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A Hero Falls
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The sun finally set around seven, the end of a long day, and the beginning of a long night as the stalemate settled in. Callisto stared at the tree line knowing that all the forces of death waited their destroy them. A catapult shot streaked through the dusky sky crashing down upon empty ground.
Xena was hard at working making small alterations to the ballista weapon, hoping to make it more efficient, or give it more range.
Xena had been hard at working altering her design of the ballista for something that might perhaps be more effective. For six long days Callisto had been drug into battle, she'd been battered, cut, and seemingly broken. She'd spent the last six days doing all the things she'd sworn off after escaping the realm of Chaos. And among the thing that annoyed her most, she wasn't even wearing her own boots, but rather a pair of Gabrielle gifted to her by the bard.
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Selenta led two hundred fifty riders outward. They were careful to dodge the enemy lines seeking a subtle entry point. The objective was a raid into the territory that would be used to weaken the enemy in any way possible. Secretly Selenta wanted to get a shot at one of the leaders, she'd hoped for Xena, but it didn't matter who came within her sights.
The riders silently rounded the flank of the Army of Argos. Selenta divided the group in two, appointing a captain over the other group, they would concentrate on the raid itself, while she wanted the bigger targets. One of the leaders.
The last act as appearing now behind the lines was to light torches to make it seem that it was allies coming into the formation as
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Xena continued to work on the ballista, realigning the wood and sinew when her instincts kicked in. She ducked a flaming arrow, she stated to herself, "That came from behind…" Realizing their sudden danger Xena kicked into the air shouting her war cry while pulling her chakram loose.
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Callisto heard it too as she suddenly threw her chakram through the air cutting in half a single arrow. She shouted, "Soldiers on your feet! We are under attack!" Callisto saw fires lighting up all around the camp as the raiders hit tents with the flaming arrows.
She noticed that in the distance, Gabrielle wielded her staff surging it forward taking a rider off his horse knocking him unconscious. Gabrielle dodged another shot pulling her hidden dagger stabbing a man in the chest, killing him. Callisto put it out of her mind as she concentrated on the battle at hand.
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In middle of all the chaos, Selenta charged into the Centaur camp hoping to locate a leader. She knew that the centaurs were a huge essential part of the war effort against Hercules. She knew Hercules made a bad error by attacking them just to get Solan, the foolish act of rage that has done nothing but made his war effort harder. Maybe she could take one of them out, and take some of the pressure off.
She charged into the camp looking for Phantes but instead found Tildas. She leapt in the air slicing the throat of a centaur, then finding herself on the back of Tildas who grabbed her tossing the warrior to the ground. He started to stomp at her making contact with her shoulder causing severe pain, but still grasping her sword she desperately swung at him. The sword passed through his legs at his joints sending him forward screaming in pain.
His body ached in pain at his energy but he used all his strength to keep himself from falling to the side as he stared at Selenta who was now back to her feet. She smiled, "One more life for the warrior princess of Thebes!" She spun once with her sword instantly decapitating the Centaur Warrior.
It was at that moment that Phantes emerged on the scene. Seeing his father's corpse and the woman standing over it he shouted, "No!"
Selenta reacted, seeing Phantes she grasped a dagger tossing at him. Another Centaur saw this and jumped in the way taking the dagger himself killing him instantly. Selenta smiled, her job was done. She leapt away killing two more Centaurs as she retreated from the field.
Phantes ran to his father's corpse, bowing down he wept at the death of his beloved father, and kinfg of the Arcadian Centaurs. Kaleipus arrived in the camp, the blood of soldiers on his face. His heart fail as he saw the body of Tildas the great. Phantes seeing him shouted, "Where were you and your tribe!"
Kaleipus replied "We were fighting raiders. We had no idea!"
Phantes curses, "Liar! You waited for him to die so that the Arcadian Centaurs would be weaken and the Corinthian Centaurs could take precedence."
Kaleipus shook his head, keeping his voice low, "No. We are allies, I would never do this!"
Phantes' rage got the best of him, "Liar!" He pulled his sword aiming it at Kaleipus, someone was going to pay for his father's death.
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Xena fought on as she grabbed a soldier tossing him to the ground. She sliced with her sword at a soldier who came from behind spilling his guts on the ground. Feeling the presence of another Xena twisted, slicing the throat of a third soldier. A woman appeared in the distance which Xena recognized as Selenta. Xena was barely able to duck as Selenta swung at her. Selenta shouted, "Everyone! Retreat!"
The remaining soldiers began to retreat. Xena threw her chakram at Selenta who deflected with her sword. Xena caught the chakram as she turned to see Ares.
Xena did not have time for this, "What now!"
Ares replied in a calm voice, "Nothing, but you might want to stop the centaurs. They're about to go to war with each other."
Ares walked away. Xena cursed herself as she jumped on a horse charging towards the centaur camp.
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An angry Phantes swung his sword at Kaleipus, however the other centaur deflected it. Phantes shouted, "Traitor!"
Kaleipus shouted in reply, "I've never betrayed a centaur." He deflected another blow. A shot from Phantes barely missed Kaleipus who shouted, "You are a fool!"
A familiar war cry could be heard as Xena leapt in the middle of the fight and knocked both back with her sword. Xena demanded, "What do you think you're doing!"
Phantes shouted "He just watched while that bitch killed my father!"
Xena shot Phantes a stern look, "No he did not, and we got attacked. They hit all of our units."
Phantes demanded, "Then why was it that my father had to die!"
Xena understood what that meant, it was never meant as an accusation, but rather a lament, for in all the chaos of the battle it was Phantes who lost someone close to him. Xena stated in a far warmer voice, "Because she wanted you to suffer, she wanted to weaken the centaurs, it's because they fear you. Phantes… I've been there too, I know the pain, but you must be calm or that bitch as you put it will win."
Xena replied "Because she wanted you to fight each other, she was targeting your father for assassination. What better time to do it then a raid. Ease up Phantes, Kaleipus had nothing to do with your father's death."
Phantes sighed as he put away his sword, "Kaleipus… I'm sorry."
Kaleipus paused, "I know… if it had been Solan, I can't say I might not have reacted the same way. Let us honor your father… then we shall avenge him!"
Phantes pulled out his sword again holding it into the air, "Yes… we shall avenge him tonight! Xena we should attack them tonight!"
"That's the best thing that could happen for them right now, for us to get impulsive and charge off into battle. We should wait, now is not the time."
Phantes scoffed, "Nothing personal but Xena, you don't head this army. I will speak with Callisto." Xena growled.
Phantes approached his fallen father, Tildas the Great, head of the Centaur nation of Arcadia. Xena spoke, "Your father was a truly wise brave noble leader. Today the Centaurs have lost a truly great man."
Phantes voice hung in the air laden with emotion, "Yes… I swear I will hang that woman's head from my tent before this war ends!"