A/N Hey guys. Bit of an early update, but I managed to get into a bit of rhythm with this one. Should still have another update on Monday, hope you enjoy this one in the meantime. God bless.
Fallen
It was Stone who made the first strike. I know not whether it was because of his fury at seeing me attacked, or knowing what Belial had done in the past, but the first strike of our clash was launched towards him. I had only enough time to see Belial pivot his weapon to stop the blow, and see Stone's chain wrap around the weapon briefly before I turned my attention back to my opponent, Holden Cross. There were no salutes, no signs of honor given between us as we took slow, tentative steps towards one another. I think we both knew why, there was no honor in this. Not in former brothers in arms dueling to the death, not in what Cross was here to do, and not that it had fallen apart so terribly that this was the only solution. No, there was nothing to salute or honor here.
Cross stepped carefully as he moved to the right, positioning his weapon carefully across his chest legs legs. I raised my sword level with my cheek in response, slowly stepping opposite him as we circled one another, gingerly avoiding the crimson covered bodies and discarded weapons as we did. I knew I was at a disadvantage here, Cross' armor was far superior to my own, and his weapon was much better suited to keeping foes at a distance. I knew also that Cross had the benefit of experience, far more than I could lay claim to. Lastly, I knew he aimed to kill me, whereas I only hoped to survive our bout, the latter was far more difficult to achieve than the former.
I admit, I dreaded the coming duel more than any I had faced in my life. For the first time since I'd come to know him, I considered the man before me not as Holden Cross, but as Asmodai, the demon name given to him upon joining the Blackstone legion. The stories I had heard of his skill, his ruthless effectiveness in battle, and his methodical, seemingly impenetrable defense in battle came flooding back to me. Even now I could picture images of him storming Viking strongholds, besting hordes of warriors without breaking a sweat. What hope did I have to beat him here, when he had been well rested, and I was still recovering?
You make sure you come back, alright? Deborah… Again I heard her words calling out to me from the depths of memory, and like a flood I began to picture our time together. I remembered her making me promise before leaving to fight for the first time. I remembered her tenderly caring to me as I laid cold and injured on that bed. I remembered her holding me close and giving me comfort in the face of another recollection of the past. Perhaps most of all, I remembered our first kiss, how at peace, how complete she'd made me feel…
No. I could not fail. Not now. I had to survive this, for those that had been lost to the Godless knights. For the future of Ashfeld as we knew it. For her.
Taking a deep breath, I tightened my grip on my sword, and with one long exhale, charged my enemy. Cross seemed to react before I had even swung, for even as I raised my sword to strike at his shoulder, he raised weapon to block. Trying to recover, I quickly adjusted my arms to divert the attacks towards his thigh instead. Just as rapidly, Cross moved to intercept, our weapons colliding with a resonant thud before Cross pushed away my sword. In a flash, Cross pivoted his arms, and I could see the pommel of his weapon approaching the left of my helmet. Pivoting just as quickly, I turned my body as I brought my sword to the left, just catching the tail end of the weapon mere inches from my face before I too shoved away his attack.
Following up, I pivoted my body once again as I took a step forward and launched another strike, this time towards the right side of his helmet. As if responding to a dance, Cross took a quick step back, lifting the poleaxe and blocking the blow with a resounding thud. Refusing to let the attack end there, I dragged down with my blade as quickly as I could, forcing the poleaxe down and away from Cross, then followed with a forward thrust. Unfortunately, Cross seemed to have already predicted such an attack, and almost seemed to snap his weapon to the left, throwing aside my sword.
Just as quickly, Cross swung the pommel of his weapon again towards my side, this time without enough time to block. With a startled gasp I stepped back and leaned away, just barely avoiding the attack. Knowing what came next, I preemptively leaped away from my opponent, just in time to avoid a powerful jab as Cross took a step towards me. Just as smoothly, my opponent followed the jab by swinging his weapon without warning, forcing me to back step once again as I yelled in alarm at his assault. Already I could feel myself becoming winded by the strain on my body, helped none at all by the flaring of my old wound. I could not yet catch my breath, however, as Cross just as quickly followed with another thrust, this time with the tip of the weapon pointed directly at my chest.
I yelled as I darted rapidly to the right, and swung down onto the weapon. The blow was enough to force the axe into the snow, allowing me precious time to take a few additional steps back. I was too far from Cross to risk another attack, and the axe would not remain trapped in the snow long enough to capitalize on it. Surely enough, as I took my second step away, Cross had already pulled his weapon from the icy clutches of the earth, and had entered back into a ready stance. I gave a brief flourish of the blade as I entered into the ready stance once more, my arms shaking and my breathing heavy. Cross seemed calm, at ease, even peaceful as he slowly stepped to the side again, studying me like a wounded animal. I did the same, watching for any hint of aggression.
Behind him, I could see a fragment of the duel between Stone and Belial. Stone blocked a blow from the bear of a man, forcing his shield up and throwing off the poleaxe as he swung with his flail at his side. The weapon slammed hard into Belial as he yelled out in pain, all while Stone carried the momentum of his flail and stepped with it. Outraged, Belial yelled out as he took another swing, but I was unable to see what came next, as Cross had now taken a step towards me, swinging once again with his own poleaxe.
Time seemed to lose all meaning as I fell into a deep rhythm, trying to predict each of Cross' moves before he made them. Strike, block, block again, strike, dodge, avoid another blow, try to strike again, over and over the dance continued. Every blow prevented sent throbs of burning pain through my arms and up through my shoulders, every quick leap a biting agony against my thighs. By the time we'd had four or five exchanges of steel, I could hear myself wheezing in effort, meanwhile Cross seemed completely unfazed. It was no wonder why he was Apollyon's second.
Still I held my sword high as I swung mightily at his side again, undeterred by the block. Instead I leapt back again to avoid Cross' counter, ignoring the pounding in my chest and ears as the blade practically scraped by my helmet. With a mighty roar I launched myself forward, shoulder extended as I charged him. It seemed just this once, I caught Cross by surprise. My shoulder erupted in a fresh wave of discomfort as I slammed into him, sending him stumbling back as he yelled out in surprise. Now was my chance.
With another mighty yell I swung my sword as his arms fell to the wayside, taking the poleaxe with them. A sickening grinding sound pierced the air as I dragged my sword across my foe's chest, the steel preventing any further damage. I did not stop there, however, as I quickly positioned my hand onto the half of the blade, and thrust it forward. A metallic ringing assaulted my senses next as Cross cried out, this time in pain as he keeled over for the briefest of moments. Not giving him a chance to recover, I dragged my blade down diagonally, scraping against the steel as I slammed into again, forcing him away from me.
Cross shook his head as he forced himself back up, halting in his tracks before roaring himself, and lifting his weapon back up. I quickly ducked under an overhead swing and took a step back as Cross stepped forward, and I quickly swapped to two handing my sword once more. Even faster than before he launched into a flurry of attacks, each one more rapid and frightening than the last. It was all I could do just to keep up with him, let alone get an attack of my own anywhere. Eventually, however, what fortune I'd found had finally run dry.
I misjudged an attack from the right, dodging to my left in the hopes Cross would take a moment to recover. Instead, he rushed forward, throwing the staff of his weapon right into my chest with a mighty shove. My chest ignited once again as I stumbled, then felt another harsh pressure against my chest as Cross pounded the head of the axe against my armor, no doubt bruising my chest underneath the armor. I coughed out as I stumbled, nearly falling before righting myself and trying to stand again. It was all for naught, however, as Cross had taken my moment of vulnerability to prepare a powerful swing, one I could not block, nor avoid.
The attack was powerful enough to send me flying off my feet and flat onto my back, knocking what little breath I had out of my lungs as my head smacked hard into the ground. All around me sound seemed to dim for a moment as my vision swirled, before perhaps the worst bout of pain I'd ever felt swelled and burst like a geyser as I could only roll onto my side and groan against its onslaught. Coughing a few more times, I forced myself to roll to my front, planting my hands and knees into the ground, barely able to push myself up. Every part of me shook and throbbed violently as I dared to gaze up, everything turning into a slurry of messy colors I could not discern.
"Liam! Hang on!" I heard from behind, Stone's voice certainly. Before me were rapidly moving blobs of indistinct masses that seemed to rush around, run toward, and slam into one another as bits of red stained the otherwise distinct fuzz of white on the ground. Somewhere, in the distance, I could see what looked like a dark figure rushing towards me, hues of brown and white mixed together with what looked like two blades. One of the rangers, maybe? If so, was it Berrat? Was he rushing towards me? I could not ponder my question long as another wave of agony sent me reeling and clutching my stomach, and I dared to look behind me. A massive figure, distinctly Cross, marched towards me with weapon in hand as my vision slowly cleared.
I desperately tried to crawl away as Cross lifted the weapon over his head, and as if time itself had slowed, began to bring it down upon me. This was it… I had failed… or perhaps I would have. At the last moment, I saw Stone rush towards his side, shield extended as he slammed into Cross' side, sending both of them crashing into the snow. My breath slowly returned to me as Stone rolled with the impact, his flail flinging off to the right as Cross stopped himself, and planted the shaft of his weapon into the ground as he forced himself up.
"Stone…" I said breathlessly, I knew Stone would not stand a chance against Cross without his weapon, I had to get back into this fight. Almost frantically I looked around the already war torn scene for my sword, only just able to see it amidst the blinding white and ever dueling soldiers. Forcing myself forward, I crawled towards it and reached out for its handle, only to feel my hand crack as an armored boot stamped down on it. I cried out in pain before I felt the air leave my lungs again as a solid kick to my side forced me onto my back once more.
Staring up at the attacker, I could see the hulking frame of Belial standing over me as I wheezed desperately sucking for air. Fury was written across every feature of his body as he stalked over me, before planting his foot squarely on my chest.
"Liam! No!" I heard Stone shout, but I could not look to find him. My attention was locked firmly in place, looking up at the dreadful figure before me. Again, however, my life was saved when another figure, this time a mix of brown and white, lunged towards Belial, forcing him to step off of me. Taking a desperate, hungry breath, I coughed several times as I forced myself to sit up, trying to get a look at my savior. Standing tall over me, Berrat stepped towards the towering behemoth…
"On your feet, Warden, we are not done yet!"
—-
I could scarcely believe the size of the man before me. The man was easily a head taller than the Warden, who himself had already been quite tall. The monstrous weapon he carried only helped to inflate his size, standing even taller than he as he growled and held his weapon ready. I had heard stories of the sheer presence of a Lawbringer, and to an extent had already seen it to be true. But now, as I faced one down in combat, I truly understood what those stories had tried to say. Likening him to a bear of a man had been more accurate than I had realized.
Behind me, the Warden seemed to wheeze before gathering his strength. With great effort, he rolled onto his side and slowly began to crawl towards his weapon. Part of me admired the young man's spirit, pressing on even in the face of such gruesome beatings and injuries. Another part of me worried that he had rejoined the fight too soon, with how clear it was that his previous injuries and trials had taken their toll. But now was hardly the time for second guesses.
"You should know your place, Ranger. You stand before Belial, knight of Blackstone." The behemoth hissed as I took a step away from my companion. So he had named himself after a demon of wrath, had he? I had no doubt he had intended for such a thing to intimidate his enemies. Instead, I found it only to be a fitting namesake, considering this one's affiliation.
"A brute capable of nothing but destruction, held by the leash of an uncaring patron. You've chosen your name well, Blackstone." I said back, twirling my dagger as I did. The man's grip on the weapon seemed to tighten as I lowered myself, keeping my weapons ever ready. The Lawbringer would be able to keep me at a distance, but so long as I could hold him off long enough for the Warden to gain his bearings, I could mitigate that. A second target would make his fight much more difficult, let alone against one as skilled as a Warden.
Even so, it was a calculated strike I utilized as I ran forward and thrust towards his chest. The Lawbringer was quick, and batted away the sword, only to be met with the point of my dagger. Though he was able to avoid this attack as well, the leap backwards he took to do so gave me enough room to jump away myself, avoiding an attack from the left. Behind me I could hear the sounds of struggle, followed by the Warden grunting in effort. Turning to see the commotion, I saw that fate was not yet on our side.
A lieutenant of Blackstone had clearly seen the Warden's state, and taken the opportunity to finish him off. Luckily, it seemed the Warden had been able to recover, standing toe to toe with the man, sword clutched firmly in his hands as he stared down his attacker. Beside me, the Conqueror Stone dueled with the commander Asmodai, swinging time and time again with his flail as the commander dodged or diverted every blow. I had confidence in their ability to win their battles, but this meant I would be alone with Belial longer than I had expected. Knowing this, I would need to be far more careful with him, and act only in my own defense. This in mind, I turned back to face him, only to see another blow quickly approaching.
Though I was able to divert the attack into the ground, the force of the swing had seemed to carry me with it, and I found myself stumbling to my right as I slid across the ground, only just staying on my feet. The ground here was frozen over, I realized, a light step would be necessary. Dashing to the side of him, I tried to thrust my blade into the spaces between the Lawbringer's armor, but was quickly blocked by his weapon. Two more blows I followed with, slashing above and to the side of my opponent, but he diverted both away. Without warning he thrust himself forward, shoving the staff of his weapon into my chest. The force nearly knocked me over as I was forced back, only to feel a sudden and piercing pain on my temple as he slammed the pommel of his weapon into my cranium.
Once again I stumbled, this time clutching at the side of my head as I tried to right myself, shaking my head as I grunted and looked forward. To my horror, the Lawbringer had already pressed his advantage, swinging again as he stepped forward to catch me. Though I raised my sword to block, I lost track of my footing, and found myself slipping on the frozen earth below. With a cry, I quickly tried to right myself once more, only to lose grip on my sword as the Lawbringer slammed his weapon into it, carrying it with the swing, and out of my hands.
It took me a moment to truly process what had happened. Had I really been disarmed so easily? I knew to be careful, how had I so easily glossed over the ice? I could not ponder this question long, as the Lawbringer followed up with a forward thrust, aimed right towards my heart. This time I did account for the ice and lept again to the side to avoid the blow, already trying to plan on how to retrieve my fallen weapon. Unfortunately, the Lawbringer had predicted my actions. Just as quickly as he had thrusted, the bear of a man took a step forward as he pivoted his body, reaching his weapon low before pulling back, and I felt a sudden force tug my legs out from under me. Before I had even landed, the Lawbringer had already thrust once again.
The axe pierced just under my knee as I slammed into the cold earth, and I screamed. A loud, bloodcurdling scream that echoed across the field. Even as the blade was pulled from my leg, I felt the burning hot pain as I crawled backwards, seeing the demon's handiwork. My leg had been painted almost entirely red, but more distressingly, I saw that piece of my trousers had a hole just underneath my knee, blood pouring freely from it. The blade had gone clean through.
"No more fancy moves, Ranger." The Lawbringer spat angrily. I grimaced and continued to crawl away as I looked behind him. The Warden had knocked his opponent to the ground, but from the looks of it, had turned his attention towards my direction, likely from my scream.
"Berrat! Hang on!" He yelled, briefly turning back to the warrior and stabbing his blade into him. Turning back to the Lawbringer, I yelled out in alarm as I rolled just away from another blow, the axe embedding itself deep in the snow. Without thinking I took my good leg and kicked against his shin with all my might, only to receive a swift reminder that kicking pure steel was a foolish idea. My second scream was admittedly less loud than the last, but no less charged with pain. I swear I could hear the Lawbringer laugh as I pulled my leg in and held it, wincing in pain as I rocked on my side.
"Capable of destruction indeed." He said gravely, lifting his axe overhead one final time. I could see the Warden running towards me, but I knew he would not arrive in time. For the briefest moments, I felt fear and sorrow rise in my heart as the Lawbringer swung, and despite myself, I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the end. But the strike never came, instead, I heard the Lawbringer yelp in surprise, followed by an angry yell from a voice I recognized all too well. Opening but a single eye, I could see the Lawbringer stumbling back, only just blocking a strike from behind as the Warden caught up to him. More than that, however, I saw Kharion standing above me, fists trembling with rage as he glared at the Lawbringer.
"You will not touch him again!" He yelled, sprinting forward as he swung wildly at his foe. Despite the dire circumstances, I felt a smile creep across my face as pride filled my chest. There was the Kharion I knew. I could not dwell on him for long, however, even now, I knew I had to aid them anyway I could. Turning to my left, I saw the hilt of my dagger jutting out from the snow, just barely out of my reach. If I could reach it, one well timed throw could disable the Lawbringer, and enable my companions to win this fight.
With a groan I turned over, forcing myself onto my belly as I clawed at the ground, taking in fistfuls of snow as I dragged myself closer to the dagger. My hands felt as though needles pressed into them as I crawled, forcing me to grit my teeth as I forced myself forward, my leg barely moving even as I willed it to. Eventually I forced myself onto my forearms, shaking as I forced myself forward, dragging my wounded knee behind me. Just when I thought I might reach out and take the dagger, I saw the frame of the Warden roll on top of it, coming to a sudden stop as he groaned in pain. Startled, I jerked away from him as I looked in the direction he came, and widened my eyes in despair.
Before my eyes, I watched as the Lawbringer slammed the pommel of his weapon into Kharion's knee, knocking it out from under him as he was forced to kneel. Before my young friend could even scream, the monster threw the pommel up and into his chin, his head jerking violently upwards as his eyes went dull. The Lawbringer allowed the momentum of the weapon to carry him as he spun and readied himself for another strike, but Kharion did not watch his attacker. Instead, in his final moments, he turned to me, his eyes quivering as his chest heaved. He was afraid. In that moment I regretted every word I'd said to him on that wall, in that cabin. I feebly reached out to him and called his name, but I would never be able to apologize.
With one powerful cleave, the Lawbringer's axe cut through the elder's neck, blood spurting as his head was launched from his neck. Kharion's head lobbed through the air as though it were nothing at all, landing soundlessly on the snow as it rolled down the incline, away from me. I cried out as I desperately crawled towards it, reaching for him, begging for this to be some dream or warning, for all of this to fade. But no, this was real. Tears began to stream down my face as I collapsed, watching as his body slumped over like a freshly cut tree, his body spurting blood from the stump that was once his neck. I couldn't even see his eyes anymore… his head had vanished from my sight… Kharion was gone… I had killed him.
In the back of my mind, I could hear Kharion calling me mentor and friend. What kind of fried had I been now? What kind of mentor? I'd lead him straight to his death, and in his last moments, had I encouraged him? No, I'd scolded and disowned him. He'd carried that to the grave, I would never have a chance to make it up to him… As if to punctuate it, the Lawbringer laughed as he turned to face me, the Warden rising to his knees as his fist clenched at his side. The Lawbringer stared me dead in the eye as I breathed heavily, and said but one thing;
"Qualis pater, talis filius."
—-
It was the mocking tone that infuriated me most. Belial even threw in a shrug of his shoulders as he stared at Berrat, helpless as he was on the ground. That sick beast… Kharion was far from perfect, but he was still a man, a man who saved both Berrat's, and Deborah's life, a man who deserved dignity! Not this callous degenerate's jokes! For the briefest of moments I felt the pain of my body subside, replaced with an all consuming rage to put this scum down. He was no knight, at this point, I doubted he was even human…
With a roar I rushed forward, clenching my sword tightly as Belial smugly readied his weapon. My first attack was wide, easy to predict, and Belial took full advantage. With a speed that honestly startled me, the beast of a man avoided the attack with a back step and leaned forward with his weapon. Rather than strike at me, however, he used the back of his weapon to hook the cross guard of my sword, yanking me forward as he threw me to the side. I scarcely kept my balance as I was forced forward, and found the attack quickly followed with another. I raised my sword to block, but the uneven ground and sudden movement startled me in such a way that the grip on my weapon loosened, and I felt my sword being ripped from my hands.
The sword seemed to warble as it flew through the air, just barely missing the battling Stone and Cross, still locked in a duel, though I could see Stone had retrieved his flail. Unable to focus on this, I yelled in alarm as I leapt, unarmed, away from my attacker. Stupid, stupid, I said to myself! How could I let myself grow so reckless? I should have known better, why had I just blindly rushed in? Belial actually laughed as he seemed to lazily sling his axe over his shoulder, still taking his sick pleasure in all this.
"Well isn't that a shame. What now, proditor?" He mockingly called, slowly marching closer to me. For a moment, I had no answer. There was no chance I could recover my blade with so much chaos happening around me, and I doubted Belial would give me the chance to claim another, even from the grounds around me. Was this it? What was I to do against such a monstrous foe with no weapon? How could I…
You make sure you come back, alright? Deborah's knife… It was hardly a viable weapon in a duel like this, but it was a weapon nonetheless. My breath seemed to slow as I carefully reached along my belt, taking firm grasp of the knife handle, thumb pressed against the pommel. Strange as it sounds, I swore I could feel her hand on mine as I drew the knife from its sheath, gently twirling it as I held it ready. I knew I was still outmatched, but at that moment, I felt ready. Belial, seeing the knife, chuckled to himself.
"Cute." He joked as he took firm hold of the axe and charged. With a deep breath I readied myself for his rapid onslaught, only to be met with a massive, far too telegraphed overhead swing. With ease I was able to sidestep him, the axe slamming into the ground and forcing Belial to fight it for a few seconds to free it. Before giving himself a chance to recover, he launched himself forward with another violent and clumsy swing, which I also easily dodged. What was going on? Had he become so certain of victory that he was becoming willingly careless with his swings? As though to confirm my thoughts, Belial laughed again and turned to me.
"Clumsy, clumsy. But against an unarmed opponent, why care?" He boasted. A foolish notion, but if I was patient, I could exploit it. Both swings had left him wide open to counter attack, and had revealed the weakest sections of his armor. Where the plate and chain met below his neck, and the separation between his plates below his shoulders and arms. If I could time this, one well placed stab could disable him, and multiple could take him out of the fight. I willed myself to focus, even as the pounding in my head slowly began to return, and the aches in my body began anew.
After a moment of waiting, Belial charged forward yet again, this time dragging the axe along the ground in an attempt to appear menacing. Immediately I could tell he planned an upward swing, with all his power behind it. Such an attack would be catastrophic if he'd missed, leaving under his arm completely exposed. I was counting on that. Carefully, I raised the knife and placed the flat of my palm against the pommel. The snow ruptured and tumbled as Belial charged onward, until finally, with one massive roar, he flung his weapon upward.
With hasted steps I threw myself to the right of him, quickly finding my footing as the axe was lifted well overhead, and slammed solidly into the ground behind Belial. Surely enough, the thinnest section of Belial's armor lay exposed to me, clear as day. Wasting not even a moment, I rushed forward and thrusted the knife towards my foe, and struck true. The knife plunged more than half way into Belial's armpit, gaining a horrified, and agonizing yell from the beast. Before he could retaliate, I pulled the knife free, ducking underneath a wild and overswung haymaker. Again I found his weak point exposed, and again I thrust forward.
The blade sank even further on the second stab, going nearly to the hilt before reaching resistance. The monster cried out as he stumbled backwards, the grip on his axe loosening with every step he took. Using his motions, I yanked the knife free of Belial's flesh, sending a small wave of crimson onto the snow. My heart was beating out of my chest as my breathing grew heavy once more, and my arms shook almost as violently as before. Whatever fire had been lit under me seemed to be fading fast, I knew I needed to finish this.
"You miserable, worthless…" Belial hissed as he shakily brought his weapon forward, the wounds under his arms still bleeding freely. With an angry roar he charged forward, wobbling as he sprinted full force at me. Taking a deep breath, I pictured everyone I knew of that had been wronged by this man, this degenerate of a knight. Herongale, robbed of its leaders and its people. Ashfeld, robbed of safety and a desperately needed protector. Deborah, robbed of her parents and her home. Releasing the breath, I charged him back as he reared back for another mighty swing. With a yell of my own, I leaped to the side as his arms slammed down with the weapon, and I drove the knife forward.
The knife, as though guided by divine hands, pierced through the plate, past the layers of chain, and through the thin fabric below to pierce flesh. The blade sank deep into the monster's abdomen, stopped only when the hilt slammed into the chain, garnering a horrifying scream from Belial. With one final yell I ripped the blade from him, using my shoulder to shove the monster away, stumbling and whimpering as he clasped at his stomach. I felt no sympathy as he collapsed, his weapon falling to the side as he yelled in horror and clawed at his abdomen. My legs felt akin to jelly, but I willed myself to stand as I wheezed and coughed, knife still clutched firmly in my hand.
Before I could move to finish him, I realized that Berrat was still out here, still crippled, still vulnerable. Stone was still facing off against Cross alone, and those rams were still approaching. Despite the fury still soaking into every fiber of my being, I knew that Belial was beaten, and without aid, he would die here. I was needed elsewhere, I could not let my wrath rule me. Taking a shaky step away from the beast, I assessed the field until I found my friend, on his knees and desperately holding out against Cross' assault. Between myself and them, I could see my sword, or at least a sword, resting on the topmost layer of snow.
Struggling against my body once more, I half limped, half ran towards the dueling warriors, my hands shaking as I cleaned Deborah's knife on my gauntlet and placed it back into its sheath. Stone batted away another blow as Cross allowed the weapon to carry him, raising a foot and punting my brother in the chest, sending him reeling onto his back. No, I would not lose Stone. Not today. My sword quickly approached as I leaned down and took the handle into my hands, clutching tightly as I watched Cross rear back with his weapon.
"Cross!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, forcing his attention away from Stone. Even from here, Cross seemed incredulous, taking a step back as he readied himself. Stone, realizing what had happened, jerked his leg and gave a kick to Cross' ankle. He did not kick hard, only enough to throw him off his balance as Cross was forced to readjust, and that gave me my opening. With a mighty swing I lunged into Cross, who raised his weapon only just in time to block, and was carried by the sudden force. Though he nearly spun out as he stumbled, he did not fall, recovering as he took several steps back, holding his weapon out as he did.
Ignoring this, I looked to Stone as he grumbled on the ground and leaned up. Seeing his struggle, I extended a hand, and Stone eagerly took it.
"Nice save, brother." He said as I pulled him to his feet, my arm burning as I did. I simply nodded as I turned back to Cross seeing him carefully changing his guard as he eyed the both of us. I made no effort to hide my exhaustion as I wearily lifted my sword. Stone wordlessly moved in front of me, raising his shield as he allowed his flail to rattle, as of tempting Cross to come closer. Before anything could happen, all three of us were alerted by a sudden call.
"Rams coming through! Make way!" Said the shouting voices. The rams… I had been so focused on the battle that I had completely forgotten them. It only seemed as though Cross had to, for he lowered his weapon and turned behind him, while Stone and I looked beyond. There, at the far end of the treeline, were four columns of men, at least five men in each carrying one side of massive looking rams, all while other members of Blackstone moved to surround them, shields extended as they moved slowly. Leading the force was at least forty armed warriors, at the head of which was Mercy, flanked by the hooded captain from their camp, Helia, if I recall. Blackstone's primary vanguard…Across the battle lines, dead soldiers were abandoned as Blackstone moved to support the rams, all while our alliance seemed to pull back.
Cross looked back towards us briefly, his gaze falling squarely on me as he lowered his axe. Wordlessly, he turned one foot away from me, turning his body to pivot towards the rams. There was no aggression in his action, no malice, not even solace in quickly approaching reinforcements. No, I knew what this was. Even now, as enemies facing one another down, Cross was giving us a chance to retreat. I still don't know why he chose to give us that option, but I knew better than to cast it aside. I said nothing as I turned my own foot away towards the fortress, yet Cross seemed to understand. In silent understanding, we both turned, and began to retreat, he on his own, me pulling Stone along with me.
"Their primary force is upon us, Stone, we have to fall back!" I yelled. To my surprise, I received no resistance from my friend, who only turned with me as he glared at Cross.
"Not that crazy Liam, let's go." He replied. Nodding, I quickly raised my sword into the air, hoping to call attention to me.
"Iron Legion, Warriors of Herongale! Fall back! Fall back to the fortress! Defend the wall" I shouted, pointing the tip of my weapon towards the gates. Though they had been closed shortly after the charge, the grinding signaling their opening rang through the air as a sliver slowly revealed itself, expanding ever so slowly. Around me, I could hear echoes of my order, voices of all sorts calling for retreat, followed by many figures running towards the gates. Riders, militia, dismounted legionaries, all moved to retreat for the safety of the fortress.
One figure, however, remained motionless. On his hands, leaning onto one side, Berrat sat staring at the headless corpse of Kharion. I knew better than to wonder why he hadn't moved, and I pitied him. But I could not leave him there.
"Stone, with me." I said urgently, quickly moving towards the lone ranger. The crunching of snow, despite it being muffled by the sound of Blackstone chanting, was enough to confirm his compliance. Berrat was near catatonic when we reached him, Stone sliding into his knees as he placed his shield onto his back. Berrat did not react to his approach, nor did he react as I threw one of his arms over my shoulder. He simply stared solemnly, with empty eyes at Kharion. I did not judge him for his state, I knew the man was lost, and it would take him time to find his way back.
Looking to Stone, I waited to see if he had sling Berrat's other arm around his shoulder. While he had, I noticed he stared towards the approaching armada, and even growled as he took hold of Berrat.
"What the heck do we do now?" He asked, finally turning to face me. I had no concrete answer for him. Instead, I groaned as I began to lift, Stone joining me in short order as we turned away from the approaching enemy. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see two Blackstone soldiers moving to retrieve Belial, who still laid squirming and whimpering where I had left him. Though the idea of him surviving this left a pit in my stomach, I cared more for ensuring Berrat's survival, and saw it fit to leave them. Besides, it would take a miracle for him to survive his injuries, with how deep the stabs had been.
"Pray." I'm not sure if I was saying it to Stone, or to myself, but that was the only thing I could recommend. Stone seemed to understand, and solemnly nodded his head as I lead the three of us around, turned us towards the fortress…
…And retreated.