needs help; I don't know if I can help him!"
"I'm on my way, Isaac. Hang on!" She shouted, running to the ladder. When she ascended the platform, Isaac noticed her white boots and gloves were now a deep crimson in hue, along with much of the lower parts of her robes. Isaac grimaced at the sight; the casualties were probably worse than he thought. Mia walked over to the unfortunate man and she pulled the two bolts from the wounds. Quickly, she placed one hand over each wound and began to glow a blue aura. The warrior's face soon had color returning to it, and it looked like he'd be okay. "Take him to the inn; I doubt he'll see action tomorrow, he's lost too much blood."
Isaac grimaced again; this had apparently been the scene for Mia the whole day. He turned back and gazed out to the crimson fields below; blood from centaur stained the snow an eerie color of red. Countless bodies lie unburied in the field, and the anguished cries of the wounded on both sides tore through Isaac's soul. He looked where the line of crossbowmen had been, only to see the one he had wounded stand up again; loaded crossbow in hand. The centaur took aim; not at Isaac, but at the figure to his right: Mia.
"Mia, Look ou---" Isaac exclaimed, jumping directly in front of her. Isaac could feel nothing except the piercing cold in his left shoulder; soon the world grew dark, and he fell from his feet right into Mia, and they both fell from the threshold. They landed in the snow next to each other, and Mia turned to the unmoving Isaac; she quickly saw the bolt impaled in his shoulder and that his eyes had become blurry and nearly lifeless.
"Isaac!" She cried, confused, not knowing what to do. Tears fell freely from her eyes, fearing she had lost the most important person in her heart. Acting quickly and desperately, she tried to dislodge the projectile from his body. She managed to yank it out with all of her might, and she began glowing an intense blue. She sat next to Isaac, hands pushed on his shoulder hard, tears still streaming from here aqua eyes. "Isaac, wake up, please!" She shouted, intensifying her Ply aura to an unheard of level. "Isaac, please. . ." She moaned. Her energy faded as more tears welled up in her eyes; Mia closed her eyes and laid her head on Isaac's still chest. Wait; she heard the beating of his heart. . . he was still alive!
Rgh. . ." Isaac mumbled, slowly lifting his head. His sapphire eyes opened, and he locked eyes on Mia, who was still resting on his chest. "Mia? Are you okay?" He asked, sounding perfectly fine. Mia looked up at him with tear-filled eyes in disbelief and love. Mia sniffled, smile beaming on her continence as she gazed back at Isaac, tears of joy falling from her eyes. Grabbing Isaac around the neck, she pulled him up into a tight hug, implanting her face into his previously wounded left shoulder.
"You're okay! I thought I'd lost you. . ." Mia sobbed quietly in his ear.
"I gave you my word, didn't I?" Isaac whispered back. "I still intend to keep it; even beyond the length of the siege."
"Does that mean that?. . ."
"Yes, I'll stay here after the siege." Isaac whispered in return. Mia eased on her embrace and pressed her lips to Isaac's.
"Thank you, Isaac, for everything."