The battle finally ends in this chapter. Sorry if you were getting sick of
all the talk stuff.
Chapter 13
A furtive shadow passed quickly before the scout. The soldier jumped and grabbed his sword in reflex. He looked around in the shadows but didn't see anything. Relaxing, he let go of the pommel and resumed his search. Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth, muffling a yelp from the man.
" I have a message for your leader." An icy voice whispered in his ear so that the soldier could feel the person's breath against his neck. " Omae o korosu."
When the man was finished, he pushed the guy so hard he fell onto the solid stone floor. The soldier scrambled to his feet and unsheathed his sword. Too late. The mysterious guy had disappeared. Not waiting a second, he removed his torch from the floor and ran back to the army behind him.
********
" Do you really think it's going to work? Aseldir asked to Lezthea, whom he had found in the cave. He was extremely glad that his friend was all right.
" I doubt it will. Those boys, they creep me out. Especially that brown head one. He glared at me once and I got all those goose bumps." Lezthea replied, a shudder running down his spine at the memory.
" You mean Heero? He sure is mysterious. I don't know why Duo likes him that much." Continued the red-haired soldier, drowning a pitcher in a basin.
" That's the one with the braid right? He's the weirdest. I mean, the first time I saw him he looked like a normal kid sleeping, and then he barged in the hall like a madman. I think he's deranged or something. He's nice enough, and talkative, but when I really looked into his violet eyes, I had that weird feeling in my head, like he was looking right through me." Lezthea said, opening the leather bag so that Aseldir could empty the pitcher in it.
" I know what you mean." Agreed the other, purposely omitting to talk about Duo's split personality. " At least Wufei is slightly normal." Continued Aseldir, re-plunging the pitcher.
Lezthea snorted. " I believe him to be as abnormal. Did you see his attitude? He looks like an adult trapped into the body of a fifteen year- old. He's downright mature, as much as Lord Aragorn maybe, but I'm not sure if it's a good thing for his age. I know a lad his age should start thinking seriously, but I still liked to play and fool around when I was fifteen!" protested Lezthea, weighing the bag in his hands.
" Come on, you don't know anything about him, me neither for that matters. All of them, they're strange but they probably have their reasons. Maybe they had a traumatism of some sort in the past." Suggested Aseldir, letting the pitcher down and taking the bag from Lezthea's hands.
" A traumatism? I hardly believe that. Did you see their strength!? I was damn scared when Duo and Wufei crossed swords! I never ever saw kids with so much technique and power, especially Wufei. I say that they aren't normal. There is something about them I tell you. We should stay on our guards." Warned gravely Lezthea, handing the bag to Aseldir and wiping his hands on his trousers.
" Oh hush. It can't be that bad. You're just jealous." Teased Aseldir, swinging the bag on his shoulders. " Anyway, we need to go now. We've got a job to do."
" Do you think it'll work?" asked Lezthea for the second time.
" I don't know but we have no other choice. Don't get started on them again." Warned Aseldir, starting on a fast walk.
" Guess your right. It's all we have anyway. Let's go and pray for the best." Agreed Lezthea, falling in beside his taller friend.
********
The broad-shouldered general signaled to the troop behind him to advance. They walked proudly, sure of their upcoming victory.
" Sir!" a small voice yelled from the other end of the corridor. The general turned around and looked at the scout doubtfully.
" What's so important that made you leave your post?" he asked with authority.
The small scout panted for a few seconds before answering.
" It's a trap sir!" bellowed the youngster.
" What do you mean? What did you saw?" questioned the general, curiosity finally showing.
" I've met someone and he said something in a foreign language. It sounded like 'Ome o Koros' or something. I'm positive that it's a trap."
The scout didn't get the answer he expected. Instead, the general laughed loudly.
" That's why you're only a scout! Damn me, that's no trap! It's rubbish made to scare us away." Joked the commanding officer, waving his hand around.
" But, sir!" started the scout.
" Enough! We will continue on. Go back to your position." Ordered dryly the general, shooing the young away.
The poor soldier looked at his feet and stuttered a 'yes sir' before leaving quickly.
********
" Come on, show your ugly faces." Duo whispered in anticipation. " I know you'll come here sooner or later!"
As if answering his wishes, a line of torches appeared at the far end of the corridor. The loud clink of armor against rock was becoming louder and louder as a small company of maybe fifty soldiers walking in rows of four came.
" That's it, come here." Duo encouraged, his voice now icy as is other him showed up. He crouched in the shadows, waiting for the signal.
" Which way sir?" someone asked, pointing to the fork before them.
While the soldier in charge was thinking, Duo saw a faint glimmer in the back row. It disappeared then glimmered again. The gesture was repeated four times. Duo smiled at himself and threw himself out of the protective shadows.
" Hello my beauties. Can I help?" Duo said softly so that everyone jumped at his silky voice.
A soldier automatically grabbed his bow and prepared an arrow.
" Wait!" ordered his superior. " We need to interrogate him! Shoot the legs!"
" Well that's not very nice." Duo complained in his calm voice. " You need to be punished."
The braided boy moved slowly closer to the wall. He reached to it and grabbed a torch. The general laughed hysterically.
" What do you think you'll do with that boy?" he boomed between fits of laughter.
The American didn't answer and instead pointed to the ground before them. It was silky black and reflected the light of the boy's torch. Realization struck the general and he choked onto his laugh.
" Quick! Shoot his arm, now!" he yelled in panic while gesturing to the nearest archer.
Too late. Duo threw the torch into the oil before he could shoot. In a matter of seconds, a pool of fire of three meters of length separated them from the boy. The way was blocked.
" Shit! It was a trap! They want to force us where they want! Back up everyone!" yelled the general to his troop who took sometime before complying.
" No running for you." Duo cried over the crackling of the flames and the thunderous noise of metal against rock.
The general looked back and saw that the boy had taken a bow from a hidden niche in the wall. He put the arrow in the fire for a split second and the tip went ablaze. He bent the bow to it's maximum and shot. It flew high over the heads of the soldiers and fell into another fresh pool of petrol. It ignited at contact and trapped the small army between two blazing infernos.
" Good day gentlemen." Duo saluted before turning and running back towards the heart of the mountain.
Throughout the tunnels, people were doing the same thing.
********
The young soldier stumbled for the second time. Grabbing uselessly at the air, he fell boneless on the floor. Sitting up, he massaged his neck and sighted at his clumsiness. He got up, took his fallen torch and resumed his walk. He was tired, hungry, thirsty and bruised but he knew he couldn't go back to General Hax. Once was enough and his life would be at a great risk if he dared go complain. Every step was hard and heavy and his back hurt like hell. Looking down at his sword, poor excuse as a weapon, he wished he could afford to abandon it, as much as he wished he could discard his whole armor. He wasn't fitted for weapons, never was and will never be. " Papa always said: Iyaren, you'll always be the brains. He was right. I'll never be in my place in an army." He thought grimly at the memory of his tall and handsome father, excellent swordsman and master strategist. How he wished he had inherited his force, but instead had only gotten the intelligence, which his birthplace deemed secondary to brute force.
Lost in his own little world, he didn't realize he had exited the corridors to come into a vast chamber. He was sharply brought back to life by the loud noise of a crowd. Dropping his torch in surprise, he fell back into the protective shadows lining the walls. He crouched low and looked for a better hiding spot. He quickly noticed a large basin of water to his right and after a nervous look at the crowd, he crawled to it. Sighing in what seemed small relief; he cocked his head to the side and examined more closely the place he had fallen in. A gathering of about two hundred people was crammed into the hall that looked small compared to the people squeezed in it. They were a multitude of different races and armors, banners and, the scout felt his jaw drop at the sight, women. It was the first time he saw women in an army and it felt weird to his eyes. They were wearing an armor tightly following the fine curves of their body and they all had a bow attached to their back accompanied by a sword at their waist. Golden or silver hair either flowed freely or was fixed in a high ponytail. Something caught his attention more than the others and he gaped at it. The women and a large part of the men had pointy ears, which meant they were elves! The young man shook his head in disbelief and closed his eyes. It was a dream, he had seen elves! He half-heartedly opened his eyes, expecting the legend creatures to have disappeared. Yet, they were still there.
Duty overcame aw and he forced himself to concentrate. He was in the enemy's camp, that was clear and they didn't know he was there. He quickly dreamed of himself going back to General Hax, telling him all about their plans and secrets, and therefore being elevated to war strategist (1), which was about equal to general expect that you didn't have to battle, which suited him perfectly.
Suddenly, a voice was heard very close to him. He jumped and his sword clanked loudly against the rocky floor but luckily for him, the buzzing of the crowd muffled it.
" Did it work?" an emotionless voice asked from the other side of the basin from where the scout was hiding.
" For me, yes. We have at least fifty of them coming towards us." Replied another voice as cold and measured.
" Good. That means Lezthea and Aseldir have accomplished what they had to do. How long will it take for them to arrive?" the first speaker demanded with contentment in his voice.
" Maybe ten minutes. I crossed Legolas and referring to his spy work, they are all coming and will appear at that opening." Answered the second voice.
Iyaren could clearly hear the eagerness in the young man's voice. He shifted his footing on the rough floor and moved his head a centimeter to the side, allowing him to see who was talking. They were speaking again, but this time in voices so low he couldn't hear. Still, by the side-glances one of the two men constantly cast at one of the archways to the tunnels, he guessed that whatever they were talking about before would appear from there.
Since he couldn't hear what they were saying, Iyaren concentrated on catching every detail of their appearance. The shortest of the two was standing a little bit hidden by the basin so the scout crept out a little bit further to see him better. He frowned at the long chestnut braid going down to the boy's waist. It wasn't the first time he saw a man with long hair but he was surprised at how exceptionally long his were. A row of bangs framed his delicate yet resolute face. A small smile pulled at his lips even as he spoke and his violet eyes shone from within their stormy depths. Even though the boy was all but looking at him, the scout couldn't look at the frozen orbs longer and instead cast his stare downwards in search of a sword. The lack of apparent weapon confused him a bit. He frowned. The absence of a sword or other heavier weapon could be explained by the fact that the young man looked a little too fragile for it but a bow would have been proper. Still, there was something about the way he stood to his tallest, which was pretty tall for a teen, and the way he held his shoulders a little bit backwards that kept doubt in the scout's mind.
Still frowning, he turned his attention to the other speaker. He was a little bit taller and, if it was possible, was standing even straighter. His arms were crossed over his chest in a sign of impatience although it was the only way Iyaren could guess because the young man's face was completely expressionless. His piercing blue eyes were staring unblinkingly at his partner but Iyaren was sure that he was still monitoring every movement or detail of the surrounding. His hair, a brown mess, fell over the orbs like a shield. This time, he saw the sword buckled at the shorthaired boy's belt. He jumped in surprised. The pommel of the sword showed him that it was one of Ineluki's. Oh, it was only a very subtle difference but noticing hidden things was the scout's department. Like many others from Middle Earth, there was a tiny dragon curled around the start of the metal, just over the leather pommel. Iyaren had noticed that all of the Sea Lord's soldiers had a beast of some sort on their swords. The only difference with the ones of Middle Earth was that their tails, which stopped at the very base of the metal, were curled around a red jewel almost smaller than a seed. Still, it could be a coincidence.
Iyaren pulled away from the sight and leaned against the water basin and let out a shaky breath of air. All in all, those two looked very dangerous. In fact, they were almost as menacing as Lord Ineluki's spokesperson: Lord Rear. Iyaren had only seen him once and very quickly but he knew as a fact that he was very dangerous since he was, with Ineluki, the only man that General Hax was scared off. Iyaren was conscious of the fact that if he managed to get back to the army and warn them of the trap they were walking in, he would probably assure their victory. This thought in his head, he got on his knees and prepared to crawl over to the shadows and back through the tunnels when something stopped him.
// Do I really want General Hax to win? //
For the first time in his life, he felt like being a traitor and letting them walk to their fall. If the elves and humans won, he would be rid of Hax and maybe could find a job somewhere else, an easy and relaxing work as a scholar maybe, out of the war's grip. Savoring the thought, he didn't realize that the noise around him had doubled. It was only when someone shouted, "Here they are!" did he snap back to reality and started shaking as Hax's army came flooding in from the opposite entrance.
********
Although the battle didn't last very long, it was very bloody. Due to the smallness of the entrance that the armies had been forced to take, they could only come in four by four. As soon as they appeared, archers would shoot them down. When they didn't have any arrows left, it came to sword fights. When they were all in, a wall of fire made with petrol was built to block any retreat at all entrances. Ineluki's forces were at a big disadvantage and lost pretty quickly. General Hax was taken prisoner but he was the only man left alive from his army. Bodies were scattered everywhere and a couple were pilled before the entrance. That very grim and uneventful victory was called the Battle of the Maze, but some preferred to call it the Slaughter of the Maze since they were almost no loss on Helm's Deep side while the enemies were completely decimated. Whatever name people used, it brought sad memories to those who had witnessed it.
********
Iyaren shook all over. He had a vantage point from where he was witnessing the fight. It was not the fact that they were loosing badly that scared him, but the way they were being killed. Every man was mercilessly killed and no one even had a chance to enter the room without being shot by the talented elves. Iyaren gulped and cowered further in the shadows of the basin. How he wished he could escape by one of the entrances, but walls of fire blocked those. He gasped and jumped when he saw a body fall just beside him. They had managed to break in, but only to be slaughtered by the many swordsmen. He moved away from the corpse, still keeping to the shadows. Two blank eyes were staring at him and the face was contorted by pain and fright. A black dagger was producing from his throat, which was covered in blood. Iyaren closed his eyes in horror and curled up in a ball. It was the first time he was in a battle. It was the first time he saw a dead person from so close. It was the first time he wept for himself.
********
The battle was soon over and while one half was hard at job to extinguish the fires, the other half was pilling the bodies together.
Duo looked at the carnage and sighed. His other him must have had a lot of fun. Looking at his wristbands, he noticed that all the knives were missing. He went beside the pile of bodies where all the weapons were being put for later use and rummaged through it. He found fifteen knives on twenty. He walked in the cave in search of any left bodies and found four others but couldn't find the fifth one. He looked all around and noticed a pair of feet coming out behind the water basin. Sighing in relief, he walked to it and noticed the black dagger in the corpse's throat and removed it. That's when he heard a muffled gasp and loud clank. He straightened sharply and looked to the side to see a boy a bit younger than him cower back on all fours. Tear tracks smeared his face and fear shone in his brown eyes. His blond hair was flat against his forehead and very messy.
" What do we have here?" demanded Duo while walking over to him.
**********
Lord Rear looked at the burned and scorched valley below and tutted in disapproval. Spurring his monstrous mound forward, he took in every detail and shook his head. Like he had expected, his foolish generals had ignored his orders and attacked. He didn't doubt that they had lost. He could still feel the three unusual auras of the boys sought by Lord Ineluki and he was positive that they had found a way to win that battle. A single peek at the fortress confirmed his suppositions. Not wasting a second, he kicked his mount in a fast run and galloped away from Helm's Deep and back to Mordor.
*********
" What are you doing?"
Quatre looked over to Trowa who was leaning against the doorframe. He gave him a small smile and looked around in search of a towel to wipe of the oil from his hands. He washed them in silence for a few seconds before looking at his fellow pilot.
" How long has it been?" he asked slowly.
" About a month and a half." Trowa replied calmly, knowing what Quatre was meaning.
" Only that? It feels like years." Quatre continued while going back into the safe house. " I wish they'd come back soon."
Trowa stayed silent and followed the blond inside.
" Do you think they're alright?" Quatre asked after sitting down on a chair with a hot mug of coffee.
" Probably."
" I mean, I can still feel them, so they're alive. I wonder what they're doing." he wondered after a long sip of the black liquid.
The two of them stayed silent, lost in their own little thoughts about their three missing friends. Finally, Quatre spoke again.
" Do we have another mission?"
Trowa nodded in reply.
" OZ has been awfully active since they are gone. I guess it's due to the fact that we have to do all the missions. I hope they don't know that they are some of us missing." He said, his voice shaking a little bit.
" It is very unlikely. They would have acted in some way if they knew." Trowa reassured him.
" Guess so. Still, I'm going out in Wing Zero this time. Can't take any risks." Quatre said while getting up and putting the cup in the sink.
" That's why you've been cleaning it all day."
" Yup. I've been wondering all the while what they could be doing." He said while going back to the hangar.
" They are probably bored." Trowa joked to lighten up his friend's mood.
" Hope they are."
********* The end *********
1- I don't know hell if war strategists exist and their rank and all, but let's say that it does for the good of this story.
Finished! Sorry if the battle was short but I really didn't have anything more to describe than I already did. In case you are getting confused by all the names popping up, just tell me and I will do a small description of all of them. R&R
No pop quiz this time, there's nothing to ask!
A-chan
Chapter 13
A furtive shadow passed quickly before the scout. The soldier jumped and grabbed his sword in reflex. He looked around in the shadows but didn't see anything. Relaxing, he let go of the pommel and resumed his search. Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth, muffling a yelp from the man.
" I have a message for your leader." An icy voice whispered in his ear so that the soldier could feel the person's breath against his neck. " Omae o korosu."
When the man was finished, he pushed the guy so hard he fell onto the solid stone floor. The soldier scrambled to his feet and unsheathed his sword. Too late. The mysterious guy had disappeared. Not waiting a second, he removed his torch from the floor and ran back to the army behind him.
********
" Do you really think it's going to work? Aseldir asked to Lezthea, whom he had found in the cave. He was extremely glad that his friend was all right.
" I doubt it will. Those boys, they creep me out. Especially that brown head one. He glared at me once and I got all those goose bumps." Lezthea replied, a shudder running down his spine at the memory.
" You mean Heero? He sure is mysterious. I don't know why Duo likes him that much." Continued the red-haired soldier, drowning a pitcher in a basin.
" That's the one with the braid right? He's the weirdest. I mean, the first time I saw him he looked like a normal kid sleeping, and then he barged in the hall like a madman. I think he's deranged or something. He's nice enough, and talkative, but when I really looked into his violet eyes, I had that weird feeling in my head, like he was looking right through me." Lezthea said, opening the leather bag so that Aseldir could empty the pitcher in it.
" I know what you mean." Agreed the other, purposely omitting to talk about Duo's split personality. " At least Wufei is slightly normal." Continued Aseldir, re-plunging the pitcher.
Lezthea snorted. " I believe him to be as abnormal. Did you see his attitude? He looks like an adult trapped into the body of a fifteen year- old. He's downright mature, as much as Lord Aragorn maybe, but I'm not sure if it's a good thing for his age. I know a lad his age should start thinking seriously, but I still liked to play and fool around when I was fifteen!" protested Lezthea, weighing the bag in his hands.
" Come on, you don't know anything about him, me neither for that matters. All of them, they're strange but they probably have their reasons. Maybe they had a traumatism of some sort in the past." Suggested Aseldir, letting the pitcher down and taking the bag from Lezthea's hands.
" A traumatism? I hardly believe that. Did you see their strength!? I was damn scared when Duo and Wufei crossed swords! I never ever saw kids with so much technique and power, especially Wufei. I say that they aren't normal. There is something about them I tell you. We should stay on our guards." Warned gravely Lezthea, handing the bag to Aseldir and wiping his hands on his trousers.
" Oh hush. It can't be that bad. You're just jealous." Teased Aseldir, swinging the bag on his shoulders. " Anyway, we need to go now. We've got a job to do."
" Do you think it'll work?" asked Lezthea for the second time.
" I don't know but we have no other choice. Don't get started on them again." Warned Aseldir, starting on a fast walk.
" Guess your right. It's all we have anyway. Let's go and pray for the best." Agreed Lezthea, falling in beside his taller friend.
********
The broad-shouldered general signaled to the troop behind him to advance. They walked proudly, sure of their upcoming victory.
" Sir!" a small voice yelled from the other end of the corridor. The general turned around and looked at the scout doubtfully.
" What's so important that made you leave your post?" he asked with authority.
The small scout panted for a few seconds before answering.
" It's a trap sir!" bellowed the youngster.
" What do you mean? What did you saw?" questioned the general, curiosity finally showing.
" I've met someone and he said something in a foreign language. It sounded like 'Ome o Koros' or something. I'm positive that it's a trap."
The scout didn't get the answer he expected. Instead, the general laughed loudly.
" That's why you're only a scout! Damn me, that's no trap! It's rubbish made to scare us away." Joked the commanding officer, waving his hand around.
" But, sir!" started the scout.
" Enough! We will continue on. Go back to your position." Ordered dryly the general, shooing the young away.
The poor soldier looked at his feet and stuttered a 'yes sir' before leaving quickly.
********
" Come on, show your ugly faces." Duo whispered in anticipation. " I know you'll come here sooner or later!"
As if answering his wishes, a line of torches appeared at the far end of the corridor. The loud clink of armor against rock was becoming louder and louder as a small company of maybe fifty soldiers walking in rows of four came.
" That's it, come here." Duo encouraged, his voice now icy as is other him showed up. He crouched in the shadows, waiting for the signal.
" Which way sir?" someone asked, pointing to the fork before them.
While the soldier in charge was thinking, Duo saw a faint glimmer in the back row. It disappeared then glimmered again. The gesture was repeated four times. Duo smiled at himself and threw himself out of the protective shadows.
" Hello my beauties. Can I help?" Duo said softly so that everyone jumped at his silky voice.
A soldier automatically grabbed his bow and prepared an arrow.
" Wait!" ordered his superior. " We need to interrogate him! Shoot the legs!"
" Well that's not very nice." Duo complained in his calm voice. " You need to be punished."
The braided boy moved slowly closer to the wall. He reached to it and grabbed a torch. The general laughed hysterically.
" What do you think you'll do with that boy?" he boomed between fits of laughter.
The American didn't answer and instead pointed to the ground before them. It was silky black and reflected the light of the boy's torch. Realization struck the general and he choked onto his laugh.
" Quick! Shoot his arm, now!" he yelled in panic while gesturing to the nearest archer.
Too late. Duo threw the torch into the oil before he could shoot. In a matter of seconds, a pool of fire of three meters of length separated them from the boy. The way was blocked.
" Shit! It was a trap! They want to force us where they want! Back up everyone!" yelled the general to his troop who took sometime before complying.
" No running for you." Duo cried over the crackling of the flames and the thunderous noise of metal against rock.
The general looked back and saw that the boy had taken a bow from a hidden niche in the wall. He put the arrow in the fire for a split second and the tip went ablaze. He bent the bow to it's maximum and shot. It flew high over the heads of the soldiers and fell into another fresh pool of petrol. It ignited at contact and trapped the small army between two blazing infernos.
" Good day gentlemen." Duo saluted before turning and running back towards the heart of the mountain.
Throughout the tunnels, people were doing the same thing.
********
The young soldier stumbled for the second time. Grabbing uselessly at the air, he fell boneless on the floor. Sitting up, he massaged his neck and sighted at his clumsiness. He got up, took his fallen torch and resumed his walk. He was tired, hungry, thirsty and bruised but he knew he couldn't go back to General Hax. Once was enough and his life would be at a great risk if he dared go complain. Every step was hard and heavy and his back hurt like hell. Looking down at his sword, poor excuse as a weapon, he wished he could afford to abandon it, as much as he wished he could discard his whole armor. He wasn't fitted for weapons, never was and will never be. " Papa always said: Iyaren, you'll always be the brains. He was right. I'll never be in my place in an army." He thought grimly at the memory of his tall and handsome father, excellent swordsman and master strategist. How he wished he had inherited his force, but instead had only gotten the intelligence, which his birthplace deemed secondary to brute force.
Lost in his own little world, he didn't realize he had exited the corridors to come into a vast chamber. He was sharply brought back to life by the loud noise of a crowd. Dropping his torch in surprise, he fell back into the protective shadows lining the walls. He crouched low and looked for a better hiding spot. He quickly noticed a large basin of water to his right and after a nervous look at the crowd, he crawled to it. Sighing in what seemed small relief; he cocked his head to the side and examined more closely the place he had fallen in. A gathering of about two hundred people was crammed into the hall that looked small compared to the people squeezed in it. They were a multitude of different races and armors, banners and, the scout felt his jaw drop at the sight, women. It was the first time he saw women in an army and it felt weird to his eyes. They were wearing an armor tightly following the fine curves of their body and they all had a bow attached to their back accompanied by a sword at their waist. Golden or silver hair either flowed freely or was fixed in a high ponytail. Something caught his attention more than the others and he gaped at it. The women and a large part of the men had pointy ears, which meant they were elves! The young man shook his head in disbelief and closed his eyes. It was a dream, he had seen elves! He half-heartedly opened his eyes, expecting the legend creatures to have disappeared. Yet, they were still there.
Duty overcame aw and he forced himself to concentrate. He was in the enemy's camp, that was clear and they didn't know he was there. He quickly dreamed of himself going back to General Hax, telling him all about their plans and secrets, and therefore being elevated to war strategist (1), which was about equal to general expect that you didn't have to battle, which suited him perfectly.
Suddenly, a voice was heard very close to him. He jumped and his sword clanked loudly against the rocky floor but luckily for him, the buzzing of the crowd muffled it.
" Did it work?" an emotionless voice asked from the other side of the basin from where the scout was hiding.
" For me, yes. We have at least fifty of them coming towards us." Replied another voice as cold and measured.
" Good. That means Lezthea and Aseldir have accomplished what they had to do. How long will it take for them to arrive?" the first speaker demanded with contentment in his voice.
" Maybe ten minutes. I crossed Legolas and referring to his spy work, they are all coming and will appear at that opening." Answered the second voice.
Iyaren could clearly hear the eagerness in the young man's voice. He shifted his footing on the rough floor and moved his head a centimeter to the side, allowing him to see who was talking. They were speaking again, but this time in voices so low he couldn't hear. Still, by the side-glances one of the two men constantly cast at one of the archways to the tunnels, he guessed that whatever they were talking about before would appear from there.
Since he couldn't hear what they were saying, Iyaren concentrated on catching every detail of their appearance. The shortest of the two was standing a little bit hidden by the basin so the scout crept out a little bit further to see him better. He frowned at the long chestnut braid going down to the boy's waist. It wasn't the first time he saw a man with long hair but he was surprised at how exceptionally long his were. A row of bangs framed his delicate yet resolute face. A small smile pulled at his lips even as he spoke and his violet eyes shone from within their stormy depths. Even though the boy was all but looking at him, the scout couldn't look at the frozen orbs longer and instead cast his stare downwards in search of a sword. The lack of apparent weapon confused him a bit. He frowned. The absence of a sword or other heavier weapon could be explained by the fact that the young man looked a little too fragile for it but a bow would have been proper. Still, there was something about the way he stood to his tallest, which was pretty tall for a teen, and the way he held his shoulders a little bit backwards that kept doubt in the scout's mind.
Still frowning, he turned his attention to the other speaker. He was a little bit taller and, if it was possible, was standing even straighter. His arms were crossed over his chest in a sign of impatience although it was the only way Iyaren could guess because the young man's face was completely expressionless. His piercing blue eyes were staring unblinkingly at his partner but Iyaren was sure that he was still monitoring every movement or detail of the surrounding. His hair, a brown mess, fell over the orbs like a shield. This time, he saw the sword buckled at the shorthaired boy's belt. He jumped in surprised. The pommel of the sword showed him that it was one of Ineluki's. Oh, it was only a very subtle difference but noticing hidden things was the scout's department. Like many others from Middle Earth, there was a tiny dragon curled around the start of the metal, just over the leather pommel. Iyaren had noticed that all of the Sea Lord's soldiers had a beast of some sort on their swords. The only difference with the ones of Middle Earth was that their tails, which stopped at the very base of the metal, were curled around a red jewel almost smaller than a seed. Still, it could be a coincidence.
Iyaren pulled away from the sight and leaned against the water basin and let out a shaky breath of air. All in all, those two looked very dangerous. In fact, they were almost as menacing as Lord Ineluki's spokesperson: Lord Rear. Iyaren had only seen him once and very quickly but he knew as a fact that he was very dangerous since he was, with Ineluki, the only man that General Hax was scared off. Iyaren was conscious of the fact that if he managed to get back to the army and warn them of the trap they were walking in, he would probably assure their victory. This thought in his head, he got on his knees and prepared to crawl over to the shadows and back through the tunnels when something stopped him.
// Do I really want General Hax to win? //
For the first time in his life, he felt like being a traitor and letting them walk to their fall. If the elves and humans won, he would be rid of Hax and maybe could find a job somewhere else, an easy and relaxing work as a scholar maybe, out of the war's grip. Savoring the thought, he didn't realize that the noise around him had doubled. It was only when someone shouted, "Here they are!" did he snap back to reality and started shaking as Hax's army came flooding in from the opposite entrance.
********
Although the battle didn't last very long, it was very bloody. Due to the smallness of the entrance that the armies had been forced to take, they could only come in four by four. As soon as they appeared, archers would shoot them down. When they didn't have any arrows left, it came to sword fights. When they were all in, a wall of fire made with petrol was built to block any retreat at all entrances. Ineluki's forces were at a big disadvantage and lost pretty quickly. General Hax was taken prisoner but he was the only man left alive from his army. Bodies were scattered everywhere and a couple were pilled before the entrance. That very grim and uneventful victory was called the Battle of the Maze, but some preferred to call it the Slaughter of the Maze since they were almost no loss on Helm's Deep side while the enemies were completely decimated. Whatever name people used, it brought sad memories to those who had witnessed it.
********
Iyaren shook all over. He had a vantage point from where he was witnessing the fight. It was not the fact that they were loosing badly that scared him, but the way they were being killed. Every man was mercilessly killed and no one even had a chance to enter the room without being shot by the talented elves. Iyaren gulped and cowered further in the shadows of the basin. How he wished he could escape by one of the entrances, but walls of fire blocked those. He gasped and jumped when he saw a body fall just beside him. They had managed to break in, but only to be slaughtered by the many swordsmen. He moved away from the corpse, still keeping to the shadows. Two blank eyes were staring at him and the face was contorted by pain and fright. A black dagger was producing from his throat, which was covered in blood. Iyaren closed his eyes in horror and curled up in a ball. It was the first time he was in a battle. It was the first time he saw a dead person from so close. It was the first time he wept for himself.
********
The battle was soon over and while one half was hard at job to extinguish the fires, the other half was pilling the bodies together.
Duo looked at the carnage and sighed. His other him must have had a lot of fun. Looking at his wristbands, he noticed that all the knives were missing. He went beside the pile of bodies where all the weapons were being put for later use and rummaged through it. He found fifteen knives on twenty. He walked in the cave in search of any left bodies and found four others but couldn't find the fifth one. He looked all around and noticed a pair of feet coming out behind the water basin. Sighing in relief, he walked to it and noticed the black dagger in the corpse's throat and removed it. That's when he heard a muffled gasp and loud clank. He straightened sharply and looked to the side to see a boy a bit younger than him cower back on all fours. Tear tracks smeared his face and fear shone in his brown eyes. His blond hair was flat against his forehead and very messy.
" What do we have here?" demanded Duo while walking over to him.
**********
Lord Rear looked at the burned and scorched valley below and tutted in disapproval. Spurring his monstrous mound forward, he took in every detail and shook his head. Like he had expected, his foolish generals had ignored his orders and attacked. He didn't doubt that they had lost. He could still feel the three unusual auras of the boys sought by Lord Ineluki and he was positive that they had found a way to win that battle. A single peek at the fortress confirmed his suppositions. Not wasting a second, he kicked his mount in a fast run and galloped away from Helm's Deep and back to Mordor.
*********
" What are you doing?"
Quatre looked over to Trowa who was leaning against the doorframe. He gave him a small smile and looked around in search of a towel to wipe of the oil from his hands. He washed them in silence for a few seconds before looking at his fellow pilot.
" How long has it been?" he asked slowly.
" About a month and a half." Trowa replied calmly, knowing what Quatre was meaning.
" Only that? It feels like years." Quatre continued while going back into the safe house. " I wish they'd come back soon."
Trowa stayed silent and followed the blond inside.
" Do you think they're alright?" Quatre asked after sitting down on a chair with a hot mug of coffee.
" Probably."
" I mean, I can still feel them, so they're alive. I wonder what they're doing." he wondered after a long sip of the black liquid.
The two of them stayed silent, lost in their own little thoughts about their three missing friends. Finally, Quatre spoke again.
" Do we have another mission?"
Trowa nodded in reply.
" OZ has been awfully active since they are gone. I guess it's due to the fact that we have to do all the missions. I hope they don't know that they are some of us missing." He said, his voice shaking a little bit.
" It is very unlikely. They would have acted in some way if they knew." Trowa reassured him.
" Guess so. Still, I'm going out in Wing Zero this time. Can't take any risks." Quatre said while getting up and putting the cup in the sink.
" That's why you've been cleaning it all day."
" Yup. I've been wondering all the while what they could be doing." He said while going back to the hangar.
" They are probably bored." Trowa joked to lighten up his friend's mood.
" Hope they are."
********* The end *********
1- I don't know hell if war strategists exist and their rank and all, but let's say that it does for the good of this story.
Finished! Sorry if the battle was short but I really didn't have anything more to describe than I already did. In case you are getting confused by all the names popping up, just tell me and I will do a small description of all of them. R&R
No pop quiz this time, there's nothing to ask!
A-chan