Chapter Fourteen:
Mute's Siege

"Nick! Get out here, and meet your doom!" roared Mute, standing outside Vesuvia with his army.

"Do you know how foolish you are to do this, Mute?" Nick yelled back. "This city has never fallen in five thousand years, and it won't fall while one of us is still alive somewhere."

Mute laughed, and roared a command. At once, arrows flew over the wall of Vesuvia.

"Andy, do you think you could go back to Contigo and raise an army to help us?" asked Nick.

"No, but I can bring you an army form somewhere else," replied Andy. "My friend Mekae left for Anegon some time ago. I don't know how excited Kevin would be about sending you an army, but I can try."

A few minutes later, he appeared in Anegon, breathing heavily.

"May I help you?" asked Kevin, noticing him.

"A few weeks back, you called for a messenger from Contigo, and we sent Mekae. Where is he? Or the military leader here?" asked Andy.

"I am Kevin, if you seek the military leader of Antigo."

"My name is Andy, from Contigo and Vesuvian heritage. I understand how you feel about Nick right now, but he needs your help."

"I told him to never trust Reno. He turned on you, didn't he?"

"Actually, it was his right hand man, Mute, who was also our representative in Hydrolonia."

"Mute? He was here earlier, although Richard gave him quite a good beating."

"What about Mute?" asked Richard, walking up.

"Andy, this is Richard. If I decide to send Nick help, he'll lead it."

"Lead help where, Kevin? Can we really spare a force to anywhere?" asked Richard.

"You probably won't like this, but Nick has requested our help. It seems Mute has struck again."

"At Vesuvia?" asked Richard. "Why there? It's one of the stupidest things he could do!"

"Will you help us? We can't hold much longer."

"It'll take a few days to assemble the standing army," explained Kevin.

"We don't need the army," said Richard.

"What?" they both exclaimed.

"I'll just gather the group, and we can leave right now."

A few minutes later, the Adepts stood ready to transport back to Vesuvia.

"I didn't think I'd be going home this quickly," said Elrik.

"OK, we're ready. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Just watch," said Allen.

"Famous last words," laughed Cyrus, hitting Allen on the shoulder.

They knew well that they all might die there, but they also knew that their stand, if it was their last, would be remembered by all.

They arrived a few miles outside of the city. The weather was much warmer than it had been the last time they had journeyed here, but the city was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they found an army assaulting makeshift walls.

"Keep at it!" yelled Mute to his forces. "Those walls will come down soon!"

"Not with us here you won't."

Richard and his friends stood on a nearby hill. Elrik had his sword drawn and waiting. Mute pulled out his own sword and rushed towards them.

"He's mine," said Elrik. "I have a score to settle."

The others ran off to help the remaining defenders while Mute advanced on Elrik.

"Very well then," he said. "Let's see what you learned from me."

Mute charged at Elrik. Elrik dodged, and Mute stopped just short of being impaled on the end of someone else's sword.

The sword belonged to Reno, and he looked ready to kill someone.