Ch 6: Secrets revealed
"Push them back! Cut all resistance down!" Sprinting down the crowded streets of Rolburr, Captain Gorr barked order after order to his men. "Round up the sleeping men and get their asses into this fight!" "Sir! There's news from the castle!" "What is it?" "The White Wolf and Jade Eagle have taken out the enemy patrols that tried to storm the castle gates." "Good. Send word to them that we might need a little help on our end." "Right away Sir!" Captain Gorr returned his attention to the scene in front of him. His men had already killed hundreds of soldiers, but the waves of enemies seemed endless. "Shut those gates!" The Captain watched as the incredibly large black steel gates slammed shut, sealing off that side of the city. "Make sure all civilians are safely inside the castle gates! Put the mages and archers near the border! Do not let the enemy get through!" "Need some help?" Looking over his shoulder, Gorr eyed the speaker curiously. "Shouldn't you be with the Princess?" "She instructed me to come fight." Gorr chuckled a little before stepping to the side. "Try not to kill any of my men." "Then tell them to get back." The Captain nodded slowly and turned towards the city gates once more. "Men! Fall back! The Black Cobra is here!"
"No way! The Cobra is here?" "I heard he once killed a thousand men single-handily." "They say getting hit by his whip is like being ripped in two." The soldiers continued to whisper among each other, completely ignoring the Captain's orders. They all were silenced, however, when a lone figure calmly walked through the corpse-filled street. A pair of dark brown boots stomped through the blood covered ground. A pair of pitch black pants were fitted rather tightly around the figure's legs and were neatly tucked into his boots. A black cape hung around his waist, flapping back against the harsh winds. A long-sleeved black jacket was buttoned up and nicely fitted on his torso. Underneath the jacket, barely visible, one could see a chain mail shirt. The collar of the jacket rose up to the figure's cheek, covering his bottom face. Resting at his side safely attached to his belt was a silver whip. The length of it was made of flexible steel, one of the only weapons with that kind of material. On one end lied a leather grip. Near the other end, a small hoop was fastened to the whip. Connected to the hoop were three small spear heads. Along the steel length of the whip, one could make out even smaller spear heads. The weapon, known as a bladed whip, was a myth in the land of Selius. Only a select few had heard of it, let alone seen it. With a large black hood draped over his head, the notorious Black Cobra was the image of death.
Approaching the gate, he unhooked his whip, snapping it to life. "Open the gate." "Y-Yes. Right away." Pushing open the gate, the soldiers watched in fear and awe as the Black Cobra walked out. Standing about sixty yards away, the enemy spied this new opponent. "You send one man to fight us? How weak do you think we are? Kill the bastard!" Weapons raised, the army charged for the Cobra. A small smirk creeped across his face. He leaned forward slightly, weapon at his side, ready to strike. The figure patiently waited for the first few soldiers to run within distance of his whip. Once they had entered his range, the Cobra lunged forward. Although the whip was only four feet, far smaller than a standard whip, it was all he needed to cut down the enemy. He leaped off the ground, spinning through the air towards the oncoming army. Extending his arm, his whip shot out and spun around his body, covering his torso in a spiral of sharp spear heads. Each man in his way was cut down, their bodies dotted with deep gashes and holes. The Black Cobra continued his assault. One soldier dropped after the next. His whip was like a flash of lightning; one second it's there, then it's reappeared elsewhere. The Commander, seeing how quickly his men were falling, turned and ran off. "Retreat! Fall back, all of you!"
XxXxXx
"Gah!" "That's another one! I'm up to sixty-seven!" Alex shouted, taking aim at another soldier and sending his arrow straight through his opponent's head. Behind him, Tye slashed down man after man, not even breaking a sweat. "I'm up to eighty." "What?" "You gotta keep up Alex!" Jumping over his friend's head, Tye landed on top of a nearby soldier, driving his blade through the man's chest. "Show off." Smirking back to Alex, Tye stood and wiped off his sword. "Do you think they'll need help over by the gates?" "Nah. I heard the Cobra was dealing with that." "Wow, so the princess sent him into battle after all huh? Wish I could see him fight."
"HELPP!" "Someone help!"
Spinning around, the two boys were met by a soldier from Rolburr. There was an arrow sticking out of his side, and he stumbled to a stop in front of them. "P-Please..They've destroyed the castle wall...Th-They're near the th-thro-..." The soldier collapsed, dead from loss of blood. "Shit! How the hell did they break the wall?" "Who cares! We need to get over there now!" Dashing off down the street, the two slid past several small groups of enemy soldiers. "Hey! Those two are Rolburr mercenaries! Get them!" Shouted one of them, taking off after the duo. "Alex go take care of the wall, I'll handle these morons!" Sliding to a stop, Tye pointed the tip of his blade towards the advancing enemy. "Alright. Catch ya later!" Turning a corner, Alex disappeared, leaving Tye to the handful of soldiers.
Alex ran down the street, bow in hand. He could hear the shouting from the outer walls. The screams were nothing new to the bowman. He had been in fights, far worse than this. Dashing around another turn, Alex neared the small battle erupting in the castle garden. Damn..The Queen is gonna be pissed when she sees her roses.. A small shiver ran down his spine. As he reached the broken wall, he noticed nearly all the soldiers were gone. A scout rested underneath one of the large oak trees, his body withered from the earlier battle. "Hey! Where is everyone?" "They chased the enemy into the courtyard. I broke a leg so I can't keep up with them." "Ok. I'm gonna go help them. Try to get to a medic." "Will do." Hopping over the piles of rubble and debris, the bowman ran off into the large courtyard. Once inside, he immediately noticed how quickly the Rolburr soldiers were being cut down. What shocked him though, were the attackers. There were only two of them. Their attacks were synced, almost like a dance. One would block, the other counter, then the first would strike. They were in perfect rhythm. This is gonna suck..
Alex climbed up the side of a nearby wall, trying to position himself in the perfect spot. Snatching an arrow from his quiver, Alex aimed for the first assailant. "Come on...Move down..." He impatiently waited for his target to get directly in front of him. The man spun and danced around, cutting down one soldier after the next. It took a minute or so before Alex finally had a good shot. Releasing the string, he eyed the arrow as it flew through the air. "3...2..." "Ahh!" "Damn it. Off by a second." He sighed a bit and dug around in his back pocket. Taking out a piece of paper and pencil, he scratched down a tally mark. "Sixty-eight." Giving himself a smirk, he stuffed the paper and pencil back into his pocket. Glancing into the blood stained yard, Alex caught sight of one of the two opponents. He was lieing on his stomach, an arrow sticking out of his back. "Hm..It went deeper than I thought it would." Shrugging, Alex placed the bow around his torso and stood. On the courtyard itself, the other attacker knelt next to his fallen comrade. "Brother..." He clenched his fists and jumped up. "Where are you!" "Up here!" Glaring towards the sound of the voice, the man locked his gaze on Alex. "Who the hell do you think you are! How dare you kill my brother!" Alex yawned a bit, ignoring the yelling for a brief minute as he fiddled with two sheaths strapped to his upper thigh. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Answer me!" Unhooking the straps, Alex pulled out two short daggers. Tied to the end of each was a jade ribbon about a foot long. The blades themselves, about three feet long each, had a narrow line of the same color running down the silver steel. "What's your name?" The man gritted his teeth, his anger boiling at Alex's calmness. "My name is Vice. I am a Captain in the Desert Army." So they really are trying to start a war.. "Well then, Captain Vice. I hope you're a good fighter." Vice clenched his fists once again, and reached behind his back. He drew a long, dual-sided sword from it's scarab. "State your name! I want to know who I'll be killing!"
Smirking, Alex twirled the daggers in his hands, a greenish glow dancing off the blades and ribbon. "You don't recognize me?" Tilting his head, Vice examined Alex more closely. His eyes widened, studying Alex's features carefully. "Y-You...You're the..Jade Eagle." Alex grinned and nodded. "Still wanna fight?" "Of course! I'll avenge my brother's death!" Vice spun his weapon and charged Alex. Chiming up a small whistle, Alex walked to the end of the broken rooftop. Vice climbed up after him and pulled himself up once he reached the top. "Took ya long enough." "Shut up!" "Someone's in a grumpy mood." "You just killed my brother!" "Well it was his own fault. He didn't move fast enough." "...Why you!" Vice's face turned a dark red. He kicked up his double-bladed sword and swung crazily at Alex. He in turn countered each swing, barely missing Vice's clothes. "You're daggers don't give you much range do they!" Spinning around, Vice gathered the strength in his arms and swung his weapon straight for his foe's head. Alex leaned back, the tip of the sword a mere inch from his neck, and locked both their weapons together. "What the?" Giving Vice a smile, Alex flipped back, taking the dual-edged blade with him. Landing on the ground beneath the low rooftop, Alex quickly sheathed his daggers and pulled off his bow. Drawing back an arrow, he aimed it straight for Vice's head. Vice jumped off the side, landing hard onto the ground beneath him. A small stab of pain shot through his leg, giving Alex the opportunity he needed. "It's true that the daggers are short. But I make up for them with my bow. Like an Eagle, I can swoop in from the sky and snatch your life away. " Alex gave Vice another smile as he released his string. The arrow soared through the air. Vice rolled away, but was a second too slow. The arrow had pierced Vice's lower chest. Granted, it was off by a few inches, but Alex was satisfied none the less. He slid the bow back around his torso and walked over to the dying body. "Why are you trying to start a war?" Vice grabbed a hold of Alex's ankle, desperately trying to catch his breath. Alex knelt down next to him and pushed him onto his back. "I'll spare your life if you tell me what your King is planning. "G-Go...die...b-bastard..." "...Fine. Have it your way." Alex stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. A soft whistling passed his lips as he walked away. "Wait...n-no...!" Vice struggled to keep his breathing normal. His lungs had filled with blood, slowly taking away his oxygen. Rolling onto his side, Vice gasped his last breath and closed his eyes. "Br...other.." Glancing over his shoulder, Alex sighed and said a quick prayer before turning and walking off. "Sixty-nine."
XxXxXx
"Wow. You guys are boring." Tye sighed, wiping his sword clean. A pile of bodies littered the ground around him. Once the red stains had been removed, he sheathed his weapon and walked through the corpses. Tye examined the armor of each body carefully. He picked up one of their spears and spun it around, eyeing the poor craftsmanship. These things are worthless..Why the hell were they sent into battle with such pathetic weaponry.. He dropped the spear. Leaning up against a half destroyed wall, Tye took a deep breathe and cleared his mind. This is getting weird.. He stayed there for several minutes, different ideas and motives dancing around in his head. His concentration was soon broken though by a sharp crack. "I can see you over there." Tye glanced across the street towards a short tree. Hiding in the branches was a boy. His clothes were dirtied and slightly torn. He looked to be twelve or thirteen. "You can come out now. There aren't any bad guys around." The boy dropped from the tree, but stayed clutching to the trunk. Tilting his head, Tye let a small yawn escape him. "Go home kid. It's not safe out here." "...That was my home.." The boy extended his arm and pointed towards the ruined building at the end of the street. Sighing, Tye pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the boy. He tightened his grip on the tree as Tye approached him and closed his eyes shut. He reopened one eye though, when he felt his shoulder being nudged. The boy looked at Tye curiously. "Hi there." "H-hi.." "I'm Tye." Opening his other eye, the boy loosened his grip on the tree trunk. "Did...you kill all of those guys?" He looked over to where the boy was pointing. "Yeah, I did." "Did it feel...bad?" Tye took a seat next to the child and shook his head. "Not anymore. Those men were trying to kill innocent people. People like you." He gave the boy a warm smile. "So I killed them before they got that chance." "So...why aren't you off killing other bad guys.." "Well something doesn't feel right." "..What do you mean?" "Those guys didn't know how to fight. And those spears were real flimsy." "Oh.." The boy stared at Tye for a minute or so, taking in all of the teen's features. His eyes widened when he saw the bright gold pin that was stuck to Tye's shirt. "Is that from the princess?" "Hm?" Glancing down to his pin, Tye nodded and unhooked the pin. "She gave it to me as a gift. Told me it'd keep me safe." Tye stood and turned towards the city gates. "Where are you going?" "The fighting isn't over. I need to go help the other soldiers." The White Wolf walked off, his trench coat beginning to fly up due to a sudden gust of wind. The boy jumped up and watched him go, his eyes fixated on the large white paw that was engraved on the back of the trench coat. "..No way.." Stopping, Tye turned his torso towards the boy and nodded. "Here, catch!" "Huh?" The boy opened his palms as a gold pin fell into his hands. His wide eyes shot up to look at Tye, who gave him another smile. "Hang on to that for me, ok?" "Uh...ok.."
"Don't hold back! Keep all enemies away from the walls!" Captain Gorr barked, walking back through the streets. "Hold out until reinforcements arrive! Make sure the wounded are treated! Move it!" "Seems like you're having fun." Gorr turned around and gave the newcomer a cold look. "Wolf! Where the hell have you been?" Tye shrugged and stretched his arms. "Taking care of things." "Well I need you to take care of things here! The Cobra is fighting on the outskirts of the city, but we still have a pocket of resistance pushing through the southern walls." "Not for long." Tye unsheathed his blade and dashed off down a side street. He cleared his mind while he ran, throwing out any unnecessary thoughts. His senses sharpened as he closed the distance between him and the walls. His muscles tightened, and his whole body ached for a fight. "This is gonna be fun!"