Hello Scrolls and Nazarins, bringing another chapter of my fanfic The One Who Came Back.
The fight of the Blue Roses begins.
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 83: The Battle of the Roses
The city of Hoburns was surrounded; an enemy army was camped around it, waiting for the signal to invade. After the assassination attempt on the Holy King, the gates were now also being besieged.
There were four gates in the city, all protected by the royal army. Four enemies would attack these locations, four Néia Sentinels were heading there, and five Blue Roses accompanied them to help with the defense. Despite the numbers suggesting the defenders had the advantage, reality seemed to disagree.
Lakyus walked through the streets; only a few blocks remained before she and Marin reached the South Gate. At that moment, they heard a series of explosions; nothing in this world made that sound.
"By His Majesty's bones, what is that?!"
The explosions continued with lights heading towards a small flying figure that then dove. After that, there was the sound of an explosion.
"An attack, the palace is being attacked, the Faceless is being attacked by someone," Lakyus responded, taking a step back to the center.
"But what could make that noise?"
"I... I think I know, but he shouldn't be here."
"Who?"
"My uncle, he's part of the Red Drop, the Adamantite adventurers group."
"The Performing Adventurer? He is famous for his strange weapons, bows that shoot thousands of magical arrows. Every archer has heard those stories. Are you sure it could be him?"
"No, but I have seen the weapon you're talking about. He showed it to me when I was a child; it made me want to be an adventurer. But it's not a bow; it's something mechanical, shooting thousands of metal shards, propelled by magic, making that same noise. But... why would he be attacking the Holy Kingdom?"
"Maybe he was hired."
"Maybe, but the man I knew was too lazy to go to war. Few epic stories are told about adventurers who entered them; he would prefer to be the main actor in an adventure."
"It doesn't matter who it is; Lady Néia needs our help," said the Crossbow Archer.
Marin started running with Lakyus, but both stopped upon hearing screams from the opposite direction.
"The gates, the gates are under attack, what will we do?" asked the Cavalier.
"We will do what we were tasked to do, Lakyus. We must protect the gates. My lady may be able to protect herself, but it will be useless if the city is invaded."
The two ran towards the direction of the screams, and when they arrived, they found the place almost empty. Some people seemed to be hanging in various spots on the street, under buildings, posts, and windows, as if they had been thrown. In front of the gate was only a single person, a warrior in armor, with long hair, holding a spear.
On the rooftops of the city, three figures were running towards the East Gate, two of them were pure grace and skill, while the other could barely keep up.
"Wait," the boy panted, "wait, I need to catch my breath."
"You heard the explosions, and now you can hear the screams, can't you, thief boy?!" said Tia.
"And growls, it sounds like many beasts. We can't rest, thief boy," added Tina.
"My name isn't thief boy; I'm called Rapushin. It's pointless if we arrive tired."
"You're the only one who's tired, thief boy," they both said.
"You talk 'thief' like you don't do the same things I do," the boy grumbled, sitting on the ground while catching his breath.
"We're not thieves; we're highly specialized agents in infiltration, extraction, and elimination; we're ninjas," the twins said.
"You invade, steal, and kill; I don't see the difference between doing that in the streets or in a palace," he said, standing up.
"We don't pick pockets," they said, starting to run again towards the gate.
"What's wrong with picking pockets?" grumbled the boy, quickly following behind.
When Rapushin finally caught up with the twins, they were at the edge of the nearest building to the wall, watching the scene below.
On the ground, the screams of pain and despair filled the streets. Dozens of animals were chasing soldiers who were trying to protect the gate in vain. They were being massacred by packs of wolves, bears, tigers, and reptilian creatures resembling crocodiles.
Amid the chaos, only one person seemed calm, a man in a cloak, with skin as pale as milk. His hair was short and blond, styled in a bowl cut with bangs.
"That looks like the one controlling the animals. How does he do it?" Tia asked herself.
"Training? Mind control? It doesn't matter; just kill him," Tina replied.
"I think we need to observe more and eeee... there they go," the small thief tried to argue.
Both ninjas ran across the rooftop to the closest point and, at the same time, threw several kunai towards the beast master.
All the blades were poisoned and aimed at the vital organs of their target, causing death from the slightest scratch, but none of them hit. All were blocked by bats that flew by and fell dead at the person's feet.
The man didn't seem disturbed by the attack; he simply turned his serious gaze upwards, staring at the twins on the rooftop as if he had always known exactly where they were.
" Turu ru rur ru " — Gargaran hummed as she walked towards the West Gate alongside the Monk wearing heavy metal gloves.
"I'd prefer to be accompanied by your little friend; you're very quiet, the serious quiet type," the woman joked.
"I know what you'd prefer to do with him; that's why I came with you."
"Well, a girl can have her preferences, can't she?! Besides, he seems too young even for me."
"I'm not so sure about that. Rapushin talks like an adult; he says that the streets age people faster; that's true, but I have my doubts about him."
"So you mean he could be one of the small races, even without pointy ears or furry feet, hmm interesting."
"That's not what I meant," Brutt said with a grunt. "If you want to live that way, it's your problem, but don't get close to him."
"Why do you care who I screw?" Gargaran said rudely.
"Because I know what you're thinking; I know why you do it, and I know where it's going to lead you."
"You don't know anything," growled the Heavy Warrior.
"Then don't you make those silly jokes just to disguise your discomfort with yourself and the decisions you've already made? Don't you enter empty relationships just to avoid getting attached to anyone, and when you do, you always seek out people smaller than you, just to feel in control of your messed-up life, always mocking to hide your fear and how fragile you feel?!"
"Nonsense," Gargaran said, looking the other way.
"Of course. You know, I was talking about myself; I see a lot of myself in you because I used to be like that."
"Like what?" the woman grumbled.
"I used to live that way, made the same jokes, acted the same way, until I ended up where I didn't want to be. I found myself alone, abandoning everyone around me, getting involved with drugs, and almost doing something I would regret forever. I needed help, someone to talk to, and get out of where I had ended up. I had no one left and had hurt too many people; the shame of what I had become isolated me even more, until someone came along and helped me. So, if you need it, I'm here."
The warrior seemed about to say something when several people or pieces of them were flung through the street in front of her.
The Heavy Warrior and the Monk turned the corner and found the army attacking a large man wielding two shields, but he wasn't using them just for defense. With each movement of his arm, soldiers were beaten and thrown away in pieces when hit.
At that exact moment, Néia was being attacked in the city center.
Near the North Gate, a very different pair arrived.
One was an exotic beauty, tall, with dark skin, black hair, flowing clothes, and a cheerful attitude. The other was short, blonde, in dark mage robes that covered most of her skin, with a mask on her face, and yet looked sulky.
"Come on, my little friend, what's bothering you?"
Evileye didn't make any sound until...
"How do you know I'm... bothered?"
"I can feel it; I'm a bard and I can read the audience. I know what they need and what music to play for them and by them."
"And what dance would you dance for me?"
Godia looked at the sorceress for a moment and then shuddered.
"I-I should do something cheerful... but I can only think of a sad, dark, dangerous, and ancient dance, secular. W-what are you?"
"Something you don't need to know."
"I'm sorry for intruding; I'm a sensitive, so sometimes it's hard to know the limit."
"Don't worry; in your defense, I'm always in a bad mood."
At that moment, Godia stopped. They were just a corner away from the gate, but something startled her.
"What is it?"
"I sense death, the pain and death of many people, all at once. As if a hundred people were entering agony and, in a single instant... falling silent."
"Where?"
"In front of the gate... and there!" — she pointed towards the center, from where now came the sound of successive and countless explosions.
"We're closer to the gate; let's check here first," Evileye said.
When they arrived at the location, they found the entire garrison dead. None of them seemed to have tried to defend themselves. Some were in the same place they should have been guarding, and despite that, a hundred people were killed at once.
Walking nonchalantly among them was a young person, almost a child. He wore a flamboyant outfit with a feathered hat, in his hand a round-edged sword, with a spiral pattern painted along its length. The weapon seemed to serve only to pierce, something quite inefficient, and yet the young man maintained a disdainful smile.
"It's Temporal Turbulence," Godia murmured.
"Do you know him?"
"He's an agent of the Theocracy, known in the underworld. He..." Godia choked and coughed blood. There was a hole in her belly that went through from side to side and a large red stain that was increasing.
Evileye picked up the fading Bard in her arms and then looked at Turbulence. The boy didn't even seem to have moved from his spot; only his smile had grown larger.
"By the demons, what happened?" the vampire murmured.
...
Author's Note
Hello, as you can see the pieces are on the board and I will try to make the fights interesting and different. In this part I introduced four new battle fronts in a single chapter, for dynamic purposes the next ones will only have two fights at a time.
Regarding the character classes, I am naming them as I know them, as in the case of Brutt, who is a Monk, a fighter who uses his fists, so to differentiate it from a monk, a religious person, I capitalized the title.
If you have any questions, just send them and I will respond within a few hours at most.