2 days later… nightfall…Crouch River Camp near South Fambridge
A bright flash of light appeared in the middle of the Saxon encampment. A few seconds after the light appeared, a man and a woman replaced it. The man was wearing a black cloak that covered his head up to his upper body. The onlookers could see a spear of some kind attached to his back through a modified holster made for long weapons such as the spear.
The woman, on the other hand, Was the most beautiful thing the Saxon soldiers have ever seen. Wearing clothes befitting of a queen. Earrings made from the bluest of Sapphires. And a tiara made of gold atop her long silver hair. If it weren't for the piercing cold stare that the woman had, many men would've taken the chance to woo her.
A man from the crowd recognized them and approached them with fear in his eyes. He bowed his knee as he spoke.
"Lady Morgan. I am Corvus. Lord Horsa's second in command. He has requested me to bring you to his quarters." The man's heart was about to explode from the sheer speed it was beating. Here she was. The number one person he and the Camelotians do not ever want to meet at any point in time.
"Very well, take us to him. I have business with that man. Do not waste my time and take me to him in haste." Morgan spoke. Corvus literally shivered at the voice. That was how cold it was.
"This way, Your Majesty." And with that. The trio departed for Lord Horsa's tent. Which was the biggest in the camp. So it wasn't long until they arrived.
'Okay… now I see why the others are terrified of this woman. Not only did she appear out of thin air - which is another thing to worry about - but she's also very very scary. Also, why the hell is she here now?! I planned out our escape expecting she'll come tomorrow, not tonight! This is bad. Very very bad.' Corvus thought to himself as he looked behind him to take a look at the Queen of Cornwall. When their eyes met, Corvus jolted and broke off the connection. Keeping his eyes on the road as they walked.
'Once I get the Queen in Lord Horsa's tent, I'll meet up with the others near the woods of the west camp. And then we get the hell out of this place. Only a few minutes and then we're free.' Corvus thought to himself. He looked up to see a very large tent standing in the middle of the camp. It's Horsa's tent.
"We're here." Corvus announced this to the Queen of Cornwall and her servant. He opened up the tent entrance so that all of them could go in. When Corvus guided Morgan and Drecken to their seats, he stood beside his already seated leader - Horsa.
"Lord Horsa. Queen Morgan has arrived." Corvus told the Saxon leader.
"Good. Leave us for now. I'll call for you when I need you." Horsa said.
Corvus didn't even look back when he went out of the tent. Here was his chance to leave and escape with the Camelotians once and for all. And he'll gladly take it even if his leave of the tent was a little too rushed and hasty. A detail Morgan couldn't help but notice. And apparently, she wasn't alone.
"That was the 4th time he did that… something's not right…" Morgan heard Horsa mumble to himself. She didn't bother asking the Saxon to elaborate since if it was important, the Witch of Cornwall would know. Speaking of important…
"You're late." Horsa glared at Morgan.
"My time is much more important than whatever plans you think is important. I do not waste my time with worthless endeavours." Morgan cooly replied. Which caused Horsa to twitch in anger.
"This worthless endeavour you speak of is the plans of the invasion!" Horsa shouted as he slammed his fist on his leg. He obviously couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Ah, yes. You have sought me in the hopes that I and my kingdom stay loyal to our deal, correct?" Morgan asked innocently. Perfectly ignoring the angry glare sent to her. She knew she was here because the Saxon lord was expecting her to live up to her end of the deal.
"Yes, I have. My brother and I have prepared the largest army ever seen around these parts since the time of the Romans. Just as you asked of us. You also asked us to bring you the greatest champions in our ranks. The best we had to offer. And in return for all that, you gave us a ship that can destroy a fleet of a hundred ships on its own. You also promised us soldiers that can rival all of our champions' strengths combined. Warriors that can wipe out armies in mere minutes! Now, where are they?" Horsa demanded.
Morgan didn't answer. Instead, she looked to her servant. As if ordering him to lower his hood. After a few silent seconds, the servant lowered his hood. And what Horsa saw surprised him.
"You! You're from bef-" Horsa exclaimed but was stopped by Morgan's introduction.
"Horsa. This is Drecken. My weapon of destruction. He is everything you wanted." She said it with such a confident smile that could have brightened the place up were it not for the fact that this is Morgan we're talking about. The temperature inside the tent went down to the negatives instead of lighting the room up.
"Him?! He's only one man, not an army. You promised me an army of the most powerful soldiers ever seen around these Isles!" Horsa shouted in rage. He was not expecting to see how little Morgan gave in return for what she had demanded of the Saxons.
"And I did. In a way. Drecken can wipe out cities, wreak havoc in the battlefield, and even slay the wretched High King Arthur all on his lonesome. He can do all those things with enough strength left to finish off Arthur's pathetic court of knights." Morgan explained with her usual cold expression and voice.
"One man can do all those things? Hah! This 'weapon' of yours doesn't even look all that impressive compared to what Aedilhild has done with the Scots. He's killed more men in battle than this oaf ever did in his rampage around the villages of Camelot. What makes you think that this Drecken of yours can live up to our agreement?" Horsa challenged. His eyes possessed a wicked gleam that only he could have.
Horsa was cocky and arrogant. Even more so when he heard the bullshit Morgan was saying. How could he believe that one man is capable of doing all the things Morgan claims he can do? How could he believe that this same man can fight against King Arthur of all people on equal footing? Neither He nor his Brother could face the likes of the Camelotian King! So how could Drecken, a man he's barely heard of from rumours alone, bring the Saxons and Cornwall the needed victory against Camelot to assert their dominance over the British Isles?
"Sigh… why must you always be so blockheaded?." Morgan said in a mild exasperation that came off as condescending to Horsa. She was about to speak once more about how idiotic he is for not believing her. Probably insult his manhood. And sprinkle in some facts regarding her experimentations that will definitely convince the Saxon Lord that she wasn't joking when she said all those things that Drecken could do. But she was stopped when a voice coming from the tent flap she entered the tent from opened suddenly. Her gaze landed on 3 exhausted looking soldiers.
When she looked at the soldiers, Morgan saw that they were battered and bruised all over. The first soldier - who looked more like an officer than like the two footmen with him - had a broken arm. The second soldier was cradling his blackened eye. While the third was balancing himself using his spear. Morgan looked down to see that the spear-wielding soldier had limp whenever he tried to walk off the pain. Must've been a broken leg at worst; sprained at best.
"Hansa? What's going on? Why are you three wounded? Did Corvus allow another brawl?" Horsa demanded with a boiling anger. If his troops were barfighting again then-
"Lord Horsa! Corvus turned traitor. He's probably left the camp with Andrus and his mercenaries already!" Hansa, the first soldier said. This caused the Saxon Lord to pause in shock.
"We found him taking the prisoner, Cyrille, with him to the west side of the camp. When we stopped to question him about the prisoner, the mercenary group attacked us. We managed to escape, but we soon collapsed when one of them struck us down at the last minute. The bastard had the gall to steal Sir Hansa's shield while we were out of it." Ahlmund, the second soldier, explained. Hansa unknowingly clutched his broken arm when he thought about his shield.
"My Lord! He's taken our best horses and tripled the rations with him. I think Corvus is planning to escape. No, wait. Corvus already did escape! He's gone from the camp." Eardwulf, the soldier with the limp, shouted. The other 2 soldiers gave him a 'no-shit' look that made him blink in confusion.
"When did this happen?!" Horsa asked, his anger reaching a boiling point. Never did he expect his second in command to be a turncoat. And it showed.
"40 minutes ago? Even longer than that? We were knocked out for quite some time. When we regained consciousness, Corvus was nowhere in sight." Hansa answered.
"They can't have gone far! Find me Aedilhild and meet me at the stables. Tell him to bring 2 of his best Cavalry cohorts with him when you see him. Find the leader or my personal guard afterwards. Tell him to report to me with his men." Horsa ordered the three Saxons.
"As you wish, My Lord!" All 3 of them replied. Once the Saxons were gone, Horsa turned his attention to Morgan and asked her with a very, very angry sounding voice.
"You better use this opportunity to prove how effective your 'weapon' is. Come with me and we shall capture that wretched traitor! He will pay for this betrayal with his life." After she heard him say that, Morgan watched Horsa grab his cavalry lance and shield and leave his tent in a fast jog. Needless to say, Morgan followed suit. She then asked,
"How are you planning to take your traitorous soldier back, Horsa? From the accounts of your men, it'd appear that he's far away already. Saxon Horses are bred to be agile and capable of running through long distances in a short amount of time. You of all people should know about their capabilities. And now that your traitor has taken your best breeds, I doubt that you could catch up with whatever mediocre horses your army has left."
Horsa grimaced at that. Of course he knew what those horses could do. He personally bred them to be the best of the best. If he were to become the fiercest warrior in all the lands of Britannia, then he should have horses that fit the bill as well.
"Then you will do whatever Witchcraft you have in your arsenal to help us catch up with them. You're magic is more than enough to get to them soon." Horsa answered.
"Of course. I can teleport you and your men to wherever you need be. I can even bring you your traitor if you so wish. But you know I wouldn't do that. No, that's too easy." Morgan was smiling coldly towards the Saxon Lord. Which made the Lord pause. He didn't like where this was going.
"What do you want?" Horsa growled before he continued his pace.
"Simple. I need more of your champions for my… research. If you still desire an army of powerful soldiers, I'll need more subjects for the more… intricate processes of my studies." Morgan calmly replied. As if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Naturally, Horsa was more than displeased at this request.
"I already gave you a hundred of the finest men in the land. And you want me to send you more!? Where did they all go? And why do you only have one man to show for it?" Horsa questioned angrily.
He could give a shit if they're dead or not. The Saxon Lord's problem was that Morgan's request was weakening his army. He couldn't replace the 100 champions he had found since they were basically a different breed compared to the regular footmen in his forces. You have no idea how much the Saxon armies were affected because they lost a lot of their best soldiers. The men became a lot less effective when the champions left since they were the ones responsible for training them and leading them through campaigns. Just like last year. When they invaded Kent, Sussex, Eastland and Wessex.
"You didn't expect me to bring an entire army with me when I came here, did you? If you did, then you must be a bigger fool than I already thought you were. The reason why I'm asking is because I have already discovered the perfect way to enhance the soldiers' strengths. So, of course I would need more men. You did say you wanted an army, didn't you?" Morgan explained. Easily hiding the fact that most of the champions sent to her were killed because of how she went about discovering the perfect way to enhance the Saxon men. She also hid the fact that she only tried the 'perfect way' on one person and that he was neither of the 100.
"So you're saying that you need the soldiers so that you can enhance them? Why not just head to Camulodunum and do your enhancements there?" Horsa suggested. Finally getting what Morgan is trying to say
"You're people's magecraft is humiliatingly primitive. The only thing that would do is hinder my progress. My castle is more than adequate for it. There is no need for change." Morgan shut down the offer as quickly as it came.
"...We'll discuss more once we take back Corvus and his men." Horsa ended the discussion there. Since he had more things to think about at the moment. Such as apprehending the traitor.
In front of Horsa are the 3 cohorts he asked Hansa to assemble. They were now at the west side of the camp - roughly around the area Corvus was last seen. In front of the 3 cohorts was Aedilhild, the Leader of the Forest Marauders. The composition of the Cavalry Company was 2 cohorts of Aedilhild's men and their hunting wolves with the third being Horsa's personal guard. More than enough to bring back the traitor! - the Saxons (Horsa mostly)
Oh how wrong they would be.
"Lord Horsa! I came as soon as you requested. I even prepared a horse for you." Aedilhild exclaimed. He was wearing his full decked out (armour and weapon-wise) tonight. As well as every soldier in the hastily organised Cavalry Company.
"Good! We will leave now. Have your second in command stay here and guard the camp while we're out." Horsa commanded. To which Aedilhild obeyed through a simple nod to his lieutenant - Hansa.
"We will take care of matters here while you are gone, Lord Horsa." Hansa reassured which was followed by vigorous nodding by Ahlmund and Eardwulf. Who were standing side by side behind Hansa.
Horsa got on his horse and repositioned himself slightly so that he could sit comfortably on the animal's back. After being handed a torch by Aedilhild, he looked down to address his guest from Cornwall.
"Are you going to get on a horse or what? And where is your servant?"
The Saxon Lord didn't see Drecken walk with them to the west side of the camp. So where did the so-called tyrant go? A quick glance to his side answered all his questions. For he saw the Bane of Camelot riding a black horse with his hood down. When the Saxon Lord looked upon the tyrant's face, he noticed that there were red glowing lines that were somehow engraved into his surprisingly grey skin. His black hair was basically singed at the ends. And let's not forget to mention the eyes; those bloodshot eyes were brimming with hate. As Drecken neared the Cavalry Company, Horsa noticed that the man's eyes practically lit up with the pure, unadulterated hatred when the tyrant caught sight of his master.
"So this is what your 'enhancements' do to a man. Look at him! He's no more than a monster after what you've done to him." Horsa commented.
"You'll find no honour in the battlefield. A monster is all you need for victory." Morgan retorted as she lifted herself onto Drecken's horse and sat behind him. She was sitting with both of her legs on one side of the horse. She held Drecken's shoulder with her left hand. Silently muttering a spell that would ensure that she would not fall off the horse at any moment.
Horsa didn't bother commenting on that. Instead he looked towards his men and cracked the reins of his horse and went off. The soldiers followed suit. The Saxon Cavalry Company was on its way to capturing Corvus and the Camelotians. Morgan watched as the horses sped up and ordered Drecken to quicken their horse's pace. So that the Witch and her Servant are at the front of the Company; just beside Horsa. The moment she was at the front of the group, Morgan began to chant. And chant. And chant. Until half a minute has passed. A half minute's worth of incantation later, the Witch brought her hand out towards the forest path they've been travelling through and shouted.
"OPEN!"
As soon as Morgan said this, a big portal the size of a wide gate opened. Surprising the Saxon soldiers when they saw this.
"This is… WITCHCRAFT! Lord Horsa, are you trying to get us killed by this witch?!" Aedilhild shouted. Openly voicing out the inner thoughts of most of the Cavalrymen.
These men have never seen the works of magi. And the fear on their faces showed. All they;ve ever heard relating to magic were the dark fairy tales their mothers shared to them when they were children to ensure that they never wander around in the forest when it's dark. This fear is what causes them to slow down lest they go through it and suffer the unknown consequences. It is when their Leader Horsa commanded them not to slow down did they see their foolishness.
"DO NOT stop your horses, men! That is a portal that can lead us to Corvus. Follow me, and do. Not. Stop." after saying that, Horsa cracked the reins even harder. Causing the horse to go faster. The Saxon Company followed suit.
When everyone passed through the portal, they noticed the surrounding lands had changed. The lone forest road the Cavalry Company was following is now gone. In fact, the forest itself disappeared. What replaced it was a vast marshland that was dry enough for their horses to run through without sinking their hooves. Horsa looked to his right and saw the River Crouch there. It means that they haven't gone far from their camp. But he can't quite tell where they exactly are since the cloudy night was stopping him from pinpointing their exact location.
"Look! A group of people right in front of us." Horsa heard Aedilhild shout. When he focused his eyes towards the people on horseback, the Saxon Lord saw his target.
"There he is! That's Corvus. Men! You have your orders: take Corvus alive. He has my ledger and will destroy it when he's threatened to be killed. You're free to kill the rest, however. Aedilhild, feel free to hang Andrus' corpse on a stick when you see him. You can have his wife too." Horsa bellowed.
"Yes Lord Horsa!" the Cavalrymen shouted. Aedilhild especially.
Morgan was about to speak to Horsa when she felt it. A cruel smile donned her features when she did. How could she not smile when she can sense her own daughter being there with the traitor the Saxon Lord spoke of. But her smile faltered a bit when she felt Mordred's presence becoming even more faint as the seconds went by. Not that it wasn't faint to begin with. A faint signature meant that Mordred was either distant or dying. Not that Morgan would ever consider the idea that her son is on the brink of death; the Red Knight is made of sturdier stuff than regular men, after all. Anyways, the point is that Mordred is here. And that made things interesting. On Morgan's end, at least.
"I suppose a demonstration is needed to open your eyes.." Morgan shouted confidently. She waited for Horsa to say something to her offer, but she didn't expect this.
"A demonstration? What do you mean? " Horsa asked confusedly. So many things happened that he forgot that he told Morgan that she needed to show Drecken's capabilities to convince him tWhen the Saxon lord saw the hints of a smirk on Morgan's face, it brought even more questions to the forefront of his mind. He was about to ask the Witch to elaborate when Morgan shouted before he could say a word.
"You said to me earlier that I should prove Drecken's worth. Well, allow me to show you his power. Drecken!" Morgan snapped her fingers and in doing so, released the seal on Drecken's power that she placed beforehand to avoid him attacking her when she least expected it. She also summoned lighting from her left hand to electrocute Drecken's temples; a sign of what's to come should he disappoint her.
With a shrug, the Bane of Camelot removed his cloak and took his Bow and Quiver out. Positioning the quiver on his left thigh as he knocked the bow with 5 arrows. He brought his right arm back to fully stretch the bowstring and held his breath as he aimed down his sights. Closing one eye to see his target better, he took his time to make sure he didn't miss (Not that he could. The bow and quiver are enchanted in such a way that the arrows that touched them could never miss their targets).
A loud twang sound could be heard before it was replaced by five whistling sounds. Drecken watched in apathy as the arrows flew towards their prey.
Thunk! Drecken could tell that one arrow hit the back side of an armoured man. But his enhanced sights and hearing told him that he only hit the metal plate.
Snap! Snap! Drecken heard two arrows being trampled on by the horses in front of the Cavalry Company. As if someone caught them and dropped them on the ground as soon as they took hold of it. His hearing was more perceptive than his eyes since it was very dark at the moment (and torches could only do so much), so he didn't catch the man who grabbed the arrows mid flight.
But the Fourth and Fifth arrow…
Splurt! Twang!
"OH SON OF A BITCH!"
Mordred exclaimed as she pulled the two arrows off her left shoulder. She was having a 'splendid' day so far. You could say it was one of the 'best' days she's had in a while. After being woken up from her afternoon nap by a panicked Andrus, she was told of the arrival of her mother in the camp. As fast as she could, she loaded up the horses with as much rations as she could and was in charge of guarding said horses and rations with Levi and Faust while Corvus, Andrus, and Archer took Cyrille from the former's tent. (Apparently, Cyrille was kept inside Corvus' tent after the guy convinced Horsa that he will 'take care of her' or some shit. - Mordred)
Speaking of Archer…
"You alright Mordred?!" Archer exclaimed from the front. They were riding the same horse at the moment. With the redhead taking the reins while the Red Knight sat behind him. He didn't have time to react to the two arrows that pierced his friend's shoulder since he prioritised the other pair of arrows aimed towards Faust and Corvus.
"Never better." Mordred sarcastically replied. The redhead involuntarily rolled his eyes at that.
"How the hell did they get here so fast?!" Levi exclaimed as he dodged the second volley of arrows but to no avail. He had to resort to blocking them instead with the shield he snatched from Hansa.
"It doesn't matter now! All we have to do is outrun them. We're not that close yet to Hullbridge, but we can make it there if we shake them off right now in this marsh." Andrus replied. He and his wife were on the same horse, so he was positioned at the very middle of the pack to avoid the arrows aimed at the others.
Cyrille was knocked out. Courtesy of Corvus, who drugged her just enough for her to stay unconscious for a day in order to keep face with Horsa who ordered him to do it. Naturally Andrus was mad when he found out about this, but he couldn't do anything about it. The deed was done. The only thing stopping Cyrile from eating dirt was the very tight rope that was attached to her arms that encircled Andrus' waist like a belt.
"ArgH! I've been hit!" Corvus shouted as he cradled his left elbow - the area where the arrow struck him.
"Whoever's the one doing that must be very skilled." Faust's side commented as he blocked 3 arrows aimed towards Mordred's back. He was about to get shot by a fourth arrow until Archer caught it with his bare hand.
"No time to complement the enemy, Captain. We need to stop them from chasing us somehow." Archer said as he held his chin in thought. What could he do? Before he could consider his options, he heard a shout from Levi.
"What the hell! FLAMING ARROWS!"
Everyone looked up to see 10… no, 20…, no, 30?! 30 arrows lit up with fire at the sharp ends were barrelling straight for them! Fortunately, to their luck, none of the arrows hit them. Some of them lodged on the shields of Levi, Faust, and Corvus. But for the most part, no one was hit. It's as if the Saxons became impatient and decided to just go fuck all, and launched a barrage of arrows to see if that did something.
"Well, fuck me. I can't believe we survived that." Mordred said. She turned herself towards the Saxons while she spoke. After that, she noticed that the Saxons stopped shooting arrows. Instead, they decided to go for close-up cavalry warfare. If the fact that the Saxon leader commanded 15 troops to go ahead and chase after them while the rest stayed back had anything to say about the situation.
"Oi! Levi. Where the hell are ya?" Mordred shouted as she looked around to find the Lieutenant.
"Over here, Sir Mordred." Levi replied. He was at the right flank of the formation alongside Corvus. While Faust took the left flank.
"Remember that bow Faust got pissed off at when you and Bart bought it back in Dorchester?" Mordred asked out loud.
"Yes, Sir Mordred. You want to use it now?" Levi dumbly asked.
"No, moron. I'll use it tomorrow. Yes, I want it now!" Mordred angrily replied. Levi guided his horse towards Archer and Mordred's horse so that he could hand the bow without it falling onto the marshy land below. He succeeded in doing so. Levi also handed to Mordred the quiver filled with 20 arrows.
"This is all you have?!" Mordred asked while looking at the quiver in disappointment. Levi was about to reply but was stopped by Archer's shout.
"Less talking, more shooting! It doesn't matter if you hit them. As long as you can slow them down long enough for us to escape-"
"Yeah yeah. I know. Now give me some room. I need space for me to do this." Mordred replied.
The Red Knight loaded 4 arrows on the bow and pulled back the bowstring. She was holding the bow crossways. Like a crossbow (Get it?). Her goal was to distract the Saxons long enough for them to escape. But that didn't mean she would purposefully worsen her aim. Not that she could miss all of her shots anytime soon. The Saxons were in a tight formation. Sticking close together they looked like a massive blob of torches running through the marshland. Perfect for Mordred. As she held her breath to steady herself, Mordred released her first volley. And what a volley that was.
Out of the 4 arrows, 2 hit. Those two arrows struck the legs of two separate horses, causing them to trip. Bringing down their riders, and all of the horses behind them to fall on one another. Overall, 7 horses and their riders were brought down. With the rest managing to distance themselves from the mess before they got affected.
"HELL YEAH! EAT SHIT!" Mordred shouted in joy and happiness while she reloaded her bow. This time, she only nocked 2 arrows. The Saxon formation fanned out after the first volley in reaction to the Red Knight's successful volley. Reducing the chances of collateral damage like what happened with the 7 horsemen earlier. Mordred is now forced to be selective in her aim. Which is hard to do on horseback and with a bleeding out arm.
"Sir Mordred, aim for the ones closest to us." Captain Faust commanded. He pointed towards the Saxon soldier who was gradually gaining on Levi. In reaction to that, the Red Knight quickly pulled the bowstring and aimed the 2 arrows at the Saxon. Let's just say the soldier kissed something other than his wife afterwards.
"Thanks!" Levi shouted. Mordred replied with a brief nod before shooting another arrow at the soldier that was steadily getting near her. Missed.
"Shit. I gotta stop missing. I only got eleven arrows left." Mordred said to herself. She felt Archer's elbow nudging her side as she said that. When she looked to her side, she was surprised to see 10 iron arrows being offered to her. Courtesy of the redhead. The Red Knight was about to ask where the hell did those arrows come from but was stopped when Acher said,
"No time to explain. Just keep shooting!"
And so, Mordred did. She aimed at the soldiers closest to them like Faust ordered her to. She nocked 3 arrows towards the soldier nearing the Captain. Another 3 aimed at the two men, who were threatening to separate Levi from the group. And finally, a barrage of 5 arrows were sent to the centre of the Saxon Company - where Mordred presumed the leader would be.
Mordred's jaw dropped. Not because her aim was terrible due to the fact her left arm was bleeding out. Not because out of the 6 arrows that were aimed at 3 soldiers, only 2 hit their marks. Not because only one soldier out of the three she tried to kill actually got killed. Not because she couldn't stop Levi from getting slashed by a speartip. No.
Her jaw dropped because three crystal blue shields the size of Galahad's Lord Camelot Shield appeared to block the final four arrows. And the power behind those shields not only felt cold, wicked, and malevolent. It also felt familiar…
"Is it just me, or did anyone feel the wind become colder." Levi asked the group. He hasn't seen the magic shields yet since he was too focused on the new injury on his right arm. But that doesn't mean he couldn't feel it. A detail Archer couldn't help but notice as he turned around to see the shields.
"Oh no. She's here." Archer said with hints of fear in his voice.
"Mother…" Mordred whispered. She was panicking inside but didn't allow that to stop her from nocking her bow once more. This time, with the arrows Archer gave her.
She felt her arms shaking when she got back into shooting form. The blood loss was getting to her at this point. The constant jostling she's been doing as she aimed down at the Saxons only caused her blood to gush out of her shoulder at an even faster rate. Basically, she was desperate at this point.
"I ain't got time to aim at all of you bastards… All I can do now is hope these arrows send you to hell!"
Mordred released two arrows as she aimed at the 4 horsemen who were suddenly close to the Camelotian group since they took advantage of Mordred's shock and pause from shooting arrows earlier. She shouted a curse since the arrows flew to the ground instead towards the Saxons. But was surprised once more when she watched the 2 arrows glow red and explode in a burst of blue fire. The explosion not only knocked the horsemen off their horses, it also burned them alive.
"By the gods! What the hell was that?!" Corvus shouted from the front of the group. He saw a flicker of blue from the side of his eye and turned around to see blue inferno feasting on the Saxon soldiers.
"Keep your damn eyes up front, Corvus! We're nearing the bridge." Andrus shouted. Causing everyone (except Mordred, she was occupied with the shooting.)
It wasn't a wide bridge. But it was enough for two horses to go through side by side and still have room for people to walk beside them. It was meant to be a shortcut that would help traders and merchants to go to Hullbridge from South Fambridge and vice versa. Because of the Marshlands surrounding the direct route between the two towns, people were forced to go around it since it's always either flooded or not dry enough for the horses to walk on. Making the journey take longer than it should. But since the locals knew that the Marshlands would freeze every winter, they set up the bridge. So that they could cross the River Crouch - the river that split the Marshlands into two - during the cold season. Allowing shorter distance travel to Hullbridge. Just what the Camelotians need.
"Alright everyone! Form up a column of two. Andrus and Corvus will go first, Levi second, while Archer and I fend off the Saxons." Faust commanded.
"We better watch out for Le Fay! Whatever tricks she has up her sleeve, she'll probably bring it out once we get to the bridge." Levi shouted as he got into the column formation.
"You lot better be ready to get on the bridge. I'm running out of arrows…" Mordred somehow managed to shout.
The blood loss was getting to her. She can feel herself slipping into unconsciousness every now and then. It was only through sheer willpower that she was still shooting arrows at the Saxons. They were now back to their close-knit formation like from before when they fired the 30 fire arrows. But instead of firing from their bows, they were shielding themselves. Archer's arrows were doing a number on the crystal shields Morgan le Fay conjured up earlier. But not enough to break them. Mordred fired the last 2 arrows in unison. Trying to break the middle shield. It didn't work despite the powerful blue flamed explosions that pummelled the shield.
"I'm out of arrows… and strength…" Mordred whispered to Archer as she turned around to face the redhead's back. She promptly collapsed on said back. But not without locking her arms on a bear hold on Archer's torso.
"You did your best, Mordred. I'll take care of things here." Archer said as he cracked the reins of his horse. He guided the horse to run side by side with Captain Faust and his horse. They were tasked to defend the three horses and their rides in front of them. And Archer will defend them with everything he has. By everything, I mean his magecraft.
"Oh my GOD! FIRE!" Corvus shouted as he pointed towards the suddenly cloudless sky as fire rained upon them. Archer looked to the sky and saw multiple balls of fire falling right for them. Each ball of fire was huge enough to light up a small town. He didn't need to imagine what would happen if one of those hit his allies. Focusing on the fireballs, Archer brought his right hand up before he chanted.
"I am the bone of my sword… RHO AIAS"
A small, 7 petalled, lavender flower came out from his palm. That flower grew twice its size. Then it grew 5 times its size. Then it grew 20 times its size. More than enough to cover all of the Camelotians. Said Camelotians could only watch in shock, amazement, and joy at the sight of the flower protecting them from the flames. The thundering sound of the fireballs striking the 7 petalled shield did little to strike fear into the hearts of the Camelotians. Rather, it emboldened them. It reassured them that they will live to see another day.
"Where the hell did that come from?!" Levi asked as he stared at the redhead questioningly.
Complete surprise in his voice.
"Save the questions for later, Levi! We're approaching the bridge now." Faust ordered as Corvus and Andrus got on the wooden pathway. A few seconds later, all of them got on the bridge. With Rho Aias still active, and the fact that the bridge could only hold so much twitch until it collapsed, the Saxons couldn't hurt them nor chase after them. They were free!
"Oh no. Archer! The fireballs are targeting the bridge itself." Faust shouted. Panic was evident in his voice. Three fireballs already hit the path in front of them. Causing parts of the bridge to break. Fortunately the damage wasn't enough to stop them from getting to the other side. The next 10 fireballs speeding towards the bridge would change that soon if they weren't stopped.
"Don't worry. I'll handle them." Archer closed his eyes and brought his left hand out as if he was trying to grab something and then chanted under his breath.
"Trace on."
A second later, a black bow twice the size of Archer appeared in his left hand. While 4 arrows made of iron appeared in his right. The redhead finally let go of the reins and began nocking his bow with the 4 arrows. As he pulled back the bowstring, Archer breathed a sharp intake of air and held it back in his lungs to steady himself before releasing.
Multiple twang sounds were heard as the iron arrows flew from the bow and towards their targets. The 4 arrows sped straight through the fireballs. Once they were close enough to the balls of fire, the arrows exploded with the same blue inferno from before. Because of the shockwave from the exploding arrows, the fireballs lost their form. They dissipated before they could even touch the bridge. This continued on for the other 6 fireballs that were still intact. And with that, the path to freedom was safe.
Sike.
Twang! Twang! Splurt!
"AGHH!"
"CAPTAIN!"
Three arrows from out of nowhere penetrated the back of Captain Faust. The shout from Levi merely voiced out the panic that stirred within the redhead's gut. Another set of arrows was about to hit Mordred's back too were it not for Archer's timely save via titling Rho Aias just enough to protect the Red Knight. With Mordred secured and protected from any incoming arrows, Archer turned his attention to Captain Faust. Who was about to fall off his horse. With lightning-esque speed, the redhead caught the Captain and smacked him back to consciousness before he could kiss wood and dirt.
Wood and… dirt?
"We made it to the other side!" Corvus gleefully shouted from the front of the formation. Andrus could only smile in relief at that. While Levi couldn't help but be anxious for the safety of his Captain.
Archer looked towards his front and then behind his back to see that they were finally on the other side of the River Crouch. He saw that the wooden bridge they passed by was littered with small fires that would've burned the whole thing down were it not for the winter season. They slowly died down instead. He enhanced his vision to see if the Saxons were still following them. And true to their style, the Saxons sent a detachment of 5 horsemen to chase after them. The rest would follow suit, it would seem. But only after the first batch of soldiers got to the other side first.
They won't make it. Not if Archer had something to say about it. After deactivating Rho Aias, he chanted.
"I am the bone of my sword."
A second later, a spiral shaped sword appeared on his right hand. The sword immediately thinned out and became an arrow. The redhead began nocking the sword-turned-arrow on his bow while pointing said bow towards the sky. His body sparked red electricity around the area as he pulled the bowstring closer and closer towards his body. When the arrow was fully nocked, a pulse of red prana burst out from the arrow. Blue mana started swirling around Archer as he carefully aimed at the starry sky. The timid, swirling mana then became a fierce whirlwind a few seconds later when the redhead finally found the perfect spot to shoot. Suddenly. The red electricity disappeared. The red prana disappeared. Even the whirling blue mana disappeared. It's as if the world paused for just a moment. Everyone and everything near him held their breath. Awaiting the climax.
And then. Archer shouted,
"CALADBOLG!"
A powerful force of mana erupted from the tip of the Helix Sword as it spiralled through the night sky. Causing the horses of the Camelotians to panic a bit but they were quickly calmed down by their riders. Who were stupefied at the sheer power and presence the arrow emitted as it soared higher and higher until it was a little blip. Like one of the many stars in the heavens.
CRASH!
Archer did not need to look back to know that his arrow hit the dead centre of the wooden bridge they were on just mere moments ago. The resulting explosion of blue inferno incinerated anything and everything within the blast radius. The poor Saxon soldiers didn't know what hit them. They didn't even know that they were about to die until death struck them instantly. It was…
"Terrifying. Your power… is terrifying…" Faust said out loud as he held onto the reins of his horse for dear life. As if he was about to faint.
"That was the least of it." Archer said. Speaking about the powerful weapons in his arsenal. Because in reality, he was holding back when he released Caladbolg. The real deal would've decimated the River and the Marshlands surrounding it. As well as subsequently killing the Saxon company that was chasing them. But he toned down the power since it would affect the Camelotians too; they were still in the blast radius.
Faust stayed quiet for a second. The redhead feared that he was unconscious and was about to fall. Fortunately, the redhead was wrong. The Captain was just thinking about his next words.
"Thank you… I almost blacked out there..." Faust said to Archer. Obviously talking about the redhead's catch from earlier. The pain from three arrows stuck in his back making it harder and harder to speak. Much less breathe. Something had to be done and quick! Or else, the Captain might die from shock.
Archer didn't know what else to do at the moment. He acted on pure instinct. He didn't want this man to die here. He wanted everyone to get out of this place alive. So what he did was either foolhardy and stupid. Or brave and heroic. Now you might ask, "What did he do, Author?". Well, just read. It's coming up, anyways.
The redhead reached out for Captain Faust's back and yanked out all three arrows in one pull. Much to the displeasure of the Captain. Afterwards, he muttered under his breath.
"Trace. On."
And a second after that, a golden light erupted from his hand. The golden light then transferred to the Captain's back. It felt… soothing. Like every ache and pain was slowly vanishing. His strength was being renewed by the second. He could feel the wounds on his back closing in on itself. Like it was being healed. Was this some sort of magic?
"What is this?" Faust asked. He felt like a new man now. More alive than ever! Just what did this redhead do?
"I healed you. That's what." Archer replied. He hid the fact that he used Avalon to do the healing by placing the scabbard within the Captain. Since the redhead didn't know how the Captain of King Arthur would react to seeing his liege's scabbard in the possession of another man that wasn't the King, Archer simply let the Captain's imagination run wild as to how he went about healing him.
After 5 whole minutes have passed. Archer retracted the scabbard from the Captain's body and subtly touched Mordred's thigh. Knowingly transferring the power of Avalon and its healing abilities into the Red Knight. He'll get it back later, of course. Mordred simply needed it to boost her recovery. She lost a lot of blood after all.
"You have a lot of explaining to do…bastard…" Morded softly growled as she laid her head on Archer's back. She didn't open her eyes the whole time the redhead was casting his magecraft against the Saxons. But she was conscious enough to realise what was going on. Naturally, she was pissed because he didn't tell her the truth sooner. But her physical state demanded that she should deal with the issue later when she's back in full strength.
"Yes… I know…" Archer grimaced. Not entirely pleased with the prospect of dealing with a very angry Mordred anytime soon. But he set that thought aside when he spotted torch lights 4 miles away. Courtesy of his Mind's Eye, of course.