AGNOMAKHOS

by Ulquiorra9000

Chapter 11

"That will be enough for today. I have seen some improvements in some of you. The rest of you, keep trying," Kulla told twenty trainees in the Army academy's fourth training room. The colonel pointed to the exit door. "Take an hour to rest before reporting to the courtyard for drills. Jaina will meet you there."

The trainees, only 16 years old, muttered their assent and shuffled out of the room, too weary to talk. Kulla watched them go with an impassive stare; he found most trainees to be rather interchangable, nothing interesting about them. Still, as long as they obeyed him and upheld order and justice, he'd have no complaints. Some would reach those expectations, while others would wash out of the academy. You never knew with teenagers.

"Kinda cold of you, Kulla," chuckled another man as he walked in. It was Teilos, the colonel of Fourth Battalion. He folded his brawny arms and grinned.

Kulla raised his eyebrows slightly. "How so?"

Teilos glanced back at the doorway. "I trained a lot of youngsters in my day, son, and believe me, I whipped them into shape real good. But I was always more... well... engaged than that. Are you always so aloof?"

"It's just my way," Kulla said simply. "Did you come here simply to criticize my training methods?"

Teilos shook his head. "No, not that. I wanted to see you. Let's visit the gardens."

Intrigued, Kulla followed Teilos out of the training room and through a wide hallway. Being at the academy's edge, the hall's south wall was really just thick pillars that opened to the back grounds. From here, Kulla could see the cityscape of Meletis, and he distantly heard chattering crowds of its citizens. Birds drifted lazily overhead.

"Wasn't always like this," Teilos said abruptly. The tough old man sighed. "The Reverent Army, I mean. When I was your age, Kulla, we knew where to draw the line with the people we swore to defend. Never had a serious incident like that city hall demonstration."

"The city wasn't recovering from a major invasion back then," Kulla countered. "The Shadow League's assault was unprecedented. Meletis hasn't ever been attacked like that."

Teilos fixed Kulla with a hard glare as both men walked to the meditative gardens. "Adversity reveals who we really are, Kulla, and I'm starting to see the true face of the council. I don't like it."

Kulla pursed his lips. "Be careful who you say that to. It could be considered borderline treason." He put only a slight warning tone in his voice, not wanting to upset Teilos too fast. The man was well-known for his passion.

"I clearly remember that Alex kid's court-martial," Teilos said. "His striking you was a treasonous act. But why do you think he felt the need to do it, eh?"

"You sound just like Alex now."

Teilos sighed again as he and Kulla entered the garden. Several mages sat deep in meditation, the garden's pollens and pond water fueling their green and blue mana. But Teilos was far from relaxed. "I'm not saying that the kid should have disobeyed you. But I remember what things were like before I retired from the Army. I was called back to undo this chaos with my experience and wisdom. And you know what my experience tells me?"

Kulla wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, but he nodded anyway. "What does your experience tell you?"

"That in trying to squash the Agnomakhos rebellion and keep the citizens in line, the council of Twelve is making the problem worse. It's a cycle," Teilos growled. His eyes sparked with fire. "Perisophia and the others are too stubborn and scared to just let the people be! They're convinced that the common folk will form a new Shadow League or something."

It was too much. Kulla stopped and spun Teilos around to face him. For a change, Kulla felt anger, his calm detachment shattered by Teilos' barbed words. "Meletis stands because we put our trust in the council! For hundreds of years, we've relied on them to guide us and keep us free from the dangers and corruption outside our walls. We're an example for all of Theros."

"No, we're supposed to be," Teilos snarled. With strength that belied his age, he swatted Kulla's arm aside and clenched his fists. "I didn't say anything when the council summoned us or at Alex's court-martial, but I've been listening, Kulla, and thinking. Something's got to be done fast, or Meletis will tear itself apart. Count on it."

Kulla folded his arms. "I won't let that happen."

"Don't get lofty with me, boy." Teilos seized the collar of Kulla's uniform and yanked Kulla's face into his own. "I was defending this city before you were born! If anyone knows what this city needs, it's me. Trust me: something's got to be done."

Once again, Kulla's calm detachment returned. He was confident that he could match Teilos should this arguement come to blows. "Are you going to strike me, Teilos?" He glanced at the old man's fists. "I know that you use Ephara's blessing to pummel foes into dust with your bare hands. Are you going to turn that power against me? Or use it to help me defeat Agnomakhos?"

Teilos hesitated, then released Kulla and took a step back. "I ain't going to raise my hand against you, boy," he said at last. He pointed at his fellow colonel. "But the council called me out of retirement for a reason. I'll be damned if I just sit by and let this corruption spread."

"I have to know: why are you telling me all this? Why me?"

"Because you pride yourself at upholding justice and being a model leader," Teilos explained. "I thought that if I got through to you, I'd convince everyone else that the council's will has gone too far."

Kulla was alarmed by Teilos' rebellious attitude, but he was in no position to act at the moment. So, he whirled around and walked off. "Thank you for your time, Teilos. I'll keep in mind what you said, but if you make a move that I deem treasonous, I will make sure that it is reported."

Teilos' voice was like iron when he responded. "So be it."

*o*o*o*o*

Muffled explosions rattled Alex's cell walls, jolting him out of his afternoon stupor. He bolted upright on his bed and stared at the wooden door, as though someone would rush in to explain. No one came, but Alex could hear men shouting, and the din seemed to slowly draw closer to Alex's cell.

No way! His heart racing in his chest, Alex tentatively crept over to his door and pressed an ear to the rough wood, straining to make sense of things. Had Agnomakhos agents really just stormed the prison? It was a suicide mission! The walls were thick, the guards were well-trained, and the walls boasted anti-magic enchantments.

And yet, Alex heard more explosions and the voices sounded panicked. He heard men run down the hall and shout hurried commands, and seconds later, Alex heard the men wail as an explosion went off. Distinctly, Alex heard the sound of bodies hitting the floor.

Daro was right! Hardly daring to believe it, Alex backed away from the door and pressed himself against the cell's far wall, not tearing his eyes from the door. Who would break it down first, a guard or a rebel?

One at a time, Alex heard small detonations ring in the hallway, coming closer all the time. Dust was shaken loose from the ceiling as an explosion raged in the next door cell, and a moment later, a blast shattered Alex's door in flames.

To Alex's amazement, a man in red robes strode in, framed by smoke and embers. His hood was down, revealing his short dark hair and a bandana that wrapped around his head like a blindfold. He had a wide smile across his face, toothy and fierce. He wore white pants tucked into black boots.

"Join me if you want to breathe free air," the man offered. "I've been told about you. You're Alex, right? Valerie's little brother?"

Alex stared. "You're well-informed, aren't you?"

"I was hired by your big sister to tear down the oppressive order of things," the man declared. "We can be friends, you and I, if you accept. Come on. No way would you want to stay in this dump." Behind him, men kept shouting and running around. Alex heard the clash of metal on metal.

"Joining you means becoming an enemy of the state. The Reverent Army officers would hunt me down and kill me." Alex dreaded the thought of Kulla using his wrist-blades against him with lethal force.

"What, you think Valerie can't protect you?" the man scoffed. "She's a smart one. Rallied the people together and made a real army, and we're gonna win this war." Somehow, his smile widened. "Come on. Give me an answer. I have more cells to bust open and not much time to do it."

Alex hedged for just a second. The implications were huge. No doubt that the Reverent Army and council were in the wrong, but accepting this man's offer meant turning his powers against his fiends. Could he bring himself to do it?

Then Alex remembered what his friends had done to him, voting against him at his court-martial. He had passed a certain point by now, and there was no looking back. He had decided.

"I'm coming with you."

"Great! Follow the guys with the red robes. They'll help you and the others get out." The man backed out of the cell. "My name's Lakram. Just remember that I can blow anything up. Useful skill."

Shaken, Alex stepped out of the cell with Lakram. Down the hall, red-robed figures clashed with the prison guards, slowly pushing them back with sheer numbers. "How did you use spells in here?"

"My mana's strong enough to resist it. Helps when I blow up the walls and disrupt the spell," Lakram said smugly. "Come on, kid, you think I'd break in here with Argyros without being prepared?"

"Who's Argyros?"

"The man who'll escort you outta here. There he is." Lakram pointed down the hall, and Alex looked.

One particular Agnomakhos agent suddenly broke ranks and engaged the prison guards in a whirlwind of odd weapons. He wore a gold-colored cuirass and was somewhat elderly like Teilos, but his age didn't hinder his strength at all. The fierce old man easily knocked back the prison guards and tore open their chests with weapons that Alex had never seen before.

The man, presumably Argyros, held a three-bladed knife in his right hand, and the weapon's wide attack range let the warrior catch his opponents by surprise. In his left hand, Argyros held a weapon consisting of a four foot-long shaft ending in a large, curving blade. It looked like a two-handed weapon, but with his sheer strength, Argyros used it in just one.

Argyros and his fellows slashed aside several more guards, and Alex gratefully took this chance to run over and join them. "I'm going with you!" he called out.

"Good boy. Back us up," Argyros grunted. He and the other rebels crowded through the hallway and toward a huge, gaping hole in the prison's western wall. Judging by the hole's charred edges and the soot that lay everywhere, Lakram had blown the wall with one hell of an explosion. The prison's outer wall beyond that was similarly damaged, providing a clear route to freedom.

Quickly, the rebels poured through the hole and into several abandoned streets, angling toward the abandoned district of Meletis. Daro was among them, and he gave Alex the thumbs-up as he ran into the prison grounds.

Alex was just about to step out of the prison when two more guards suddenly arrived, hardened white mana sizzling on their hands. The guards hurled magic daggers that impaled several rebels, killing them before they even fell to the ground.

"Alex!" Argyros shouted urgently.

Payback! Alex summoned all his rage and defiance at the cruel system that had put him in this situation. Power like he had never felt rushed to his fingertips and he released a fierce torrent of red mana, and the blaze vaporized the two guards into ash.

"Great work!" Argyros cheered. "Let's go. Lakram will catch up later with more prisoners. He can take care of himself."

Before any more guards could arrive, Alex rushed out of the prison with the rebels and freed prisoners. He didn't look back even once, just kept his eyes on the road ahead.

The Reverent Army's bound to intercept us, though, Alex thought as he sprinted with his new fellows. The First Battalion is often the first on a scene, so I can expect to see Kulla and his men here. He voiced these concerns to Argyros, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. If I get caught now...

"Lakram set off explosives at strategic locations to scatter the Army," Argyros explained calmly. "They won't catch us in time. Just keep running, kid."

Now that Argyros mentioned it, Alex looked around and saw several pillars of smoke throughout the city. Another explosion threw up more smoke, and Alex could imagine the five colonels' frustration as they and their battalions ran around the city, confused by the chaos.

The thought made Alex smile all the way into an unassuming warehouse that Argyros said was the rebel base. Anything that angered Kulla made Alex happy.