Part Eight

Daunte retrieved the box that had the words windows set on stamped onto the lid. He held it in his arms for a moment before he let out a long sigh. I should do this now, in case I don't have time later.

"Daunte." Ichirou came up behind him, the child's face full of worry. "Why are you emptying your pockets? You'll come back from this, I know you will!"

Daunte turned around to face him. "Ichirou, does our headquarters have a contingency plan in the event of an invasion?"

"I…believe so," Ichirou answered after a long moment of silence. "B-But it's been months since we ran a full evacuation drill. Do you think the Army will come here?"

"If we don't succeed in this siege, they will surely come here."

"T-Then you should take everything with you!" Ichirou started pulling items off the shelf that Daunte had stored there. "If the Theocracy's Army invades headquarters, they'll steal all of your stuff!"

I'll probably be dead or in captivity if that happens, and then this stuff won't be any use to me. But Daunte didn't say that out loud. "Ichirou, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"If the Holy Army does come, you can probably guess what will happen if you get captured."

"They'll send me to the Dark Chasm," Ichirou quickly responded. Fear filled his face. "I-I…Daunte, they almost sent me there but the Liberation Army saved me. Lord Bearyl saved me. I…" he shook his head furiously and he could only whisper the rest of the words, "I don't want to go there, Daunte!"

"No, you don't," Daunte agreed. "But if the enemy advances here you'll need an escape plan. Oboro will be coming with us for the upcoming siege, but I've spoken with Tidur so if the invasion comes here find Tidur. She has an escape plan already in place and she said she'd be more than willing to help others escape." Since he was unaware of any contingency plan in the event of a very possible invasion, he'd spoken with Tidur about a possible escape route. Tidur as it turned out already had one in place for herself and her daughters, and was open to helping others. Daunte made arrangements then to have Arin remain with Tidur's family so he could flee with them as quickly as possible if the worst occurred, and he notified all other recruits he'd obtained who were not participating in the siege to also follow Tidur's lead with this.

"O-Okay." Ichirou nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Daunte."

Daunte tucked the box under his arm and headed towards the barracks. All around him soldiers and civilians were getting ready, but he was growing increasingly uneasy. Mostly because nobody seemed confident about their chances.

Well, I might as well get my worry out of the way now. If I'm worried when we march it might get me killed.

"Hi, Daunte!" Arin called out, waving to him. He was playing with his figurine on one of the beds, while Ciana sat beside him with her red string. It looked like she was playing Cat Whiskers. "You're about to leave, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Daunte said. He ruffled Ain's hair as he craned his neck around. "Is Esther around?"

"She's over there, complaining to Mom," Ciana said bluntly, gesturing with her pinky.

"Thank you." Daunte indeed saw Esther standing with Tidur and headed over to them. Tidur was calming making a bed while Esther panicked at her side.

"—to leave now!" Esther insisted, wringing her hands. "If they come while we're still here—"

"Everything will be fine, Esther. I'll look out for the both of you, I promise."

"Is everything okay?" Daunte asked them.

"Yes," Tidur reassured him, smiling. "Take care of yourself out there today, okay?"

"I will." Daunte turned his attention to Esther. "I noticed you have a passion for decorating windows, and well…" he held out the box to her. "I'm not entirely sure what this does, but I thought you could make use of it."

Esther's eyes went wide and she snatched the box. "I-Is this a real windows set?!" she pushed back the lid and squealed with delight at the contents inside. "I've never seen an actual windows set before, but I've heard so much about them! And now I have one for myself!" she looked up and positively smiled at Daunte. "Thank you so much! Would you like me to test it out now?!"

"I don't think Daunte has time for you to test out your new windows set," Tidur told her. She forced a smile at Daunte. "Thank you for this gift, Daunte. Please take care of yourself out there."

Daunte wanted ask what exactly was a windows set, but he reminded himself he was short on time. "Thank you for looking out for Arin for me."

"Anytime."

It was difficult to look at Tidur though, because he could see the strain in her face. He nodded at them and turned to walk back over to Arin. "Do you remember what I told you?"

"Follow whatever instructions Ms. Tidur gives me," Arin said. But he smiled at Daunte. "But you're coming back, so I'm not worried."

"Thanks for having faith in me." Daunte knelt down to give his brother a quick hug. However, his stomach was churning. He'd been nervous before the siege on Sloan Faakhir's Garrison, but this feeling was entirely different. He was afraid—very afraid.

I can't help but feel that something bad is going to happen.

Daunte managed to shake off the worst of his unease as he regrouped outside with Roen and Felicity. It was a relief to see so many soldiers look excited for the upcoming battle, but there wasn't too many of them. "Are you guys ready?"

"No," Roen said grimly, though he kept his voice soft. "This isn't like before. When we seized the other Garrison we knew that we outnumbered the enemy because they didn't have their full force there. But now…now I'm sure we're definitely meeting a full-force!"

Felicity was breathing through her nose, no longer holding the self-confidence she always displayed. "None of this would be happening if Lord Bearyl hadn't casted that boy out," she hissed angrily. "No—No in fact, none of this would be happening if he hadn't been so pig-headed and had helped Agameru when he could! Now the lives of everyone here is at risk!"

"There's nothing we can do about it now other than try very hard to succeed," Daunte said. He paused for a moment before adding, "And hope really, really hard that if Zander told the Sheikh of our location that the Sheikh hasn't reported it to the capital yet."

"Daunte!" a soldier called out to him. "Lord Caesar wishes to speak with you!"

"A-Are you going to be put in charge of another unit?" Felicity asked.

"If that's the case, then I sincerely hope I get put on your squad," Roen said.

Daunte wasn't entirely certain, but he followed the soldier to Caesar's location. The strategist as usual was all smiles. He looked as though nothing was wrong. "Daunte, I'm putting you in charge of a unit again. Your unit was instrumental in seizing Sloan Faakhir's Garrison before, so I know I can trust you with a position of authority."

Daunte didn't know why Caesar would want him to lead a unit again, and the thought of having the lives of one hundred soldiers in his hands for a very risky battle was unsettling. He almost wanted to refuse Caesar on the spot—to ask him to choose someone else for the job.

"We're going to be dividing our soldiers into six units," Caesar explained to them. "I will be with Lord Bearyl's unit. Varnaz, Gunther, and Allise will each command a unit like before, and there will be a single infantry unit on the field. If you're so inclined, you can command the sixth unit."

"Do…Do you really want to put that much faith in me?" Daunte asked. "I-I mean, I'm just a kid. I also abandoned the Garrison before and disobeyed orders."

"You're not just a kid, Daunte," Caesar corrected him. "You're an inspiration to these soldiers."

"But how?! I've done nothing to inspire anybody!"

"Oh? Then how come whenever our Lordship has sent you out on a recruitment quest you always return with new recruits? How come your fellow soldiers have nothing but praise for you?" Moreover." Caesar leaned in close. "A True Rune chose you to yield its power. Do you have any idea how rare that is? You're not giving yourself enough credit, Daunte. Although truthfully, you've not been given enough opportunity to truly shine here. But I'm giving you this responsibility because you can handle it, and I trust you."

Daunte stared at him blankly for a long moment. It puzzled him as to why people saw him as an inspiration when he felt he wasn't doing anything to inspire anybody. But he swallowed thickly and nodded. "I…all right, Caesar. Thank you for this opportunity."

"Thank me after we've won the battle, Daunte."

"All right, let's get this over with," Bearyl grumbled, adjusting his breastplate. "We'll focus our energy on killing Sheikh Keiran Umed. Killing a Sheikh will strike a decisive blow against the Army and will protect our location."

"What about Zander?" Gunther asked.

"What about him?"

"Well…my Lord, you gave a speech just hours ago stating that we're going to rescue him."

"The only thing I want to do for that brat is run him through with my sword when I see him," Bearyl seethed, tapping the hilt of his sword with an open palm. "We're in this position right now because of him."

We're in this position now because of YOU, Daunte corrected him silently.

"Caesar, send out the call! We're moving out now!"

Daunte gulped audibly and let out a short breath. This is it. We have to succeed today, or the lives of everyone here will be forfeit.

The Liberation Army versus Sheikh Keiran Umed

Sheikh's Forces: 600

Liberation Army Forces: 600

Victory: Sheikh Keiran Umed's unit falls

Failure: Daunte's unit falls

The Liberation Army was advancing at a steady pace. Bearyl and Varnaz's units were on horseback while the rest were on foot. Daunte kept his face and mind blank, revealing none of his emotions. Truthfully he was a lot calmer than he was before they started advancing, but now that he was being followed by Roen, Felicity, and ninety-seven other soldiers, he knew he had to maintain calm as their leader.

We're going to win. We have to win!

Caesar had explained the plan to them carefully. When they were within eight kilometers of the Sheikh's fortress the six units would split into three groups of two units. Two of the three groups would flank the Garrison from both sides as an ambush, while the third charged from the front. Daunte's unit had been grouped with the infantry unit to attack from the left, while Gunther and Allise's units would attack from the right. After both groups engaged the Garrison, then both Bearyl and Varnaz's units would attack from the front.

Daunte looked at the solitary soldier commanding the infantry unit, and saw that the man was at least fifteen years older than him, and visibly nervous. The man's unease unfortunately was also having a negative effect on the soldiers behind him. Daunte sighed shortly. All right. I'll lead this unit as well. So this is…two hundred people I'll be commanding?

Daunte heard the short blast of a horn, and the infantry leader jumped in alarm. That's the signal. We spread out now. Daunte hurried over to the infantry leader. "Follow my lead. We should arch out the units in a crescent shape, thin out the numbers so that archers will have a more difficult time targeting us."

"R-Right," the infantry leader stammered. He looked relieved that Daunte was assuming full control. "F-Fall into formation!" he shouted to his unit.

Daunte saw that both Gunther and Allise branched their units away from Bearyl, Caesar, and Varnaz, and he signaled with his arm to do the same. "On my signal, we'll approach the northwest wall of Sheikh Umed's Garrison!" Daunte shouted. "How many of you served in my unit during the siege on Sheikh Faakhir's Garrison?"

Three quarters of the soldiers in front of him raised their hands. "Good! We're going to deploy the same strategy this time! But this time we're going to focus the attention of the Garrison on us so that Lord Bearyl's unit can advance forward! They'll have rune users and archers, so to minimalize our losses! Just follow—"

Daunte abruptly cut off when shouts of alarm filled the air. He heard them coming straight from Allise and Gunther's units and slowly turned around. When he took in the sight in front of him, his bravado very abruptly drained from him and he let out a short sigh of fear.

Less than three kilometers away, he saw an Army unit that framed the horizon. They were dressed in silver and white and there was a lot of them. Almost all of them were on horseback—cavalry units. Daunte looked sideways at the other infantry unit, and looked over his shoulder at his own infantry unit, and remembered grimly that cavalry units were superior to infantry units.

A lone figure on horseback broke away from the army unit and rode forward. They were completely unperturbed at the possibility of getting attacked by archers. "I am Sheikh Keiran Umed!" the person shouted out to them. "I am a fifth generation Sheikh—I inherited this position from my father, as my father did from his! Liberation Army soldiers—today is the day that your tyranny against my country comes to an end!"

"I am Sheikh Tamara Nuori!" a shout came from Daunte's right and he quickly turned his head. Five kilometers away he saw more Holy Army soldiers. It was merely two cavalry units, but the smaller group did not reassure Daunte. "I am the daughter of High Cleric Hassan Nuori, who held his seat in the Cabinet of High Clerics for sixteen years until his untimely death! In the name of Nagar, I will strike you all down!"

"Gunther wasn't kidding," Roen breathed. "Did you hear her voice? She really is a kid—younger than us!"

"Guys!" Felicity cried out in alarm.

Daunte looked to his left and his mouth hung open. A third group was also five kilometers away. Like Tamara's group it was only two cavalry units. This group did not do any introductions, but Daunte recognize the body shape of the person leading this group and trembled. It was Sloan Faakhir.

But this fear paled in comparison to the horrible realization that swept his body.

We've fallen into a trap.

"That little bastard!" Daunte heard Bearyl shout. "He sold us out! I knew that spineless worm would sell us out!"

"My Lord, the Sheikh wouldn't have gotten Zander if you hadn't thrown him out to begin with," Caesar admonished him. Daunte was shocked to see the strategist chastise his lord so publicly.

"Everyone hold your positions," Daunte said. "I need to get updated orders. I'll be right back, I swear!"

"Please hurry," Felicity said. "The Holy Army won't wait for us to come up with a plan!"

Daunte sprinted back to Bearyl's unit, and he saw that Gunther and Allise were also racing back to Bearyl's unit. "My Lord!" Gunther shouted when they reached him. "We need a plan now!"

"A retreat at this point is impossible," Caesar said grimly. His eyes roamed their surroundings, watching the units advancing upon them from all sides. "They would simply follow us back. And they undoubtedly know where our headquarters is now."

"I swear to Nagar that I will kill that brat the next time I see him!" Bearyl raged. He was so furious that he was practically frothing at the mouth.

"Let's focus on surviving this battle," Varnaz said. "I believe our only chance of success at this point would be to attack the three Sheikh units directly. We'll still be outnumbered, but if we disable the main units it will hobble the other units."

"Good thing," Caesar said. "Sheikh Umed is too far away for us to reach, so for right now we'll focus on disabling Sheikh Nuori and Sheikh Faakhir. Gunther and Allise, Nuori is advancing upon your side so you two will engage her unit."

"Understood," Allise said. "I don't like the idea of attacking a fifteen-year-old girl, but she's obviously not here to play nice."

"So Daunte," Caesar said, looking to him. "I know this will be difficult for you, but focus your attacks on Faakhir."

"I have two infantry units taking on two cavalry units," Daunte pointed out grimly.

"That's an excellent point," Bearyl agreed. "Caesar, I'm going to assign you to Daunte's unit. He's going to need your guidance far more than I would."

"My Lord, Daunte's unit would benefit more with a cavalry unit as backup," Caesar said.

"I will send Varnaz out when the situation becomes dire," Bearyl told him. "For right now, our objective is to take out the Sheikh units. Daunte has the most difficult task, so I trust you to help him."

"…As you wish, my Lord," Caesar said finally. "Daunte, let's hurry back to your units before Faakhir reaches them."

The four of them took off running for their respective units, leaving Bearyl's and Varnaz's units standing at the back of the battlefield. "My Lord, I can surely help Daunte," Varnaz implored him. "If we're not careful, we could lose our strategist. And a True Rune possessor!"

Bearyl watched Caesar and Daunte leave in a long moment of silence before turning to address his best friend. "Varnaz, I have the most important assignment for you in this battle."

"Of course, my Lord," Varnaz said, straightening in his saddle. "What is it?"

"Sheikh Faakhir and his subunit are advancing upon us in flanking formation," Caesar said, gesturing to the sight in question as though he were explaining an exhibit in an art gallery. "We're going to need to act quickly. Since the subunit is moving into position to attack us from the south, we'll need to rush forward and attack Faakhir from the front. Roen?"

"Yes, Lord Caesar?" Roen spoke up.

"I'll need you to take frontline position with Daunte and myself. The moment Faakhir gets into range, I'll need you to cast a quick spell with your Fire Rune. How many spells does your Rune have?"

"Two."

"Good. Then what I need you to do is use the Fire Rune in rapid succession. The fire should spread panic through the unit, so while they're panicking we'll rush in and take out the Sheikh's unit. Does anyone else have an elemental Rune?" Caesar called out.

"I-I have a Wind Rune!" soldier in the infantry unit shouted. "I have two spells!"

"Good! Conserve those spells, because we're going to need quite a bit of healing during this fight! Daunte." Caesar looked at him. "Hold off on using your Rune until we're out of other options, okay? We'll fight long enough to disable the Sheikh's unit—and with any luck hopefully kill the Sheikh—and then we'll retreat back. Lord Bearyl said that Varnaz would be deployed to us if we get into trouble, but don't use that as a crutch."

"R-Right." Daunte turned to look at the soldiers behind them. "Forward march! For the Liberation Army!"

The soldiers cheered and charged forward. As Caesar predicted, Sloan Faakhir was riding down upon them from the front. Daunte saw Adalgiso, and remembered that the man had saved him from being beaten to death, but he shook off the feeling.

"Roen, now!" Caesar shouted, running behind them. Daunte realized too late with alarm that Caesar was not armed, and yet was charging with them as though he were a soldier. He deliberately stepped in front of the strategist, determined to protect his life.

"Flaming Arrows!" Roen shrieked, raising his hand. The sky above them turned dark, and suddenly Sloan Faakhir's unit was consumed by fire raining down from the heavens. Soldiers shrieked in agony and the horses panicked, bucking wildly and throwing their riders clean off.

"Now!" Caesar shouted again. Daunte came alongside a soldier trying to quell his bucking horse and jumped up, punching the man in his sternum. The soldier gagged while Daunte hoisted himself up on the horse and delivered a succession of punches to the soldier's face. The man fell off his horse unconscious and Daunte jumped off the horse, getting out of its way as it ran off.

"Fall back!" Caesar then shouted. Daunte scrambled to his feet, realizing the firestorm was fading. He realized he hadn't gotten close to the Sheikh and looked in his direction. Bile rose sharply in his throat at what he saw. Sloan's horse had panicked, but the man himself did not. And any Liberation Army soldier that had tried to attack him had been slain. Daunte counted at least a dozen bodies draped over each other around the Sheikh's horse.

"Use your Wind Rune!" Caesar shouted as they fell back. The solider in question complied, shouting "Healing Wind!" and quickly healed the units of their injuries. It was not a moment too soon, however, as Faakhir's subunit was suddenly upon them. "Spread out, spread out!"

The brutality of warfare was never more apparent to Daunte than in that moment. He'd known that cavalry units would always best infantry units, but he never knew it would be to…this degree. The infantry unit alongside Daunte's sustained heavy losses in a matter of seconds. Daunte was horrified. He'd never seen so many people die so quickly in his life.

Use your Rune, USE YOUR RUNE!

"HOWL!" Daunte shouted, raising his hand. The power of the Rune of Restoration engulfed the units, healing the remaining injuries.

Caesar surprisingly didn't yell at Daunte for prematurely using his Rune. "Again, Roen!"

Roen used his Fire Rune again, and since their units were flanked on all sides it meant that both Sloan's unit and the subunit were engulfed in the spell. The shrieks and the neighing horses filled Daunte's ears. Then, a new sound cut through the air.

"We've sustained many losses, Sir. We have to signal for the retreat."

Daunte almost collapsed in relief. It's over. We were successful.

His joy, however, was short-lived. "Did I ask for your input, Adalgiso? It was made perfectly clear to us that we were to crush the Liberation Army in this battle, and that is what we're going to do."

"Sheikh Faakhir, our soldiers have suffered severe burns and were trampled by their own horses. If we keep pushing them, then—"

"Tell them to scrape their bodies off the ground and keep fighting! If they can still breathe, they're going to keep fighting until they stop breathing. That is an order!"

"…Yes, Sir."

Daunte was incredulous. Sheikh Faakhir was going to force his own soldiers to keep fighting, no matter what their injuries?! Just retreat, PLEASE!

But they did not retreat. The soldiers forced themselves to their feet and charged forward. They stank of burnt flesh and many had broken bones, but they did as commanded and continued to fight.

"I…was not expecting this," Caesar said at length, looking genuinely shocked. "The Sheikhs have a reputation for taking care of their soldiers, but this is…this is Luca Blight levels of wrong, here."

"Who is Luca Blight?" Daunte asked before he could stop himself.

"Now is not the time for such things, Daunte. We're still outnumbered, but they've lost many of their horses. We have no choice but to keep engaging them."

So fight they did. Daunte did as he was told and did not use the Rune again, but he felt physically ill when he saw the soldiers dying all around him. Roen and Felicity continued to fight as well, but they were also injured. The soldier managed to cast another Wind Rune spell before he was cut down.

Daunte still could not get close to the Sheikh, but the man himself looked overwhelmed. Then he raised his right hand, and it glowed. "Felicity!" he shouted impulsively.

Felicity saw what was happening and threw one of her throwing knives. To Daunte's relief the knife met its mark and stabbed Sloan's palm. The Sheikh shouted in pain, and the Rune's glow abruptly faded. As he hunched over, Adalgiso gestured with his hand. "Fall back now!"

"Oh, you are a lifesaver!" Caesar laughed, hugging Felicity.

"It was all Daunte," Felicity laughed breathlessly. "I wouldn't have thought to throw the knife without him!"

Sheikh Faakhir didn't argue with Adalgiso this time and did a temporary retreat. His heavily injured subunit followed. The soldiers around Daunte cheered, but Daunte was not so reassured. Of their two units of two hundred soldiers, they barely had half of that number left.

And he could see one of Sheikh Umed's infantry units advancing upon them.

"Get ready, everyone," Caesar said. He idly glanced over his shoulder. "We sh—" he abruptly cut off.

"What's wrong?" Daunte said.

"I need to go," Caesar said, turning back around to face them. "I need to see Lord Bearyl now."

"Wait, don't leave us!" Roen exclaimed. "We don't have a strategy!"

"Don't worry, don't worry," Caesar said, raising his hands. "As you can see, Allise and Gunther made short work of Sheikh Nuori's unit." Daunte did indeed see that. He also saw that both Gunther and Allise had more surviving soldiers in their unit. "They're going to meet up with you guys to give assistance. I'll be right back, I promise." He sprinted back to Bearyl without another word.

"Where is—Desiree?!" Daunte shouted. He frantically waved the dancer forward. It was strange seeing her in full armor, but he was relieved she was unhurt. "You're fast on your feet. Hurry over to Gunther and Allise and tell them we need help now."

"I'm on it," Desiree promised. She also took off running, and Daunte was inwardly amazed by how fast she was.

"Get ready!" Felicity shouted. "I-I might be able to use my Kite Rune like an archery attack! How do archery units fare against cavalry units again?"

"Not good," Daunte said. "But we have no choice. Give it a try!"

Felicity used her Kite Rune on the infantry unit advancing upon them. Daunte was amazed to see hundreds of knives rained down upon them. But his stomach turned as only two soldiers fell to the attack. The rest kept marching, undeterred.

"Don't panic yet, Daunte! The day is still young!"

Daunte almost laughed in relief as Gunther and Allise's units charged forward to defend them. A cavalry unit of Umed's charged towards them and Daunte looked to Allise. "H-How many spells on your Rune do you have left?!"

"Two," Allise told him calmly. Daunte was amazed that she hadn't used it at all yet. "Just give me a moment and I'll use it!"

The moment itself came when the cavalry unit arrived to engage their four units. Allise called forth her Pale Gate Rune and Daunte was scared by the ferocity of the spell. It not only scared the living daylights out of the enemy soldiers, but it also killed quite a few of them. The infantry unit quickly retreated, but the cavalry unit lingered.

And out of the corner of Daunte's eye, he saw Sloan Faakhir's unit return to the battlefield.

He heard Gunther cuss violently, and Daunte turned to look again. Two more of Keiran Umed's cavalry units were upon them. It wasn't long before their four units were swarmed by four cavalry units—two that were heavily injured, but two that were at full strength.

It was mass chaos. Daunte hear nothing but screams around him and the impacting sound of weapons against flesh and bone. He spun around wildly, fending off attacks and trying to locate his friends. All he saw was a wall of horses and angry-faced Holy Army soldiers.

"Fall back—FALL BACK!" Gunther shouted in a voice Daunte had never heard before. It terrified him. "Allise, please!"

"I-I'm on it!" Allise shouted. Her tone of voice also chilled Daunte to the bone. Both of them sounded terrified. It was not reassuring at all. "O-OPEN GATE!"

It was undoubtedly the final spell she had left, but it surely counted. Once again it terrified the enemy soldiers and caused massive casualties. It was the distraction they sorely needed to disentangle themselves from the battle and retreat. Roen and Felicity thankfully had minor injures, but Daunte saw that Desiree was limping and threw her arm over his shoulder, practically dragging her away.

"M-My foot," she complained softly. "One of the s-soldiers was wearing tanker boots. I-I think my ankle is—"

"Don't worry, we'll get you back and Clara can use her Flowing Rune on you," Daunte reassured her. But the guilt quickly overwhelmed him. If it wasn't for her, then she'd still be on Baltas dancing.

Thankfully the soldiers were too busy recuperating to follow their retreat back to Bearyl Lutis. Daunte bristled when he saw Bearyl's cavalry unit completely unengaged from what had happened, but he saw the anger in the soldier's faces and calmed down. But it was short-lived.

"—don't understand anything!" Caesar shouted, wringing his hands in fury. "How can you be so STUPID?!"

"Don't you talk to me like that, Caesar!" Bearyl shouted back at him. "I did exactly what I had to do in order for us to win!"

"We've lost the battlefield!" Caesar roared. "More than a third of our soldiers are dead! In what realm of reality did you think such an idea would be a good idea?!"

Daunte gaped at this display. Our commander and our strategist are fighting. Publicly fighting.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gunther demanded, rushing forward. For once he acted as the voice of reason. "This is not the time or the place to be fighting amongst ourselves! The enemy is still advancing, can't you both see that?!"

"Our Lord sent Varnaz to attack Sheikh Umed's unit directly!" Caesar snapped.

Gunther's face abruptly fell. "…What?"

"The goal of this battle was to attack the Sheikh units and disable them," Bearyl said defensively. "We've disabled Faakhir and Nuori. It was only logical to—"

"Sheikh Umed is at the back of the battlefield!" Caesar interrupted harshly. "He hasn't engaged any of our units! And yet you sent Varnaz's entire unit to go behind enemy lines to attack the Sheikh?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"What I've done is secure victory for us. Varnaz will dispatch of Sheikh Umed, and I will send a secondary unit to aid in his retreat. It was the only course of ac—"

"Oh Nagar, you sent Varnaz on a suicide mission!" Gunther suddenly shouted. He wrung a hand through his hair. "You sent your best friend and all his men to their deaths! Our Lieutenant General…" he fell to his knees. It was surprising to see Gunther so upset over Varnaz's fate, considering they didn't get along at all, but even Gunther understood what the consequences would be if they lost Varnaz.

"My Lord, how could you think this was a good idea?" Allise asked quietly. Her face was pale. "Sheikh Umed's forces are still advancing, and the other Sheikh's forces are recovering to join in the advance. How exactly is a secondary unit supposed to reach Varnaz in time to ensure he gets out of there alive?"

Something flickered in Bearyl's face—almost like horrifying realization. But just as quickly the expression was gone and his face hardened. "I trust Varnaz more than I trust the lot of you. He understands what it means to be a soldier, and the sacrifices that come with it. He will do his duty to the end."

"S-So you aren't sending the secondary unit after him?!" Daunte exclaimed.

"Through that?" Bearyl snapped, gesturing. Daunte turned and saw that literally hundreds of soldiers were advancing upon them. "This was a failure. That stupid boy has cost us so much. We need to get back to headquarters and focus on evacuating. They know of our location—we have to cut our losses while we can and flee." He snapped his teeth together.

"I…agree with you," Caesar said very reluctantly. "We have no choice but to fall back and get our remaining people out of harm's way. I'll signal for the retreat."

"W-W-We can't leave Varnaz to die!" Daunte shouted. "He's expecting assistance from us! W-Would he have even agreed to do this if you hadn't promised him a relief unit to help him?!"

"What do you expect me to do, Daunte?!" Bearyl snapped at him. "Sacrifice more of the men and women who serve under me?! Varnaz will do his duty and he will kill the Sheikh. This isn't an easy decision for me, but it's one I must do."

But it's YOUR fault he's in that position! But Daunte knew it would do no good to say that out loud. "Then I'll go!" he seethed through clenched teeth. "I'll go and rescue Varnaz!"

"Daunte, that is not a risk I'm willing to take," Caesar said sharply. "You possess the True Rune. If capture or kill you, then they'll gain possession of it!"

"I'm not going to abandon him to die!" Daunte barked back. "I'll do what I must to save him!" he pulled back the glove on his right hand and knelt down. He scrubbed dirt onto the surface of his hand, covering up the Rune of Restoration. "There! Now they won't know it's me!"

"I'm with Daunte," Felicity said, stepping forward. "I want to save Varnaz as well."

"Me too," Roen spoke up. "We have to hurry though, before he's lost to us for good!"

Caesar looked between Bearyl and Gunther and Allise before looking back at Daunte. "…All right," he said very reluctantly. "Go and save him. But take only five people with you. You'll draw less attention that. Tell me now who you want to come with you, and I'll summon them here immediately."

"We have to stay with our units to evacuate," Gunther said, gesturing to Allise. "But please be careful. Don't you dare get yourselves killed."

"Move quickly and find Varnaz," Allise said. "If you can't find him or can't reach him, then retreat. There's no shame in doing that."

"Daunte," Caesar said insistently. "I need your decision now. Besides Roen and Felicity, who is coming with you?"

Daunte only had a moment to think before he blurted out names. "Jantu. A-And Sharon and her dragon."

"Well the dragon should scare the daylights out the soldiers," Allise said. "All of you please be careful."

"We'll see you guys later," Gunther said, dragging Daunte into a hug. "We'll leave clues along the way of where we're going so keep watch."

"Just be careful and stay alive," Caesar implored them.

"T-Thank you," Daunte tried to force a smile but couldn't manage. He knew he was doing the right thing, but he still felt sick to his stomach. I'm sorry, Arin…

Varnaz never made it to Sheikh Keiran Umed's forces. His unit was headed off by a separate cavalry unit. They were evenly matched, until another cavalry unit attacked them from behind. This unit was full of injured soldiers but they still outnumbered Varnaz's unit.

What is this? Why are Gunther and the others allowing the enemy to fall back? I'm going to keep getting sidetracked at this rate!

"General!" Varnaz barely heard the private's shout over the chaos of the battle. "The Liberation Army—they're retreating!"

"Keep your eyes open!" Varnaz barked over his shoulder. He parlayed the last soldier's blow and smacked him in the face with his morningstar. He nursed his side slightly. He hadn't been fully stabbed, but he had been nicked by a sword. "They'll be here any moment!"

"No, sir, they're all leaving! Everyone's fleeing the battlefield!"

Varnaz rolled his eyes and seeing a free moment marched upon his soldier and wrung his collar with one hand. "Lord Bearyl is sending reserves after us!" he snarled into the younger man's face. "But if you continue to carry on like this, our foes will realize we've led them into a trap!"

"Sir!" another soldier shouted, scrambling up the hill towards them. "They've called for the retreat! Everyone is falling back! Everyone!"

Varnaz lifted his towards the back of the battlefield. He saw recognize Bearyl's squad by the banners they held, and they were riding furiously in the opposite direction of the battlefield. His eyes quickly scanned the fighting around them. All over the place he saw a sea of blue breaking away from the battle and running and riding away. The Theocracy's Army was swiftly giving chase on these groups, but everyone was running away.

There was not one group running in their direction.

"Does this mean we're supposed to retreat, too?" another soldier asked softly.

"How can we retreat?!" the first snarled. "We snuck behind enemy lines to get to this position! How in the name of Nagar do we get out of here?!"

Varnaz said nothing. He just stood there and watched the fleeing Army. Watched his best friend ride away.

"My Lord, this is risky. I'm confident I can reach Sheikh Umed, but how are we going to get ourselves out of this? I can't commit my soldiers to such a plan without a safety net."

"Don't worry, Varnaz. Once you carve a path towards Umed, I'll send another unit after yours. They'll extract you from the battlefield and escort you back. Just trust me with this."

"Sir!" a soldier shrieked in alarm. Behind them, a unit of well over thirty soldiers was quickly advancing upon them. Varnaz turned and rushed to the front to protect what remained of his soldiers, but he couldn't stop from looking back over his shoulder. He could no longer see Bearyl or his unit.

I don't believe it. He abandoned me to die after swearing he would look out for me? For my men? He looked at his soldiers, the men and women who served under him and had always given him unconditional trust and respect. He saw the anguish and anger in their faces. He'd led them to a senseless, needless death. What…What have I done?

"Flaming Arrows!"

Varnaz's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as the Fire Rune spell engulfed their enemies. They shrieked in terror and in pain as six bodies suddenly took position in front of Varnaz and his soldiers.

"Sorry we're late!" Daunte shouted over his shoulder. He counted only twenty soldiers left of Varnaz's unit, and he cursed himself for arriving late. "The Army has fallen back, so you guys need to fall back too!"

"Y-You're the reserves sent to assist us?!" a soldier cried out. "How are we supposed to get out of here?!"

"As you've undoubtedly noticed, the battle has created a dust cloud over the area," Jantu pointed out. "Use the dust cloud as cover for your retreat. We'll distract the soldiers long enough for you to get out."

Varnaz gaped at Daunte. "Y…All you came out here to save us?"

"No thanks to your boneheaded leader," Sharon barked. She grinned down at Suna. "Go and break a couple of legs!"

"Here they come!" Daunte shouted. Suna did indeed rush forward and started breaking legs with her dragon mouth. The sight of the dragon was very startling for the soldiers, who either fled in terror or were writhing on the ground in agony.

"We'll cover you!" Felicity snapped at Varnaz and his troops. "But you need to go now before more show up!"

"T-Then the six of you are going be out here alone?" Varnaz said incredulously. "I-I-I can't do that! I can't simply—"

"Go, now!" Daunte snapped, shoving Varnaz in the shoulder with one arm. "You're the Lieutenant General! Our Army will crumble without you! Save your men and save yourself, I'll cover your retreat!"

Varnaz's soldiers finally obliged and took off running. Varnaz himself however lingered, and he swallowed thickly before he nodded. "I won't forget this, Daunte. If you survive this, I swear to you I won't forget this."

"Guys!" Roen shouted. Daunte looked over his shoulder and saw two dozen more soldiers charging at them, bellowing out war cries and swinging their weapons.

"We've got you covered, now GO!" Felicity shouted, brandishing her knives.

Varnaz said nothing more and took off running after his soldiers.

"What have I gotten us into, Suna?" Sharon said in a small voice, but she released her small dragon and readied her weapon, while Suna bellowed out a cry.

"Everyone, stand your ground!" Jantu commanded. "On my signal, engage!" they stood ready until the soldiers were three meters away. "NOW!"

"Best Friends!" Daunte shouted. Roen and Felicity surged forward with him to unleash their unite attack on the entire enemy units. Daunte felt his hands go numb after striking five soldiers, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

"Dragon Knight Attack!" Sharon shouted as the trio jumped back. Suna quickly rose into the air and after a couple of heaves blew out a small stream of fire. It was only enough to set a single soldier on fire, though the flames jumped onto two other soldiers. But the sudden appearance of the small dragon utterly terrified the soldiers, who jumped back in alarm. Those who didn't get out of range quickly enough were hit by Sharon's swinging spear.

Less than five minutes later only four enemy soldiers remained, but Daunte and his group were seriously injured. He rubbed the back of his right hand and frowned. I only have one spell left. I should save it, but at this rate we won't survive fleeing the battlefield.

He lifted a hand and shouted. "Howl!" the spell did its work however and healed their group.

"I-It's him!" one of the soldiers shrieked. "He has the True Rune! He—"

Jantu struck him down before his shouts could carry, and the remaining soldiers were also dispatched. "It's time to go!" the Kobold boomed out. "We're not going to survive another wave!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Roen shouted. "We rescued Varnaz, let's get out of here!"

"We're surrounded by dust clouds!" Sharon exclaimed, grabbing for Suna. "How will we get out of here alive?!"

"We'll find a way!" Daunte said. "But no more stalling, let's go!"

The group turned to run, but Daunte felt something snag his right ankle and suddenly found himself flat on his face in the dirt. He looked up to see the group running away. "Guys!" he shouted after them.

"Daunte!" Felicity shouted in alarm. They turned to run back to him.

Daunte rolled over onto his back and saw a mortally wounded enemy soldier grabbing for him. The man's face was streaked with blood, but his eyes—his eyes frightened Daunte. They looked…

The soldier's free hand pressed into the dirt as he struggled to sit up. He was spitting out blood as he struggled to speak. "Voice of Earth."

The man's right hand glowed, and a greenish-brown symbol in the shape of an explosion rose into the air. The ground beneath Daunte shook, and in a panic he rolled to avoid the Rune's spell. The soldier hung onto his ankle, however, and there was an explosion of dirt into the air. Rocks and clumps of dirt rained down Daunte, but he had somehow avoided the worst of the spell.

But then the ground caved in from underneath him.

Suddenly he was falling and down a hill created by the power of the Rune's spell. He heard his friends shrieking above him, but Daunte didn't scream. He couldn't scream. All he could do was curl and protect his head as his body slammed its way down the hill.

Finally, his body came to a stop. He was sore all over and he groaned pitifully. He was only vaguely aware that his ankle was free. He opened his eyes groaned but then only quickly closed them when the world shook violently. But though brief, his eyes were open long enough to see the soldier who had caused this carnage. The man lay in the dirt, his body twisted up in an unnatural position. Daunte didn't know if he was still alive.

Daunte blinked and his vision rattled. He groaned and rolled onto his side, clutching at his head. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself, as he rose shakily onto his hands and knees. With some considerable effort he raised his head…and recoiled in alarm.

He was surrounded. All around him were soldiers of the Holy Army in their silver uniforms. All of them were pointing their swords at him. Daunte raised shaking hands and slowly stood up. He looked around himself and only saw the dead body of the soldier who had fallen down the hill with him. The others were nowhere to be found.

They escaped. Good. He breathed out a sigh of relief, even as his stomach clenched with dread.

"Stand down!"

The soldiers immediately sheathed their swords as two figures rode through the dust cloud and into the clearing. One of them was wearing the Sheikh's uniform, and Daunte couldn't stop the whimper from escaping his throat. Oh no. If that's Sloan Faakhir, I'm surely going to die!

"Sheikh Umed!" a soldier greeted them. All of the saluted as Daunte hunched over once more with relief. It's not him. I don't know if I'm going to survive this, but at least I know I won't be tortured.

"This is all that's left of the rebel army?" Keiran asked. His face was hidden behind his hood but the incredulity was evident in his voice. "A teenaged boy sent behind enemy lines? I knew Bearyl Lutis was a fool, but what sort of man sends a child on such an idiotic quest?"

Daunte was surprised by Keiran's demeanor. He would think the Sheikh would recognize him as the child who "stole" the True Rune from the Matron, but he said nothing about it. So he doesn't know it's me? I should keep it that way, then.

"The boy rescued Varnaz Behzadi," a young soldier spoke up. Daunte bristled slightly as he took this particular soldier in, as he looked younger than Daunte himself. "The Lieutenant General successfully escaped, while he provided a distraction."

"Really?" Keiran asked. He lifted his gaze to meet Daunte's. "You sacrificed yourself to save a fool not smart to know he's following a bad order? That was very brave of you…and very stupid. It's a pity that the Liberation Army didn't realize or respect your character. What is your name?"

"…Daunte," Daunte said shakily. He took one step back.

"Greetings to you, Daunte." Keiran bowed slightly. "I am Keiran Umed, Sheikh of the Holy Army and commander of the northeastern provinces. It's a shame you chose to follow a man like Bearyl Lutis, Daunte. Someone of your character would've gone much farther and done far better under my tutelage."

"I could never do that," Daunte impulsively blurted out.

"Is that so?" Keiran asked him. "Why not? You would've gone far with my help."

"I could never join an Army that supports monstrosities like the Dark Chasm." Daunte realized too late he was making himself far too obvious and stiffened. I said too much! He's going to figure me out!

"Ah," Keiran said, straightening. "Is the prison camp why you joined the Liberation Army? While I freely admit I don't support such a facility, I cannot deny it was created by Holy Decree. And I'm sure you're well aware that it's still in operation—that your Liberation Army has done nothing to liberate those children. So here you are, at my mercy and the Dark Chasm still in operation. Was this all worth it to you?"

Daunte bit down hard on his bottom lip. He didn't want the Sheikh to realize who he was, especially with his Howl spell completely used up, so he said nothing.

"I could hand you over to the Theocracy," Keiran said. "But seeing as you are in this current circumstance because of your desire to save another's life, I believe you deserve better than the standard public execution you would be facing as both a heretic and a traitor." He suddenly unsheathed his weapon, revealing a Kampilan sword, and pointed the tip at Daunte. "A man of honor such as yourself deserves to die an honorable death. Therefore I challenge you to single combat, Daunte. More specifically, a duel."

Daunte was glad that he learned about duels from Jantu, but his heart still dropped into his stomach. This wasn't for practice now. He was facing off against a Sheikh, and he was exhausted from the battle. He didn't know how he could win this.

"It will be a fair duel with no outside inference," Keiran told him. "I don't make it a habit to linger, so you will scarcely feel any pain."

"What happens if I win?" Daunte asked him.

"You're not going to win," Keiran responded, but there was no arrogance in his tone. Just a simple stating of the facts…and Daunte knew he was telling the truth. "But if you defeat me you will be freed. It's the least I can do, for such a humiliating circumstance would be deserving to me if I fell at your hand."

"My Lord."

Keiran looked over his shoulder as a second man stepped forward. Daunte knew by the man's uniform that this was the Sheikh's second-in-command. "I ask permission to duel in your place."

Keiran narrowed his eyes at the other man, and Daunte was certain he was frowning behind his hood. "Mihr, I was the one who issued the challenge. It is only right that I fight him."

Mihr unsheathed his weapon, revealing a great sword. "I too am in awe of his good character and would like the opportunity to duel him. But despite his honor I do not believe he is worthy of dueling you, and so he should not be rewarded with such an honorable death. I will give him nothing less, but I believe if there's anyone's blade he should fall to, it should be mine."

Keiran stared at him for a long moment before he slowly nodded and sheathed his own sword. "I hope you will excuse me, Daunte, but Mihr will challenge you in my place."

Daunte swallowed thickly as Mihr walked over to stand in front of him. Mihr appeared to be the same height as Keiran at around 187 centimeters, but he had a stockier build to him. By his stance and the way he held his sword, he was obviously a very seasoned warrior. Daunte met his eyes and had to look away. Mihr did not look upon him with contempt, but it wasn't with indifference, either. It was almost…pity.

"It's a shame I have to meet a young man with so much potential on opposing sides like this," Mihr said. Around them, Keiran's soldiers formed a wide circle. It was impossible for Daunte to even attempt to escape. "By my oath, I swear by my sword Nariek that I will best you."

Daunte was shaking, but he assumed his stance as Mihr raised his great sword and assumed the ox position. All around them the soldiers began to cheer and shout, all for encouragement for Mihr. Daunte was puzzled as to why they were wasting their time here when they probably should've been chasing after the fleeing Liberation Army.

But if they waste their time here, that'll allow the others to escape more easily.

"Let me start with a simple warm-up," Mihr said suddenly. Daunte braced himself. T-That sounds like an attack. So I must attack too! Daunte rushed forward just as Mihr did. Daunte threw a punch and heard a 'clang' noise as his tekko met the armor on Mihr's torso. Undeterred, Mihr swung his blade and Daunte shouted in pain as the blade grazed his left shoulder.

"That was a good effort, but you'll need to do better if you plan on defeating me," Mihr said. Daunte pressed a trembling hand to his bleeding shoulder, even as his mind quickly dissected the meaning of that statement. A-Another attack!

Mihr swung his sword, but luckily missed this time. Daunte had ducked to avoid the blow so he knew he couldn't reach Mihr's face, so he swung his fist and connected straight with the side of Mihr's body. His tekko met flesh. "Guh!" Mihr hissed in pain and jumped away. He nursed his side, but otherwise remained steady on his feet.

"I'm impressed," he said, rubbing at his side. "But do you think you can get under my guard like that again?"

It sounded like Mihr was going to defend, but when Daunte raised his hands there was a violent twitch of pain from his shoulder and his left hand dropped back again. I should attack! I must attack! But my arm, it's—!

In the end, they both defended. The soldiers around them continued to shouts words of encouragement to Mihr, but Keiran remained silent. Mihr suddenly straightened, no longer holding his side. "Thank you for letting me catch my breath, but you will regret it."

That sounded like a deathblow, and Daunte immediately went on the defensive. But to his horror Mihr still penetrated his guard. Daunte saw stars and screamed as the blade cut straight down his arm. No, no! He attacked! Pain filled his mind, muting all his thoughts, as he hugged his bleeding right arm to his chest.

"I think it's time I take this seriously," Mihr said.

That definitely sounded like a deathblow. Daunte feebly went on the defensive as Mihr charged at him again. His movements were far different this time, and Daunte felt a spike of adrenaline at the realization that he'd guessed correctly this time. Mihr swung his blade but Daunte ducked and swept Mihr's legs out from underneath him. He fell flat on his back and Daunte jumped onto him, straddling him. He punched Mihr three consecutive times in the face. I-I might win this!

To his shock however, Mihr barely flinched. He spat out blood but suddenly Daunte was flipped and suddenly he was pinned to the dirt. W-What? How is he still conscious?! I just knocked another man out with less punches!

To his surprise however, Mihr did not attack him. Mihr instead retrieved Nariek and readied himself. "I'll give you credit where credit is due," he said in steady voice. "But you're not going to win this."

It sounded like an attack so Daunte launched himself from the dirt and charged Mihr. But his fist only met open air and he saw the swing of his swung. Daunte heard the 'thud' but he did not feel pain. He only saw a white flash fill he vision and suddenly lost all control of his body. He fell face first into the dirt.

Mihr had struck him on the back of his head with the flat of his sword.

Daunte's eyes fell shut, but he still saw white. He felt wetness on his nape, but he couldn't move. He almost felt like he was melting into the ground. He…

"Wait, Mihr."

It sounded like Keiran's voice, but Daunte didn't react. He couldn't open his eyes.

"—very impressed," Mihr was saying. "It's been far too long since someone could penetrate my guard like that."

"Go get yourself healed with a Water Rune. I've had a change of heart. I'm taking this child into custody."

I…I'm going to be a prisoner? Alarm filled Daunte's bodies as an assortment of hands grabbed at his limbs. He opened his eyes but only saw white. As he succumbed to darkness, he could still heard Mihr and Keiran talking.

"Will let him go like you let the other child go?"

"I'm not certain yet. But since he's a Liberation Army member, he should be able to provide some valuable information to us."

Daunte only had the strength to gurgle in protest, before he blacked out completely.

End of Chapter Two