Chapter 9: A New Chance
The battle ensued for what seemed to be almost a full hour to everyone. Right as the battle started, everyone was forced to scatter, everyone taking more than their share of the boars. LJ focused on freezing his monsters in place. His main concern was trying to get the leader's simple-mindedness away from Lycan. Protecting his friend was more important than anything, seeing as he was knocked out. What made matters worse was that the mages they were fighting weren't fighters, but healers. They're tusks and cries were a spell being casted. It thawed every monster he freezed. The only way they could keep the monsters off Lycan was if they killed them, which was harder than anticipated.
The boars were more intelligent than they anticipated. Even though the boars were one-tracked, they made sure that none of them were left to fight alone. None of them could get close enough to their healers or have enough time to cast a ranged spell or aim a well-placed headshot.
After about five minutes of running around and fighting, Lincoln and Michael had only managed to kill two of the lackies. Lincoln thrusted his sword into the neck of one and when a boar tried to hit him behind with an axe, Michael parried the attack and slashed right through its neck, blood squirting out as the head slid off. Veronica was left running away, avoiding every swing possible. She was grazed slightly in the shoulder by a slow, powerful swing of the leader's axe. Sara had flown by and picked her up. Everyone regrouped in front of Lycan's body, breathing heavily as they wasted energy in an unwanted fight. It should've been easier than the previous battle, but that was because of Michael's hidden power.
"We have to get those damn healers." Veronica breathed heavily between her words. "We can't do anything with them around."
"What about the leader?" Michael asked.
"I was going to say Lycan if he woke up-" Lincoln started.
"No." LJ quickly interrupted. "He can't fight." He looked down at his friend, who was still unconscious from the blow. "Not in his condition." He said glumly. Lycan's life was important to him; his friendship along with the fact that he depended on him to be there with him was important.
"They're attacking!" Sara shouted as several of the boars flanked them left and right. LJ casted a strong wind spell to blow Lycan out of the way as the rest of the group engaged the flanking boars. Sara casted a fire shield to deter the boars on the right. Michael and Lincoln parried the axe swings. The fight really wasn't turning out for them. If they were anymore intelligent, Lycan probably would've been attacked by the leader.
*---*
When Paul finally ran back alone to HQ, everyone, the commoners and the other rangers, were inconspicuously gawking at him as he treaded by. Everyone knew he left on a mission with a rather large group of men, but when he came back alone unscathed, it aroused suspicion about the mission. His credibility as a ranger, a leader, a man who was capable of becoming regent, disappeared.
Paul was aware of the blank stares around him, but he couldn't do anything. If he reacted, others would absolutely know that he failed the mission Colonel Padman gave him. All he could do was ignore them.
He slowed down his walking. He had to report the mission failure to the Colonel. The ending of the report would've led to a worse fate for Paul. Fail this mission and be sent back into the academy for a full 18 years. He sighed and just pushed back the idea of dealing with 18 long, grueling years in the academy.
When he reached the entrance to the Colonel's office, he paused, leaving himself poised to knock on the door. He started to review the events that occurred in the previous battle. Michael was impervious to attacks and he was too powerful and fast. He couldn't recognize his own friends and started swinging at Lycan, who was skilled enough to avoid the deadly strikes. Berserker, he thought.
He recalled the red scales and the fiery aura that emanated from it. What was he exactly? Michael was human, at least that's what was put on his file. There was something more about him, something different. It wasn't the same Michael that he always knew would stay a grunt. He was different. But he still had the same characteristics about him. He still trusted him as friend, well at least until Paul stabbed him. And he still had the same loyalty that he held for his friends. But what made him into that monstrosity?
He turned around and walked to the library. He realized that the lights had dimmed, making it nighttime. He was going to find out more about Michael, the Colonel, and the mysterious power Michael obtained.
*---*
Paul entered the library, feeling relieved that no one was there, not even the librarian. That allowed him to enter the restricted section without fear of being caught. Everyone knew Paul was back, but not a single soul went and told the Colonel for they feared that he already knew and was furious with what happened in the mission. No one wanted to get the backlash so they remained quiet.
He looked around the restricted section for anything about mysterious powers, or anything in general that had anything to do with the mythical or mystical genre. He also included in his search about the history of the Colonel. There had to be something on the shelves since the Colonel was a man that trained Rangers for a long time. There had to be some sort of biography...
"Paul!" A lady who sounded like she was in her early 20s whispered loudly as possible.
He jumped around, surprised that there was someone with him. Paul looked at her and scowled. Why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be Lilian? "What do you want?" He asked rudely. "I thought you and LJ were over each other."
"Where's LJ?" She asked in the same manner, disregarding the fact that he had brought up the break-up.
Lilian was a graduate from the academy. She graduated the same year as Lycan and LJ. She was about as tall as he was. Her skin was tanned and her hair was strawberry blonde. She wore her regular uniform which were red mage overalls that had a golden lightning bolt on both sides. It was exactly like LJ's. Her staff was more equipped for melee fighting at the sacrifice of slightly weaker magic with the sharp, steel, long arrowheads at both sides.
"I don't know." Paul lied. He stared at the bookcase before him, scanning for the books he needed to find. A few moments later, he realized that she was still there beside him. "Is there anything else you need?" He hinted in his voice that he wanted her to go away.
"Paul," she said in a hard tone. "I know he left with Lycan and you for some big mission. I could care less about Lycan, but what matters most to me is LJ," her tone was frantic now. "And he's not here."
Paul shook his head. "Just go your own way, Lil. I don't have time to talk to you." He went back to searching.
"Are you looking for information on the Colonel?"
He dumbly looked at her when she said exactly what she was searching for. "I knew it."
"Do you know where I can find information on him?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Well, I searched the libraries archives and everything. There's not a single file on him anywhere." She said matter-of-factly.
"May I ask why you were searching for information on him?" Paul asked. There was something different about Lilian. It was like she was trying desperately to find LJ and talk to him. He knew it probably was how she wanted to apologize for her dislike of Lycan. She wanted to apologize for her jealousy towards him.
She and LJ broke up a long time ago. Well they never really broke up. They just never went out. Four years ago, they were meant to go out. LJ and Lilian never separated from one another. In the academy, there was this whole entire bet about the two of them marrying right out of graduation. Then three years before they all graduated together, LJ met Lycan for the first time. The two of them were almost like long, lost brothers (although most of the reason as to why they clicked easily was because Lincoln spilled information about LJ to him so that he would be able to get to know him better. Lycan was a pretty decent liar when it boiled down to it).
After Lilian saw how LJ and Lycan were really good friends, she felt like she was shafted off into another part of LJ's mind. She wanted to be his center of attention, but she didn't want to do anything that would make him mad at her. So she just left and fell right off the radar. She and LJ were just friends after that. But she still felt like she wanted to be a bigger part of his life and now she wanted to apologize and make things work between her and Lycan.
However, her reasons were not only that, but because she disliked Sofia for LJ. Sofia wasn't the type who would wait on LJ. She was more of the work hard to get somewhere type. It was like she was a female version of Paul, but with long black hair, brown skin, and tighter clothes than what he would wear. Her clothes were like Paul's, but longer and tighter around her body. Also she was an Ice Mage like LJ, but less on the melee side of the staff and more on the range. Her only reason in life was like Paul's; she wanted to succeed at whatever cost and LJ was a help in getting there.
Lilian never did like Sofia and it was only until after LJ left for his first mission was when she spent the time to get information on her and the Colonel. When Paul came back without Lincoln or Michael, she grew apprehensive and had to find out what was going on. If LJ came back before they did, she would've reported what she could find out to him, fully knowing well that he would do anything for his brother as he would do for him.
She explained her reason for researching information the Colonel to Paul and she especially added the details about Sofia. After she finished, she looked him in the eyes. "Now what has the Colonel been up to and what has happened these past few days? Everything's been spiraling out of control and there's not a chance that he could be behind all of it."
Paul debated whether or not it would be a good idea to tell her. At this point, he was confused whether or not he still wanted to become regent, but what he did know was that Lilian was skillful in gathering intel, so he spilled the last few days of information. He asked that she wouldn't suddenly outburst and that she would keep quiet as he told the story as well as he could from memory.
With every bit of information that Paul gave to her, Lilian nodded at several points to show that she was listening intently. Then when he spilled information about what he had put LJ and Lycan through, she frowned and resisted from getting angry at him. That was only because he said that he regretted that decision entirely after he went through with it. It wasn't worth it to him, promotion or not.
When Paul finished, Lilian looked him straight in the eyes. "So you see, Lil? I was only following orders."
"I know." She answered. "That's the life of a ranger, I guess." She sighed and went back to thinking. We need information to bribe or blackmail the Colonel with. Paul's not going to find anything here because I've pretty much checked the entire library in the past few days. Then she began thinking about Paul's life. She pretty much had everything there was to know about him. "Hey," she said after suddenly coming up with an idea. "Do you still have access to your dad's apartment?"
Paul caught on almost immediately. "Yeah, I do. And I think I know where you're getting at." He turned around and then stopped in place, realizing that he forgot about her. "Do you want to come along, Lilian?"
"I was going to come along whether or not you asked. Your path will lead me to LJ and Lycan and that's where I need to be right now." She said conclusively and smiled. They were quiet for a moment. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Paul half-smiled. He was used to working alone, but he was glad that there was someone who looked like she forgave him for his actions. Or she didn't care. Maybe he did get another, new chance to restart and repent. But the path he chose would inevitably cross with Michael's and Lincoln's. He had a faint hope that they would allow him back into the group.
Paul led the way to his dad's apartment.
*---*
They battle was still going on. Lincoln and Michael tried their best to defend Lycan, but were often separated. The healers threw a speed buff into the mix and the other boars moved swifter. It made it harder to land a killing strike.
Veronica, Sara, and LJ spent a majority of their time dodging the faster boars' axe swings. There wasn't time to cast a spell to target the healers. It was a bleak situation at this point.
"Linc!" LJ yelled as he dodged another strike. "We need to get Lycan out of here and regroup!"
"Like I-" he dodged another swipe and parried another. "Haven't thought of that before!" He swung his blade but missed.
There's only one option left. Michael thought. His mind flashed with memories of his friend's fighting for their lives and Lycan's. He tried to find it within himself to tap into the power within.
Now is not the time, young warrior. The same voice he remembered from when he was in that dark place warned.
When is the right time? Michael harshly thought back. He watched Sara fly and dodge strikes in the small room. He rolled back to avoid a headsplitter attack. We're going to die if I don't use the power you granted me.
If you use this power exceedingly, you won't make it to the end. There will be a time and a place for you to use it. Remember what I said before. She said mystically. Now it is up you to decide when to use it. Be wise, young warrior.
Michael could only groan. She left him with the knowledge on how to tap into it, but how was he going to know when to use it? Now felt like a good time, but she said that now wasn't the right time. He dodged another swing and parried a strike when Sara flew behind him.
"What do we do, Michael?" She asked. Sara managed to cast a small spell, but the damage was healed by the boars. They watched as Veronica dodged several more strikes as with Lincoln and LJ. Then they realized that the leader was missing from the group after a few moments.
The leader finally got fed up with the never-ending battle and started walking towards Lycan, realizing that they were protecting him. His axe dragged on the floor, making a screeching sound like fingernails across a chalkboard.
"No!" They all yelled. Veronica did what she could and tried to make it to the giant leader. She blew the other boars away with her shotgun, but it wasn't powerful enough to keep them down. They got up and rushed at her right away.
Lincoln and Michael were stuck parrying strikes and there was nothing they could do to move forward.
Sara tried to move forward, but the small warriors stopped her from going any further.
Then they all watched as LJ made a mad dash towards Lycan, stopping in front of his body. He casted a magic shield that deflected the leader's powerful swing.
"LJ!" Lincoln yelled. He growled and swung harder and faster desperately to reach his younger brother.
"I'm-" He deflected another strike. "Not letting him die!"
The leader swung strong again, his axe being deflected. It got more infuriated.
LJ's strength started to wane and he couldn't hold off against another strike. He watched as the axe rose high above its head, ready to crash down full force on him and Lycan. At least he could die with his friend.
"No!" Lincoln cried. Then he heard a rocket blast out of nowhere and the leader groaning in pain. He watched as the smoke dissipated and a brown man, roughly about his height, shaved head, black vest shaped around his chest and abs, and black pants jump from over it. The leader was dead and the man before him stood in front of its body.
"Too much for you to handle, Veronica?" He asked coolly like he knew her. His submachine guns were in his hands, with a semi-automatic rifle slung over his back. "Someone thought you were taking too long."
Veronica smiled when he looked at him. "Glad to see you made it, Sucre."
"Now what needs some blowing up?" He asked nonchalantly. Sucre was out for some fun and it looked like he was about to have a little bit more interesting fighting now. He shoved his two guns in their holsters and took out his semi-automatic rifle and aimed at the two healers, capping both of them in the forehead. The smaller warriors ran at him and he flipped backwards, swinging his rifle on his back and pulling his submachine guns out of their holsters and firing at the two boars that rushed him. He landed perfectly on his two feet.
The rest of the boars were left to slaughter as Veronica shot each of them with her shotgun and Sara and LJ throwing potent spells to get rid of them. Lincoln and Michael mopped up the rest. They cleared the room, picked up Lycan, and ran as swiftly as possible to find a safe spot near the entrance to the Ranger's HQ.