(During Issue 12: Vathek and rebels fights off rebels on the streets)
After Phobos' men cleared the fire out, they recall the retreated Fourth Corps to their aid and charged the hill with their overwhelming numbers. The abled-rebels once again barely defended the hill again at a high cost. The less demand of arrows was not enough to supply all the archers and soon fought hand-to-hand combat. Though they tried everything, even for Ray to use his explosive arrows, the enemy still entered the stone and scutum lines and made it to the hilltop.
The soldiers and rebels fought bravely, but the rebels were more determined. They still fought like a hundred more when Eric and Ray again defend their positions bravely. Their firm and resolve instill in the anxious rebels the willpower to fight on. After ten grueling minutes of dire combat of the opposing sides, the unlikeliest side still remains firm.
"Retreat!" "Fall back!" Phobos' officers cry out as one-by-one, the soldiers then flee down the hill as more soldiers are beaten in battle than the rebels themselves. The dense and rowdy men soon decreases in size as the remaining rebels are left on the hilltop dumbfounded and more tiresome than ever before. The hilltop is left but the silence of the cold breezing wind for the incoming sunset.
Eric exhausted, breathes heavily and loudly as his thinking drives him mindlessly blank. His sight goes blurry and blind and tries to relax from the events that unfolded. He suddenly releases his large sword to the ground, drops on his knees to the ground and lowers his half torso forward.
"Eric!" Ray calls him and vanishes his bow from his hand and runs to his help. The rebels who also witness their captain fall also come to their aid. "Atlas!" "Sir!" they rush toward him and surround him.
Ray grabs on to Eric's shoulders and rapidly shrugs them. "Hey, Captain! Atlas!...Eric you alright?"
"Sir, here have some water!" one of the rebels gives his canteen to Eric's hand
Eric gently takes the canteen and drinks from it with large gulps. He then tries to stand up and grins at them. "You worry too much… I-I'm alright. D-Don't worry about me…" he says.
"You sure?" one of the rebels asks.
"I'm fine. Don't worry!" He then gives them a big grin on his drained face. "I'm just—exhausted that's all. Just take care of the injured for a while, while you wait for my instructions."
"Yes sir!" the rebels reply and rush on their way to help the injured and the fallen.
"You're not exhausted like you usually are." Ray asks. "I know you stack up a lot of physical endurance in fights like these—"
Eric elbows him and grins at him. "What are you talking about? I have my limitations?" he chuckles.
"You're afraid, are you Eric?" Ray replies as he glares at Eric's rapidly shaking and trembling hands. "Your hands always tremble after every fight in our first years in the academe."
Eric quickly shoves his hands under his ragged cape-cloak and clenches his fist to stop the shaking . His fake high-spirited face turns into a gloom yet expression. "It was the same feeling I had after I had fought Zagan. I thought I overcame my mental breakdown, yet the recent attack proved that my fear came back to me. I thought of being unexpectedly defeated and overwhelmed by a thousand men against me. I had faced near death but I once again, avoided it."
"And you lied about the rebels on your condition? You could have at least told them the truth."
"I just don't want them to worry…" Eric crooks a grin and picks up his sword. "Besides, I'm the captain of this hilltop we're defending, who needs to see the coward side of me?"
"Why you—Corporal!" Ray scolds him when he was shocked to see in the distant a battered and bleeding Jhaoully staggers to walks to them.
"You alright, Cpl. Jhaoully?" Eric asks he too in shock takes a horrid glimpse of the battered corporal as blood of tears flow down from his head.
"I-It's only a cut in the head. You don't have to worry about it." the injured Jhaoully explains. "I've checked and conducted the battlefield, and I have counted the casualties we have now. We have double the casualties and left with fifty plus abled men, around thirty from Pasture Heights, and the rest from Jolras. Rius, now injured, can't defend the left flank of the hill, with only five of them remaining."
Eric crosses his arms and thinks. Though in a breakdown he tries to stay focused and calm as he clenches his fists and teeth. "Has Jehan arrived?"
"No sign, but I'm assuming he's on his way." Jhaoully explains.
"We can't leave the hilltop if Jolras' Corps isn't in position to march the hill and also, we can't leave this situation if Caleb's Corps and the 'Calluna' men are still dependent on us. We need to buy some time."
"But after the next onslaught will be over for us, either if we fight back or retreat instead and I chose the latter." Jhaoully explains. "Since the bridge is complete, I saw beyond the foothills that the almost Jolras' men across the river. Why don't we rejoin them and leave the hilltop to them?"
Eric sighs heavily miserably. "I'll let decide to that if Jehan comes back. But for now we must still defend the hill nonetheless. I'll prepare the abandoned wagons and start to roll them to the enemy, just to buy time. You tell the five remaining rebels to leave the left flank and reinforce the front instead and also tell Ferroris to deliver a message to Jolras' men to get the injured and wounded down the foothills. Further instructions will be given later."
"Yes sir." Jhaoully salutes and turns his back on him and dashes towards the west side.
Eric turns to his side and notices the silent Ray gazing the blazing east. "Any reports from Nigel and Caleb's Corps? Because I don't have my hopes up on defending this hill no longer" He then takes the map of from his pocket and unfolds it.
"Caleb's Corps and the rest of Frost's Corps have started another street brawl again." Ray uses his Farsight. "They somehow emerged from the underground a while ago I guess.
"So they succeeded flushing down half of the men down to the drain, huh?" he chuckles.
"Well you told them to divide the enemy's forces to defeat them right? I think you deserve the credit for their success." Ray cheers him up.
Eric chuckles slightly yet not amusingly. "And Nigel's?"
"Well—umm…" Ray stutters and scratches his head.
"Bad news? Just tell it to me anyway." Eric melancholy asks.
"I think Phobos' men know where the 'Calluna' men are heading, and Thernard's Corps are in pursuit heading towards the northern gates." Ray explains.
"Who do you think who'll get there first?"
"I'm hoping it would be Nigel's because if he doesn't, reinforcements would delay us."
(During Issue 12: WITCH and Elyon meets Dalther)
"Flames!" Nigel pounds his fist on the stone wall along the narrow aisle. "Why are they here?!"
After an hour of travel from the Meridian Plaza to the northern edge part of the city, along the long narrow pathways they finally made it to the twenty-feet tall extensive stone and its huge hinge wooden doors. It was the gates that connect Meridian and the north of the outside Metamoor world where Lamarcus' Corps to enter, yet an arriving opposing corps has arrived first to barricade the gates.
"Phobos' men may be in the castle right now." Grantaire explains as he gazes at the tall castle that looks below them. "They must have used it as a watchtower, when we occupied the hill."
"Does it really have to be in the northern gates?" Nigel asks the Battle of the Old Palace aftermath. "Didn't Caleb have some kind of route way at the 'Old Ruins' where the civilian refugees escaped to another town?"
"Vathek magically sealed off the opening when they escaped to Grendal." Grantaire explains as the soldiers build an improvised barricade. "We may need reroute—"
"I think there's not time for that!" Nigel dashes out from the hidden alley and out to the open area. "I'll take the charge from here and blast them off, you guys do the rest!"
"But w-wait—" Grantaire startles and stammers.
"You heard him, men!" Gruul yells behind the lines and brings his sword out from his scabbard. "Onward! For Meridian's freedom!" He too charges from behind so as the columned men also yell fiercely and run out to the open. Yet Grantaire stays behind along the corner and shoves Martin behind him to the stone wall to make way for the stampede to pass through.
Nigel materializes his Incineration Staff and points it at the surprised soldiers' built barricade. "Ignition Second Technique: Dynamite Shooter!" Sparks blasts from the tip of his staff at a projection toward the unfinished barricade.
"Look out!" "Take cover!" The soldiers escape from the barricade before the sparks hit. "Booomm!"
"Booomm!" The wooden debris takes their random reaction course from the large series of explosions.
Nigel charges through the barricade's holes and continues to blitzkrieg the enemy ranks. He flips and gives his staff a whirl and begins to fight the incoming soldiers. He disarms them with his staff as he thrusts the tip of the soldiers' armor and chants his second technique and also pounds his fist to the rest of them with his touch blast. "Booom!" the blast explode in unison. 'Seventy-one….seventy-two…"
"Argh!" "Ugh!" The soldiers yell out as their bodies fly back from the explosive upshot.
"Get him!" one of the officers commands them and points at Nigel's threatening and alarming appearance.
Nigel then dashes through the disarrayed soldiers and continues to skillfully strikes the arriving men. He thrusts swiftly in a momentous pace and blows their robust armors and swings at their tough helmets skillfully. '…seventy-three…seventy-five…seventy-seven…' he counts to each soldier he blows with his long and crooked staff.
"Arrghh!" "Urgh!" the soldiers yelp in defeat as they are too late dodge the swift attacks.
"Fifth Technique: Flowing Chain!" Nigel yells out as more soldiers continue to approach him. Suddenly, a series of explosions from behind detonates along the winding path from the the tip of the staff's direction earlier.
Phobos' men who are shadowed by the large explosion, looked on awe upon the glaring and radiant red horrified pupils from the legionate's eyes. Shaken and trembled by the frightening scene set before their eyes, "Run!" "Back-up!" They pace their steps back away from Nigel's disturbing griming pressure.
'This is our war now!' Nigel says as soon as the smoke clears out behind his back, tenacious yells come inside the barricade. Once known as the former rebels under Caleb's Corps, rushes into battle scene as they cross the abandoned barricades and into the soldiers' scattered positions.
