So here's one more chapter before I go to college. Woot! Some action! I have way too much fun writing fight scenes. This chapter jumps around a lot so that there's more from others' POVs.
6
Preparations. Raid on a Garrison. Have to Run.
After Link had woken up, gotten dressed, eaten breakfast and cleaned his teeth, he went into the main room. The others were in there as well. There was a tense, excited energy in the room.
''What's going on?'' he asked.
''Something big. A big mission,'' Ashlyn replied.
''Yes. Link, even though you are new, I think you can do a harder mission,'' Risbon said. He looked at everyone and nodded. ''Right, we're all here. So, today we are going to do a raid.''
''It's been a couple of weeks since the last one,'' Tancred said eagerly.
''Yes, exactly. Which is why we are doing one today.''
''Where are we raiding?'' Lux asked. He looked ready for action, something Link noted.
''A military garrison in the city,'' Risbon replied.
''Ah. We're getting some more weapons! What's the plan, boss?'' Ashlyn asked, excitement clear in her voice.
''Well, we are going to need a diversion. Lux, Glurak and Tancred will do that. Meanwhile, Link, Ashlyn and myself will infiltrate the armory.''
''What about Yost?'' Link asked.
''I'll be staying here. One of us needs to be here, after all. We can't all go,'' Yost replied.
''Right, this is going to be tough. Don't get caught,'' Risbon warned.
Lux, Glurak and Tancred walked down the street together. Glurak was wearing a cloak over his robes to disguise himself. They came to the garrison. The building was on the east side of Castle Town, near the wall encircling the city. Soldiers often stayed in it, since not all of them were stationed in the castle, of course. Those stationed as city guards lived there.
The three of them stood near the main entrance. None of the soldiers seemed to care that they were there, seeing as civilians often came to the building.
''Are you ready?'' Lux asked.
''Yes,'' Glurak replied.
''Ready,'' Tancred said.
Lux nodded. ''Right, then. Let us begin.'' He held up his hands, palms out. Fire appeared, dancing along his fingers.
Tancred drew his sword. Magic energy appeared in Glurak's hands.
Lux sent out a blast of fire, hitting a supply wagon and setting it ablaze. Soldiers immediately noticed and the courtyard was filled with cries of surprise.
''What...''
''Rebels! An attack!''
''Get them! For the Princess!''
Soldiers started to run at them. Tancred sprang into action, blocking a swing directed at him. Lux sent another blast out and hit another wagon. This wagon had obviously been full of flammable things, for it caused a small explosion.
Link, Ashlyn and Risbon were at a back entrance to the building when they heard shouting and an explosion.
''That's our distraction!'' Ashlyn said.
''Let's go.'' Risbon had an air of tense readiness.
They ran into the empty back courtyard and went in throught the doors. The corridor was empty, the soldiers were running to the commotion.
''I'm going to leave getting the weapons to you, Ashlyn. Link, go with her,'' Risbon said.
''Right. Be careful, boss.''
''All right,'' Link replied. He was nervous to split up but he trusted Risbon.
Risbon went off to the left and faded from view.
''Well, let the raid commence,'' Ashlyn said, sounding enthusiastic.
They went down the corridor cautiously. After a moment, they saw doors lining the hall when it turned north. Ashlyn walked up to the first door and opened it, peering inside. She then stepped back and closed the door.
''No, not here.'' She glanced up the hallway. ''Perhaps it's further ahead.''
They continued up the hallway, coming to a left turn. There was a door just before the turn. Ashlyn opened it, went inside and gestured to Link. He entered the room cautiously. Inside was the armory they had come to raid. Swords and spears filled the room in crates.
''What now?'' Link asked. They wouldn't be able to carry a large amount of weapons. ''We can't take all of these ourselves.''
Ashlyn looked at the weapons near her, clearly thinking the same thing. She stood still for a moment before suddenly glancing into the hallway. ''I have an idea. Wait here,'' she said.
Before he could respond, she left the armory. Link stood there in the room with a sense of tense nervousness. They were breaking into the building, after all.
Lux fired jolts of pure magic from his hands, not wishing to use electricity or fire. Glurak was doing the same, energy tinging his fingers. They kept soldiers at bay, if any came too close, they recieved a small jolt of magic.
''Hey!'' Tancred cried out in dismay. His sword had been knocked from his hand. He sidestepped a soldier and grabbed his axe from his back. It was not a two-handed battle axe, rather, it was a short one-handed axe with a double blade. He swung it heavily, blocking a spear thrust at him and splitting it.
Noticing that his friend and comrade was being crowded, Lux sent several bolts of magic at the soldiers. They immediately turned from Tancred to him.
''Call for reinforcements!'' a soldier hollered.
Tancred went over to his friends, standing next to them. More soldiers were coming from the building. Soon they would be overwhelmed. There were about thirty guards.
''Uh oh,'' Tancred muttered.
''This does not seem like an ideal situation,'' Lux agreed. He sent a bolt of magic into the crowd of approaching soldiers.
Tancred tightened his grip on the handle of his axe. Although he was decent with it, it was his secondary weapon and he prefered his sword. As he looked at the advancing soldiers, he wondered if they should retreat elsewhere.
''I don't think we can win this,'' he said to Lux and Glurak.
''We are outnumbered. What should we do?'' Lux asked.
''We should get inside and find the others. We'll have to clear a path through the guards, though.''
''Right, then. I will do that.'' Lux channeled more magic, loosing a wave of energy that sent the soldiers reeling. He did the same to the ones that had not been in his range previously.
''Quick, they will not be stunned for long!'' he cried urgently.
The three of them ran to the doors, entering the building and shutting the doors behind them. Glurak held out his hands, palms forward. Magic flowed from them, creating a barrier in front of the entrance.
''That will only hold for about five minutes, perhaps less,'' he said.
Risbon walked up the northern hall, which had doors at regular intervals. The rooms beyond the doors were probably where soldiers slept. But Risbon wasn't going to check, doing so would undoubtably end in a fight. He wanted to get a feel of the building's layout. He knew the building was decently big, square and symetrical. Ahead was a right turn.
He noticed a door that led outside which could be used as an emergency exit if they needed it. He made sure to include that door in his plans; things could go wrong at any moment. Up ahead, to the right, he could hear familiar voices. He took a step forward, intending on going into the right hallway.
Risbon whirled when he heard a door open behind him. Three soldiers had come out of a room. When they saw him, looks of surprise appeared on their faces for a moment before they drew their swords.
''Get him!''
He drew his sword, charging forward. Though there were three of them, Risbon was confident that he could beat them. He blocked a strike, swung and then moved away from another swing. One of the soldiers tried to grab him; Risbon countered by kicking the man's legs out from under him. He disarmed one of the standing two and was blocking the other's blow by the time the first had gotten to his feet.
He quickly disarmed the other two and sent all three sprawling on the floor, tossing their swords down the right hall. He then ran down, heading back the way he had come.
After a few minutes, Ashlyn came back into the room with a cart. ''Got this from the yard.''
They both lifted a crate of swords and loaded it onto the cart. One crate of spears followed. They stopped, if they loaded any more, they wouldn't be able to budge it.
''Great, we have the weapons. Let's-'' Ashlyn was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open. Four soldiers stepped in, looking surprised.
''What...''
''There are more in the building! We've been played!''
Ashlyn glanced urgently at Link. ''Go, I'll hold them off.''
''But I can not leave you here outnumbered-''
''Just run!'' she shouted.
He complied reluctantly and ran from the room, shoving a soldier aside.
''Hey, someone go after him!''
Two soldiers who had been going up the hall heard the shout and ran after Link. He ran down the left hallway, the soldiers on his heels. Eventually he saw three people up ahead. He thought for a moment that they were soldiers, but then recognized the three mages. Lux, Glurak and Tancred.
Tancred was fighting a soldier, wielding his axe, his sword nowhere to be seen. There was a glowing barrier across the doors. Banging came from outside, the doors shuddering. Glurak was watching the doors, his hands glowing with energy. Lux was keeping other soldiers at bay, preventing them from getting to Glurak.
''Link!'' Tancred called.
He ran over to them, coming up near Tancred and Lux.
''There is another exit over there,'' Tancred said, gesturing to the right. He then brought up his axe, parrying a down strike.
''I will help you get to it,'' Lux said. He turned quickly, the hem of his robes whipping upwards for a second. He loosed a burst of magic at the soldiers coming from the right, stunning them. Afterwards, he panted, looking tired.
''Are you all right?'' Link asked, concerned.
''I used too much magic... But I believe I will be fine. Run.''
Link moved away from the two soldiers trying to grab him and ran to the door, throwing it open.
Ashlyn leaped away from a strike meant to disarm her and landed behind the cart. It was becoming clear to her that there was a slim chance of winning against four soldiers in an enclosed space. They were standing between her and the door. And the armory was not meant for fighting; it was meant for storing weapons and thus was not a very big room.
She parried a strike, just managing to keep the soldiers at bay. They were trying to corner her and it wouldn't take them much longer. She swung her sword, holding them back yet again, buying her more time. Just a little longer, one of her comrades would come soon...
Someone came in the room, sword drawn. Someone with wavy dark brown hair. He launched himself into the fray, causing the soldiers to break their line.
''Hey, boss,'' she said. She had known he would show up eventually.
''Nice fight you've got going here. And you got the weapons,'' Risbon replied.
The three mages show off their badassery. This raid was really fun to write. Magic explosions for a distraction, fighting, running from soldiers... Oh yeeeah! And since I'm starting my first year of college, I might not be able to update quickly. Also, writing chapter 11 is annoying me. I can't seem to finish it... Grr...