Chapter 23 :: The End of the Eternal War (Part 1)
"Is the war's over?" Mithos asked."I am afraid we are bearers of bad news. While it may be true that both sides no longer possess magitechnology, the armies of the Desians and the human-elven alliance are fighting it out on foot or Arshis mounts around Meltokio," Darius said.
"Arshis mounts?" Martel said.
"They are an evolved form of protozoan that look like dogs with large ears. Lord Kepler was riding one when we met in the desert," Kratos said.
"Dusk, with the Knights of Thor under his command, is spearing through the human and elven legions. They will not be far from the gates by the time we arrive," Darius explained.
"How many did you bring?" Alice asked.
"Alpha and Beta Teams."
"Just two infiltration squads?" Yuan said, surprised that he had only come with twenty of Enigma's Ghosts.
"They will be enough. We should try to convince King Antares to put down his arms and end this fighting," Alice said. "Alpha team will board the Zephyr. Beta will remain on the new ship."
"The Trident," Darius corrected her. Darius returned to his own airship and promptly took flight. Onboard the Zephyr, Mithos, Kratos, Martel, and Solstice shared their passenger cabin with ten cloaked soldiers of Enigma's Ghosts. Most had battle hardened faces, though they seemed to be relaxed at the moment. A couple in the back were playing a game of chess.
"So, we are about to head into the climactic battle of the Eternal War," a woman said to her subordinates. Under her hood, she masked a scar over her cheek and she held a pair of daggers at her side. "All right, everyone. I expect you to do your best for the sake of peace in our world."
Even Mithos joined in when they gave a resounding, "Aye aye!"
"Check your stabilizer, Yuan. We're off balance by zero decimal zero zero zero one starboard," Alice instructed.
"Compensating for wing instability now," Yuan replied. Though Alice was the last to be smiling, she looked unusually glum.
"A twilight is coming from which I cannot see a sunrise," she said. "Yuan, I have taught you all you need to know. Protect Martel and carry on the mission of the Ghosts."
"What do you mean by that?" Yuan asked.
"Lady Enigma, we're getting some weird readings here," Darius said over the projector. The air in front of them distorted and revealed a hidden Delthis airship. It was a new class of warship, equipped with diamond plating armor. However, this one had caught fire and descended into the jungle below where it was consumed by an explosion.
"That was the prototype air cruiser Drake," Alice said.
"Yeah, looks like their elemental fusion reactor melted down," Darius replied.
They came out of a cloud layer to find the forces of the Desians surrounding the towering city of Meltokio. They may not have had magic cannons, but the Desians unleashed crude, yet equally effective, catapults.
"Lord Kepler, the human phalanx is broken!" a soldier reported on the ground. Delthis' famous Knights of Thor rode on their Arshis mounts, chasing the humans back through the gates of the city. Kepler closed in on the commander of the defense force, striking him off his horse with his lance. Arshis mounts galloped faster than a horse and they were more resilient.
"Archers!" came a cry out from his ranks. On the walls of the city, a hundred elves took precise aim with their mithril tipped arrows.
"Raise your shield!" Kepler yelled. Like a deadly hailstorm of metal spikes, the archers let fly their arrows. For every arrow a knight deflected with his shield, five landed either on his Arshis or penetrated his armor. Kepler could only watch as men fell around him by the dozen on the plains around Meltokio.
"Sir! We're being outgunned by these elves," Kepler's second-in-command said. He had an arrow in his arm and his Arshis had been pierced twice. On the walls, the archers loaded for another volley. Kepler saw the fear in his men's eyes, and then raised his spear.
"Fall back to the main line!" Kepler ordered. He nudged his ride to turn back and sprint for the main Delthis phalanx. "Go, Noishe! You've never failed me before and I won't let you down now."
"What's the matter, Kepler? I thought your soldiers were perfect," Lord Dusk taunted. He wore light mithril breastplate with a sword sheathed at his belt. Dusk, the same general that appeared at the sea battle ordering Midgard Serpent's release, readied his army of ten thousand to storm the city. Two red flares and a green flare shot over them as both Zephyr and Trident approached Meltokio.
"Alice is here. Signal- red, red, blue, green, red!" Kepler commanded. To the rear of Dusk's legion, a line of colored flares streamed into the air.
"Red, red, blue, green, red," Yuan read to Alice.
"So Kepler wants us to go for the walls. Charge cannon to 40 percent, fire!" Alice barked. They took a pass over the city, using a laser to designate their targets.
"Target acquired!" Yuan said. A crosshair appeared in his heads up display as the Zephyr swooped around for another pass. "Main cannon... Lady Enigma, incoming!" Alice immediately rolled out of the way as a ballista shot a powerful bolt into their fuselage and pierced the main cannon.
"Main cannon's useless. Signal- white, white, red," Alice said.
"Seems like their cannon isn't working anymore," Kepler said. He had gathered the Arshis knights that survived the arrows, about a hundred total.
"Then we can only do one thing: charge!" Dusk ordered. The entire phalanx held their spears at an angle and moved as one mass of men. Like a swarm of ants, they were powerless as individuals but made up Delthis' most powerful force together. Dusk marched at the head of his phalanx, carrying the blood red banner with a silver tiger emblazoned on it. Kepler's knights rode alongside on Dusk's flanks, toting their shields to protect against arrows.
"Here they come!" Kepler warned. A volley of arrows arched from the walls and took down a line of warriors in the front. The host of spearmen edged forward, however, finally arriving at the fortifications.
"Alexander Altair, where are you?" Dusk shouted. A knight directing the archers looked up to see the Desian commander. Blood stained his otherwise shining silver armor and helmet. With a grappling line, Dusk scaled the wall and struck down the nearest archers.
"Which halfling dares to call me by my first name," Altair said. He drew his two katanas, Cosmic Storm and Kikuichimonji, both forged by the elves of pure mithril and infused with protective charms.
"I am Dusk... and your defeat!" Dusk boasted. Dusk and Altair faced off while the battle raged on outside the city.
"Cosmic Storm, activate! Kikuichimonji, activate! Polarize!" Altair said, creating an aura of darkness around one sword and light around the other.
"Come now, do you think your poor excuse for magic will hurt me? You don't even have the elven blood in you to use that magic power, you inferior being," taunted Dusk.
"Inferior?!" Altair's eyes narrowed and his face stiffened. He crossed his swords, charging at Dusk without hesitation.
"Bye," Dusk replied without showing emotion. All he needed was to cut Altair across the arm and his opponent fell to the floor.
"What is this? Why can't I move?" Altair gasped.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. My blade is coated with a virulent poison, though I shall spare you the pain. Levitate!" Dusk said, laughing as he lifted Altair from the floor and threw him off the wall into his legion below. Like a pack of dogs, they drove their lances into him. Fully aware of their commander's demise, the archers all pointed their bows at Dusk. He leaped off the wall and joined his men.
"We're going in," Darius said.
"So are we!" Alice replied.