"They're coming in!" Dargon shouted. "The final wave has arrived! Get
Isaac and C and D companies up here now! Bring up all reserved ammunition!
This is it!" Dargon grabbed his longbow from the floor of the palisade
wall. He grabbed his quiver and slung it over his shoulder; it was light,
for it only had two arrows left in it. "Where's that ammunition?!"
"It's on the way, Captain!"
"Where's Isaac?!"
"I'm here, Dargon." A voice replied, finishing the climb to the top of the ladder.
"Good to see you, comrade. I assume your stay in Imil has been 'enjoyable'?" Dargon replied, slyly.
"If I you're implying what I think, it wasn't like that, thank you very much. I'm not a man of loose morals, Captain." Isaac replied seriously, as well as putting heavy emphasis on Dargon's title to drive home the point. The Venus Adept picked up his composite bow and made ready at the wall. "What's the situation, Dargon?"
"It's not looking good. Our forces are down to 80 archers, while their army remains 500 strong, not to mention the sight of their new weapons: Catapults. It's not looking good at all, Isaac. Except for your Psynergy, we have nothing that exceeds the range of their catapults. Worse yet, there's that behemoth centaur out there; he dwarfs all of them."
"What?! Let me have a look." Isaac responded, moving his hand for the spyglass. Expanding the telescope to it's full length, he glared at the awaiting centaur army, and the towering ice centaur in the back of the army. No doubt about it; it was Sirius, the leader of the centaur. He wouldn't be easy to take down. "That's their leader, Dargon. We're in for it now."
"Sir Dargon! The ammunition has been burned!"
"What?! How?!"
"Someone was careless and left the arrows near the hearth in the blacksmith shop! Somehow they must've caught fire!"
"Great! Now we're really in for it. What are our options now?!" Dargon exclaimed, believing the situation hopeless.
"There's only one course of action we can take now, Dargon. Excuse me." Isaac leapt from the wall and charged for the inn. He was lucky enough to catch Mia just before she went inside.
"Isaac, what are you doing here?" Mia asked. "Isn't the final wave of the siege starting soon?"
"Yes, but we have a problem. Our surplus ammunition was burned into a cinder last night. The times are desperate; most of the troops in the front line have less than ten shots. Mia, we have only one option now. I want you to round up all the civilians and lead them to safety through the mayor's escape tunnel."
"What? What are you going to be doing?"
"Buying you time, Mia. Lead your people to safety and don't worry about me. I'll slow them down long enough for you and the others to escape."
"But what about you?" Mia asked, fear lacing her voice.
"I'm going to listen to the voice inside that tells me to stand and fight!"
"Isaac, please! I won't leave you behind!" Mia cried.
"Mia, please; don't make this harder than it already is."
"Isaac, I love you and I can't just turn my back on you; doing so would be signing your death sentence!"
"Perhaps death is my destiny, Mia. Perhaps not. I do know that if I don't stay, your people will probably still die. Mia, the life of one person is insignificant when set aside for the common good."
"You speak as though you already lie in the grave. Isaac, I need you!" Mia gazed into the stalwart eyes of her affection, but she couldn't relent to him. "Please, Isaac. If you won't come then I will stay!"
"No, you won't, Mia. You need to lead the people; they trust you and will follow you to their graves if they must. Do this for them."
"Isaac. . ."
"If you truly love me, you understand what I'm doing. I don't want to be separated from you, but I foresee no other options if you want your people to live." Isaac's eyes turned to show sorrow. "Mia, please. . . don't make me beg you."
Mia's eyes softened; she knew Isaac was not one to bring himself to beg, but she knew he was correct. "Isaac," She said, stepping face-to-face with him. "I'll do it on one condition."
"Name it."
"That you come back alive and unhurt."
"I don't know if I can promise unhurt, but I'll be alive. I promise you, Mia." He replied in a whisper, using his index finger to wipe a tear from Mia's cheek. "It'll be fine. Go now. The attack will happen soon and I have to get back." He turned to head down the road for the defense walls.
"Isaac, wait." Mia called to him. He turned, and Mia returned to being inches from his face. "Remember, Isaac; you always have hope." She said, pushing her index finger into the gem of the amulet Isaac wore beneath his Dragon Scale armor. "Get moving, my love." She said, kissing him on the cheek. Isaac nodded, and spun on his heels for the wall. He reached the defense wall and was up the ladder in record time.
"Dargon, what did I miss?"
"Nothing, thankfully. What were you doing?"
"I gave Mia the word to sound civilian evacuation. If we can't win this, at least some of Imil will survive." Isaac replied, solely to Dargon. "Now, I have to tell this to our warriors." Isaac turned to face the archers of Imil. "ATTENTION!" The archers snapped ready to listen. "Defenders of Imil, we face our darkest hour. There is little hope for us saving the town of Imil with the loss of our stored ammunition. I have ordered a civilian evacuation of the town; our mission is to no longer defend the town at all costs; it's to defend the civilians at all costs. I don't want any unnecessary deaths here. I understand that you all have families, so I'm going to make my point. Once you have fired your last arrow, you become a civilian. That means you get off this damned wall and escape with your families. If any of you wish to back down and flee, now is the time to do so; there is no dishonor in doing so. You all have fought bravely and well these past two days, and you shall be merited by having the chance to stay with your wives, husbands, and children. I can say only one thing. Thank you for helping to defend this town; you did what any good citizen would do. All those who wish to leave, DISMISSED!" Isaac shouted. Not a soul moved; each stood, more determined than ever to protect their loved ones. "Thank you." Isaac whispered, barely loud enough for everyone to hear. In the background, they could hear the people moving into the mayor's escape tunnel. Finally, a war horn was sounded in the distance, and all of the enemy forces moved in for the attack.
"Battle stations!" Dargon shouted. "We're screwed, aren't we, Isaac?" He whispered.
"No. I have an ace or two up my sleeve." He replied to Dargon. "Men, hold your fire!" Isaac ordered, raising his left hand into the sky. The enemy crossbowmen were now in range, and they promptly opened fire. "I summon Corona!" Isaac yelled, and a red blast of light flashed over the battlefield. The ice shards shattered on impact with each archer, leaving them all unharmed. The Mars Djinn had boosted their defense to an extreme level. "Hold!" Isaac shouted to the archers who drew their strings back. "I summon Forge!" Another flash of red light, and Isaac had shot his hand forward. "OPEN FIRE!"
Arrow after arrow streaked through the air, literally plowing straight through the torsos of the centaurs that were hit; if two were walking in single file, both were instantly slain. One archer on the wall set his bow down, and jumped from the platform, empty quiver still on his back.
"Fire at will, men!" Isaac ordered, drawing his own bowstring back.
"What the hell were those flashes of light, Isaac?!" Dargon asked.
"I'll tell you later." Isaac replied, letting an arrow fly from his bow, killing four centaur with one arrow. "Incoming! Take cover!" He shouted. A giant flaming boulder impacted just short of the defense wall, kicking up lots of snow and taking clumps of sod straight from the ground. "Another one! Keep low!" This time, the boulder didn't miss. The wall to the 30 yards right of Dargon had been splintered wide open by the projectile. Even Ironwood couldn't stand up against boulders. "Men, keep firing!"
"Isaac, the catapults will fire again shortly!"
"Leave it to me." He raised his arm into the sky again. "I summon Ground! Freeze those catapults and buy us time!" A golden flash appeared in the distance, and all activity around the catapults ceased. Sirius, now aware that he was dealing with a lot more than just archers, charged forth into battle as well. "Great, the big man's on his way. Most of the archers had now left the walls, their ammunition exhausted. Only twenty remained on the wall, and Dargon was out of ammunition himself.
"Dargon, get out of here now. You're out of ammo."
"No way. I'm here to see this through."
"Dargon, your work is finished. Get out of here now, civilian." Isaac pushed. Dargon glared at him through his helmet, but he knew better than to argue. He turned for the ladder. "Dargon. . . If I don't make it out of here. . . take care of Mia for me." Dargon's expression was impossible to read, but Isaac could make out the faint nodding of his helmet. That aside, he turned back to battle. With the gaping hole in the wall, he had to slow down the enemy to further thin out their numbers. He raised his hand again. "I summon Vine! Slow their advance!" The golden light of the Venus Djinn flashed through the numbers of the main centaur force, trapping them in vines from the ground. The centaur looked confused as to how they became entangled, but several didn't live to wonder; the remaining archers' arrows penetrated their hides and made short work of them. Isaac turned to the remaining defenders.
"Go now. I'll buy you some time. That's an order." Isaac said, pointing at the mayor's house. The remaining archers nodded, and each leapt from the threshold and made for a bee-line to the mayor's house. "Now, to cause some real chaos. I summon the Mars spirit of Kirin!" Isaac shouted, raising both arms to the sky. A portal of fire opened in the distance, and a giant deity riding a flaming stallion charged across the battlefield, ravaging the ensnared centaur; the spirit then vanished in a fountain of flame. Most of them fell on the spot, but roughly 200 warriors remained alive, along with Sirius. They closed for the wall, and Isaac's offensive Djinn were out of commission.
"This is where I go down defending this city and its people until the bitter end." He muttered to himself under his breath. "I'm sorry, Mia." Raising his arm, he unleashed Quake Sphere on the incoming lines. That knocked them off balance, but Sirius had now caught up with the main force and was mere moments from the wall.
"Isaac!" A female voice from below sounded. Startled, Isaac looked down into the cooling eyes of Mia.
"Mia! Damn it, I told you to go with them!" Mia climbed up the ladder and stood beside him.
"No, I can't do that. I couldn't live without you; so, if you must die, I'll be with you."
"Don't do this, Mia."
"It's my decision to make, dearest." She said, firmly. "We will stand together or we will fall together."
"Mia. . ." Isaac couldn't resist his feelings now. He grabbed Mia and they kissed as the loud cries of battle approached their wall. It didn't matter to Isaac; he was with the one he loved; Mia felt the same way. The moment seemed to drag for years, until a voice rattled Isaac's consciousness.
"Take this, you bastards!" A human voice sounded in the distance. A loud explosion was heard, and a flare fell over the two lovers heads straight into the centaur horde. The flare exploded violently, sending bodies flying everywhere. Isaac turned, to see where it had come from, but he couldn't tell. He turned to the incoming centaurs, who were confused by the new attack. Suddenly, bolts of purple lightning blasted through their ranks. Isaac recognized the attack, but it couldn't have been. . . Next, several orbs of flame flew from the west side of the wall, smack into the ranks, exploding into storms of flame. Isaac knew he recognized this one. It had to be. . .
"Yaaa!" A deep voice sounded, and the clashing of steel was heard.
"Teriaa!" Another voice called out, followed by the further clatter of swords. Isaac peered over the wall; two figures were sword fighting with the main bulk of the remaining army.
"I'll be damned! It's Garet and Felix! And I'll bet money Ivan and Jenna are with them!" Isaac shouted in glee. "Talk about a lifesaver!"
"Isn't that what you always said about me?" Mia asked, smiling. Isaac smiled back, drew his Gaia Sword, and leapt from the walls to join his friends in battle.
*************************
"Megan, I don't think it's a good idea to sneak back into town like this!" Justin murmured to his sister as they re-entered the Mayor's home.
"Oh, be quiet, Justin. I want to see if Isaac can save us all. Wow, just listen to that battle!" Megan exclaimed.
"That's why Isaac wanted us to leave now! Let's go!"
"No, I want to stay."
"But you won't."
"I will." Megan and Justin began arguing, while listening to the sounds of battle outside the mayor's house.
************************
Garet crossed swords with a centaur beast while pivoting backwards on his heels to avoid the sickle of another. The battle had been raging for minutes, but the numbers were slowly becoming more reasonable, thanks to Ivan's Shine Plasma and Jenna's Fireball attacks. With the bolstering of Isaac into the ranks, the odds looked surmountable now. Garet let slip a Sonic Smash from his Swift Sword and sent his opponent flying backward, already dead.
Isaac caught sight of a centaur slipping past him; he was fast, and very big. Breaking away from the main battle, Isaac tailed the centaur, who utilized the hole in the outer defense wall to his biggest possible gain. He gained access to the town. Isaac dashed in, unsure of where his quarry had made off to. A scream pierced into Isaac's eardrums. Mia! He followed where his ears led him, and sure enough, he encountered Mia cornered in the town square with Sirius, leader of the centaur, staring her down.
"Well, you pathetic excuse for a human, it's time you met the reaper." Sirius hissed at Mia, who only had her Scared Staff for protection. Mia's eyes caught glimpse of Isaac.
"Isaac!"
"What?!" Sirius shouted, spinning to face the newly found warrior.
"I summon Bane!" He shouted, leaping in mid-air, sword drawn and prepared to strike. His silver blade glowed gold, and he connected with a deadly blow on Sirius. He was little more than winded by it.
"Pathetic. Is that all you've got?!" The demonic creature demanded, using his highly muscular arm to swat Isaac away like a fly. The warrior flew several feet back before landing, then sliding even further back on the ice. "Now, where were we, Adept?" He said, turning back to face his prey.
"I summon Zephyr!" Isaac shouted, leaping back onto the centaur, delivering another crushing, yet futile blow. Isaac was able to dodge the centaur's next swat thanks to Zephyr's agility boosting powers. He dodged attack after attack from the centaur before the creature finally replied. "You are truly pathetic." The centaur then promptly swatted Isaac away again, giving a similar result to his first blow. Isaac's face was bruised from the swats, and his lower lip had begun to bleed. Isaac spat out the blood that had found its way into his mouth, and raised his sword for another attack. The centaur charged and speared Isaac back to the ground. The centaur hadn't even drawn its huge saber yet; it was fighting Isaac barefisted. Isaac leapt back up again, and turned to face his opponent.
"You'll never win, Sirius."
"You're wrong. Do you honestly think the power of love will save you?" Isaac looked astonished at the creature's obvious ability to analyze a situation. "I saw the way she looked at you when you came! Well, it doesn't matter. She'll join you shortly in the afterlife. Prepare yourself!" The centaur shouted, punching Isaac back to the ground. The attacks were too quick for Isaac to dodge or block; the creature was unnaturally fast. "Too bad you don't have any of that Water of Hermes to heal those wounds of yours. Well, I'm glad I cursed that lighthouse with this." He held out a small stone circle, with an engravement of Hermes on it. "No more water for the pitiful Imilians."
"So that's what did it!" Isaac shouted, leaping to his feet. His hand glowed gold as he touched his face. The bruises and welts disappeared, and he was like new again.
"Ah, the Cure of the Venus Element. Again, you are pathetic." The creature smiled, bashing Isaac laterally and into a building. "Considering I'm obviously not going to get through to you by merely beating the hell out of you, I think it's time I took some alternate measures." The creature said, walking over to the house of the mayor. He drew his huge saber and cleaved an enormous opening in the front, sending splinters of wood everywhere. He reached inside and pulled out two small figures, and threw them to the ground. He drew his sword again, and stabbed his sword vertically down into a little girl's body. Finally, he took his right front hoof and stomped down on a young boy's spine. Isaac opened is eyes, recovering from being hit in the head too much. He gazed over at the guffawing centaur, and he detected the smell of fresh blood. The heavy and sweet smell sickened his nostrils, and he stood to see what had happened. Mia was still alive; she was still trapped in the one corner of the square, but she looked absolutely in shock. Isaac shook off his stupor and noticed the two freshly made cadavers on the ground. He gasped at the sight, tears welling in his eyes.
"You. . . You. . ." Isaac stammered enraged.
"That's it! That's the pain I wanted to see! It makes me so joyous!" The centaur continued to laugh.
"You murdered them. . . you MONSTER!!!" Isaac shouted, leaping into the air at his adversary. The blade of his sword began to glow gold, and he let the power of Flint do the talking for him. The creature staggered back, taken off guard by the sudden burst of power, but he quickly regained control and smacked Isaac away again. Isaac stood up, further enraged. "I'll never let you live! They were just children!" The creature mercilessly beat Isaac back into a corner of the square. His face resembled what it did earlier, full of bruises. He stood back up, refusing to stay down for the count. "Megan, Justin. . . I promise you. . . revenge!" Isaac shouted, swiping his Gaia Sword at Sirius. The sword connected, leaving a gash in the side of Sirius' evil-filled face.
"No one does that to Sirius!" The creature bellowed, punching Isaac back into the corner. The centaur drew his sword, and put it near Isaac's throat. "Any last words, you little bastard?"
"Just six: 'I summon the Judgement of Venus!!!'" Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. A bright white light shone in the sky, attracting Sirius' attention. As he gazed up, he realized he was not looking at the sun, but rather a huge demigod, one clad completely in the purest silver plate mail, angel wings outstretched to their maximum span. The right arm held a massive sword, while the left arm was the head of a lion; the light was protruding from the feline arm. The angel then aimed the lion head straight down at Sirius menacingly, and a burst of light followed.
"Shi--!" Was the creature's final word before Sirius was disintegrated by the wrath of the Judgement of Venus. Isaac stood up, casted Cure on himself, and staggered over to Mia, who was hunched over the remnants of her two disciples, crying her eyes dry. Isaac stooped over and hugged her close, and he too let his feelings go.
"It's on the way, Captain!"
"Where's Isaac?!"
"I'm here, Dargon." A voice replied, finishing the climb to the top of the ladder.
"Good to see you, comrade. I assume your stay in Imil has been 'enjoyable'?" Dargon replied, slyly.
"If I you're implying what I think, it wasn't like that, thank you very much. I'm not a man of loose morals, Captain." Isaac replied seriously, as well as putting heavy emphasis on Dargon's title to drive home the point. The Venus Adept picked up his composite bow and made ready at the wall. "What's the situation, Dargon?"
"It's not looking good. Our forces are down to 80 archers, while their army remains 500 strong, not to mention the sight of their new weapons: Catapults. It's not looking good at all, Isaac. Except for your Psynergy, we have nothing that exceeds the range of their catapults. Worse yet, there's that behemoth centaur out there; he dwarfs all of them."
"What?! Let me have a look." Isaac responded, moving his hand for the spyglass. Expanding the telescope to it's full length, he glared at the awaiting centaur army, and the towering ice centaur in the back of the army. No doubt about it; it was Sirius, the leader of the centaur. He wouldn't be easy to take down. "That's their leader, Dargon. We're in for it now."
"Sir Dargon! The ammunition has been burned!"
"What?! How?!"
"Someone was careless and left the arrows near the hearth in the blacksmith shop! Somehow they must've caught fire!"
"Great! Now we're really in for it. What are our options now?!" Dargon exclaimed, believing the situation hopeless.
"There's only one course of action we can take now, Dargon. Excuse me." Isaac leapt from the wall and charged for the inn. He was lucky enough to catch Mia just before she went inside.
"Isaac, what are you doing here?" Mia asked. "Isn't the final wave of the siege starting soon?"
"Yes, but we have a problem. Our surplus ammunition was burned into a cinder last night. The times are desperate; most of the troops in the front line have less than ten shots. Mia, we have only one option now. I want you to round up all the civilians and lead them to safety through the mayor's escape tunnel."
"What? What are you going to be doing?"
"Buying you time, Mia. Lead your people to safety and don't worry about me. I'll slow them down long enough for you and the others to escape."
"But what about you?" Mia asked, fear lacing her voice.
"I'm going to listen to the voice inside that tells me to stand and fight!"
"Isaac, please! I won't leave you behind!" Mia cried.
"Mia, please; don't make this harder than it already is."
"Isaac, I love you and I can't just turn my back on you; doing so would be signing your death sentence!"
"Perhaps death is my destiny, Mia. Perhaps not. I do know that if I don't stay, your people will probably still die. Mia, the life of one person is insignificant when set aside for the common good."
"You speak as though you already lie in the grave. Isaac, I need you!" Mia gazed into the stalwart eyes of her affection, but she couldn't relent to him. "Please, Isaac. If you won't come then I will stay!"
"No, you won't, Mia. You need to lead the people; they trust you and will follow you to their graves if they must. Do this for them."
"Isaac. . ."
"If you truly love me, you understand what I'm doing. I don't want to be separated from you, but I foresee no other options if you want your people to live." Isaac's eyes turned to show sorrow. "Mia, please. . . don't make me beg you."
Mia's eyes softened; she knew Isaac was not one to bring himself to beg, but she knew he was correct. "Isaac," She said, stepping face-to-face with him. "I'll do it on one condition."
"Name it."
"That you come back alive and unhurt."
"I don't know if I can promise unhurt, but I'll be alive. I promise you, Mia." He replied in a whisper, using his index finger to wipe a tear from Mia's cheek. "It'll be fine. Go now. The attack will happen soon and I have to get back." He turned to head down the road for the defense walls.
"Isaac, wait." Mia called to him. He turned, and Mia returned to being inches from his face. "Remember, Isaac; you always have hope." She said, pushing her index finger into the gem of the amulet Isaac wore beneath his Dragon Scale armor. "Get moving, my love." She said, kissing him on the cheek. Isaac nodded, and spun on his heels for the wall. He reached the defense wall and was up the ladder in record time.
"Dargon, what did I miss?"
"Nothing, thankfully. What were you doing?"
"I gave Mia the word to sound civilian evacuation. If we can't win this, at least some of Imil will survive." Isaac replied, solely to Dargon. "Now, I have to tell this to our warriors." Isaac turned to face the archers of Imil. "ATTENTION!" The archers snapped ready to listen. "Defenders of Imil, we face our darkest hour. There is little hope for us saving the town of Imil with the loss of our stored ammunition. I have ordered a civilian evacuation of the town; our mission is to no longer defend the town at all costs; it's to defend the civilians at all costs. I don't want any unnecessary deaths here. I understand that you all have families, so I'm going to make my point. Once you have fired your last arrow, you become a civilian. That means you get off this damned wall and escape with your families. If any of you wish to back down and flee, now is the time to do so; there is no dishonor in doing so. You all have fought bravely and well these past two days, and you shall be merited by having the chance to stay with your wives, husbands, and children. I can say only one thing. Thank you for helping to defend this town; you did what any good citizen would do. All those who wish to leave, DISMISSED!" Isaac shouted. Not a soul moved; each stood, more determined than ever to protect their loved ones. "Thank you." Isaac whispered, barely loud enough for everyone to hear. In the background, they could hear the people moving into the mayor's escape tunnel. Finally, a war horn was sounded in the distance, and all of the enemy forces moved in for the attack.
"Battle stations!" Dargon shouted. "We're screwed, aren't we, Isaac?" He whispered.
"No. I have an ace or two up my sleeve." He replied to Dargon. "Men, hold your fire!" Isaac ordered, raising his left hand into the sky. The enemy crossbowmen were now in range, and they promptly opened fire. "I summon Corona!" Isaac yelled, and a red blast of light flashed over the battlefield. The ice shards shattered on impact with each archer, leaving them all unharmed. The Mars Djinn had boosted their defense to an extreme level. "Hold!" Isaac shouted to the archers who drew their strings back. "I summon Forge!" Another flash of red light, and Isaac had shot his hand forward. "OPEN FIRE!"
Arrow after arrow streaked through the air, literally plowing straight through the torsos of the centaurs that were hit; if two were walking in single file, both were instantly slain. One archer on the wall set his bow down, and jumped from the platform, empty quiver still on his back.
"Fire at will, men!" Isaac ordered, drawing his own bowstring back.
"What the hell were those flashes of light, Isaac?!" Dargon asked.
"I'll tell you later." Isaac replied, letting an arrow fly from his bow, killing four centaur with one arrow. "Incoming! Take cover!" He shouted. A giant flaming boulder impacted just short of the defense wall, kicking up lots of snow and taking clumps of sod straight from the ground. "Another one! Keep low!" This time, the boulder didn't miss. The wall to the 30 yards right of Dargon had been splintered wide open by the projectile. Even Ironwood couldn't stand up against boulders. "Men, keep firing!"
"Isaac, the catapults will fire again shortly!"
"Leave it to me." He raised his arm into the sky again. "I summon Ground! Freeze those catapults and buy us time!" A golden flash appeared in the distance, and all activity around the catapults ceased. Sirius, now aware that he was dealing with a lot more than just archers, charged forth into battle as well. "Great, the big man's on his way. Most of the archers had now left the walls, their ammunition exhausted. Only twenty remained on the wall, and Dargon was out of ammunition himself.
"Dargon, get out of here now. You're out of ammo."
"No way. I'm here to see this through."
"Dargon, your work is finished. Get out of here now, civilian." Isaac pushed. Dargon glared at him through his helmet, but he knew better than to argue. He turned for the ladder. "Dargon. . . If I don't make it out of here. . . take care of Mia for me." Dargon's expression was impossible to read, but Isaac could make out the faint nodding of his helmet. That aside, he turned back to battle. With the gaping hole in the wall, he had to slow down the enemy to further thin out their numbers. He raised his hand again. "I summon Vine! Slow their advance!" The golden light of the Venus Djinn flashed through the numbers of the main centaur force, trapping them in vines from the ground. The centaur looked confused as to how they became entangled, but several didn't live to wonder; the remaining archers' arrows penetrated their hides and made short work of them. Isaac turned to the remaining defenders.
"Go now. I'll buy you some time. That's an order." Isaac said, pointing at the mayor's house. The remaining archers nodded, and each leapt from the threshold and made for a bee-line to the mayor's house. "Now, to cause some real chaos. I summon the Mars spirit of Kirin!" Isaac shouted, raising both arms to the sky. A portal of fire opened in the distance, and a giant deity riding a flaming stallion charged across the battlefield, ravaging the ensnared centaur; the spirit then vanished in a fountain of flame. Most of them fell on the spot, but roughly 200 warriors remained alive, along with Sirius. They closed for the wall, and Isaac's offensive Djinn were out of commission.
"This is where I go down defending this city and its people until the bitter end." He muttered to himself under his breath. "I'm sorry, Mia." Raising his arm, he unleashed Quake Sphere on the incoming lines. That knocked them off balance, but Sirius had now caught up with the main force and was mere moments from the wall.
"Isaac!" A female voice from below sounded. Startled, Isaac looked down into the cooling eyes of Mia.
"Mia! Damn it, I told you to go with them!" Mia climbed up the ladder and stood beside him.
"No, I can't do that. I couldn't live without you; so, if you must die, I'll be with you."
"Don't do this, Mia."
"It's my decision to make, dearest." She said, firmly. "We will stand together or we will fall together."
"Mia. . ." Isaac couldn't resist his feelings now. He grabbed Mia and they kissed as the loud cries of battle approached their wall. It didn't matter to Isaac; he was with the one he loved; Mia felt the same way. The moment seemed to drag for years, until a voice rattled Isaac's consciousness.
"Take this, you bastards!" A human voice sounded in the distance. A loud explosion was heard, and a flare fell over the two lovers heads straight into the centaur horde. The flare exploded violently, sending bodies flying everywhere. Isaac turned, to see where it had come from, but he couldn't tell. He turned to the incoming centaurs, who were confused by the new attack. Suddenly, bolts of purple lightning blasted through their ranks. Isaac recognized the attack, but it couldn't have been. . . Next, several orbs of flame flew from the west side of the wall, smack into the ranks, exploding into storms of flame. Isaac knew he recognized this one. It had to be. . .
"Yaaa!" A deep voice sounded, and the clashing of steel was heard.
"Teriaa!" Another voice called out, followed by the further clatter of swords. Isaac peered over the wall; two figures were sword fighting with the main bulk of the remaining army.
"I'll be damned! It's Garet and Felix! And I'll bet money Ivan and Jenna are with them!" Isaac shouted in glee. "Talk about a lifesaver!"
"Isn't that what you always said about me?" Mia asked, smiling. Isaac smiled back, drew his Gaia Sword, and leapt from the walls to join his friends in battle.
*************************
"Megan, I don't think it's a good idea to sneak back into town like this!" Justin murmured to his sister as they re-entered the Mayor's home.
"Oh, be quiet, Justin. I want to see if Isaac can save us all. Wow, just listen to that battle!" Megan exclaimed.
"That's why Isaac wanted us to leave now! Let's go!"
"No, I want to stay."
"But you won't."
"I will." Megan and Justin began arguing, while listening to the sounds of battle outside the mayor's house.
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Garet crossed swords with a centaur beast while pivoting backwards on his heels to avoid the sickle of another. The battle had been raging for minutes, but the numbers were slowly becoming more reasonable, thanks to Ivan's Shine Plasma and Jenna's Fireball attacks. With the bolstering of Isaac into the ranks, the odds looked surmountable now. Garet let slip a Sonic Smash from his Swift Sword and sent his opponent flying backward, already dead.
Isaac caught sight of a centaur slipping past him; he was fast, and very big. Breaking away from the main battle, Isaac tailed the centaur, who utilized the hole in the outer defense wall to his biggest possible gain. He gained access to the town. Isaac dashed in, unsure of where his quarry had made off to. A scream pierced into Isaac's eardrums. Mia! He followed where his ears led him, and sure enough, he encountered Mia cornered in the town square with Sirius, leader of the centaur, staring her down.
"Well, you pathetic excuse for a human, it's time you met the reaper." Sirius hissed at Mia, who only had her Scared Staff for protection. Mia's eyes caught glimpse of Isaac.
"Isaac!"
"What?!" Sirius shouted, spinning to face the newly found warrior.
"I summon Bane!" He shouted, leaping in mid-air, sword drawn and prepared to strike. His silver blade glowed gold, and he connected with a deadly blow on Sirius. He was little more than winded by it.
"Pathetic. Is that all you've got?!" The demonic creature demanded, using his highly muscular arm to swat Isaac away like a fly. The warrior flew several feet back before landing, then sliding even further back on the ice. "Now, where were we, Adept?" He said, turning back to face his prey.
"I summon Zephyr!" Isaac shouted, leaping back onto the centaur, delivering another crushing, yet futile blow. Isaac was able to dodge the centaur's next swat thanks to Zephyr's agility boosting powers. He dodged attack after attack from the centaur before the creature finally replied. "You are truly pathetic." The centaur then promptly swatted Isaac away again, giving a similar result to his first blow. Isaac's face was bruised from the swats, and his lower lip had begun to bleed. Isaac spat out the blood that had found its way into his mouth, and raised his sword for another attack. The centaur charged and speared Isaac back to the ground. The centaur hadn't even drawn its huge saber yet; it was fighting Isaac barefisted. Isaac leapt back up again, and turned to face his opponent.
"You'll never win, Sirius."
"You're wrong. Do you honestly think the power of love will save you?" Isaac looked astonished at the creature's obvious ability to analyze a situation. "I saw the way she looked at you when you came! Well, it doesn't matter. She'll join you shortly in the afterlife. Prepare yourself!" The centaur shouted, punching Isaac back to the ground. The attacks were too quick for Isaac to dodge or block; the creature was unnaturally fast. "Too bad you don't have any of that Water of Hermes to heal those wounds of yours. Well, I'm glad I cursed that lighthouse with this." He held out a small stone circle, with an engravement of Hermes on it. "No more water for the pitiful Imilians."
"So that's what did it!" Isaac shouted, leaping to his feet. His hand glowed gold as he touched his face. The bruises and welts disappeared, and he was like new again.
"Ah, the Cure of the Venus Element. Again, you are pathetic." The creature smiled, bashing Isaac laterally and into a building. "Considering I'm obviously not going to get through to you by merely beating the hell out of you, I think it's time I took some alternate measures." The creature said, walking over to the house of the mayor. He drew his huge saber and cleaved an enormous opening in the front, sending splinters of wood everywhere. He reached inside and pulled out two small figures, and threw them to the ground. He drew his sword again, and stabbed his sword vertically down into a little girl's body. Finally, he took his right front hoof and stomped down on a young boy's spine. Isaac opened is eyes, recovering from being hit in the head too much. He gazed over at the guffawing centaur, and he detected the smell of fresh blood. The heavy and sweet smell sickened his nostrils, and he stood to see what had happened. Mia was still alive; she was still trapped in the one corner of the square, but she looked absolutely in shock. Isaac shook off his stupor and noticed the two freshly made cadavers on the ground. He gasped at the sight, tears welling in his eyes.
"You. . . You. . ." Isaac stammered enraged.
"That's it! That's the pain I wanted to see! It makes me so joyous!" The centaur continued to laugh.
"You murdered them. . . you MONSTER!!!" Isaac shouted, leaping into the air at his adversary. The blade of his sword began to glow gold, and he let the power of Flint do the talking for him. The creature staggered back, taken off guard by the sudden burst of power, but he quickly regained control and smacked Isaac away again. Isaac stood up, further enraged. "I'll never let you live! They were just children!" The creature mercilessly beat Isaac back into a corner of the square. His face resembled what it did earlier, full of bruises. He stood back up, refusing to stay down for the count. "Megan, Justin. . . I promise you. . . revenge!" Isaac shouted, swiping his Gaia Sword at Sirius. The sword connected, leaving a gash in the side of Sirius' evil-filled face.
"No one does that to Sirius!" The creature bellowed, punching Isaac back into the corner. The centaur drew his sword, and put it near Isaac's throat. "Any last words, you little bastard?"
"Just six: 'I summon the Judgement of Venus!!!'" Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. A bright white light shone in the sky, attracting Sirius' attention. As he gazed up, he realized he was not looking at the sun, but rather a huge demigod, one clad completely in the purest silver plate mail, angel wings outstretched to their maximum span. The right arm held a massive sword, while the left arm was the head of a lion; the light was protruding from the feline arm. The angel then aimed the lion head straight down at Sirius menacingly, and a burst of light followed.
"Shi--!" Was the creature's final word before Sirius was disintegrated by the wrath of the Judgement of Venus. Isaac stood up, casted Cure on himself, and staggered over to Mia, who was hunched over the remnants of her two disciples, crying her eyes dry. Isaac stooped over and hugged her close, and he too let his feelings go.