"The Siege"
Iron Eater was poring through the daily reports when he heard a knock at the door. "Enter." Iron Eater said. Namy, a Mithra Ranger, who was the military liaison from Windurst entered. "Sir Iron Eater, Commander Mourn would like an urgent audience with you." Namy said. Iron Eater immediately granted the request and Namy went to call Mourn in.
Mourn entered Iron Eater's office and he motioned her to take a seat. "What can I do for you Commander?" Iron Eater asked.
"The Windurst Elder Council urgently requests a meeting with the Bastokan President. There is something important we need to discuss with you." Mourn replied.
Seeing the urgency of Mourn's expression, Iron Eater stood up and told Mourn to wait. After awhile Iron Eater came back. "Commander, the President will see you in a hours time. We have to wait for Zeid to arrive. We already sent word to him about the meeting. Can I offer you something while you wait?" Iron Eater said.
"No I am fine. Thank you for the offer. I would like though to meet Tiny Heart if he isn't busy." Mourn said.
"I will let my men escort you to him. The thing is though he is feeling down nowadays. Two of his friends got kidnapped." Iron Eater said
"Two? I know Icon got captured a week ago. Who is the other one?" Mourn asked.
"Jabrina, a young Mithra who is close to Tiny Heart. Demons came to Bastok a few days ago and forcibly took Jabrina away. We think it has something to do with Icon's disappearance." Iron Eater answered back."
"Thank you for the information. I shall take my leave then." Mourn said and bowed.
-O-
Mourn found me at Port Bastok sitting by the docks fishing. "How's the catch Tiny Heart?" I looked up and saw Mourn smiling at me. "Mourn it's been awhile since we saw each other. Come and join me." Mourn took a spare fishing rod and sat by my side. "I heard what happened to Jabrina." Mourn said.
"Yah, first it was Icon, now it is Jabrina. . Thank you by the way for the tip you gave me about Icon's whereabouts. Too bad I could not stop him from being captured. I think that Elvaan Dark Knight Umbra is behind the disappearance of Jabrina."
"Umbra? You mean Umbra the pupil of Zeid?" Mourn asked.
"Umbra is Zeid's pupil? I didn't know that. Zeid didn't tell me she was his pupil."
"Maybe he didn't want you to know about her. Umbra went rogue years ago and the rumor was it was Zeid who killed her. But she must have somehow survived because she has resurfaced."
"I will ask Zeid about her when I get the chance."
"How are your wounds Tiny Heart?" Mourn asked.
"Theyhave almost healed. I took quite a beating from Umbra. I'm a lousy Dark Knight. I can't even win against her. How can I have any chance of winning the duel in Jeuno a few months from now?" I sadly said.
"There won't even be a match in Jeuno the way the present situation in Vanadiel continues. Beastmen have been attacking outposts and almost got through the defenses of the city of Sandoria."
"Is that why you are here? Because of the beastmen attacks?" I asked Mourn.
"In a way yes plus the Windurst Elder Council wants me to deliver a warning to your President."
"What would that be?" I asked when we were interrupted by Namy. "Commander Mourn, Iron Eater sends word that the President is ready to see you." Mourn stood up and said to me. "I will talk to you when I am done." Mourn patted me in the back, smiled and left.
-O-
The President of Bastok was seated at the head of the table when Mourn and Namy arrived at the President's office. Zeid, Iron Eater plus a couple of military commanders and senators were also present. The President motioned Mourn to sit.
"Thank you seeing me in such short notice." Mourn said.
"The Windurst Elder Council seeking an audience means utmost urgency, you don't need to thank us. So what news do you have for us?" the President asked.
"Star Sybil had a vision. In her vision she saw the dark one rising again."
"Dark one? Shadow Lord? But we defeated him years ago." the President said.
"Yes we defeated the Shadow Lord but he resurrects every now and then. There is this prophecy you need to know about which is we obtained from the Yagudo's."
"Prophecy?"
"Yes the prophecy about the Hume with the powers of the dark one will rise to bring forth darkness to Vanadiel. It is a secret we have kept for many years now. At first the Elders wouldn't believe it was true but with all the beastmen attacks and the sighting of a Hume during these attacks, the prophecy may have some truth to It." Mourn said.
"Yes there are reports of a Hume who keeps appearing whenever the beastmen attacks. To think of it only the Shadow Lord has the power to command beastmen." Iron Eater added.
"If there is such a prophecy, does it mention who the Hume is?" Zeid asked.
"No, the prophecy doesn't say." Mourn replied.
"Let us say if the prophecy is true and that the shadow lord had resurrected. What does the Windurst Elder Council propose we do?" the President asked.
"As of the moment, coordinate our efforts in defending our territories. In the long term, pray."
"Pray? Why pray?" the President asked.
"Because there is a line in the prophecy that says ... And the Hume shall walk the world of Vanadiel till the end of time." Mourn replied.
"I find that prophecy hard to believe. For years the Shadow Lord has always been defeated whenever it comes to life. What power does this Hume have that the previous Shadow Lord resurrections doesn't have? It seems so unbelievable to me." a senator replied.
"If it is the truth or not I do not know, I only came to deliver the message from the Elder Council. The rest is up to you." Mourn said.
"We appreciate the warning. What I want to know is what Windurst can offer if the beastmen really decide to lay siege on Bastok." the President asked.
"The attacks have mainly occurred in Sandorian and Bastokan territories. We offered Sandoria our help but they flatly refused our help and said they can take care of their own problems. Windhurst is willing to send its military to help in defending Bastokan territory." Mourn said.
"Your help is greatly appreciated. We..." the President didn't get to finish because of the loud noise outside. "What the hell is that ruckus out there! Najii! Come inside!"
Najii entered the office with a worried look in his face. "Mr. President. The Quadavs... We are under attack from the Quadavs."
Everyone stood up from their seats. Zeid and the other military officers quickly ran outside. "Under attack? Where?" the President asked.
"Zehurn Mines. They came through the water passageway from Palbourough Mines. The fighting has spilled into Bastok Mines district." Najii replied.
"I will go see what I can do to help Mr. President." Mourn said and hurriedly left.
-O-
The scene in Bastok Mines district was utter chaos. The citizens of Bastok caught surprised by the Quadav sneak attack were trying to defend themselves with anything they could use. Galkas used their bare hands and fist, some used mining tools. The soldiers were vastly outnumbered by the sheer force of the Quadav invasion. Zeid and Iron Eater arrived at the scene with reinforcements, he pulled Iron Eater aside. "I need you to coordinate the defense of Bastok. I will take care of the Mines district. Get the Omega Corps ready for mobilization. Now go." said Zeid as he left to join the fray. Iron Eater ran back to Bastok Markets to get the Omega Corps ready.
"Go mobilize the Omega Corps now. We will take a stand here at the entrance to Bastok Mines if Zeid fails to contain the Quadavs." Iron Eater instructed his subordinate.
The Omega Corps, Bastok's last line of defense. It is composed mostly of Black Knights with Black and White mages as backups. They quickly assembled at the fountain in the center of Bastok Markets. Iron Eater surveyed the troops. Each one seemed ready to their task. "If the Quadavs break through the defense of the defenders in Bastok Mines, you will be Bastok's only hope. You are Bastok's finest warriors, make us proud." said Iron Eater to the troops.
A soldier atop the city walls suddenly yelled. "Quadavs sighted in South Gustaberg!" Iron Eater yelled "Close the city gates!" He then looked at Deadly Spider. "Take control of the troops. I will go up the city walls to take a look." Iron Eater ran up the city walls. He was amazed at the sight of the thousands of Quadavs coming towards the city. He was even more amazed to see battering rams accompanying the Quadavs. The Quadavs certainly thought of everything Iron Eater said to himself. Iron Eater ran back down and conferred with Deadly Spider. "There are thousands of Quadavs coming towards the city, I think we should split our forces and meet them outside the city walls."
"Wouldn't it be better if we just defend from inside?" Deadly Spider asked.
"The Quadavs brought some battering rams with them. They are going to ram the city doors. We need to stop those rams." Iron Eater said.
Mourn approached Iron eater and asked. "We can help. Where do you need us?"
Iron Eater looked at Mourn and her followers. She had only had three of her Mithra warriors with her, Namy the ranger, a samurai and a red mage. They looked like ordinary warriors in their appearance but Iron Eater knew they were Windurst's best warriors. "I was planning to meet the Quadavs head on outside. Can you help us? We need to kill the battering rams they brought along." Iron Eater said.
"We will take care of it." Mourn replied.
More than half of the Omega Corp joined Mourn and other Bastokan soldiers outside. They stood in awe as they saw the sheer numbers of the approaching Quadav army. Mourn approached Deadly Spider, who was leading the Bastokan troops outside, and said to him. "Can you spare six of your men? We just need a little backup on killing the rams." No problem." Deadly Spider replied. Six Dark Knights came forward. Mourn looked at the Dark Knights and saw a familiar face. "Tiny Heart, it's nice to know you have my back."
"It is an honor to fight by your side again." I replied.
"Okay let us go." Mourn said. We ran towards the nearest ram. The Quadavs saw us approach and formed a wall of bodies in front of us. Mourn and Namy started blasting the Quadavs with arrows from afar. With pinpoint accuracy they took out the Quadavs in front. Enraged in seeing their fellow Quadavs dying, they rushed us head on. I was in front of our group when the Mithra Samurai, Sylvaria jump in front of me, holding her great katana ready to strike. As the Quadavs got near us, she ran fast towards them and started slashing them. One stroke one kill, now I have seen a Samurai in battle. She was so efficient with her attack. With minimum movement she could take out the Quadavs with little effort by timing her attacks, saving her from expending much need strength. We quickly punched a hole through the sea of Quadavs protecting the battering ram. The ram sensing that we were after it charged at us. One Dark Knight wasn't fast enough to evade the ram and got trampled to death. Freon, the Red Mage Mithra, cast a spell of Bind on the ram, stopping it in its tracks. Mourn and Namy quickly blasted the ram's legs with a barrage of arrows as the rest of us keep the Quadavs at bay. The ram's legs buckled from the force of the barrage and fell on its side. One down two to go.
The Quadavs now sensing our plan of attack defended the rams even more after seeing what happened. It made our task even more difficult. The Quadavs had succeeded in getting one battering ram to the city gates. It was banging the door with its head. The defenders above tried to stop the ram but the Quadav mages down below kept casting magic spells the defenders hindering their ability to slow down the ram.
As I was fighting the Quadavs, I saw someone I knew inthe cornerofmy eye. I frantically turned and looked for him and saw him about 70 meters from where I was. It was Icon, standing in the middle of the Quadav army. I was so excited to see him. I thought he was a prisoner of the Quadavs and started to fight my way towards him. Finally I was able to break through the Quadavs guarding him and yelled at him. "Icon it is me Tiny Heart." He didn't seem to hear or notice me. He looked as if he was just staring in the distance. I noticed something odd with his eyes. It looked pitched black and it seemed to be glowing. I yelled at him again still no response. Several Quadavs jumped in front of me, forcing me to back away from Icon. Sylvaria ran towards me and joined me as the Quadavs attacked.
"Friend of yours?" Sylvaria asked.
"Yes, he was taken prisoner a week ago. I don't know why he is here in the middle of all this." I replied.
"I will help you punch a hole through the enemy lines." Sylvaria said. Together both I and Sylvaria fought side by side, fighting desperately to get to Icon. Icon didn't even budge all this time, as if he was in a trance.
One Galkan Dark Knight was able to get near Icon. He was killing the Quadavs near Icon when Icon suddenly made a move. He cast a spell of Tractor and pulled the Galka towards him and held him by the neck. The Galka desperately tired to break free from Icon's grasp but no matter how he punched Icon, his effort seemed to be useless as Icon still held him by the neck. Suddenly the Galka was shaking uncontrollably. He fell on his knees shaking very badly as Icon hand still held on his neck.
I was horrified what I saw next. The Galka's body started to decay. He stopped moving in seconds and Icon let him go. The Galkan Dark Knight was dead. I could see a smile form in Icon's face after the Galka fell. I still could not believe what I saw.
Sylvaria and I finally broke through the enemy lines. I kept calling Icon's name out loud but still no response from him. Sylvaria was killing Quadavs with her back facing Icon. Icon raised his hand and cast a spell of Stun at Sylvaria. Sylvaria was still groggy when Icon blasted her with a spell of Stone knocking her down.
"What are you doing Icon? What has gotten into you?" I yelled at him. Still no responses from Icon, his eyes were still pitch black. Freon saw what happened to Sylvaria and she jumped over the Quadavs between her and Icon and used the sword skill Savage Blade on Icon. Anyone would surely have been sliced into half but when the blade of Freon's sword hit Icon's body the blade broke. Freon was dumbfounded looking at her sword. "Joyeuse broken….. How is that possible and he is still standing." Icon seeing Freon distracted by the events blasted her with a spell of Thunder.
I still could not believe Icon had turned evil, but to see is to believe. I started to run towards him, raised my scythe to slash him when he suddenly warped and reappeared behind me.As I turned to swing my scythe at him, he shot me with a bolt of lightning sending shockwaves through my body. He didn't stop until I let go of my scythe. Icon then held my arm and I was screaming in pain.
Just like the Dark Knight before me I was shaking uncontrollably and I could feel my life energy being sucked into Icon. I could do nothing but watch him drain my life energy from me when suddenly I saw his eyes blink and for a felting moment his eyes return to normal. He let go of me and then his eyes went pitched black again. Now it was Icon's turn to shake uncontrollably. His hands were holding his head as if his mind was in great pain. The Quadavs seemed to stop attacking for a moment as Icon was in pain. Icon then warped out and disappeared from my sight.
After Icon left the Quadavs seemed to be less aggressive. The ram that was pounding the city door was subdued by Mourn and Namy. The remaining Quadavs ran away from the city of Bastok. Inside the Bastok Mines district, it was the same situation. The Quadavs suddenly retreated.
-O-
South Gustaberg was a sight I would never forget. Dead Quadavs and Bastokan defenders lay all over the place. It was a miracle we survived the day. The beastmen were winning when suddenly they retreated after Icon disappeared.What is Icon's connection to all of this I kept wondering? I went to the place where the Galkan Dark Knight whom Icon killed lay. Zeid and Deadly Spider was looking at the corpse, shaking their head. They were whispering something between themselves and ordered the body to be taken inside the city. I was wishing this was all a dream but it wasn't. I saw Icon kill someone in my very own eyes and he was smiling. How could that be?
-O-
Icon woke from his slumber. He was having a splitting headache. He had this weird dream he remembered before he woke upabout a battle andan encounterwith Mithras and Tiny Heart. He looked around his surrounding and saw he was still inside his room, a prisoner of the Master.Still having a splitting headache, he went back to sleep.