Phoenix and his party travel to the Outlands outpost with haste and make it there in a few days.
The gate guard looks up as he sees Phoenix and his party running towards the gate and walks out to meet them. "Sir, good to see you. Our scouts say they have encountered enemy scouts, they say we have less than a day before they will attack us."
"At least we have some time to get ready, how many hunters showed up with the proper rank?"
"Not many, Sir. Only about ten or so."
"Dammit, just a handful of people against a so called 'army'."
"Sorry, Sir."
"It's not your fault, go inform the guild representative that I have arrived. I have some business to take care of."
Dragoon chuckles. "More like a girlfriend than business."
"At least I'm trying to get something else other than death out of this career, Dragoon."
"Eh, that's all I want to get out of this."
"I'll catch up to you guys later." Phoenix runs off to check on Keira's armor.
"Erald, tell me it's done!" Phoenix yells as he enters the blacksmith's shop.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Phoenix."
Phoenix glares at Erald.
"Hey don't give me that look, Phoenix I can't help we didn't have the right chemicals to treat it."
"What are you trying to say?" Phoenix continues to glare at Erald.
"I didn't have the right chemicals to treat the hide so I used something that was close and it kind of... ruined the hide."
Phoenix slams his fist onto the counter and it splinters the wood. "Are you kidding me?"
"Afraid not, Phoenix. I'm very sorry but I cannot use this hide to make anything."
"Son of a bitch Erald, why didn't you just wait until you got the right chemicals?!"
"I was going to, but I didn't want to disappoint you by not having it done by the time you got back." Erald frowns.
"Guess what, Erald? Now it won't ever get done, thanks a lot." Phoenix stomps out of the blacksmith's shop and stands outside the shop taking deep breaths trying to calm down.
"Now what, first I take the hide from her and now it's ruined. That's just great Phoenix, why can't you ever do anything right besides save you own skin."
"Phoenix!"
Phoenix turns around, the yell came from the direction of the tavern, it was Keira. "Great, I wonder if she knows."
"Phoenix, you're finally back. How did it go?"
"Oh it went fine, we had to fight off some Ioprey, an Iodrome and a Basarios made out of diamond."
"Nice work then." She laughs as if trying to hide something.
"What's wrong, Keira?"
"I uh.... I have some bad news about my armor."
"Yea, I just stepped out of Erald's shop."
"Oh, so you do know? It's alright, I mean we can always get another hide right?"
Phoenix doesn't say anything he just looks down at the ground trying to think of a way to apologize.
"You don't need to say sorry, Phoenix. I mean you got the hide I lost and tried to use it and you saved my life and paid for the bill at the hospital."
Phoenix looks up. "Yea, but you're probably going to hate what I have to do."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you heard any rumors about bandits coming here?"
"Bandits? No I haven't."
"I guess it's good that no ones panicking."
"Why, should we be?"
"Don't tell anyone I told you this, but supposedly an 'army' of bandits are heading towards this outpost to sack it."
"You've got to be kidding me?" She laughs.
Phoenix doesn't reply he just looks her in the face with a serious look.
"You aren't, are you? That's horrible you can't just kill humans!"
"Would you rather lose our home?"
"This isn't my home! Do you think I have anything here to call this home?"
Phoenix's eyes widen for a second then he looks down at the ground again with a frown on his face.
"I..." She stops.
"That's fine by me, I have to go and report to the guild representative." Phoenix walks away.
Keira stands there, wanting to say something but she doesn't know what as Phoenix walks away from her.
Phoenix heads over to the guild representative's office.
"You can go right in, Sir." The secretary says to Phoenix as he walks into the office.
Phoenix nods and walks right into the guild representative's room. "Have you heard the news?"
"Yes, Phoenix. We need to get some defenses ready if we want to have a chance of repelling this attack, if the army is large. That is why I'm appointing you to be our temporary 'General.'"
"Come on, there has to be someone else that can do this other than me!"
"Name a hunter that is nearby that is also rank five."
Phoenix frowns.
"Cheer up, Phoenix. This is a honor, I don't recall something like this ever happening before." the Guild Rep. laughs.
"Fine, what should I do then?"
"You should start by gathering hunters of the necessary rank at the tavern and telling them what is going on, I shall give a speech to the citizens while you inform the hunters."
"Alright."
Phoenix heads over to the tavern and informs the maids to walk around the outpost and tell hunters of the necessary rank to meet him at the tavern. After about one hour there are fifteen hunters at the gathering hall.
Phoenix looks around at the hunter, most of them don't look very stoic and are still wearing Hi-Metal or even chain mail still. They probably won't take this news all to well. "Alright, you have been gathered here for me to inform you of a immanent threat."
"And who are you?" Someone Phoenix didn't recognize asked.
"Well I'm Phoenix. A rank five hunter that has been assigned to the be the so called General for this threat."
"A rank five hunter, haven't seen someone that high before." More discussion erupts after Phoenix mentioned his rank.
"Please be quiet, I need to tell you something." The room quiets down after a second. "I was told to tell you that a army is coming here to sack this outpost and we need any hunters rank two or higher to help us defend it."
"Are you kidding me, what army would want to attack us? We keep their land safe from monsters."
"It's a army of bandits, that I guess want to sack it for loot."
More discussion erupts and but this time Dragoon speaks up to quell it. "Hey! Shut the hell up and let the man talk!" The talk quickly silences.
"Thank you, Dragoon. As I was saying, we need to come up with some plans to defend this outpost. We don't know how large their army is yet, but we should assume the worst. This outpost already has fair walls and areas on the walls for ranged support."
As Phoenix begins to discuss defensive plans Orpheus and Dragoon whisper to one another.
"I don't see Keira here, wasn't she like rank three?"
"Yea, I heard they had a bit of a argument outside Erald's shop."
"That sucks, do you think they split up?" Orpheus says leaning closer to Dragoon and lowering his voice even more.
"Were they ever together?" Dragoon replies cynically.
"Still, going through life alone is one thing. But being a hunter and being alone is even worse."
"Wow, how touching Orpheus. What book did you read that in?"
"I didn't read that, I know that from experience."
"Really, what experience?"
"Stop being to mean, Dragoon."
"Fine, but you shouldn't worry about Phoenix. He was fine before she came along, he'll be fine after she's gone."
Phoenix continues to discuss the defenses.
"We'll post five members on the walls to give cover fire for the ten hunters on the ground. The hunters on the walls will be our communication for the hunters on the ground. They will report how many people are coming from what direction and if anyone gets killed so we can re-deploy hunters to the other sides of the outpost. That is all, prepare yourselves for combat and congregate in the center of town not anywhere else, just in case we get attacked."
The other hunters seem to have accepted Phoenix as their leader as they yell in response to his orders. "Yes, Sir!"
The other hunters leave the hall while Phoenix, Dragoon and Orpheus stay to talk.
"I noticed you guys talking while I was giving the other hunters their orders."
Orpheus replies quickly. "I think you should try to apologize to her, Phoenix."
Dragoon just looks at Phoenix and Orpheus.
"By 'her' you mean Keira?"
"Yes."
"I didn't say anything wrong, I just told her something and she got all mad, so I walked away."
"Yea, you don't just walk away from women, Phoenix."
"What would you know about women, Orpheus?"
"I know enough to know not to walk away from them."
"Well you still got time. The outpost is on lock down until this little scuffle is over." Dragoon chuckles.
"True enough, Dragoon. But I've got to try and get everyone through this battle before I can worry about my own agenda. Let's get ready for this thing and try to live through it."
Phoenix and all the other hunters talk while waiting at the center of town, ready for battle.
"Hey, Maccabeus."
"What's up, Orpheus?"
"I was wondering, did the felynes get that Basarios corpse back yet?"
"Yea, the elder smiths are looking at it before I can claim it and use it on my equipment."
"Why do they have to look at it, is it that rare?"
"Think about it, it's made out of diamond and it could move. Something like that intrigues anyone that is into making better gear."
"You think those old guys can think up a way to make you some new armor out of that thing?"
"I hope so, it would look too cool."
A horn suddenly sounded and every one looked up.
A guard yelled from the direction of the south gate. "They're here!"
Phoenix yelled to the hunters. "To your positions!"
Every one ran around trying to get to their guard position, while Phoenix headed towards the south gate to see what is going on. As he got to the gate it opened up, he walked through and ordered it closed.
"You've got to be kidding me." Dragoon snarled standing next to Phoenix.
"Looks like quite the army." Orpheus said nervously laughing.
Phoenix, Orpheus and Dragoon stared in dismay as the horizon slowly filled with the figures of hundreds people. They marched towards the outpost, you could hear their boots in partial unison.
As they got within one hundred yards a man stood in the front of the army. "Hunters are killing too many creatures and are not needed anymore!"
Phoenix stood his ground and replied. "Those creatures we kill if left unchecked would kill innocent people and would bring destruction to your homes!"
The bandit got a disgruntled look on his face and became even more enraged. "Enough talk, ATTACK!"
Dragoon chuckles. "Such ignorance! How do such people live in this world?"
Bows!" Phoenix yells. Three hunters appear on the south wall and drew their bows, each holding five arrows a piece. The bandit army began to charge the fort, their numbers were easily five hundred or more.
"Fire!" Phoenix yells. A volley of arrows flew through the air and every arrow hit someone impaling them to the ground. The bandits yelled as they charged closer to the base, volleys of arrows flew through the air decimating their numbers easily killing fifteen to twenty at a time. The bandits drew about fifty yards away from the outpost.
"Bows, single shots! Dragoon, Orpheus head out!"
"You got it, Phoenix!" Orpheus drew his blades and charged the bandits.
"Well, heres your chance Dragoon. Don't go easy on them."
"I don't intend to." Dragoon drew his massive blade and slammed it into the ground laughing. His sword cleaving a scar into the ground as he charged the bandits, laughing malevolently. The bandits started to stop at the sight of Dragoon charging them in his azure armor, eyes glowing red.
"Orpheus, flanks!" Phoenix yelled.
"Sure thing!" Orpheus stopped charging straight at them and bolted to the left flank of the army. He hit them at such a speed that his armor alone was almost cutting people in half. Then he started to attack with his blades, his attacks slicing in every direction. The bandits tried to attack him but their weapons could not stand up to Orpheus' blades. Their weapon broke or were cut into pieces as they tried to attack him, a few attacks would get past Orpheus but they shattered upon impact on his armor.
"No, I don't want to die. This was a mistake!" Bandits yelled in dread fear as Dragoon closed in on them.
"Too late for that, weaklings!" Dragoon leaped into the air a good ten feet and roared as he slammed his blade into their front line. Cleaving many in two as his blade reached the ground, it hit it with such force that the ground buckled and bandits flew in every direction.
"They are monsters!" The bandits cried. "It's as if a Shogun Ceanataur and a Diablos themselves are attacking us, RUN!"
Dragoon roared as he swung his blade horizontally. Every time he did, twenty or more bandits were cut in half, you could hear their bones shattering as their bodies flew in every direction.
"Dragoon, right flank!" Phoenix yelled as he drew his bowgun off his back.
Dragoon did not reply he just roared and charged off towards the right flank.
Phoenix loaded a shot into his gun and took aim at the center of the bandits. Dragoon and Orpheus kept them in check as Phoenix took aim.
A very loud explosion came from Phoenix's bowgun as he shot. The large object came out of his bowgun at a fast speed. As it hit the front line it split into multiple pieces and huge explosion erupted from the cluster shot. Fifty or more bandits were incinerated in the explosions.
"Run! We cannot beat these monsters!" The bandits yelled trying to flee backwards.
"Pitfall!" Phoenix yells and a guard cuts a large rope inside the gate of the outpost. Right as the bandits began to flee the ground let out underneath them. Multiple pitfall traps opened up and all of the bandits trying to run fell into the spikes that lay at the bottom.
Dragoon and Orpheus continued to cut away at their flanks while Phoenix and the other bowmasters shot at those trying to flee.
"The front is open!" A bandit yelled as they charge at Phoenix, who was alone in the front.
"Shit! Ceasefire! Bows ceasefire!" Phoenix yelled as he put his bowgun away and readied his sword and shield.
Dragoon and Orpheus were too dug into their flanks, trying to hold their retreat to come help Phoenix.
"I can do this, I can do this." Phoenix says to himself as he readies himself. The bandits began to reach Phoenix. But they were not in rank and were fighting Phoenix only a few at a time. Phoenix bashes his shield sending one bandit off balance then attacks other bandits. Constantly moving around trying not to get surrounded. But they continue to come after him.
"Dammit, I can't take this many."
Phoenix reaches into a pouch on his belt and throws a flash bomb into the air. It goes off blinding all the bandits who ignorantly looked up. Phoenix falls back once again and orders a volley from the bowmasters on the wall.
"Shoot!" Phoenix yells standing with his back now to the gate of the outpost.
"We can't, we're out!"
"That's just great." Phoenix mumbles to himself as the bandits begin to regain their vision.
"Sir, more bandits are attacking the north gate!" One of the bowmasters yells to Phoenix.
"Shit."
The gate opens up and ten guards come out. "We can hold them off, Sir. Go help the northern gate." The guards move in front of Phoenix and form a phalanx with their lances and shields.
Phoenix runs through the gate as it begins to close. "Don't be too reckless!"
"Don't worry about us, Sir. We can hold our own against humans just fine." The gate shuts behind them as they prepare for the waves of bandits.
Meanwhile, Orpheus and Dragoon still hold the rear and flanks of the main bandit army thanks to the pitfall traps. But, their armor is starting to see damage from the constant battle. Can they hold out until this ends?
"They aren't hunters, get them!" The bandits begin to charge arrogantly at the town guards. One hundred bandits clash into the guards shields, the guards don't move and inch. They hold back the bandits, then shove them back with their shields and impale them with their lances. They continue to repeat this process as Phoenix reaches the northern gate.
"What's going on here?!" Phoenix yells up the bowmaster as he climbs a ladder to get on top of the wall.
"Just fine, Sir. They are closing in on the bomb rocks we set up."
"Bomb rocks?" Phoenix replies.
"Yes, Sir. You asked us to set up some explosives and I had a good idea of disguising them as rocks made made out of thin slate. It hides them at the same time adding more shrapnel to the bomb."
The bandits begins to close on the north gate. Two hunters with great swords stand at the gate ready to clean up.
"The bandits are in the middle of the bombs, it's time." The bowmaster lights a fuse. You could see it quickly burn along the the wall, then along the ground where the fuse was buried. The bandits stop and look at the fuse burning, but before they could run the twenty bomb rocks exploded. Between the shrapnel and the massive explosions the hundred some bandits are reduced to just a handful, around fifteen.
"Go get them, blademasters." Phoenix yells to the hunters down on the ground.
"Yes, Sir" The hunters charge out and easily kill the remaining bandits.
"I'm going to head back to the south gate and see how it's coming along." Phoenix heads back through town towards the south gate.
"I guess the main army was suppose to distract us from that team who might have tried to sabotage us from the opposite side. I guess it would've worked if we didn't post guys on every side of the outpost for that reason." Phoenix talks to himself until he reaches the south gate.
"Open the gate!" Phoenix runs through the gate to find all ten guards alive and the horrible sight of six hundred bodies lying dead across the area and in the pitfall traps. Orpheus and Dragoon walk back to the south gate, their armor damaged with dents and cracks all over their armor.
They both reach the gate, taking deep breaths.
"How are you guys doing?" Phoenix asks them.
Dragoon coughs and breaths heavily. "I've been better."
Orpheus stabs his swords into the ground and takes off his helmet. He sits down between them, panting not saying a word.
"We lost no guards, no hunters and the outpost took little damage, mostly from our own bombs. We couldn't have done better, great work. Lets head back into the outpost and rest before we clean up this mess."
Dragoon and Orpheus gather their gear and head into the fort followed by the guards. Everyone meets in the center of the outpost, where the guild representative is waiting.
"There he is, our victorious commander!" The guild representative yells and the civilians and other hunters clap and cheer.
"Phoenix, Dragon and Orpheus please come over and stand here with me."
Dragoon frowns.
Orpheus smiles. "Come on guys we've earned this."
"These hunters have done one of the greatest deeds in the guilds history. They have defended a fort with no casualties from a extremely superior force." The crowd applauds once again.
"This deed is almost in the same league as Raiden single handily taking down the Fatalis that threated Castle Schrade, almost." He laughs. "Does any our heroes care to give us a speech?"
Dragoon shoves Phoenix in front of them.
Phoenix stands there for a second, thinking of what to say. "I don't want to sound cheesy but this is not just our doing, I want to thank the guards that held the south gate while I was at the north gate also Orpheus and Dragoon that got in deeper into the enemy lines than I ever could have. They held the enemy flanks and rear so they could not outflank us or retreat. Also the bowmasters that supported us during the battle." The crowd applauds Phoenix as he steps back.
The crowd and the guild representative continues to clap for a minute. "Alright calm down. Get some rest for tomorrow we we need to clean up the bodies and give them a burial."
The crowd, splits up while Phoenix, Orpheus and Dragoon stand in the center of town talking after the crowd leaves.
"Now that was fun, tiring, but fun." Dragoon laughs.
"I don't know, killing people wasn't fun, the battle was exiting though." Orpheus grins.
"Yea, tell me about it." Dragoon continues to laugh.
"What's the matter, Phoenix?" Orpheus looks over at Phoenix.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about some stuff."
"Would that stuff happen to include your break up?" Dragoon smirks.
Phoenix doesn't reply and Dragoon loses his smirk.
"I didn't mean to..." Dragoon tries to apologize.
"No, it's alright Dragoon. I shouldn't think about making a family when in this line of work." Phoenix puts on a fake smile and laughs.
"There's always retirement, right Phoenix?" Orpheus punches Phoenix's shoulder and laughs.
"I'm a long way from that, hopefully I can make it there with the crap we've been handed recently."
Dragoon looks around before talking and whispers. "One of the guards told me they let Keira leave through the east gate before the battle started."
Phoenix looked up and his eye widened.
Orpheus quickly responds. "That wasn't very safe, not to mention it went against the guild representatives orders to not leave the outpost."
Phoenix looked down in deep thought.
"Well! I'm gonna get some rest. I'll see you guys later." Dragoon walked off to the Inn to get some sleep.
"Yea, I'm gonna go as well Phoenix. Wait up, Dragoon!" Orpheus walked off with Dragoon towards the Inn.
Phoenix stood there thinking to himself. "I wonder if she is safe. Should I see if I can retire and spend the rest of my days with her. Does she even want to spend the rest of her days with me? No, I can't quit now. If I keep going I will eventually get my chance of revenge, if I keep going I will run into the Crimson Disaster sooner or later."
Phoenix looked up into the sky and raised his open hand up. "Sooner or later I will get my revenge." He said and then clenched his fist.