All For One

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Adolph walked down the blustery roads of the Coronian nation. The cold had never bothered the stoic knight, wiping a hand through his blond hair and chuckling to feel the wind kiss his cheeks. His long coat was tied up at his waist and zipped all the way to his neck where he hid his face behind the leathery garb like it were a gullet guard. He liked feeling mysterious, despite how much he wasn’t. A large broadsword was strapped to his back and he carried an air of power around him, but he didn’t broadcast it like Master Ta’gaz, nor hide it Sensei Hotouri, the chief trainers of the Ixian Knight’s newest recruits.

Simply put Adolph felt like a rather plain old vanilla knight. He loved battle, loved war, but never stood out in the crowd. It was hard to for him, considering Jensen was usually hogging the spotlight from him. He didn’t particularly understand Stephanie’s love for Jensen Ambrose, the prime bodyguard of Lord Sei Orlouge and all around pain in the ass. As far as he was concerned Jensen was just an annoying person he tolerated because he always was around.

He sighed a bit, feeling his cheeks grow rosy as he thought about Stephanie. He had admitted several times to himself that he pined for her, but her heart was belonging to Jensen and Jensen only. He didn’t really understand that part to well. Adolph was the man who wiped her tears, Adolph was the one who was there to hold her when Jensen ignored her, the one who listened and cared. Did Adolph find love, though? No, he found a nice consolation prize. Nothing. That was the lot of a warrior of the Apocalypse. He was a member of the Knight’s of Apocalypse first, and the Ixian Knights second. If the two ever came to blows Adolph wouldn’t hesitate in dispatching anyone who stood in the way of the end times; Stephanie included.

Yet he highly doubted such a far fetched scenario could ever come pass. The two orders were loosely cooperating against this unknown lurking danger that supposedly was coming. The Knight’s of Apocalypse sent most of their newest recruits to field train in the Ixian Knights, then after two years of service they would return to the holds for further advanced training, waiting to rejoin the Ixian legions when the coming calamity came. After all was said and done, the two orders would part ways. Adolph would leave behind these people and come to work for whatever good he was assigned. Until then, the Ixian Knights was his home.

Lord Sei was also his master, and the mute mystic had asked the knight to venture forwards to an area that has been having bandit problems as of late. Normally this was Taka’s mission to handle such tings, but Adolph knew the Ronin was busy on another mission to fill the coffers of the Ixian Knights. So that left Adolph. The town asked for two mercenaries, but Sei felt confident Adolph could handle the problem on his own. In the event he needed help Adolph was to use an enchantment to communicate one time to Sei to call for backup. So with his mission understood Adolph went off to the so called Village.

It was a weeks journey away, and for that he was grateful. At first he felt sad to be all alone, normally used to being with Jensen and Stephanie when he traveled, but the solitude was a welcoming addition when he realized he wasn’t being bothered by Stephanie about her problems, and wasn’t being teased by Jensen. He made the trek with relative peace and quiet, and as he stumbled upon the town he was ordered to investigate he had discovered his problems in the first go.

The horsemen tended to favor the studious Adolph Gretzle, he joked. Lifting his broad sword up he approached a group of four thugs, all looking like they belonged to some gang. Masked and laughing like hyenas they tossed rocks into a local shops window, he observed the so called leader of the group had a Mohawk, and wore large goggles like he was some professional skier. The others had similar posing styles, but none of them matched the zeal of stupidity the leader had.

“So, you like tossing rocks eh?” Adolph said lifting his sword at the ready. The other ruffians looked to Adolph and one of them tossed a rock at him. With a casual flick of his wrist he redirected the blunt side of his sword and struck the rock back like he was playing stick ball, hitting the offender right in the face. The three others looked to the fallen gang member, then with a scream they all scattered. Adolph looked to them and sighed as he chased after the big one.

“Come on, let me teach you punks about picking on people!” Adolph felt a smile cross his features. Battle, now that was where he felt at home. But it wasn’t the total mind consuming feeling that gripped William Arcus, or Jensen Ambrose. No, he appreciated it like one would appreciate a piece of artwork. Far away with a keen eye.

He lifted his sword to block an incoming projectile, an apple, and it smashed against the flat edge of his blade. Having fought Jensen and his throwing weapons several times he knew how to use his blade’s prodigiously large flat end to block incoming attacks. The leader screamed as Adolph gained on him, but just as he was about to grab the boy’s collar he noticed something he missed.

At the town center was group of twelve more gang members, all cracking their knuckles and whipping chains forward as they started laughing. Adolph let the boy escape as he lifted his broadsword up in a salute.

“May the horsemen have mercy on your souls,” Adolph chanted as he charged forwards.

[Sweet Polly Oliver]

Polly surveyed the two unconscious bodies of the bandits who’d tried to ambush her with a disappointed look on her face. Really, bandits again? In the course of her travels throughout Corone, she’d been ambushed or attacked by highwaymen and ne’er-do-wells more times than she could count. They probably thought she looked like an easy target—a young girl, fairly small, travelling alone and on foot. Even despite her armor and weaponry, she looked relatively harmless, and in a way she was. Relatively.

She prodded the body of one of the bandits with the butt of her spear. The chill winds of the flatlands of western corone blew against her and she shuddered. She came from the southlands, where farms profited on the mild winters and hot summers. As she’d made her way to north and the west, however, she’d found colder and colder country.

“It’s only going to get colder,” her companion said. Polly nodded.

“Suppose so,” she said noncommittally. She pulled a large green garment off one of the bandits she’d dealt with. It was a thick green woolen poncho, and it looked homemade. Better than that, it looked warm. She pulled it over her head and immediately felt a little better, although not much.

The cold was a pervasive enemy. Like water seeping through cracks in pavement, it somehow found its way deeper and deeper into her body until it seemed to reside in her bones and, eventually, her heart. Polly was no longer as cheery or innocent as she’d once been. When she’d left home, she’d been an innocent, naïve girl who believed the world was nothing but sunshine and happiness. Through her travels she’d seen death, and she’d felt pain. The girl she’d once been was still there, but her previous energy and joy was tempered a bit now by experience.

“How far d’you suppose till the next town?” Polly asked.

“Can’t be far. Remember, we got word over in Ylars that this place was bothered by a whole host of bandits. We probably just met a handful of them.”

Polly’s companion was a sparrow, and his name was Passer. More than an ordinary sparrow, Passer was the god of sparrows, and Polly was his holy knight, and technically missionary into far off lands. She was, however, his only remaining follower. Once he’d had a successful and fair-sized church, but that was before Polly was even born. Sometimes she wondered what had happened, but she didn’t dare to ask. It wasn’t her place.

She adjusted her straw, broad-brimmed hat to keep the low, setting sun out of her eyes as she continued west.

“Alright,” she said, without even a second glance to the bandits she’d left lying in the dust. “Let’s go.”


* * *

Polly walked down the dusty and nearly abandoned streets of the village with an apprehensive look on her face. She’d been told that this place was a prosperous and pleasant little farming town. It couldn’t, however, possibly look less prosperous or more unpleasant. Most of the windows of the buildings on both sides of the street were broken. Strangers stared out their windows at her with big, distrustful eyes.

The only building in town that seemed truly active was the local saloon, a building that reeked of alcohol and vomit and had a seemingly never ending stream of ruffians and troublemakers moving in and out. Polly had been considering going there to ask for lodging, but upon seeing the place she decided against it. So instead she wandered about the streets and alleyways aimlessly, waiting until she—

Then she walked straight into a fight.

Several oddly dressed punks with bizarre hairstyles were menacing a well armed knight. The knight seemed to be holding his own, but he was outnumbered, and a few more similar looking men stood around, looking ready to join the fray at any moment.

When the punks saw Polly, they seemed to get distracted from their fight with the knight. “Look what we have here, boys,” one said with a whistle. The others chuckled. “What’s a little lady like this doing in our neck of the woods?” Then, upon seeing the spear that Polly carried. “I think she fancies herself a fighter!” More laughter.

Two of the thugs leapt for her, and Polly knocked one out by smacking him in the side of the head with her spear. The other one jabbed at her abdomen with a knife, but she kicked him in the shin and he bent over in pain. It was dirty fighting, but what worked worked.

Now it was her and the knight, fighting together against a number of bandits who’d joined in the fray. The knight was clearly an expert fighter, more skilled than Polly herself. Still, Polly was a trained fighter and these thugs were not. She was able to hold her own against them without too much trouble.

“Where’d a girl like you learn to fight like that?” the knight who was now her ally asked.

“On thugs like these,” Polly said, delivering a powerful jab of her spear into one man’s abdomen. “Name’s Polly Robinson, by the way.”

“Adolph,” the man said. He smacked a thrown rock with the flat side of his broadsword and it went flying back at the man who’d thrown it. “Pleasure to meet you, I’m sure,” he said.

Polly kneed a thug in the crotch. “Likewise.”

[SirArtemis]

Artemis sat in a disgusting tavern eating a disgusting meal. The ambience was horrendous and nothing like what he had become accustomed to back in Knife's Edge. Harki's tavern, The Bearded Gnome, was everything that this shithole was not. The Bearded Gnome was clean, well kept, orderly, not to mention had excellent food and service. Here, in The Poison Arrow, the food tasted like the kind you would feed a pet and smelled worse. The scent of alcohol was so potent that you would think you were in the center of a barrel of fermenting something-or-other. Each bite he took hurt him a bit more than the last; the meal proved, slowly but surely, that just because you were starving did not mean you would eat anything.

As he lifted the fork and scrunched up his face, preparing for another bite, a loud ruckus outside served as a pleasant distraction. He turned his head in feigned curiosity and shock as he heard the shouts outside. Pushing back the barstool and quickly standing up, the young man pushed the plate of food forward, smiled and paid for his meal without a word, rushing outside to see what was going on. In reality, he did not much care for what was going on, but he just needed a reason to get out of this tavern.

When he got outside, he saw what looked like a well-trained knight alongside a young woman with red hair and armor that was a bit too big for her. The image of the young lady made him smile. However, as soon as he realized what was actually going on, that smile fell right off his face. This was the bandit gang he had heard and read about and actively tried to avoid. Their hairstyles acted as their trademark, which Artemis felt accentuated their stupidity. The idea of making yourself obvious when you break the law seemed a bit silly to him.

Regardless, the knight and woman were outnumbered and Artemis felt that this was not fair. Whether the two could hold their own did not matter; the vagabond just did not like what bandits stood for. Not only that, but after picking up a fancy new pair of mythril daggers at the Bazaar a couple days prior, this seemed the perfect opportunity to give them a test-run.

Running at two bandits who were distracted, Artemis decked both of them in the back of their skulls with the hilts of his blades as he went past. At the very least, that would keep them out of the fight for a little bit. All of the bandits were facing the pair and as Artemis continued to approach them, cutting through the crowd, his blades did the same. Stabs and slashes to non-vital organs caused yelps to escape from the ruffians as he passed by. He only managed to hurt a few before arriving by the duo he was looking to help.

When he arrived, he smiled to the two and turned his back to them with a quick introduction.

"The name's Artemis. I'm not sure if you NEED help, but I thought it couldn't hurt."

It looked like his return trip from The Citadel was going to be more fun than he had anticipated.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

“Hmm,” Adolph grunted as he pushed another warrior off the flat of his blade. “Seems we are all in order, now…if you all wouldn’t mind, let us dispose of this trash,” Adolph said as he swung his weapon over his head and crashed the flat end down on a warrior trying to sneak up on Polly.

“Mind your back now,” He called to the youth, she turning a fraction to offer him a soft smile before she turned back and slammed the pole of her spear into the gut of another gang member. Artemis seemed to be holding his own as he danced around, moving with his daggers to defend and counter attack. Adolph turned to his own battles as he saw four men form up on him. Angrily he lowered his weapons and pointed to them.

“All at once now?” Adolph said, looking over their shoulder with a slight smile. They looked to each other stupidly, and that was all the knight needed as he swung his weapon to the man on the right, forcing him into the people on the left. They stumbled into each other, pushed backed, and Adolph repeated his trick, but now on the left side. Again they toppled, pushed to align themselves, and found out they were missing two of their number. Adolph gave them a soft shrug, and wisely they turned to run. As they did so Polly obliged them with a spear in the face; blunt side, naturally.

The two turned and formed up, charging down the streets littered with groaning bodies as Artemis held off three men at once. Polly took the one on the left, Adolph took the one on the right, and together all three started to repulse their attacks and rout them, pushing them deeper against a wall. Adolph fell back from them, content to leave the others to finish them off as Adolph spotted some making a break for it.

He bounded his boots across the ground, feeling the soft dirt churn at his heels up, a little cloud trailing him. Within a few bounds he was upon the rear runner, taking him at his knees with a trip. Down the lawbreaker went, his body tumbling around wildly until he rolled into a drinking hole for horses. The wood cracked and snapped at his violent entry, and the water gushed out over him.

There were four making the run for freedom. With one down Adolph was upon the next of the remaining three. Easily he dispatched that one with his sword, shoving his weapon into the enemies gut with the flat end. He curled over the weapon, falling and losing breath as he tumbled like a falling brick house, but his descent fell forwards into Adolph’s path and the warrior of the Apocalypse had to leap into a low roll to get back to his feet over the fallen body. The other two were sprinting now, pumping their arms furiously as they ran, not looking back to see the fate of the others.

Adolph turned his head and noticed several of the people he thought they dispatched were rising again. He shook his head running back in, looking for his comrades in arms. He spotted Artemis easily enough, his weapons lightly trailing the crimson fluid of life from them, but the amount indicated shallow cuts at best. Polly wasn’t visible to him, and that concerned the knight, but he shook those feelings away; the girl proved she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder and they advanced forward, Adolph letting Artemis take point with his shorter range. When the boy exerted himself to far Adolph would protect his weak point with his longer ranged broadsword. The two fought like this covering the others backs as they moved in, fighting off the bandits with ease as they made their way back to the center of the town. Most of the bandits had fled in terror, screaming that there was simply ‘to many!’ and ran with their tails between their legs. Others tried to find the will to fight, but it was all downhill for them, the far more experienced fighters dispatching them with ease.

“Well now, that was a mighty fine warm up,” Adolph teased looking back to his companions to see how they faired.

[SirArtemis]

'That was kinda invigorating,' Artemis thought to himself, proud of his deed in aiding a knight and routing the bandits. He didn't want to really hurt the bandits too badly, but he also knew that they weren't the nicest of folk in the area and they took advantage of others. To Artemis, that was wrong, and his intent was only to deter them and possibly teach them a lesson. A cut here, a bruise their; even his stabs were barely enough to worry about. Sure, he could have killed them, and probably a lot of them, but what would that accomplish? Sometimes killing just isn't the answer.

"You know," he began, "I bet if we talked to their leader, we could figure out some better way to deal with them. They already have their bonds as a group; what if we made them into some kind of hunting party or... maybe a construction company... or even make them into the town guard."

Artemis scratched his head, thinking about how poorly that would go. His two companions seemed to agree, both staring at him with a look of confusion.

"It was just a thought..." He shrugged

'Maybe the bad food from that tavern is already getting to my head... I really need to flush my system.'

"What do you say we go grab a meal somewhere? Though not here. Definitely not here," he shook his head, the reminder of the food making him nearly gag. "I'm sure there's another tavern somewhere we could stop in, or even go hunt and cook our own meal?" The suggestion alone seemed time consuming, and given how hungry he was now, it may not have been the best idea. "Maybe not..." His stomach growled in agreement.

"Actually, I have to be goin'," the young woman said, fixing her helmet as it began to move out of place given its large size. "I have plans to meet with something, and I'd hate to be late. It was nice meetin' ya'll, take care now!"

With a smile and a wave, the woman walked off, the two men watching with both admiration and confusion as she turned a corner and disappeared from view. It was an odd sight: a young woman, armor too big for her to wear and an attitude that seemed too kind to fight walking away after helping dispatch a few bandits by herself.

Artemis smiled in both admiration and amusement before turning back to the knight in front of him.

"Well, I guess it's just us then. The name's Artemis. A pleasure to meet you...?" Leaving his statement hanging, he prompted the man for his name. It was a neat trick he had picked up from his father when he worked at the smithy, though at the moment, it didn't register that that was the origin. Even if it had, Artemis was accepting his past more and more, and even the fallout with his father couldn't sour his mood as quickly as it once had.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Adolph and Artemis were sitting within a nice dainty restaurant chatting merrily as they both took bites from their dinner. There was plenty of potted plants hanging around and it even had a fish tank where the wealthy could pick out which fish they would taste. Their waitress was a fine looking lady, mid twenties with gorgeous blond streaks in her brown hair. Her eyes were a star like silver and she had been tending to them more than most of her other customers.

Artemis had explained his story to Adolph, the knight just nodding his head and clarifying details when needed and was learning to appreciate the things the man had been through. He even felt a part of him liking the guy, enjoying the fact there was another person within the world who had manners. Hanging around Jensen made him really appreciate those who took the extra second to say thank you.

Adolph was careful not to reveal anything about the Knight’s of Apocalypse, as his secretive order had no desire to be a public known thing. So instead he talked about Stephanie and the Ixian Knights. Though he didn’t notice it, he wasn’t mentioning Jensen at all in his speech. With his glass of water re-filled and a gentle nod from both men to the waitress he turned his attentions out to a group of men walking forwards.

There were four of them, each wearing heavy leather armor with swords strapped to their waist. They held the weapons pommel first in their sheaths to prevent them from knocking into the patrons of the establishment, and without even needing to investigate further he could tell they were the local law of the town. The leader of this warband was an older fellow, probably in his late forties. He had a beard that reached down his neck and touched the front of his leather breastplate. Behind him were two men, one in his early twenties and another in his mid. They both had dark colored hair and similar eyes to the leader and Adolph ventured a guess that they were both kin to the older man.

The fourth person was a young woman, her hair a snowy white, though it currently was dirty. She wore a white scarf around her neck that doubled around her shoulders and laid whim fully over her leather armor. Her eyes scanned around the room, threatening anyone who dared spend more than a casual glance at the party. Adolph lowered his fork lifting his napkin and wiping his mouth. He made a motion to stand but the action put all but the leader at unease. They lifted their other hand to their swords, preparing to draw them but one motion of the leaders hand stopped them all.

“Are you the two who came to us and rid the bandit problem?” The leader asked in a gruff, serious tone. It was a veterans grumble in the back of his throat and Adolph could tell the man had seen a lot of action. His eyes looked to them both with admiration of one who was preparing to fight. He already was calculating what he would do if the situation turned ugly. Adolph gave him a bit of respect for that. Artemis seemed quiet as he looked to the ensemble, but he made no threatening moves.

“Yes we are, Sir,” Adolph said politely, but with a defensive tone. He would be polite, but he would not seem overly so. Where Jensen would have been crass, and Stephanie would have been to polite, Adolph would be respectful, but nothing more. The leader nodded his head to Adolph, then turned to Artemis and nodded again.

“I thank you for your time, gentlemen, and if there is someway I can repay the debt I owe you,” Adolph quickly raised his hand to stop the man.

“It is I who should be apologizing. The Ixian Knights had sent for me to aid your town. Normally Benjiro Taka and his mercenaries would have answered the call, but they are currently on a mission.” The leader gave him a scrutinized look, a scowl on his face.

“Does Lord Orlouge expect us to pay him for five soldiers when he sends us only two?” Adolph put on a very neutral smile as he shook his head.

“No he does not, Sir,” Adolph spoke quickly. “He doesn’t expect payment for this at all. He apologizes for not being able to uphold his contract with you, but the situation still warrants our attention. We will not ignore your plea for help.” Adolph spoke with a finality in his tone to end the matter.

“Well then I suppose that’s good,” The leader mumbled. “Still, I thank you for your time…” He looked to Adolph intently. The knight bowed softly to the group as he extended his hand.

“Adolph Gretzel,” He said proudly. “This is my comrade Artemis. He is not from the Ixian Knights, but he is a strong warrior in his own right.” He turned to the man and he quickly stood up, shaking the parties hand.

“Nice to meet you both,” The leader said sincerely. “Waitress, four more chairs please and some soup.” The waitress nodded her head as she ran to the back to put in the order. The group fanned around the table and Adolph and Artemis made room as they condensed their eating area, putting their weapons to the side or off the table back into their pockets. After they all got settled the leader looked to his soldiers.

“I am Gunner, and these are my two sons Harold and Jeremiah.” Both boys looked almost identical, but he noted Harold had hazel eyes and Jeremiah had green. Gunner pointed to the woman. “This is Tanya, she’s my adjutant. I am head of the town guard. I got thirteen people under my belt, not including those present.” Gunner smiled with pride as Tanya gave them both a quick nod of her head.

Adolph once again listened and gathered information on the town and the people who protected it, learning all about their troubles. When Adolph first came through he hadn’t the foggiest idea why they would hire five mercenaries from the Ixian Knights. Truth be told this was a mission two people could have handled from his own order. Yet as he learned that there have been increased attacks on the surrounding towns the information became a bit more clearer. The raids at first seemed random, but then they began to become organized, striking targets which were noted to have a gratuitous amount of grains and food. Then after food was robbed the towns that had weapon shops and horse stalls were raided next. Now it was onto towns with smiths who forged armor, which this town fell under.

“They are doing supply runs,” Adolph said at last, interrupting Gunner as he took enormous details on trivial matters like where the strike from and how many they had when they did so. “They aren’t committing the larger host, but this is a lot of hits against towns for a small group of bandits. Organized bandit groups never work towards a simple goal, which is making me wonder if they are working for someone.” Gunner nodded his head as he sipped his soup.

“Tanya thought the same thing.” The girl looked to Adolph, and with a quick nod she confirmed the man’s words. “Problem is, every time we try to investigate, we come back with less numbers. The local towns had a rule to join forces against larger raiding parties, but that’s becoming a problem as most towns won’t spare anyone. That’s where we were earlier today, aiding the town up north.”

Adolph listened to that and his heart pounded. That last bit of news was a crucial thing he wished Gunner had spoken earlier. “How many targets do they generally hit at the same time?” Gunner shrugged but his son, Harold, spoke up.

“Three at a time, it seems. On a rare heist they will commit a fourth party. Though that’s all changing now.” Adolph nodded his head. IF his studies in military strategy were worth a damn, he knew what was actually going on. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. With no dramatic flare he spoke bluntly his thoughts.

“These aren’t bandits,” Adolph said. The table all looked to him. “Those people we captured, I bet if we apply enough pressure they will crack and tell us they are scouts for an army.” Tanya’s eyes narrowed to Adolph’s, but an amused smile pressed against her lips. It seemed she too had thought the same thing. Gunner shook his head though stubbornly.

“Why would an army be raiding like bandits?” He spoke heatedly to counter the claim. It seemed he also had heard this theory, and simply didn’t like it. Adolph used his skills in deductive logic to make the captain see his wisdom.

“Do you have a map, by chance?” Gunner looked to Jeremiah, and the boy nodded lifting himself up to get into his backpack. He pulled out a long leather looking piece of rolled tubing and uncorked the top. He gently patted the other end as a rolled up paper fell out. Artemis was first to clear up the table to make room, followed by Tanya and Harold.

When he looked at the map he pleased to see that it was of the surrounding area with all the other towns clearly marked for him. There were fourteen marked provinces in all. “Where did they strike at first, the random attacks. Be as accurate as possible, if you can, Jeremiah.” The boy nodded and didn’t answer right away which was a good sign that he was seriously considering before he pointed to a few towns on the edges. Then his hand went to the exact opposite side, stopping once or twice on a few villages in the middle. He had in all pointed to seven territories.

“See, sporadic!” Gunner insisted.

Adolph shook his head. “These were scouting raids. Notice how they attacked towns that were the central hub to the surrounding villages. They gathered their intel from those central towns, learned what they needed, and then reported back. I bet you once they learned who to strike when they began attacking in these orders.” Adolph’s hand marked out three territories. Jeremiah looked to his father, and then with a hesitant nod he spoke.

“Yeah, that’s right. Then they attacked there,” His pinky flagged a town. “And there.” He moved his hand away as Adolph took in the situation with a stern gaze. Adolph looked up before he searched the surrounding table. He found the salt and pepper shakers and grabbed them, turning to the table behind him and grabbing those. Quickly Harold and Tanya retrieved some more until he had enough to cover all the territories on the map. He placed the salt shakers on the towns that had already been hit.

“Now that is confirmed locations, am I right?” Harold shook his head picking up one salt shaker.

“That one has yet to be raided that we know of.” In the salt shakers place he put the pepper on the remaining territories, save the town they inhabited. “What’s this to mean, sir?” Harold asked.

“Look at the map and tell me what you see,” They all looked to it, and sure enough it was Tanya’s finger first that traced the surrounding edges of the village they occupied. Adolph smiled to her, and at last Gunner sighed in defeat.

“We’re surrounded by pepper shakers…They didn’t send a raid party to take our stuff, they sent one to see if the surrounding areas would respond.” Adolph nodded, but grimly. The situation had indeed turned far worse than he imagined. Before he spoke he wanted to see if anyone noticed what was going on. Artemis looked to the map, and then he began to shift the salt shakers forward until they crept closer to the pepper shakers. Adolph nodded to the man, encouraging him to continue. Slowly they moved until they surrounded the town.

“If they attack three times,” Artemis said, holding his thought for a moment before he confidently placed the three salt shakers. “Then they would have struck these key locations. That would grant them the ability to completely cut us off from the rest of the nearby villages and allow for a final coup de grace.” Gunner let his gaze stare at the map for a moment. Then with a violent curse he looked up to Adolph.

“Why not attack the remaining towns, why those three?” Tanya snapped a finger and lowered her hand to the villages. She cupped them in her fingers making a small circle with her thumb and index finger. Then she moved to the other territories they theorized were taken. Her fingers spread open showing a larger circle.

“The territories are bigger,” Artemis voiced loudly. “The other ones must not have anything of value to the army.” Adolph nodded and Gunner hesitantly did.

“Then that means we were raided today…” Harold said.

“To investigate our defenses for tomorrow…” Jeremiah finished with a sigh.

“I suggest we start preparing the town, right away gentlemen and lady,” Adolph said standing up.

[SirArtemis]

"Alright, let's get things in order." Adolph stood up from the table and gathered his belongings, looking around the table and deciding what would work best. "I'll take care of the strategic defenses but I'll need your help for that Gunner. You know where everything is and we will have to work quickly."

Gunner nodded and stood up, having no problem taking orders from a man who seemed very confident and full of experience. Adolph exerted an air of power and confidence that even the seasoned veteran found himself admiring and respecting.

"Artemis, I'll need you to gather those who can fight and arm them. Do we have enough equipment?" Adolph asked, turning his gaze from Artemis back to Gunner.

"Our armory is well stocked, no doubt about that. We should have enough to give anyone with an arm to fight a sword to wield." Gunner stood, resting his hands on his waist with a grin of pride painted across his face. "We could even stop by the forge and see what the smith has that he is willing to spare."

Satisfied, Adolph continued with his instruction. "Alright, Harold and Jeremiah, if you could run to the forge and check on that, that would help. Once you are done, gather some folks to help bring the spare equipment to the town hall and we can start gathering people."

Adolph turned back to Artemis. "Send everyone to the town hall, and I mean everyone. Once people get there, we'll have some of the town watch waiting to organize everything. We'll keep those unable to fight within the safety of the building and organize the rest. Let's get to it."

Tanya gave a look to Adolph of 'What about me?' and Adolph simply looked at her with a smile. "You go with Artemis," he decided, "He could use some company."

Tanya blushed and smiled, not saying a word and looking over to Artemis who stood up and rested his hands on the mythril daggers at his side.

"Alright, come on then!" Artemis said, running out of the restaurant and looking through the streets.

"Where's the best place to start?" Looking over at Tanya, she didn't say a word, she just pointed toward the south end of the city.

Both ran off quickly and found a house on the southern side of the town. It was a simple building, much like all the others around. A wooden home that was big enough for a small family and likely a single room. Artemis knocked loudly on the door.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

A man a few years younger than Artemis opened the door, and though the vagabond felt a wave of guilt splash over him for what he was about to ask, he knew he had no choice.

"We need you and your family to head to the town hall right away. Once there, the guards will give you more instruction. The town is likely to be attacked soon so please be quick about it."

The pair didn't even wait for a reply before running off to the next house. Artemis repeated the same line at every door, making it as brief and quick as possible while running between homes. It appeared that Adolph was quite active as well as town guards could be seen running through the streets as well and shouting out orders.

Artemis couldn't help but be impressed. After making his rounds on the southern side of the city, less than a half hour since parting ways at the restaurant, countless people were already at the town hall. While the men capable of fighting equipped themselves, some helped transport more weapons and armor from the forge. The young women ran off to the northern side of the city to help spread the word while those with children or who were too old stayed in the town hall and began moving things around to make room for everyone to sit.

All the while, Adolph and Gunner laid out a map of the town and stood planning a strategic defense for the incoming raid. Satisfied that he and Tanya had done enough with gathering, trusting the young women to the northern half of the town, the pair approached the older men.

"So what's next?" Artemis prompted, looking at Adolph with eager and reverent eyes.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Adolph watched the town hustle as he looked past Artemis’ shoulders, observing the situation with a keen eye. He had noted Gunner was proud of his people to move without hesitation, and everyone caught on quickly to the urgency that they had to make things work, and fast.

“Now, Artemis,” Adolph said looking back to the map with a long glance of his eyes. He held his breath as he thought about it, and with a look back to his new found friend he spoke his mind clearly. “We wait. Gunner, do you mind joining me?” The old veteran nodded his head.

With that said he walked past the men as he approached a small room. It was empty, most of the supplies pulled out as the townspeople made work of their new living arrangement. Still, the silence was helpful as he pulled out a small rod that Sei Orlouge had given him. Just as he expected, Gunner stepped into the room with him.

“I have been given this…tool,” Adolph said twirling the metal rod in his hands. “To contact Sei and alert him if the situation gets bad. I asked you to be here to confirm anything I say.” Gunner nodded. He looked to the rod, wondered how the hell it worked, and with a frustrated sigh he spoke to it directly.

“Sei Orlouge,” The rod’s tip began to glow. It looked like the metal was being placed into the tip of the forge. Within a few seconds the whole rod was starting to melt and Adolph had dropped it, fearing he would get burned. The rod melted fully, and then with a soft sigh of one who was sleeping, Sei Orlouge’s telepathic voice spoke to both men.

“A little late in the night for waking me, Adolph,” Sei said softly. “What is it you need?” Adolph began speaking, first introducing Gunner and then going into details. The mute remained quiet, not speaking as Adolph gave him all the details, and at long last when he finished the Mystic spoke in an even tone.

“Can nothing be done without the enemy intervening?” Sei joked. Neither man laughed. “Indeed, Adolph, the situation has changed. I will organize the troops and march in to aid you, but it won’t be an easy task,” Adolph nodded his head, though he knew his lord couldn’t see it.

“I expect it to take about a week, but perhaps we can spare some scouts to help us bolster our ranks? We are fighting with women and children.” Gunner asked politely. Sei seemed to grumble a bit as if he was moving around his hallway back in the tombs.

“I’ve just dispatched some of Bracken’s men and I’ll alert Cassandra to your situation. Perhaps her skills can be of use. I honestly have nothing else to give you. Stephanie and Jensen haven’t returned yet from their vacation, so you’ll have to do without much help until I can arrive in force.” Sei seemed almost apologetic, that he felt bad that he couldn’t contribute more. Gunner seemed satisfied with what was being done.

“Okay my lord, in one weeks time,” Adolph said. “I’ll see you then.”

“Be safe, Adolph,” Sei replied.

~*~

By morning, they had gathered the newly formed resistance group of the town. Gunner had Harold and Jeremiah give out quick basic lessons to refresh everyone who hadn’t used a sword in a long time. Those who never had were placed closer to the town hall where they would be protected by the other branches of their coalition. In all they stood at about seventy five warriors strong. It wasn’t large enough to stop an army, but perhaps they could hold out for the week they needed.

Reality dictated that this wasn’t going to be the case. He perceived maybe holding them off for three days at best, before the army would surge forwards and just blitz them with superior numbers to end them. However he didn’t voice that to the newly formed ranks of soldiers. They were all feeling like they had a chance, and Gunner had already spilled the beans on the Ixian Knights coming to the rescue. The town was humble enough to know it stood no chance of surviving for long, but if they could last long enough for help, then they could do it!

Adolph observed the battlements they all hastily made. Decoy buildings were set up with garbage armor and other valuables to persuade the forces to break up and try to take them. Inside teams of four people would ambush them. Adolph and Gunner would be running wherever they were needed most, and most of the town guard was split up into two man teams to aid the citizens and offer their wisdom. They were as ready as they were going to be.

It was at around ten o’clock when the enemy struck. There was a loud whooping sound as several “bandits” fell upon the town in a mighty cascade of energy. They ran through the streets, tossing rocks and screaming to loot the place dry. They were pillaging some store windows and grabbing invaluable items from the trade market, but the loses were expected, and part of their plan.

They hadn’t even noticed that nobody was opposing them, and nobody seemed to be surrounding the streets. The leader of the group ran upwards towards the main flag of the royal crown, cutting the string and pulling it down. When he reached up to tear it apart his face contorted in confusion, and he fell over.

The group of looters didn’t even notice he had died.

When they ran deeper into the town they found the first set of barricades and laughed, taunting the people hiding behind the hastily built blockades. They threw rocks and daggers, cursed them and teased them, and when they turned around they were silenced by cold efficient swings from Tanya and Adolph, who grabbed their bodies with Harold and Artemis’ help to hide them.

Still the larger group didn’t notice what was going on. They just continued to pillage and plunder the market, but they made no direct move into the central areas for the larger booty. A few wagons showed up, each one wide and large, driven by six oxen. There was a far more civilized group of soldiers all carrying halberds in their hands, looking to the looters with a shake of their heads. The cart trotted forwards, stopped at a preordained spot, and when the soldiers turned their backs they noticed the first out of place sighting.

One bellowed for them all to look to the fallen commander, but his screams were silenced by an arrow to his chest. A small rush of arrows followed, hitting into the soldiers and taking them down. The looters panicked, and they turned towards the exit and screamed for help. Sure enough a few more heavily armed warriors showed up. Thirty in all walking in disciplined lines of three rows. They carried shield and sword, wearing half plate mail and chain mail skirts to protect their knees. As they advanced another barrage of arrows flew into them. Only one soldier fell from the attack, and the soldiers let out a harrowing cry as they charged.

Adolph watched them come, waiting a moment as he observed behind his barricade. They split up into ten man groups, save the one group who had lost a soldier. One group, the smaller of the three, ran ally towards the decoy armor depots. Jeremiah observed them from rooftop and motioned for his men to stand down. They wouldn’t hope to take on them all. Adolph was pleased to see the young commander wasn’t going to sacrifice his men.

Another group turned the bend where the barricade was and quickly took ranks. They formed into two lines of ten, their shields creating an impenetrable wall as they rushed forward. A brilliant tactic, Adolph admitted, as the longer claymore swords pierced through the armored wall. They would have broken the barricade easily, but Adolph had no intentions of fighting them at the barricade. Tanya rushed out with a long pole arm, followed by seven other drafted soldiers who bellowed to the enemy. The flank action caught them completely off guard and the side was skewered like a knife in warm butter. The people hiding behind the barricade waited on Adolph’s orders, and only when they turned to face all seven warriors did he set them loose from the safety of their blockade. It was a bloody five minutes, and the enmy took down four fo their number in casualties, but ten armored warriors were at last killed. They left the bodies where they lay and moved towards the location of city hall where they would regroup.

“Tanya, Artemis, I need you guys to take a few soldiers and prepare to route the ten that went towards Jeremiah. They should have their hands full so hopefully the pickings will be easy!” Adolph saluted them as he ran off, trusting the two with his orders as he thought about what to do for the ten that remained that went towards the other side of town. He looked over his shoulder, saw that a final group of enemy warriors showed up, and began setting up. A commander in heavy plate mail rode upon a black stallion, the beast seemingly impatient.

“I suppose I should do something about him…” Adolph whispered.

[SirArtemis]

Adolph gave simple instructions and Artemis was happy to oblige. After all, he was just defending people who had no way to defend themselves. Even still, he felt a slight guilt in participating in the death of these men.

‘I have to avoid killing them if I can… It’s not my place…’

“Tanya, let’s go. You three, with me.” Pointing to a trio of grizzly and angry looking men, the quintet ran off after the smaller squad of units that headed for the decoy armor depots.

Looking up at the rooftops, Artemis noticed Jeremiah still up there and overlooking the immediate area. As the son of Gunner panned the area, he noticed the small group coming to aid the others and motioned for his group to reposition themselves. They would flank the small group and hopefully overwhelm them.

As they ran toward the depots, Artemis sheathed his two mythril daggers and pulled Judicis from his back, stringing an arrow upon the bow and hoping he’d hit something when the time came.

As the group turned the final corner, two of the other men in their group pulled bows off their backs as well, taking Artemis’ gesture as a hint. They saw the group off in the distance and the three archers lined up to fire.

Quietly enough so only the two others would hear, he began to count off.

“On three. One. Two.”

As three came, they fired off their arrows, each one finding a mark. Artemis’ had found its way into the back a man’s knee.

‘At least I didn’t kill him or miss.’

The relief lasted briefly as the reality of the situation took hold. Throwing his bow back onto his back, Artemis ran forward, unsheathing his two daggers and charging for the group. Jeremiah stood idle and waiting. As the nine soldiers turned to face the incoming thread, three of which were having arrows pulled out of them, or pulling them themselves.

As the soldiers brought up their shields and weapons to confront the attacking quintet, another half-dozen arrows struck them in the back. Shouts of pain sang from their lips as confusion spread through their ranks. They looked upon their comrades, confused as to what the shouting was about.

Before they could register completely what had gone on, several other men had attacked their rear flank, slicing and swinging at the soldiers without restraint. As some began to turn to face their new attackers, Artemis’ party made contact as well.

Taking the central position, Artemis stepped up to a pair. These men were strong, nearly all taller than him, and much better armed. They held large shields emblazoned with their army’s emblem and held longswords. The one to his immediate left, a man who stood a head taller than Artemis, held his sword with his left hand and slashed upward and across. The vagabond stepped back from the attack and as the blade flew by, he stepped back in and aimed for a small crevice in the man’s armor. He recognized the half plate armor and knew that if there was a weaker point, it would be below the shoulder, and taking out the man’s attacking arm would aid greatly.

Just as he pulled his arm back to strike, the man to his right swung downward with his own longsword, which he held in his right hand. Artemis pulled up one dagger to block and used the other to attack the same weak point on the new enemy, given that they all wore the same armor. This time his attack landed, and as Artemis pulled his dagger out, a red film covered the offending half. He pushed past and did the same thing to two men who were facing the other way, stabbing at their shoulders and piercing their flesh. As the attacks landed, he tumbled forward and to the other side where Jeremiah’s units stood.

As he looked up at the damage he had caused, enough to disarm his opponents but not kill them, he saw the silent and elegant form of Tanya across the way. She had pulled out her two own two swords, saber-like in design, and was making quick work of the other men. She twirled and slashed, the ends of her scarf flying in the wind as she danced to the song of death. Her slender blades pierced flesh and men howled in denial at the prowess of the slender woman. Artemis could see her eyes from where he stood and they were not the eyes of the woman he had gone door knocking with. She was a different person entirely when she was fighting, and now Artemis understood that war was where she found comfort.

With the soldiers’ numbers dwindling quickly, the defenders made quick work of them. As the bodies fell, some wounded, some dead, Artemis found Jeremiah and updated him on the status.

“Do what you can with the bodies. I’d prefer as little casualties as possible, but don’t waste too many resources. If the enemy can be kept alive without risking our own men, then do so. I’ll head back to Adolph and see where we stand. I think we may have at least survived this attack.”

With a sigh, Artemis felt his work was done. He walked over to where Tanya stood, cleaning her blades on a piece of cloth.

“Let’s head back to town hall.”

She looked up at him, and Artemis could still see the traces of her fighter spirit in her eyes. However, upon seeing his face, that look quickly melted away into a warm and comforting look. She smiled and nodded, and as she sheathed her blades, the two ran off.

‘I hope we can survive this…’

[Enigmatic Immortal]

The majority of the first assault was thwarted back as the bandits and the scouts made a hasty retreat when the man upon the steed blew a whistle. The heavily armed soldiers all regained into the ranks, now fifteen in number, and fell back covering the cart as the oxen were whipped to make haste on their escape. Adolph felt the pressing need to harry them, turn their retreat into a route, but to do so would accomplish nothing more than depleting their resources and chasing shadows. If they annihilated the first wave the second wave would be stronger that they would inevitably encounter. With survivors they would most likely create another raiding party with a few more soldiers to handle the uppity reserves of warriors.

Assuming the warlord in charge didn’t just come himself with the entire army to smash them to tiny pieces, Adolph pondered dimly.

Gunner seemed to be in good spirits, despite his stern face he kept in front of his men. He continued to order more barricades made and the process of preparing for the second wave began. They had no clue how long the enemy would take in reorganizing and coming back, and every second counted. Adolph approached the older man, with Harold taking a few jogging steps to keep in line with the knight.

“That was brilliant!” Harold said excitedly. “We did it! We repelled the attack force that was crushing other armies!”

“Harold the reality of the situation isn’t so brilliant,” Adolph said harshly. “The truth is we fought a splinter faction, probably because most of the other enemy units were busy fighting the three battles to make sure we have no support.”

Harold remained quiet before he looked at the knight. “But wouldn’t they have done that yesterday? I thought this was the juicy target…” Adolph looked to the boy, and shrugged.

“I do not believe we have accurate intelligence of who still stands and who fell. Truth is I’m not sure what kind of enemy we are fighting, but from the heavy armor and the look of the commanding unit I assume they are organized. It’ll be harder the next time around.” Harold nodded, but still with a smile on his face he clasped Adolph on the shoulder with his left hand.

“I know you are being serious right now,” Harold said in a low tone. “And trust me, I know what you are saying, but these people,” He waved to a group of weary conscripts, who smiled and waved back. “They are tired already, they don’t like what’s going on, and any more nay saying is only going to hamper their already crumbling will. Let’s keep optimism alive, shall we?” Adolph looked to Harold, saw the man wink to him, and with a bemused smile he nodded.

“I never would have guessed you had a stronger eye for such a crucial detail of war than me. I forgot moral, and that is all we have now.” Adolph looked to Gunner who saluted the men as he stepped in tow with them, all three walking towards the city hall. “I won’t lie and say we can hold them off, but you are right, Harold, we need to make the people think they can survive.”

“I pray Lord Orlouge gets here soon,” Gunner whispered.

~*~

The next planning phase took longer than Adolph who had liked. They moved most of the barricades closer in, and the dummy shops were left to rot. There would be no more surprise ambushes from them, for to do so would just spread his forces to far. They had taken little casualties, thankfully nobody had died, but still, with but a handful of troops even a small bucket would be like empting a sink. Gunner paced through the lines, keeping an even temperament. He ordered people around, made sure they all pulled their weight. He wasn’t overly harsh, but he was mean when he had to be. Adolph wondered where he learned to lead men from.

As if his brain was read, Jeremiah stood next to Adolph, pointing to his old man. “Dad’s been an officer for Corone island about twelve years. He retired just before the civil war,” Jeremiah looked to the map and pointed to the rear of the town. “I know it seems silly, and will take some time, but we eventually have to protect this bit of land. Soon they will surround us and siege us if they have to.”

“After our next valiant defense I do not know what to expect. It will be a matter of time, and that’s something we don’t have with such meager forces. I think Lord Bracken’s men may be coming to collect our corpses,” Adolph said in a half whisper. Jeremiah looked up to Adolph, an even stare that wasn’t at all inviting, and the knight placed his hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder.

“I can lie to the people for moral, but to my officers would be foolish. I need you guys to accept reality, that’s all.” Adolph was pleased to see Jeremiah wasn’t upset, nodding as he leaned back in his chair looking up to his commander.

“Don’t you fear death?” Jeremiah whispered. Adolph lifted an eyebrow. “I’m terrified of dying. I don’t want to die. This whole situation is making me think, well, think ‘this is it, Jeremiah, you are going to face your fears’.” Adolph looked to the man, and then he sat down looking right at him in between the eyes.

“I used to fear death, just like you. I couldn’t even bring myself to fight in the Citadel, where death is just a revolving door. The whole idea of the blackness scares me to death, but then I met someone…” Adolph said sagely. “I met someone who taught me that Death is just a way of appreciating the things we have to live for. I know a man, an irritable, distasteful man I think I loathe. Yet at the same time I trust him as a comrade, because he taught me that.”

“Who is this guy?” Jeremiah asked innocently. Adolph paused a moment to reflect on what he would say.

“This man was immortal, and he will live forever, Jeremiah.” Adolph looked to the people and saw the weariness in their eyes.

“I wish I was immortal,” Jeremiah said childishly.

“No you don’t.” Adolph said in such a dead panned voice it made Jeremiah’s skin crawl. “Immortality, that’s a fate worse than death. I now realize I don’t mind death anymore, to die would be a release, a great release. I will accept death on my own terms, but I will not shy away from it. Unfortunately for this man, he doesn’t get the option.” Adolph patted the man on the shoulder and stood, leaving him to his own thoughts.

[SirArtemis]

The small town, though recovering from the earlier battle, was alive with energy. Artemis and Tanya helped at different parts of the town putting together barricades and repairing damaged defenses, Artemis instructing those around him and taking the leadership role.

“Okay everyone, pull on three. Let’s get this piece in place. One. Two. Three!”

As everyone heaved, putting the long piece of wood into its position, Adolph watched from a distance by Gunner’s side.

“He seems to be doing well.” Gunner claimed, admiring the work ethic of the man.

“I agree. I’ll admit that I’m impressed.” Adolph stood with arms crossed on the steps of the town hall, overseeing all the actions of the town with Gunner’s aid. Everything seemed to be going well with each citizen contributing to help secure his or her home. Yet something stood out to the seasoned veterans. “He works endlessly and without complaint, taking a leadership role without even being asked. All the while, he has nothing invested in this town.”

Gunner looked over at Adolph who returned the gaze.

“Does it worry you?” Gunner asked.

Adolph smiled back at the man. “Not at all. Whatever it is about that man, I find myself trusting him completely. I have no doubt he’d die defending this town. I couldn’t tell you why, but at the moment, the why doesn’t matter to me, nor do I think it matters to anyone else of the town.”

Both men returned their gaze to the vagabond who was now at another point and helping to move materials to the next area of need.

‘These two may be the only hope we have for making it through the next wave…’ Gunner nodded, thinking to himself.

--------------------------------------------------

As night came around, Tanya had parted way with Artemis. She didn’t say why, but the young man simply assumed she had other responsibilities. Wandering the streets of the town and checking on all the work, the vagabond breathed in the delicious and crisp fresh air.

Things were coming together well. All the injured had been taken care of within the safe confines of the town hall. Fires had been set up in the streets and different cooks were preparing meals for everyone. The citizens had been instructed to stay within the town hall and any who needed to collect important items were escorted in small groups to their homes. The town hall was now their new home until things were settled.

However, Artemis was nowhere near the town hall. The young man had wandered over to the local smithy, sitting on an anvil breathing in the night air. The forge was cold, not being used during the day due to the combat. Repairs were being done in a makeshift forge back near the town hall, so Artemis was alone, and was happy about it.

As Artemis sighed, he pulled out one of his daggers and rubbed the hilt of the blade. He found nothing but the smooth surface of a blade. This wasn’t his dagger VIRTUE. No, Artemis’ most recent opponent in The Citadel, Ace, had stolen that one. The comfort was gone, and though now Artemis wielded two far more powerful daggers, he couldn’t hide the pain of the loss.

‘Why do I even care?’ Artemis asked himself, realizing that the dagger only raised memories of his father and his past; a past that he generally didn’t like to think about. Yet as Artemis’ sentient bow, Judicis, continued to send subliminal messages to the man’s mind to confront his past, he found himself wanting to resolve the issue more and more.

Another sigh escaped through Artemis’ lips. ‘Now’s not the time to think about this. I need to focus.’

“What are you doing here?” Adolph asked, causing Artemis to hop off the anvil and quickly turn around to see who was coming. “Relax. Save that energy for the next wave.”

Relieved that it was Adolph, Artemis hopped back onto the surface of the anvil. “I just wanted some time to myself. Oddly enough, forges make me feel safe.”

“That is a bit odd, but to each his own.” Adolph paused, watching Artemis as he sat rubbing the mythril dagger. “You did well today. People back at the town hall are already telling stories of the victory, and you played no small part.”

Artemis looked up to the seasoned warrior and smiled. That was as much of a compliment as he expected to get out of the serious looking man. “Thank you, Adolph, but the victory isn’t mine, it’s the town’s. I’m just one man.”

“That may be true Artemis, but don’t ever underestimate how much of a difference one man can make. Speaking of the difference one person can make, there seems to be a particular person who has a bit of a crush on you.”

Artemis looked up, giving Adolph a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

Adolph chuckled. “It seems like Tanya has a bit of a thing for you.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I know what a woman looks like when she has feelings for a man. There is a woman who I am very close with and often times I watch as she chases after a man who doesn’t deserve her love. It is something I am quite familiar with, and I promise you, Tanya has feelings for you.”

“So what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Nothing. You do what you want to do. She’s a beautiful woman. She’s very skilled as a warrior too. She could keep you save.” Adolph winked, teasing the vagabond.

“Ha. Ha. Very funny Adolph. I’m not interested. I have plenty of other things on my mind to worry about something like that.”

Adolph simply shrugged. “I just wanted to lighten the mood. I can’t say that I have the most optimistic outlook on this whole situation. If Lord Sei’s army does not make it in time, we may be dead within the next few days. It would be a shame to die without love.”

“I suppose you’re right. Then again, until I know what I’m missing, I can’t say it matters much to me. I live for one thing, and that’s to make the world a better place. If I make a positive difference before I die and cause as little sadness as I can in the process, then I’ll die happy, whenever that day comes.”

Adolph smiled, admiring the young man’s outlook. Perhaps there was more to the vagabond than the warrior knew. He looked forward to finding out more about him.

“Well Artemis, I’m going to head back to the base. I want to make sure everything is going well. Don’t stay out here too late. We can’t have you feeling exhausted whenever the next wave comes, and it will come.”

With a nod, Adolph began walking back toward the town hall, his large sword hanging on his back, leaving Artemis alone again, and sitting on the anvil.

Another sigh drifted out of Artemis. ‘I just hope these blades help me protect this town, and that I’m doing the right thing.’

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Sunrise had began to etch out over the hills of the island nation, a gentle greeting as the Knight of Apocalypse groggily got up to look at the battlements. He was happy to note they were prepared for the next wave, but his doubts began to grow again. This was simply put suicide. The fact of the matter was even if they sped and ran, Duffy’s men wouldn’t be able to get there in time to do anything of value other than perhaps pick up their corpses. Nothing was telling him they all had a chance, and that was what bothered the knight.

This was usually when Stephanie did the talking, making him feel confident that things would take shape, but there was no woman to guide his thoughts, and the knight sighed thinking the worst. He of course didn’t show this to any of the peasants, but when he was around Gunner he made it known they had slim chances of surviving.

He walked to the edge of the town, morning light casting a grey fog over the land as he spotted something further down the road. He eyed it carefully, making sure he was absolutely positive of what he saw, and when he felt his suspicions were confirmed he turned to the City Hall and sprinted. His feet pounded against the dirt road, his cloak billowing in the wind behind him as he pumped his hands quickly. When he reached the first battlement he found that some of the guards on night duty noticed him and quickly turned shouting the alarm.

Within minutes the entire town militia was prepared as they took their stations as instructed. Adolph ran between an open hole that was quickly blocked shut with a cart, men aiming crossbows up and over the wooden wheels. Some became prone and hid under the cart while several men began passing out spears to man the walls. A back up wave of spearmen strode up to make ranks, and Gunner was already fumbling with the latch on his armor as he stepped out of the City Hall.

Tanya and Artemis quickly showed up from the east, reporting that everything was prepared. Jeremiah and Harold groggily stumbled forwards, ordering a few men to keep their cool. Adolph chewed his lower lip as they all looked to him for a battle plan. He waited a moment, assessed the information in his mind as quickly as possible, and with a careful nod the group closed a circle around him as he bent down and traced a crude sketch of the their perimeter.

“The enemy brought some cavalry, those are to be the top priority. Tell the men not to aim at the soldiers, but the horses. If we can cripple the beasts we may get lucky and crush the riders. I want you Artemis to take Tanya and cover the eastern section. That is the narrow end of our position, so we should be able to hold them back. I’ll need you to pull two thirds of the archers you have detached their and reassign them to the front open ended barriers.” Artemis and Tanya nodded, and with a pat on Artemis’ leg he gave them his blessing as they ran off together.

Gunner knelt down and pointed to the western flanks, his grungy finger marking the dirt. “That area is heavily fortified, we can pull a third of the archers there without to many loses.” Harold nodded as he turned and ran, Adolph looking to Jeremiah.

“I want you and your father to aid the southern section. I’ll hold the north,” He lifted himself up and held his hand out, Gunner and Jeremiah both holding theirs out. Adolph shook both men’s hands and bid them farewell as he retreated to the north, and already he could hear the sound of the coming army. When he approached his warriors they all stood ready, continuing to aim their weapons. Adolph gave them their orders, and as the archers piled in he ordered them around to where they could make the most of their shots.

It took a half hour, and the sunlight broke the grey fog as it cast a golden luminance on the town. Shadows grew in the corners of the buildings and the Knight waited as everyone became antsy. He steadied his men with a careful eye, and at last the first signs of battle shot out as a rush of horses turned the corner into the town square.

“On your mark,” Adolph ordered, his throat clear as he kept his tone steady. The horses charged forwards, aiming right at their line. “Notch and load,” The sound of clicking filled the air as the crossbowmen prepared the firing mechanism, the sound of bows being pulled taut echoing into the morning. The sound of the horses was akin to a thunder storm, the beating sound making Adolph’s heart flutter in anticipation. “Now!” Adolph ordered, and with his hand flying outwards to point to the enemy the militia took aim and fired. Out of the twelve horses he saw four went down, and this disrupted the attack as the ones in the back became blocked. Several archers reloaded quickly while the quarrelers prepared another round. They pulled tight on the strings, and then fired again, hitting two more horses and taking them down.

Adolph lifted his sword and in a similar fashion the militia raised their weapons. The final grouping of horses trotted forwards at the barricades, and arrows began flying into Adolph’s line. Four of his men went down as black fetched arrows struck them, their weapons clanging as they fell to the ground. The riders hit the barricade and the horses jumped them, the riders lowering bows and swords to cleave into their enemy.

Adolph’s body jerked to the side and out his blade went, claiming a rider as his blade slashed deep into his torso. Blood glistened down his blade as the horse trotted away, panicked by the sudden loss of its rider. He rotated wide and let his weapon curve outwards, hitting another horse along the side of its neck. The dark crimson liquid splashed the ground and the rider lost control of his mount as his horse bucked and turned wildly. An arrow passed by him and he turned to find the foot soldiers running at their lines.

“Form ranks again!” Adolph bellowed. Quickly the men obeyed, which was something he took pride in. These people knew what they were fighting for, and so they did everything they could to protect it. He turned to his archers and shouted at them as well. “Thin their lines!” Without having to be told twice the archers let out another volley of fire, and several enemy footmen went down. It tripped the back rows as men pushed forward, knocking the people in their way out as they tried to reach the blockades.

Adolph turned to the final riders, seeing the militia tasked with defending the town hall rushing forward and reinforcing his lines. The riders were skilled, and they took down handfuls of their quarry, but the numbers proved sufficient to take them out. Adolph returned his attention to the front lines, and with a mighty roar he charged at his own wall.

“For the glory of the Horsemen!” He cried as his feet lifted him up onto the battlement. With a bend at the knees he jumped outwards, slamming his blade and body into a few soldiers who were close to striking their walls. When he landed he had claimed a life, turning and slamming his fist into someone’s hip and bringing his claymore out in a thrust, eviscerating another enemy. He rose to his feet, standing just feet before his wall and became a goalie of sorts, slamming his blade and body into the enemy as they staggered in. He was out numbered but the spearmen used their length to cover his back as he fought, savagely screaming litanies of hate and reciting pages from the tome of war.

“So death shall be my companion in battle, my sword my brother!” Adolph seethed through his teeth. “I will visit the enemy with the cold kiss of steel, and trample his spirit under my boots!” He quarter turned and decapitated another enemy, blood covering his blade in swathes as the town militia continued to protect the bloodied Adolph.

“They will see my fury and know that the end has come!” Like a wailing crescendo of hate and malice, Adolph’s blade swung out claiming another life as the footmen at last turned, their faces contorted in fear as they lost heart to advance forwards. “You dogs are cowards!” Adolph shouted in spite. He gave chase, but an arrow nicked his shoulder and the frenzy that overcame him vanished. He twirled from the impact, losing his balance and falling and he saw his men jump the barrier to go for him.

“I am fine you fools! Stay in protection!” Adolph demanded, but two men disobeyed his orders as they ran to him, picking him up and carrying him to safety. The man on his right took a shot between the shoulders and collapsed upon the barrier. Adolph let out a remorseful cry of frustration as he lifted himself over the blockade.

He urged his men to duck as the archers continued to volley into the enemy as they retreated. The footmen regrouped at the end of the town, formed ranks, and this time another set of cavalry approached their flanks. “Archers, aim for the horses, men, prepare for the next charge. Repel them with everything you have!” Adolph shouted to them. The men responded in a chorus of confirmations as Adolph gripped the edge of his blade in his hands.

This will be a long morning, Adolph thought dimly.

[SirArtemis]

The day dragged on. Wave after wave of enemy soldiers crashed upon the defending militia, guarding their homes from the invading forces. Artemis was physically exhausted and those around him did not seem to be faring much better. Bodies littered the ground, both of enemy and ally alike. Those who were still standing in defense were cut and bloodied, panting and trying to recover. Some even had broken arrows protruding from their body as blood trickled under their armor.

The defense had held well thus far, though they were much better off earlier in the day. The fighting had begun not long after the sun had risen and with a full stock of arrows, the archers on the eastern front had made quick work of the first few waves of troops. Yet as their quivers emptied, those trained to use a bow picked up a sword and did what they could in order to protect their home. Artemis had even emptied his quiver as well to provide the archers with some extra firepower.

Despite their best efforts, countless had fallen. Though Artemis knew he should have felt some relief over that fact, a feeling deep in his gut told him otherwise.

'Their corpses outnumber our own several times over, yet our men aren't trained. They are mostly fathers and sons simply fighting for their home. That can only do so much against a well trained opponent.'

Panting, the reality set in.

"This is just fodder..." Artemis mumbled under his breath, leaning forward holding himself up, pushing against his knees for support. He straightened, putting his hands on his hips. "They're just... tiring us out..."

Shaking his head, Artemis looked over to Tanya who was also breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling as she looked over at him and nodded.

"This wave just ended. We should have some time. We have to find Adolph. There has to be something else that we can do."

The pair ran off, jumping over broken planks and barricades, shattered bodies that were no longer distinguishable between friend and foe. It did not take them long before they arrived at the northern front where Adolph continued to fight.

Had it not been for the man's powerful voice crying out orders, Artemis would not have recognized him. He had thrown off his cloak and was completely covered in blood. It was as if the man had dyed himself a crimson red. It was an incredibly intimidating site. Adolph had become a demon of war, roaring and cutting through all who opposed him. Even through the grave image, Artemis could see that the man was tired as well.

The enemy was almost finished here as well and Artemis and Tanya continued their run to aid their allies. The barricades were all but shattered, shrapnel all over with just as many bodies, compounded with those of horses as well. It seemed a cavalry unit had struck here, which explained why their ranks were so much thinner.

Artemis ran in, jumping up onto a stack of bodies and pushing off the several corpse high stack and leapt onto the back of a pair of soldiers that were engaged with the defending militia. His light mythril daggers slid into the spines of the pair with barely any resistance, both quickly falling to the ground in a heap and a thud. Artemis turned quickly, slicing across the throat of another soldier that approached, blood squirting out of the opening into Artemis' eyes and mouth.

"Gah" Artemis growled, frustrated and staggering back. He brushed his eyes with a quick rub of his shoulder clearing his vision, seeing a sword coming down. Before he had time to attack, a sword burst through the man's chest, a look on his eyes of sheer horror as he saw the sword. The body was then thrown aside, the sword sliding out, and Artemis stood facing the red demon that was Adolph.

"What are you doing here? You are to cover the east." Adolph argued, not willing to give up until the very end.

"Something is wrong. We're doing too well and you know it. This is just fodder. They are tiring us out, Adolph!"

Adolph turned, watching as the militia cut down the last soldier and threw it aside into the ever-growing pile of bodies.

"...I know that." He said, resigned in the reality of their fate.

"We have to do something. Either that, or we really will die."

Adolph simply stood quietly, blood dripping from the tip of his sword as hit hung by his side. Artemis watched the droplets form and fall to the ground, as they started to form a small pool on the already blood-stained earth.

After many long moments, Adolph turned to the young man. "I suppose it's worth a shot. We're basically dead if we keep this up anyways. Might as well take a chance. It's a suicide mission, but it's an idea. We'll need the others."

Looking at both Tanya and Artemis, the seasoned veteran gave his order.

"Follow me."

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Adolph looked to Gunner as the man eyed him carefully. He had laid his plan out and the Captain of the Town Guard was not pleased at the scenario they had. Yet to Adolph, there was no other solution. The mission would be a simple one, get into the enemy camp, chase off their horses, burn their arrows, torch their supplies; do anything to stall their advance for as long as they could. The town would crumble the next day, there was no hope to hold back the enemy any longer.

Gunner at last spoke, lifting a hand to his chin as he looked to the setting sky. “This proposal is near suicide. Once they find you there will be no chance of escaping. You know this Adolph Gretzel.” The two eyed each other as Gunner rubbed his jaw line and contemplated the situation. “Take Tanya, and by sons. They will be of use to you. I can spare no more,”

“I’ll be taking Artemis with me,” Adolph replied to him as both men walked to the center of the town and overlooked the militia hastily rebuilding their barricades as others mourned the loss of family and friends. The enemy had retreated for the day, but the term hardly meant that the town was victorious. Indeed the enemy had crushed any hopes the villagers may have had in holding out. Tomorrow would be the killing blow.

“Aye, I figured you would,” Gunner looked back to the citizens and sighed, a weary sigh of a man who had seen much and was about to relieve it all over again. “They will show the people no mercy if they break through. This isn’t the main army that‘s attacking us, prisoners would only hold them back. Raid the villages, take the plunder, and report back.”

Harold and Jeremiah both walked to the two veterans, saluting them weakly as they collapsed onto the ground, resting their tired bones and muscles. Artemis and Tanya showed up shortly after, both bringing with them thermos’ filled with hot tea. Tanya poured the cups for everyone, and then with a grunt she drank, sinking to her knees on the stone. Artemis joined her, resting on his haunches as he sipped the tea. All looked up to Adolph after a moment of silence.

“When do we leave?” Harold asked, not even knowing what was going on.

~*~

It was late at night, the sun set hours ago as the moonlight cast small lights through the tress. Shadows danced between the leaves, creating the illusions of tiny demons hopping from branch to branch. The wind was cold, far colder than the fall temperatures were for that day, dictating that the winter season were just around the corner. There was a large light off in the distance, several tents formed around the light as men drank and laughed about their histories and deeds. A few horses whinnied in the breeze, something spooking them, but the guard took one lazy look around before going back to his book.

Adolph wrapped his cloak over his face again as he peered from beneath a shrub, Harold and Jeremiah were both wearing long, black robes hiding in the branches of the tree to his right. Tanya was fashioned in a black sweatshirt and her scarf fluttered in the breeze behind her where Artemis stood, checking his daggers a few times to ensure they hadn’t disappeared in the last four seconds. They were nervous, and they had right to be. Adolph would be a liar to claim he wasn’t scared of the prospect of dying, but that was a term he had accepted. If death came, so be it.

“Tanya and Artemis, I want you both to head for their horse pens. Unlock the cages, but do not scatter them until you see the fires. I want the enemy to concentrate on their burning supplies before realizing their horses have gone missing.” Both nodded in understanding, and the woman motioned for the vagabond to follow her. They were off in the darkness, and the fact Adolph had lost track of them was a good sign.

Harold made the sound of an owl hooting, and all three men tensed up as they did everything within their power to blend into the scenery. The signal was an alert that an enemy sentry would be in visible range. If they could see the enemy, the enemy could see them. Adolph ordered that at those moments they remain low and quiet. The silence was creating a thick tension as the three men waited. It took ten minutes before the sentry finished his round and walked away.

Adolph motioned for them to follow and both boys jumped out of the tree making as little sound as possible. They all crawled forwards towards a large tent in the eastern perimeter, moving as carefully as they could. Three times they had to pause for enemy movement, but after a half hour they arrived. Adolph pulled up on the tent flap, peeking inside and noticing a dozed off guard and several stacks of arrows in barrels. Adolph held the flap wider for them to crawl into, motioned their was one enemy sleeping, and pointing to Jeremiah. The boy nodded understanding his roll.

Silently he stalked into the room, tiptoeing towards the sleeping sentry before rising a knife and moving behind the guard. With quick movements he clasped the guards mouth and ran the knife over his throat. His muffled cries were quickly hushed. Harold moved in next and Adolph followed as they entered the tent. Quickly Harold pulled out a small match, lighting a lantern so they had more light to see with. Adolph and the men stood near barrels so their shadows wouldn’t be cast against the side of the tent.

The knight looked into an empty crate, finding a tied off sack. He lifted the sack out, opened it and found dirty uniforms. Without even looking to the other two they both reached out and grabbed shirts and pants, quickly changing into enemy colors. Once they were all dressed they stood confidently, looking around and finding oil for lanterns marked off in an explosive crate. They each lifted up a small canister, pouring it all over the supplies and making sure that every inch of the ground was covered. They scattered some of the arrows so that they would burn faster, adding to the conflagration once the match was lit. When they felt satisfied Adolph turned to them.

“This is but one of the many they have. Supply tents like this are just backups, not the main gear and armor. What we need to do is get into them. A good army wouldn’t place them all in one tent. From here on ou gentlemen we are to split off and make our own way. One hour, then return to this spot. If this spot isn’t safe, then meet in the woods directly behind this spot.” They both nodded. Adolph took a deep, heavy breath.

“If the enemy catches one of us, we are to leave that man behind. Do not attempt to rescue him or all we worked for will be lost. Do you understand me?” They both nodded, but this time a little slower. Adolph patted both warriors on the shoulder. “May the Horsemen guide us.” They all turned and walked out of the tent, splitting off in three different directions. Adolph went north into the deepest part of the enemy camp, passing by soldiers and nodding his head to them. He took a few minutes to observe the mannerisms of the warriors around him, seeing how they saluted and committing each detail to memory. When he felt confident he strode inwards to the enemy camp.

“And this one chick, she had a scarf and two thin as hell blades! She cut up my buddy!” A warrior hissed. “Frack’in bitch nearly took me eye too!” Adolph looked to see a group of soldiers sitting at the entrance to a tent, all regaling each other with tales of the last battle. Adolph walked to them, lifting his hand in greeting.

“You fought the eastern side?” He asked politely. There were four soldiers at the entrance, all looking up to him before the man who spoke nodded his head, looking to Adolph confusedly. “I fought in the northern side, I nearly had my throat claimed by the bastard who was bellowing like a zealot!” He lifted his shirt down to show the cut he received from an enemy spear. They all smiled to him as they nodded.

“Heard about that guy! A freak of nature, a whirling dervish of spite. Kept reciting these litanies like he was possessed!” A woman shouted in excitement to know of Adolph’s character. “Strange I didn’t see you in the lines, though. I know most of the men and women on the north.”

“When the western side was reported to be too small for the size of force I was relocated to the north.” The other two men nodded to his words. Adolph had heard from Gunner that the enemy let several warriors retreat when they realized that their numbers meant nothing in the narrow alley ways. “And to be fair, There was a battle going on, so I didn’t exactly see your face either.” Adolph held his hand out to the woman, and she took it gently. “Name’s Adolph,” He said sitting with them.

“Claire, nice to meet you. These here are my friends Carlos, Miguel, and Frank,” She pointed to each man and they nodded to him or shook his hand, depending on how far Adolph was from them. “Gave the town a good and proper scare. Tomorrow should be easy pickings. Good thing too, the General would have had all our butts in a sling if he found out one town was stalling the preparations for the main army.” Adolph nodded.

“Must be the Ixian Knights then,” Adolph muttered distastefully. They all nodded their heads.

“Sei Orlouge and his rot. Heard that prick hired the Gisela Reaper,” Frank, a taller man said earnestly with hushed whispers as if the words he spoke were heresy. Adolph nodded.

“He employs demons! Hires a serial killer! What kind of man would save the world with such vile things in his employ?” They all nodded and Adolph tried to stifle the triumphant grin he wanted to show them. He had earned their respect, which was all he needed. “I wish I still had my spear! Unfortunately that zealot sundered it with his sword.” Adolph looked to the others and the woman Claire smiled.

“Not hard to find a replacement, just head to the supply tent.” Adolph favored her with a goofy smile.

“Uh, not to sound like a green rookie, but I really didn’t pay much attention to the tent placement. Where would I find the tent again? I know it’s in that direction,” Adolph lied, for he had no clue where the tent was, but he didn’t want to sound suspect. If he had pretended to have a vague idea then it would be a passable story. Claire gave him a look up and down, then let out a laugh.

“Four tents back, turn left for seven tents, and look to your right. Can’t miss it.” Adolph sighed in relief.

“Thanks guys, appreciate it. I’m going to actually rearm before turning in for the night. My throat is still soar and I guess rest is the best medicine at this point.” They all nodded waving goodbye. Claire suddenly shot up.

“I’ll go with you, make sure you don’t get lost,” She smiled to him leading him forward. Adolph didn’t show the heart pounding anger he felt at the woman stepping up, but he favored her with a soft grin, which she returned. Adolph took a quick calming breath and thought about it. He walked with her, and when they turned a corner Adolph probed her intentions.

“Ya know, I think I can find it by myself,” Adolph teased. The woman passed him a sly look and winked.

“I know you can, but you may need help with some,” She looked to his crouch. “Heavy lifting.” She licked her lower lip and Adolph smiled to her.

Great, He figured. Always fun to make new friends

[SirArtemis]

Three soldiers sat around a small table, sharing a jug of liquor as they passed the hours of the night. On their table were a set of cards and a few makeshift tokens they were using to gamble away what little a soldier had to gamble.

"Alright fellas, I know how ya'll hate this shit just as much as I do. I say we lay it all down. Next round, winner steps outta the pot and heads to bed. Two men is more than enough to bunch o' grumblin' beasts walk around their little yard."

The burly man felt smug, smiling through his rotten teeth as the lantern set in the middle of the table reflected light off of his two front teeth, both capped in gold. The other two men were both younger and more fit, knowing that the older veteran wanted nothing more than a few more shots before heading to bed and getting out of his duties.

Resigned, the pair nodded, letting the older man deal. They had nothing to lose. The situation was simple for them. Let the smelly bastard win and stop dealing with his annoying stories.

The cards were dealt, a few hands played, and the two men acted out their parts well, artificial devastation painted across their faces as their competitive facades let the burly drunk feel victorious.

"Ha! That's it boys! Read 'em and weep. You fellas are years away from bein' able to beat this vet."

He took a quick swig right out of the jug, smacking his lips as he set it down, a bit splashing out onto the table.

"Seems I'm headin' to bed! See ye tomorrow!"

With that, the man turned and took his leave, laughing at his victory. Little did he know that his victory would be his loss.

-------------------------------------------------------

Tanya and Artemis both lay prone on the ground by some brush, their dark garments hiding them well under the cover of night, not saying a word. Artemis simply thought it was a precaution to keep the two safe, still unaware that the woman was unable to speak even if she desired to do so.

'What the hell am I doing?'

This was all new to Artemis. Sure, he knew how to fight, but military operations were a completely different matter. A man from a small village who had a fight with his father was now behind enemy lines, participating in a suicide mission for another small village of strangers he had met barely a few days ago.

In front of them was a stable, a large one for something makeshift. Then again, horses were large too. It only made sense. A trio of soldiers sat by a table outside of the wooden fencing, laughing and drinking as they distracted themselves with simple games. With so many soldiers around them, they had little reason to believe that they were in danger. They were on duty, surrounded by tent after tent of soldier. Who would worry?

As Artemis watched the men, wondering how to go about neutralizing them, one of the three stood up and began walking away and laughing. Even more fortunate, the man walked right toward the pair lying on the ground, swaying as he walked from the effects of the alcohol. A couple of meters away from them, he turned, heading for a tent away from them.

Artemis still lay there, wondering what to do, while Tanya sprang quickly to her feet. She stepped up behind him, pulled a knife from a vambrace she wore on her left forearm, and proceeded to slice the burly man's throat. Holding his mouth as the blade cut across to stifle any potential screams, the man fell silent. She gently let his weight down, so quietly that not a sound broke the screaming wind. As the last spark of life left the man's eyes, Tanya waved Artemis over as she lay crouched. She walked over to his feet, crouched low, and lifted them up. Getting the hint, Artemis lifted his head, carrying the body over to the brush where the two were just laying.

With one out of the way, the numbers were now even. Still, Artemis could not help but be afraid. Sure, the numbers were even, but a single shout from either of them and everything would unravel.

Clenching his fists, Artemis crouched staring at the two men, thinking of all the people who were in danger. Adolph's face flashed before his eyes, the bloodied demon that now all the men of the enemy's army feared. Gunner and his sons, just one of the many families that made their home in the small town, fighting to their last breath to save the others among them.

Artemis found himself reaching for his bow, his left hand tightening over the grip. He had no arrows, but for some reason that did not matter. His overwhelming emotion, for whatever reason, made him reach for Judicis while it subconsciously called for him. As his hand made contact, that connection grew stronger, and countless faces continued to flash before his eyes; nameless men and women of the village, young and old, smiling just days ago. They built their defenses, helped feed one another, keep each other warm. The village was a family; a family that Artemis wanted to protect.

A tingling feeling shot through Artemis' hand, as he raised the bow toward the pair of men that still sat by the table. A black fog formed around his left hand as it held the bow, drifting off from the source and covering the entire bow's shaft in a film of blackness. As he watched everything unfold, Judicis continued to instruct the young man. His other hand made its way to the string of the bow, and as the fingers wrapped around the delicate fibers, the magical energy grew in strength exponentially. The young man did not know what was going on, and as the circuit of magic connected, the black fog from his left hand drifted toward his right, a black fog shaft forming like an arrow.

His heart was pounding, his thoughts rushing through everything he had to do, the importance of his task and all the lives that rested on his shoulders. He did not want to take life, he wanted to protect it, by whatever means necessary.

He breathed in deeply and pulled the bow taut, the black fog solidifying into a perfectly black arrow, from feather to tip. It was invisible in the night sky, and as Artemis aimed that arrow toward the men, his mind continued to remember the faces. He did not let go of that feeling, and despite what his mind wanted to tell him about one arrow not being enough, Judicis continued to hold its influence.

As Artemis let go, the arrow shot forward, splitting into two needles of darkness as they raced toward the men. Simultaneously, both men raised their hands to their necks, feeling a prick. It was nothing more than a bee sting. They were not dead, they weren't bleeding, but they were falling.

Both men collapsed on the ground unconscious.

Artemis stood there, letting his arms fall to their sides, still holding onto the bow. He looked out at the two men, completely dumbfounded by what he had just done. He did not even know how to shoot a bow. He did not have any arrows. He did not know how to use magic. Yet no matter how much he thought about what he had done, he had no idea what had transpired. All he knew was that the men guarding the stable were in some way or another out of commission. Looking over to Tanya, she simply smiled at him with admiration. Had there been any light, Artemis may have even noticed her blushing a bit.

He gave a half-hearted grin, slung the bow back onto his back and stared at the stables. Now they just needed to wait for the signal.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Adolph moved with the vixen at his back, turning with a fluid motion of one who had been down these paths of tents. He didn’t want to make it look like he didn’t belong in the enemy army. As he walked he noticed Harold moving opposite of him. Adolph nodded to the man, and he did likewise. He turned to smile to the woman, using his peripheral vision to see Harold turn down a narrow strip of tents.

“Here we are,” She cooed as she stepped ahead of Adolph, already unbuttoning the top of her shirt and untying her tunic at the back. Adolph moved behind her, pushing her deeper into the supply tent as she giggled, moving his lips to her neck and observing the room. It was full of the metal armor and spears, with a few crates filled with swords. This was the main armament tent. Turning to face Adolph his new found friend lifted her fingers to his shirt, un-tucking it from the pants he wore. He playfully moved his hands to her back, grabbing hold of the strands that tied her shirt taught, and played with them, tying them to a crate before he pushed away from her.

As she moved to chase him she found herself caught, and bit her lip in anticipation. “One of those guys, huh?” She breathed. Adolph rolled his eyes. Outward signs of sexual affection was never really his thing. He observed the room, found a containers of oil and nodded before turning to the woman again. He lifted a lantern up to his chest, and lit it turning the flame down so it cast shadows over his face.

“May the Horsemen guide you to the plains of the afterlife, where you can spend the rest of eternity with your ancestors,” He whispered to her, and in her confusion he took the lantern and slammed it upside her head, breaking the glass. She passed out easily enough without much a fuss. Adolph listened to the sounds of the night to see if anyone heard his attack, but there was silence. Moving quickly he spread oil all over the wooden crates. Unfortunately he couldn’t hope to destroy all the metal weapons, the fire would long give up before melting them, but he could make them inaccessible and dull the finish, maybe, if he was lucky, fuse the armor together and burn away the leather suits.

When he was done he checked on the woman one last time, seeing she was out for the count as blood trickled down her face. He didn’t like what he was doing to her, but she was an enemy soldier. That meant her life was forfeit. Silently he pondered if he should just slit her throat, but decided against the action. Her screams of terror would make other soldiers try to rescue her, and add to the confusion. She would serve his plans better if she perished in the flames.

Adolph left the tent and returned to his normal hunched over façade of the enemy, moving towards the stables. As he walked he found Harold slip in tow with him, a few steps behind. Adolph lightened his steps, turned to the boy, and they both greeted each other as they made way towards the rendezvous spot. As they made their way a loud pitched wail of terror filtered into the night air, and all forms of sleepy soldiers and confused guards stepped forward. Adolph turned to Harold and both gave a confused look. They turned towards the central tent, but nothing happened save one servant, a serf of some kind, who was wailing in fear as she covered her mouth and balled her eyes out.

Adolph nodded to Harold and they quickly hastened their steps towards the meeting point, ignoring whatever was going on. A few officers entered the command tent and then retreated quickly, one of them leaning over and vomiting at the side as another began shouting orders. Soon the camp became a beehive of activity as Harold and Adolph entered the first supply tent. Inside was Jeremiah, his face cold as he held the matches and looked to them.

“Somebody else was here before us. My supply tent was already sabotaged.” He looked to Adolph and then to Harold. “The enemy is in alarm now, because this person was caught.” Adolph thought about it, but shook his head.

“I don’t think this person was caught, but rather let their handiwork be noticed. Light it and lets go!” Jeremiah nodded as he lit the matches and tossed them into the supplies. The oil soaked up the flame like a glutton, feeding the fire as it spread wildly over the arrows and crates. All three men turned and ran, but Adolph pointed for them to get moving as he lifted up a lantern and ran back to the supply tents.

“Go find Artemis and Tanya, and then get the hell out of here!” Adolph ordered. “I’ll be adding to the confusion and then follow. Don’t wait for me, or anyone. Move it!” He shooed them away as he turned and ran. Harold and Jeremiah both nodded as they turned, but as Adolph turned the corner he heard the enemy guards cry the alarm.

“Saboteurs! Get them!” The sound of arrows being fired filled the air and Jeremiah screamed loudly in pain. Adolph felt the need to turn and check on him, but forced that foolish notion down. He had to get the job done! Otherwise everything they just did would be wasted. Each step away from him made his heart weary as he ran, but he recited his litanies of battle to quell the growing anxiety in his mind.

“Look for her! Find the Gisela Reaper! She’s in this camp somewhere!” An officer ordered. “Only an insane bitch like that would carve up the general in such a manner!” Adolph felt his heart spark as he heard the orders, moving behind the tents and keeping his profile low. Cassandra Remi! If she was here then she was the helpful one Jeremiah spoke of. She took out the enemy leader and with this attack they would be helpless until order was restored!

As if on cue, a supply tent went up in a conflagration, several bits of cloth and splinters showering the earth as a loud explosion rocked the earth. Adolph had lost his footing and tripped, the lantern almost breaking from the impact. Apparently Cassandra wanted a big escape route. He pushed himself up and ran the rest of the way, damning the costs of being seen. He turned the corner one last time, found the tent, and threw the lantern upon the side of the cloth. It tore easily as the lantern smashed inside, and within seconds the oil drank up the flame greedily, spreading it over the entire area. There was a soft cough, a loud moan, and then sudden screams, screams for help followed by fits of coughing.

“Somebody is inside the supply tent!” Adolph shouted, and several soldiers ran forwards to enter, but the flames roared loudly as they rose, eating up the side of the crates and barrels as the smell of burning wood filled the air. Another tent went up as the explosion’s flames touched outwards, and it spread from tent to tent like a chain reaction. People called for help, soldiers screamed for water, and at last he heard the final piece take place.

“THE HORSES ARE MAKING A BREAK FOR IT!” Adolph turned towards the forest, a good twenty yards from the woods as he ran. A few soldiers found him running, and ran after him. He looked to see three as they called for him, and he sprinted as fast as he could. When he didn’t answer them immediately they knew he was a traitor and lifted weapons to kill him.

Weaponless and panting Adolph knew he couldn’t stop these people. His only hope was to lose them in the darkness of the woods. He pumped his arms furiously, forcing his body to run as he broke past the final tent, looking to see his pursuers didn’t give up. The flames lifted into the night, black smoke flying upwards to the heavens like a shroud to hide the light of the moonlight.

As he was nearing the forest he ducked his head and leapt over the brush, rolling to his feet and running. One of the enemy soldiers was a swift runner, making it to him as he pulled out a small dagger. When he jumped over the hedge a large sword came down upon his skull, the sound of something cracking breaking the air as the man collapsed on the bush, blood leaking out his face. Adolph’s eyes went wide as he looked, but found no body who owned the blade. A foot showed up, pressing against the skull of the dead body and wrenching the sword free. It looked like a giant butcher’s knife.

The other two soldiers came at him, apparently unaware of the fate of their comrade. As they entered the forest and made a few steps forward the larger of the two collapsed, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. When his body hit the ground a large knife was protruding from his neck. The third warrior turned, let out a scream, and his face wrenched to the left as a spray of blood lined the ground in a violent arc. Three lines covered the man’s face as he fell, blood oozing down as he whimpered in agony. A foot pressed down upon his chest, before the claws struck his face again. This swipe was slow, dragging against his skin and creating new lines as the victim screamed. Adolph was paralyzed by terror as he watched his ghostly savior. When the screams of the victim died out a knife went into his eye socket, wrenching violently upon the bone as it chaffed upwards, dragging along the bone. The sight made Adolph flinch as he felt helpless.

Slowly a shape stepped forwards, a hand hooking a finger out and lowering a mask. Another hand lifted a hood down, and long, black hair fanned out similar to the way a woman frees her hair from constraint. She looked up to the moon, a small hole in the black clouds illuminating her face. She had piercing hazel eyes and an aura of dread as something howled into the night. She drank in this wail, her eyes shutting as she smiled in profound pleasure.

When she opened them she favored Adolph with a seductive curl of her finger.

“Lord Orlouge sends his regards,” Cassandra Remi said with a soft giggle biting her finger.

[SirArtemis]

However slow time felt as Tanya and Artemis waited for the signal, once the fires began to burn, the complete opposite became true. Everything happened very quickly and there was no time to second-guess any action.

Black smoke began to billow up from a tent in the distance, which Tanya saw first. She rubbed Artemis' back gently, like waking a sleeping lover. He looked over to her and despite the severity of the situation, she still wore an apologetic smile. Pointing off toward the burning tents, Artemis nodded and both of them quickly stood up and moved toward the stables. As Artemis opened the large stable's gate, Tanya ran in.

Before the young man even finished opening the gates, more fires began to sprout up throughout the camp. Rushing into the stable, he saw that Tanya had already saddled two horses and was hopping up on one of them. Artemis quickly joined, jumping up onto the back of his horse as well.

It was time to go. Tanya pulled out a small little ball from a pouch and struck a match she had, lighting the small bomb. She tossed it behind them and quickly hurried her horse as she kicked its flanks and spurred it on. Artemis did the same, not waiting to see what it was she just did. As the pair galloped off to try to make their escape, bobbing and weaving through the countless tents to try to avoid the high-activity areas, the explosion went off and the neighing of horses could be heard as those not injured by the explosive ran for their lives.

Rushing past countless man, Artemis spotted a pair that he recognized, though both wore uniforms of the army.

"Wait!" He cried to Tanya, riding past her and taking the lead. "That's Harold and Jeremiah, and one of them is hurt!"

The vagabond rode up to the pair, reaching down for one of their hands. Harold reached up and grabbed on, Artemis pulling him up onto the saddle.

"Thank God you're alive. We have to go." Harold began to turn away again, but Artemis stopped him.

"What about Adolph?"

"He stayed behind. He told us to go on ahead and that he'll catch up."

"We can't just leave him!"

"Trust him!" Harold pleaded, pain apparent in his voice. "We all came into this expecting to die. We're still alive. Let's make sure it stays that way. Believe in him."

Artemis frowned, but understood, nodding in agreement. Looking over to Tanya, he saw Jeremiah sitting in front of her of their horse. The woman wrapped her arms around his waist to keep him in place as she held the reigns. He had only one free hand to hold on with, his other crippled by the arrow protruding from his shoulder. Artemis was not sure whether the man would survive even if they did make it to safety, the arrow looking like it had gone through his lung, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

"Let's go," Jeremiah instructed through cringed teeth, fighting the pain with every step of the horse, "I know this place like the back of my hand. About two hundred yards further and we'll be in the forest. We can lose them there and make our way back to the town under the cover of trees."

Nothing more was said and the group galloped off.

As they continued towards the safety of the forest, things became quieter and quieter. They were lucky not to run into anyone, but it seemed that everyone's attention was set on the fires back at the camp and the horses running around. The pair of galloping horses they rode mixed in with those without riders, and with incredible speed, they disappeared from sight.

They rode a few hundred yards into the forest before stopping to catch their breath and decide what to do next, and it was Artemis who spoke first.

"We need to find Adolph."

"We can't! We'll get killed!" Jeremiah pleaded.

"He's right." Harold stared at his brother's wound, a profound sadness in his voice. "We need to get Jeremiah to a doctor while we still can. We don't even know if Adolph is still alive. At least..."

"He's Alive!" Artemis shouted. A conviction that bordered on anger laced in his words as the very thought of Adolph dead made the vagabond defensive. "You said so yourself to trust him! Now you say he's dead!?"

"I didn't mean... I just..."

Artemis took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking again. "Okay. Harold, switch with Tanya. Take your brother back to town. Let them know the status of our mission. Find Jeremiah a doctor. We're going to find Adolph."

Harold didn't say a word, and after a few silent seconds, he slipped off the back of Artemis' horse as Tanya slid off of her own horse. Harold hopped up behind Jeremiah in the same way that Tanya had been sitting, careful not to hurt his wound, and the two began to trot off.

"Godspeed." It was the last thing Harold said before nudging the horse into a gallop.

Tanya hopped up behind Artemis, wrapping her arms tightly around him in an embrace and resting her cheek on his back like a lover would. Artemis did not mind. He had other things his mind.

"Let's find Adolph," He said, turning the horse around and galloping back toward the camp.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

He had heard stories. He read the papers. He saw files and documents of the work Cassandra Remi did. He knew what she was capable of, and in the end, he accepted that she was a necessary function of the army for Sei’s cause.

None of that prepared him for seeing her face to face after a kill.

She beamed with an exuberance of a prom girl. Her face held such a flashy, toothy smile like one could not help but smile after what she did. Her actions became even more animated, her steps and grace were exaggerated, and her tone was honey like, but even in the silkiness of her words, he found the vile core beneath the layers.

“Adolph, your timing was perfect,” Cassandra cooed. “I had just thought of killing off the entire enemy officers, but when I found you and your men doing the leg work I changed tempo. Saved me a lot of trouble and allowed me to enjoy the screams of my latest victims. I am in your debt.” Adolph still felt that powerful wave of dread over him, the feeling making him want to vomit and run for the hills as fast as he could. She seemed to enjoy this, and that brought back a measure of control to his limbs. He shook his head, as if that was all that was needed to defeat her spell, and turned to face the village in the distance.

“You are well aware of the goals I am trying to do,” Adolph mentioned to her as they both walked. While Adolph kept his face dour and stern, Cassandra walked like she hadn’t a care in the world. She lifted her hands behind her head as she looked up to the moon, drinking its glow on her skin.

“Yes, Sei has made it a point to whine that this one village is worth saving to stall the enemy advancement and route them. A show of force is coming for your little town,” Cassandra waved a hand as if this information was boring to her. Adolph gave her a sideways glance. Maybe it was.

“Lord Orlouge is protecting the towns that have asked for his aid,” Adolph said sternly to her, bringing his height up. Cassandra let out a huff of amusement.

“Oh yes. This one town, that happens to be in the middle of an enemy movement,” She looked to Adolph. “Would he not want to save the other settlements?” Adolph narrowed his eyes, but did not meet her gaze. They walked in silence as they listened to the distant screams of confusion and anarchy.

“Lord Orlouge did not know the enemy army was here. It was a situation nobody was prepared for-” Cassandra interrupted his speech with laughter. He looked to see her eyes shut tight as she dragged herself along, slapping her knee to exert the building energy in her system.

“Sei? Not know something? On his turf? I would like to think I can give credit to the Hero of Radanasath for noticing something as large as a formation of the enemy army in his backyard!” She looked to Adolph and drew herself up, patting him on the arm. “Do you not think it odd the enemy has reached so deeply into the land? I bet Sei is allowing this transgression for two reasons: To test his generals, his army, and see if they are ready for war. The second reason is to give himself a challenge. He is well known for his commanding abilities in the Gisela tournament. Do you think this coming war may…dare I say it…bore him?”

“I do not think it is within Lord Orlouge’s character to toss around the lives of people for personal amusement!” Adolph said rudely, as if the notion was poison and he felt he should speak up to her about bastardizing Sei’s character. “That is a ridiculous thought and only fits to spread dissension among his ranks! I know you are a general to his army, but even then I can only tolerate so much insubordination!”

Cassandra cooed as she listened to him, finding his words falling into the right place. She wet her lips and smiled as she spoke, “And would you say it was within Sei’s character to have me join his flock? A wolf amidst his sheep who carves up their victims? What you saw of me today was only a tiny, tiny droplet in the ocean of potential I have when playing with my prey.” She flashed her teeth to him in a dazzling smile, and Adolph at first was about to say yes, but kept his mouth shut for two reasons. One, she was feeding him, forcing him to speak and continue to play her game and he would have none of it.

The second reason came far more profoundly to his mind and he nearly stopped walking when he thought of it. He didn’t think it was within Sei’s character to hire such a vile creature, yet there she was, saving his life from the enemy. There was far more to Sei Orlouge than he would have liked to admit.

“Oh come now, Adolph, the night is beautiful,” She lifted her hand and gestured all around her. “I am not testing your faith or putting you under my intense gaze to report back to Sei. You have your opinions and I have mine. Unlike that infant, Jensen Ambrose, I think we are both grown up enough to drop the matter.” Adolph unknowingly nodded his head.

“Will you be staying to help with the relief force? Or do you have another mission to perform now that you bought us a few days time?” He asked, ignoring the fact she kept her arm linked with his. Her touch was surprisingly gentle. Cassandra looked to Adolph and her smile was still there, but her eyes looked to him, as if she was taking his soul and slowly studying it.

“I had a few missions I suppose I should be doing, but I can tell Adolph that you are in dire need of help. You may never admit this, but you are becoming burdened with the weight of command. Allow me to relieve some of that and help you out.”

Adolph was going to object, but one glance to her hazel eyes and seeing the honesty in her council and he instead just nodded to her. She had a point, and it was a great relief to at last be able to have some help in orchestrating the defenses of the town. Gunner had practically done nothing save parrot his words and actions.

Where did that thought come up? Adolph thought darkly. He looked back to Cassandra again, but her face was looking up at the sky as she allowed the knight to chaperone her. He didn’t know what was going on, but he never felt that way about Gunner before. Why suddenly now? He decided to reflect on the matter during personal meditation to clear his mind of all his stress. That was all it had to be. Stress.

“I hear something, a horse. It’s coming at us.” Cassandra pointed to the left, but her eyes didn’t leave the moon. “I suppose one of your men didn’t obey orders…” She whispered. Adolph heard the jab at his command, insinuating he had no authority, but before he could tell her to take a hike the horse did appear. Upon it was Artemis and Tanya, both looking to him and ready.

“Ah, Adolph! Thank the Thayne we found you!” The vagabond dismounted and ran to Adolph, holding his hand out.

“Did I not make it clear that nobody was to return?” Adolph said rather forcefully, his tone angry and on edge. Cassandra lithely removed her hand from his arm and watched. “By the Horsemen, Artemis, what if the enemy had captured you? Then you would not be able to protect anyone, and they would have killed you! And if your narrow minded life style isn’t enough, you completely ignored the fact you put Tanya in danger as well!” His hand lifted to the girl, pointing to her as she dismounted. “What do you have to say for yourself, whelp?” Artemis looked to Adolph and their eyes met.

“Did I miss something?” He looked back to Tanya. “What is the meaning of this, Adolph? The sudden hostility.”

“Perhaps it has something to do with the fact your narrow minded thinking has endangered lives. It could also do with the fact that by returning for Adolph, you sold him short on his capabilities and skills. You, in short, gave him a rude finger while laughing in his face.” Cassandra said to Artemis with similar intensity that Adolph scolded the boy with. That last line flashed an image of Jensen in the knight's mind, and he grew very agitated by the taunting laughter that built up in his memories of the bastard immortal. “But please, do not take my word for it,” She mumbled walking past the horse, which whinnied and stamped fiercely, turning and ran off being so close to the Midnight Monster.

“Who are you?” Artemis asked to her, his tone full of confusion.

“She is my superior, Artemis, one of the Nine Ixian Knights, Cassandra Remi.” Adolph passed Artemis, running his shoulder into the vagabond. Artemis stood dumbfounded at the events that just took place as Adolph made his way to Cassandra.

Tanya kept her gaze even as she looked at Adolph, and the knight gave her a dark eye. She returned the glare, pointing to him and attempting to communicate. He couldn’t understand what she was trying to say and he at last grew impatient. “Speak, woman!” Adolph shouted, at last his nerves striking his blood and flaring. Tanya looked to him, and then with a baleful eye she reached her hand to her shawl and began to unbound it until her neck was visible. Where she should have had healthy skin was instead a gnarled, scarred and ugly wound. She never spoke, Adolph realized, because she couldn’t.

“Hey,” Artemis said walking up to Adolph and patting the man on the shoulder. “We never meant to make you look foolish or show distrust, we were just concerned about you, that’s all.” Adolph looked to them both, and then sighed deeply.

“My apologies to you both,” Adolph said sincerely. “I am apparently under a lot more stress than I realized. I shouldn’t have taken my aggressions out on you both. That is the sign of a poor leader.” Tanya returned her shawl around her neck and stood before Adolph, lifting one hand to his head and lightly tapping his brain, then lowering her hand to the knight’s heart and patting it twice. He thought about it, and ventured a guess.

“I suppose I did stop thinking with my brain there for a while,” Adolph whispered as they all turned to head back to town. Tanya nodded to him. “Come, it’s been a very long, long, day.” Adolph said wearily as they moved towards Cassandra. The Gisela Reaper gave Adolph one disgruntled look, before she turned and walked away to be lost in her own thoughts.

[SirArtemis]

The journey back to town was quiet. Artemis did not want to say anything to upset Adolph more and Tanya had shown why she had not said anything either, so they silently followed their leader and what apparently was his superior. The woman beside Adolph was frightening, and Artemis thought he recognized her from a trip he had taken to the Bazaar once. He did not like her then, and though he could not help but admit that she was a strong individual to have on their side, that did not mean he had to like her now. She had an aura that made Artemis feel incredibly uncomfortable and though he tried to put some distance between the woman and his horse, what really comforted him were Tanya's arms that she tightly wrapped around him as she rode behind him on the horse.

Thankfully, the trip did not take too long and the group was back in town soon after. Separating form Cassandra Remi was quite refreshing. It literally felt like a dark cloud had finally drifted away and the sun shined through, but the reality of the situation brought with it another cloud; less dark, but still ominous.

Much of the city remained abandoned as people made their home in the Town Hall. Broken splints of wood lay strewn about since they were no longer usable for new barricades. Stains of blood dotted the ground like a polka dot pattern. It was a depressing site to behold; a battleground.

Artemis and Tanya dismounted from the horse when they were near the Town Hall and the vagabond handed the reins to a guard before speaking to Tanya.

"This is too hard for me. I'm not capable of seeing this much death, I'm just not comfortable with it. Sure, I can fight, I can even duel in The Citadel knowing that whoever I kill won't be dead forever. But this..." He motioned to the surrounding area, "this is too much."

People were crying over ones they lost, some crying that they had not lost someone. Yet what caught Artemis' attention was a man over by the side of the Town Hall. It was Harold, with his arms crossed, chin down and the sole of one boot up against the outer wall of the building. Artemis approached, glad to see he had made it back safe.

"How's Jeremiah?" He asked, putting his hand on the man's shoulder. Harold looked up at him, gave an empty smile and looked back down.

"Well, we made it in time for him to see a doctor."

"That's good to hear," Artemis began, hope flickering in his heart. "So..."

"But that's about as far as it went," Harold interrupted. "The arrow apparently damaged his lung, and as the doctor tried to remove it, Jeremiah had a tough time breathing. It didn't last long from there."

Artemis stood quietly, not sure of what to say in a situation like this. He was new to the world of war and seeing this much death and chaos around him was something he had never expected to find. Just as he opened his mouth, wanting to say a word of comfort, or something, Harold interrupted again.

"My father mentioned he was looking for you. He was over by the blacksmiths last I checked."

With a nod, Artemis turned and walked away. He noted to himself that he would have to think of something to say to the man at a later point for his loss, but right now, he was at a loss. The smithy was still hot and loud, hammers clashing with metal to repair and craft better and stronger weapons and armor to protect the town. Gunner was there as Harold had mentioned, talking with one of the blacksmiths and pointing at a piece of paper.

"Harold said you were looking for me," Artemis prompted the older man.

Gunner looked up at Artemis and smiled. He quickly looked back to the blacksmith and mumbled a few words, and with a pat on the back, he left the smith to his work with the sheet of paper. Gunner walked over to Artemis and Tanya and reached out to shake Artemis' hand. The young man was confused by the gesture, but he went along with it and shook Gunner's hand.

"I wanted to thank you, Artemis; you as well Tanya."

"Sir? For what?" Artemis asked, a bit embarrassed but equally confused.

"I was told you two were the ones who took care of the horses. Is that right?"

"Well... yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, had you two not decided to take the horses, there's a chance my boys may have not made it back alive, and an even greater chance that Jeremiah would not have made it back alive."

At the mention of the man's dead son, Artemis receded a bit, lowering his head. He did not know what to say to Harold, and he definitely did not know what to say to Gunner.

"Lift your chin up lad. You did a good thing. It's hard to lose a member of this town, and even harder to lose a son. But I will say that being able to see him one last time, to hold his hand and tell him that I'm proud of him, and that I love him. To see him and tell him that his sacrifice may have saved this town, his home, and all those he loves. It may seem strange to you, but he died a happy man. We all knew the risks of you all going into the enemy camp, and we all didn't expect to see any of you again. We didn't even expect to live as long as we have in this home of ours. You and Adolph seem to have been gifts sent from the Thayne to protect this town of ours."

Artemis had looked back up when Gunner had said to, and looked the man in the eye as he gave his speech. Both men had a tear in their eyes, a tear that neither was willing to wipe away. The tears were signs of gratitude; of Gunner thanking Artemis for his contributions, and Artemis thanking Gunner for making him feel worthwhile. They finally let go of their handshake and Artemis' hand fell back to his side where Tanya immediately grabbed it. He looked over at her and she too had tears in her eyes, sobbing quietly and smiling at him. She gripped his hand tightly and kissed him on the cheek, a bit of her tears wiping off onto his cheek.

"Now, I have work to do. I have the smiths working on a little surprise for our enemy for when they attack next. Let's just hope we have enough time to put it together!"

Gunner laughed and turned away, leaving the pair and going back to his work.

'I wonder what he's working on,' Artemis thought to himself.

----------------------------------------------

Night seemed to have come quickly, and it was a time of sorrow and celebration. Throughout the day, many of the women had worked together to gather some of the broken splints of wood throughout the city and bring them to the south gate while the men were tasked with the messier task of gathering bodies. While Artemis and his companions were off at the encampment, the town had prepared a funeral pyre. Staring up at the structure, makeshift as it was, it was a remarkable sight. Stacks of wood layered with the bodies of the fallen made site a thing to behold and it would have been easier to admire had the morbidity of its purpose not found its way into Artemis' mind.

Artemis stood beside Tanya, who had not left his side. Instead of his normal leather armor, Gunner had let the young man borrow something more fitting for the coming celebration. He wore a thin navy blue shirt made of a combination of cotton and silk, a soft and durable mix, which he wore with the sleeves pushed up. He also wore plain cotton black pants with equally dark leather boots. Tanya, on the other hand, looked beautiful. She wore a sky-blue satin dress that hugged her form and accentuated her feminine qualities, ruffles waving in the gentle breeze. She also wore a white scarf made of silk wrapped around her neck to hide the scar, and her hair fell down, straight and clean, a beautiful auburn color to it. The pair stood in the back of the crowd watching as the ceremony began. Beside the pyre, Gunner stood on a platform, using hand gestures to settle the crowd down as he prepared for a speech, and an incredible silence fell over the audience.

"I've been mayor of this town for many decades now. Many of these men who lay beside me were born in that time alone. It's hard for me to see so many pass in such a brief time, including one of my own children. It hurts, and I'm sure many of you feel the same pain. Whether you lost a husband, a brother, a son, or even a friend, it's not easy."

The crowd nodded in empathy, understanding how he felt, feeling much of the same, quiet sobs throughout the crowd. After a brief pause and wiping a tear from his eye, Gunner continued.

"This is not something I want to feel. This is not something I want any of you to feel. So let us agree on something here and now!" Gunner shouted, beginning to raise his voice. "Let us honor those we have lost and make a promise, on their dead bodies, that we will never give up!" A shout came from the audience in support of Gunner. "Let us promise that we will fight with everything we have!" Another shout. "This is our home! We are family! And we will not! Not! Allow these strangers to take away what does not belong to them!" Another shout, and cheers began to come from the still sobbing crowd, battling their sorrow with hope. "Let us give tribute to the fallen tonight, celebrate, and appreciate that which we still have in our lives. Tonight, we give thanks not just to what still remains, but let us remember and give thanks to that which we had. Let us give thanks, and let us always remember... This is Valdta!!"

A roar went up from the crowd at the mention of the town's name, a powerful energy that began to build up. Just as Gunner lit the pyre, it became a powerful symbol of the people. Their flames may have been low, but they began to rise. They began to grow and spread, among each other, in memory of the others. The flame intensified and rose, symbolizing the rekindled morale that made its home among the remaining members of the town.

Tanya, however, had something else on her mind. She grabbed Artemis' hand and tugged at him, forcing him to follow her.

"Wait... what are you...?" Artemis tried to ask, but she was pulling him behind her. They quickly disappeared into the darkness of the city streets, her long hair riding the gentle breeze, leaving a sweet floral aroma behind it. Her hand tugged at his, urging him down another alley where Artemis saw a man and woman kissing against the side of a home. Suddenly he thought he understood what was going on and the idea of it gave him a lump in his throat.

They arrived at a house and she pulled him inside before gently shutting the door behind them with a delicate click. Never letting go of his hand, she turned back toward him with a teasing smile on her face. Suddenly, without warning, she pushed up against him, grabbing his face and kissing him with a passion Artemis had never known. Warmth washed over Artemis as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, her soft lips tasting sweet. Without realizing it, his hands fell to her hips, grabbing a nervous handful of the satin ruffles of her dress. Their lips quickly separated, and Tanya slowly stepped backwards as she smiled seductively toward Artemis.

"But.. Do you really think we should...I mean..."

Tanya raised her hand, her soft fingers covering his lips and keeping him from saying anything. Then those same fingers ran down his chest, delicately making their way down, his thin shirt putting up as little resistance as he did. With every inch, Artemis couldn't help but feel a bit of a rush. Time seemed to stop. The sound of the celebration fell away and all Artemis could hear was the loud beat of his own heart. Her hands were by his hips now, fondling the ties that held his pants together, ties that were holding him back in more ways than one. She fell back on the bed, pulling Artemis with her. As he gently fell with her, now holding himself atop her, he looked into her beautiful hazel eyes, an eagerness and impatience staring back at him. She wrapped her legs around Artemis, pulling him into her as the dress hiding her teasing legs fell away. Kissing him again, Artemis ran a hand along the soft, smooth skin, sliding it higher and higher. Pushing the dress away as he reached her hips, he latched a finger over a single string, the one thing that remained between him and his goal. In that moment, as Tanya and Artemis were closer than the young man had ever been with a woman, something changed in him. For the first time since he could remember, he stopped thinking. He didn't worry, he didn't plan, he didn't question. For the first time in Artemis' brief life, he simply lived.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Adolph watched the pyre burn, seeing the ashes of Jeremiah rise into the dawn as did many others. The boy, the one who feared death more than anything, was now dead. He hadn’t had to die, Adolph realized, but in the end he did. To move on was a simple matter. Yet he just couldn’t. Something inside Adolph flew into the air after those ashes, and the stoic knight felt a rush of a feeling he had never felt before in his life.

Guilt.

Jeremiah died because Adolph needed him for a suicide mission. The town was going to die anyways without this mission being accomplished, yet he couldn’t get over the death of Jeremiah. It never occurred that they all should have died, if not for Lady Remi’s timely intervention. Still, Jeremiah, the boy who didn’t want to die, was dead. The one who told Adolph his fears, and the knight forced him to face before he was ready.

This death made the knight bitter, as thoughts continued to worm their way through the knight. Thoughts turned to the unfairness of life, and how everything that he believed in was turning very real before his eyes and showing the darkest, ugliest truth. The boy didn’t have to die. The horsemen could have sparred this child, surely? They spared Jensen Ambrose!

“Life isn’t fair, Adolph,” A seductive voice called from the shadows. The knight turned to find Lady Remi standing in the darkness, away from the flickering light so when it did flash across her face it made her look even more desirable. He didn’t even dwell on the fact she knew exactly what he was thinking. “It’s not fair, Adolph, that you are loyal, you are true, and you have nothing. It’s not fair that good men die, and bad men live. Why do the idiots and the drunkards, the rapists and murderers live a life where they get everything they want, and the stoic, good hearted and law abiding people get nothing? Simply put, it’s…not…fair.” She stepped into the lighter shade of the shadows, showing off a dark tunic and black pants. Her hands were folded under her breasts and she looked to pyre and sighed.

“I know this,” Adolph lied. “I know life isn’t fair, that the horsemen don’t always bless those who are dutiful.” Cassandra turned to him.

“I suppose you would know, Adolph,” Cassandra admitted turning away and walking back to the town hall. “Considering how often it happens to you. You are one of Sei’s most loyal soldiers, even more so than most of his Nine generals, and yet the Mystic offers you nothing but petty words as praise,” Cassandra stopped for a moment. “And gives that immortal everything else.” She turned away as Adolph was left alone, the burning hatred for Jensen beginning to boil over the neat little hole he left in his heart. Cassandra Remi was playing head games, that much he knew, but the damnable truth of it all was what bothered him more.

He looked back at the body, bowed saying a soft prayer, and turned to walk to Gunner. He would ignore these feelings and be dutiful in his work. They had little time to waste anyways and it would do no good to whine and bitch about life. He had a job to do, and he would do it.

Then he would reprioritize his life.

~*~*~*~

As had been expected, the enemy didn’t come for them the next day. That day was spent setting up defenses and Lady Remi had been instrumental in creating a few explosive globes that could, according to her, deafen the senses and blind the enemy for a brief moment. When she tested it out on Harold the boy swore up and down, and walked stupidly into chairs and other things for a solid thirty seconds before he was able to see again and fight. By that time he would have already been dead. These traps were laid on the outskirts of the town, and several orbs were commissioned.

That night the reinforcements Sei had sent ahead of himself had arrived. Thirty trained soldiers of Lord Bracken had quickly entered the base and began to set up their personalized shops of war. Quickly they took over building the barriers, making them more secure and harder to break as the towns people were able to relax or focus elsewhere. Gunner had shown them his plans in the blacksmith, and Adolph nodded to get their secret weapon moving in high gear. By the end of two days they would have three repeating bolt throwers, all built to spec. Nothing else was to be worked on save for making the arrows the machine would need to hurl at the enemy.

Duffy Bracken’s men also consisted of several scouts who moved forwards and immediately began detailing the enemy actions which was a great boon to the Knight of Apocalypse. Their little stunt had proven vital to the life of the town, as now the enemy was scattered regaining their lost horses. The tents were reconstructed, several soldiers were on patrol, and it was on the third day the enemy arrived.

That third day was harrowing news, however, as it wasn’t just another relief force. This was a full blown enemy troop movement. An entire regiment of enemy infantry and three banners of mounted cavalry. This invasion force was meant to occupy the area and hold it. Adolph looked to the map again and studied it, and with council from Cassandra Remi and Artemis they all agreed that this town was going to be used to create the main fortress where the enemy would put a foothold into the land of Corone. There would be no suicide missions to get in now, there was simply to much to do to slow them down.

“There is another matter, My lords, we must address,” An Ixian soldier said bowing low to the table as Gunner angrily looked to the maps of incoming roads to his town. “The enemy is not stopping, they are still ready to march again, and I believe tomorrow morning we are going to be under attack.”

“How many enemy units are we looking at?” Adolph asked bitterly as he sipped his tea. Artemis had looked to the empty pot and quickly rose to refill it. The knight shrugged, but it wasn’t an overly hopeless fashion.

“Probably a third of the regiment is coming after us. The other towns have all been fortified, as Lord Orlouge has ordered we do. The seventy us sent to run broke off to aid in setting up defenses. What’s left of us are yours, my Lord.” Artemis dropped off the tea and Cassandra lifted the kettle and poured herself some more liquid for herself and Gunner. The older man gripped his glass and then spat angrily before chucking it at the side. His good charms were all a façade, as the later days made him accept the fact he had lost a son to these people, the enemy.

“That still leaves more men than we have! Far more! A regiment is usually five hundred to a thousand soldiers, all trained! What do we have? Thirty trained warriors, and sixty townsfolk’s ready to die? Do you know what will happen when they attack, tomorrow? We’ll be dead!”

“Stating the obvious won’t help us much, father,” Harold said loudly over his father’s voice cutting the man off as he sat down next to Artemis. They both nodded as the vagabond made room. “We fought graver odds before, we can do so again.”

“There is someone with them, my lords, I thought you should know. A legend so to speak…” The Ixian knight spoke gravely. “A general of the enemy army has decided to personally make sure this advance is well underway. Andy Rorton.” Adolph groaned as he heard of the man before from the stories. Supposedly a thrill seeker who looked for Althanas’ legends and fought them in single combat to take them out. He crossed paths with Seth Dahlios and even managed to survive the conflict with victory under his belt. Something his enigmatic compatriot couldn’t even claim.

“He’s not going to personally lead this,” Cassandra said sternly. “That would be foolish of him to do so. Besides, if he’s a legend hunter then there is no legend to hunt in this town. Just a bunch of peasants fighting to protect their home. Assuming my name hasn’t got out,” Cassandra joked. Nobody laughed.

“It’s true,” Artemis spoke up lightly. “I don’t see that guy coming to see us off. Not unless one of the Nine were known to be here. Anyways, I say we just set up for a siege, and hold out.” Gunner and Adolph sighed together. The very idea, though their only option, sounded very, very hopeless.

“I just pray that in the morning we are ready,” Adolph muttered looking to the setting sun.

~*~*~

All night the town worked, and at last the weapons were all in place. On the roof of the City Hall was the three ballista, all shining in the rising sun. Their lacquered oak wood was a deadly portent of the death they would cause, and the three most accurate warriors in the town and Ixian army manned them. They had managed to fashion six hundred bolts in time for the morning, and several towns men were in the city hall making more. Within the first hour all six hundred would be used, and from then on it was a slow trickle to whatever they could get.

They managed to create thirty of Cassandra Remi’s flash orbs, and they were given to be used as last resorts to the commanding officers. The lines were drawn up and it was agreed they would defend only the north and the south. The east and west as the most narrow of the streets were piled with garbage and other tings to create an impenetrable wall that would take ages to break through. Runners, teenage boys who wanted to serve, would rush and alert the army if the enemy tried to break through.

Adolph stood next to Gunner, both men wearing full armor. Gunner had on a fine piece of platemail, a throwback to his days in the Coronian Army. Harold had worn his brother’s leather armor in honor, testing his grip in the leathery gauntlets. Adolph stood next to them wearing his full leather get up. The black fabric was polished so each gem shined in the light, and his scarf billowed in the breeze behind him. To his right was Lady Remi, dressed in her full sneaking suit save the hood and face mask, which laid in ahead around her neck.

Tanya was standing dressed in full leather armor as well, helping Artemis fit into Harold’s set of armor. The two passed glances like lovers do, and to that Adolph merely smiled. He was happy for the vagabond, truly was. Though his temper as of late had put a rift between the two, he hoped to salvage what he could with the man who he called a friend.

The horns blared the warning notes of an approaching enemy, and Lady Remi smiled coldly as she lifted a single hooked finger to her mask and pulled it over her face. “How polite of them to come after breakfast.” The group laughed, but more out a forced nervousness than actual joy. She turned to Adolph. “My own priority is to live, Adolph Gretzel. If my life is in danger, I will retreat to the home base.” Adolph nodded. She was one of the Nine, she wasn’t supposed to die here. “May your so called gods be with you,” She saluted him with a devilish smile, a smile so fake and cold he could see it under her mask, and she turned to run towards the shadows.

Adolph stepped forward and gave his orders to the army, “Tanya and Artemis, you are to hold the south with Harold. Gunner and I will hold the north. Ixian Knights are to solidify the front lines and the back lines. Concentrate all volleys of arrow fire on the horses. Kill the beasts of burden first. Our bolt throwers will aim for the heavy infantry. They will not aid us in thinning out the enemy ranks. We do not have the shots for that.”

“And when we run out of arrows?” Gunner muttered.

“We die.” Adolph muttered back as he watched the enemy flags in horizon pierce over the line of vision. Several chants of war began to echo in the morning air, and the townspeople and Ixian Knights all tensed. Adolph stepped forwards to the battlements, and unsheathed his claymore in one hand, holding it over his head.

“FOR THE HORSEMEN!” He cried out.

“FOR JEREMIAH AND THE TOWN!” Gunner cried next unsheathing his weapon. The town rose up as one as weapons were drawn out, the sound of metal echoing loudly as they all prepared. The enemy looked to the town with blood filled eyes, and with a mighty cry that ended the chanting the enemy charged forwards with weapons drawn.

[SirArtemis]

This was not just a battle; this was the war itself. There was either victory or death with no in between and every member of Vardta knew that. Artemis wore Harold's armor, which fit strangely well. Standing at the south part of the town with Tanya to his left and Harold to his right, a group of readied townspeople behind him, he took a deep breath in. Strangely, the wind blew from Tanya's direction and the smell of her hair invigorated him with both strength and courage.

He turned around and faced the small army to address them, nearly two score men headed by a row of Ixian Knights.

"Gentleman, it's an honor to fight among you this day. I have spent barely more than a week among you and you have made me feel at home. I have seen what a wonderful place this is and am proud to be allowed to fight with you to protect it. The enemy outnumbers us ten to one." He paused for a moment, making eye contact with as many men as he could. "They should have brought more!"

The men roared the pair to his sides smiled as well.

"Let us show them that we will not go down easily! Show them that if they want this town, they will have to take it from us, and that we will not make it easy!"

Another cheer rose up from the group as Artemis knelt down to the ground. He ran his fingers along the bloodstained ground and rose back up to his feet.

"If you find yourself knocked down, let the blood of our fallen give you strength, so you may rise and rise again, until lambs become lions." He let the bloody grains of dirt trickle between his open palm, reaching out to the men, and the loudest roar of all went up from them as their fists punched into the air.

Artemis turned back toward the south to face the coming army and closed his eyes, letting the dew-filled air fill his lungs as he realized this might be his last morning. In that moment, the world seemed so much more beautiful. He opened his eyes and the sun to his right felt like it was smiling at him, warming him, comforting him. To his left, Tanya stood smiling at him as well and he reached for her hand causing her to blush.

That beautiful moment was short lived as a thundering roar came from behind followed by a black bolt flying through the air above them. The ballistae had come alive and were spitting their bolts of death at the incoming enemy.

'I hope those bolts thin their numbers. If not, we're doomed.'

Before him was the south gate, opened and inviting. Everything was blocked off, all alleys and side streets. Garbage piled high made it unreasonable for any of the enemy to break off. The arena was set in a simple manner. This was a hallway to hell with an open invitation to all wanting to attend the party. On one end, barely fifty meters into the town, stood the defenders. On the other end was the incoming army, hundreds of men, trained and ready to kill with no emotion. This was the battleground.

------------------------------------------------------

It was not long after the first bolt flew over their heads that the enemy had arrived, and what ensued was a bloody mess. Hours passed and somehow the people of the town had held off. That is not to say that the losses were not tragic. The small group of men that Artemis had started with earlier in the day was down to half of what they were originally, the dead being mostly townspeople. Though Harold and Tanya were still by his side and fighting with all they had, it was clear that the group was quite exhausted, and the fresh enemy soldiers coming in had more and more of an advantage.

The ballista team had run out of bolts not long ago and the fact brought with it both an upside and downside. The downside was that the ballista team could no longer fire and could no longer wreak havoc the way it had. The upside was that it had already caused tremendous damage and proved quite effective. From their elevated perspective, the team could see which side needed the most aid. Deeming that being the south side, the half-dozen men decided to do what they could and ran to join the fray.

"Reform a defensive line!" Harold yelled.

Artemis stood panting, gripping his two mythril daggers as blood trickled through countless cuts on his body. The armor he had worn of Jeremiah's was cut to shreds and was doing little to protect him at this point, but it did not matter. A drop of sweat formed on the tip of his nose, tickling his senses before falling to the ground and splashing into the blood of the fallen. Glancing down and looking at both his armor and the red-stained earth, his determination renewed.

"Do not falter! Do not let these beasts through!" Artemis added.

Upon hearing the clanking armor behind him, the vagabond turned, both caution and paranoia taking over his mind. He saw the ballista team and knew the implications.

"What news do you bring? How does the north hold?"

"Better than you, but not by much. We're here to bolster the ranks. There is no more ammunition. We leave our fate up to the will of our fighters and the hope of the rest of the army finding their way to us."

Artemis nodded to the man and turned back toward the gate as another group of soldiers broke through the threshold. They did not look like the other infantry. These men looked unique, an elite unit. They charged in and as one synchronized group sent forth a dozen spears. The front row fell to their stomachs after letting go and another dozen behind them let go of their spears as well.

"Take cover!" Artemis warned. Crouching down, he picked up a shield of a fallen soldier and held it up before him to stop the incoming projectiles. All flew past him less for one that deflected off his shield. He heard a grunt or two and assumed that some may not have made it in time, and he cursed under his breath.

Charging forward in frustration, Artemis broke rank, forcing those behind him to follow simply to protect the man.

"Artemis, stop! We can't lose discipline! We'll die!" Harold pleaded for the man to return while running up beside him, but the vagabond ignored it. Artemis was sick of this fight and wanted it to end and he knew that if they were sending in what he deemed elite units then they must be getting desperate. He couldn't even count the bodies that lay around him and he hoped this meant they could survive this day.

He reached the enemy soldiers and they all unsheathed their blades, well-crafted short swords made of fine steel. Each soldier held a twin pair much like Artemis, yet their blades had more reach. Artemis did not care. He cut past, dancing and stepping between enemies, seeing their attacks before they were made. He knew the fighting style of the men better than they did, or at least he assumed as much. He quickly made work of several opponents, but that didn't change the fact that he had left himself exposed and vulnerable.

The other soldiers of the town quickly moved up to try to help Artemis, taking his flanks and moving forward. Sounds of ringing blades filled the air along with the grunts and growls of men fighting for what they believed to be a good cause. However, Artemis still stood in the middle of a mass of men eager to kill the one who had slain their comrades. A burly looking dual-wielder stormed up to Artemis and slashed at the vagabond with an overhead attack that had so much power that it knocked the young man down. The parry could not stop the simple force of the strike. Falling to his back, defenseless, Artemis suddenly came to his senses and realized his mistake. The lesson of not letting emotion intervene in combat, a lesson that his mentor had taught him in the past, yet again rekindled in his mind. Sadly, it may have been too late.

Just then, Tanya stepped in between Artemis and his attackers, defending the man she loved. Her blades danced through the air, slicing and stabbing like an artist, her combat being her art form. Despite how good she was the enemies were just too strong and too many. A sword pierced through her abdomen and she let out a scream, a pained and scratchy sound. She turned toward the incoming attack and with a quick movement beheaded the man where he stood. She stumbled back a few steps and grabbed at her wound.

Harold, seeing the exchange, shouted new orders. "Fill the gap! Don't let the enemy get through to them!" He stepped in with another soldier into the gap that Tanya had just left, taking a quick glance back at Tanya, concern on his face. Tanya was almost like family to Harold and knowing he was likely about to lose her as well was not something he could bear, but he knew his responsibility. He maintained discipline and commanded the soldiers.

Behind the defensive line, blood flowed freely from Tanya's wound and Artemis pushed himself off the ground to see to her. She looked up at him from tear-filled eyes, clearly in pain and on death's doorstep. Artemis looked her into the eye, tears of his own blurring the scene. He brushed the hair out of her eyes, bloody as it was, and held her face, kissing her with every ounce of love and emotion he had. She was his first love, his first lover. He did not want her to die. He did not want anyone of the town to die.

Their lips separated and she smiled, one of her hands gently caressing the side of his face, which he covered with a hand of his own. He kissed her fingers. She coughed, a bit of blood coming up. Artemis closed his eyes, hurting from seeing the sight. She stood up, shaky on her legs, and Artemis watched as she stepped away. She gripped her swords and showed Artemis that even when death was waiting for her, she would not die without a fight. She ran forward, pushing through the fighters that stood between her and her enemies and began cutting through. She managed to kill a few more men before several more swords found their way into her chest, ending her pain finally.

As her body fell to the ground, Artemis could see her hazel eyes. The eyes that had recently held so much joy and passion were now empty and void. They were quite literally lifeless. The emotional pain and distress of losing someone who had finally shown interest in him, who had finally cared for him, who had died for him, was too much for the young man to bear. A rage boiled deep inside him, a tear falling from his eye and trickled down his cheek, parting the bloody smear that Tanya's hand had left. The salty and metallic mix found its way to the corner of his mouth, and the taste of it made him spit on the ground. He was not just spitting to rid himself of the blood and tear mix. He was spitting to rid himself of the disgust for war and the disgust of the selfish enemy that came forward to attack an innocent town such as this. He spit out the disgust of seeing all the faces of the people of this town fall and die for their home because some bastards sitting in a cozy little tent said as much. He spit out the disgust of how comfortable people seemed to be with killing.

At that moment, a beast awoke within Artemis. A beast that was just as virtuous as the man it allied with, but one that was willing to go much farther to accomplish those goals. If he had to kill in order to save many lives, he would do it. As the defending soldiers pulled their blades out of the last of the dual-wielding unit and moved back into formation, stepping past Artemis to return to their position, the young man continued to stare off toward the gate. With tears blurring his vision, tears he refused to wipe away, he gripped his blades so tightly that his knuckles went white. Of course, he would not be able to see that even if he looked down; his hands were covered in Tanya's blood, and if only his enemy knew what that meant for them.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Death was his companion, blood his best friend. So would his sword rise and fall, and with every swing a body hit the ground never to rise again. Like a furious aspect of the end times, Adolph consumed himself in his rage, letting everything he despised come to the fore in a controlled state of violent righteous fury. Once again he became the crimson mask of the grim reaper, his bloody sword engorged in the vitale of the enemy. Every word out of his lips was a chorus singing praise to the horseman of war. His voice was coarse, like the rattle of a fire and his eyes burned with the heat of the forge.

Still it wasn’t enough. The enemy came and charged, bringing with them the finality of the town and all its inhabitants. This force was coming to destroy the town and nothing would stop them from this course. Each inch the town gave, the enemy died in droves. The blood created a quagmire that both sides fought in, screams and metal clashing echoing into the air loudly. Gunner fought with all the pride of a man who lived the life of a solider, and was ready to die as one.

From the sides came the enemy, and for their troubles they were met with Cassandra Remi’s flash orbs. Blinded and deaf the townspeople rushed outwards and killed the enemy, Cassandra joining them as she struck from the shadows and killed several of her own. The entire town was up in arms, the town hall boarded and shut with all the non combative warriors inside.

The cavalry came in again and Adolph let out another bellowing cry, shouting out a passage from the tome of war as his sword cleaved into the plate of the enemy rider. Down the soldier went where he shoved a small dagger into his face, coming back up and throwing it expertly into another helmet-less rider knocking him down and out as his body was trampled by his comrades. Several arrows were loosed and the horses let out a cry of panic as riders fought to control their steeds. Several warriors moved in and fought, using spears to shove the riders to their deaths as they fell and became surrounded by the Ixian Knights.

Gunner rushed forwards as a soldier fought with short sword, holding the banner of the town aloft. He had taken an arrow to the chest and still fought bravely, holding dirt of his town in between his fingers to remind him of his duty to his fallen family and friends. Another arrow lodged deep into the man’s face, and the banner wavered and was ready to topple before Gunner’s fingers clasped the pole and held it high, taking his sword and cutting down several warriors.

“Valdta will not fall that easily, scum!” An arrow glanced off his breastplate. “We will not go quietly, and we will fight with our all!” Another arrow hit his greaves, but no damage. Two soldiers ran at him and he parried one spear with the banner, blocking the other with his sword. Using a quick step inwards he lunged the sword into the first man’s throat, swiping outwards and swiping the eyes of the other. “I’ll show you how to wage war, you animals!”

Adolph’s claymore clove into the skull of another enemy warrior, dropping his down. With a heavy press of his boots the body dropped and he turned to face a new foe in heavy plate. “And as my eyes fill with the red rage I will not give in, for my masters' have work for me to do, and more blood must be shed in their names!” Adolph chanted. “I will be their puppet on the battlefield, my sword arm on their strings as I let them guide my blade to the enemies heart. I will cut their courage, break their spirit, and all will know the wrath of the End Times!”

The claymore blocked the heavy axe, sliding the metal down the shaft into the man’s gauntlets. With the spiking pain of the impact the weapon dropped and Adolph stepped forward shoving his weapon up into the chin area of the enemy warrior. Blood sprayed out the warrior’s mouth as Adolph glared at him through the eyes.

“I offer you this, my god of war, the blood of the fallen in the bliss of battle! Drink deep of his life, so that it may please you!” He ripped his claymore out and turned to see Gunner fighting off a pair of warriors, shouting at them as if they were mere dogs. More enemy soldiers appeared and Adolph ran to Gunner’s side, slamming his shoulder into the first warrior, knocking him into the other. Gunner quickly did two sharp stabs, killing them both instantly.

“I will not let these pups take my home!” Gunner growled.

“No need to be consumed with hate yet, old war dog,” Adolph matched the man’s intensity, and both chuckled to the other as they saw the blood dripping from their nose and hair. The sound of the trumpet blared once again, alerting the town that more enemy soldiers were arriving. Adolph and Gunner looked to each other.

“No chance for survival,” Adolph said holding his hand out. Gunner took the hand.

“You did everything you could to protect it. I don’t have to say this, I know your answer, but you can leave if you want. Escape and make good a promise to avenge us.”

“If I die Gunner, it’ll be by your side.” Adolph released the grip and turned to the enemy host. Strangely, it didn’t charge. There was a man standing before the entire entourage of the enemy, and softly it looked to the battlements. Arrows flew at the soldier, but he paid them no mind as they were nowhere close to hitting him. The trumpeter played another wailing note, and one new note added to the air. A gunshot.

The loud explosion sent the musician off to the land of eternal sleep, his body falling off the roof and collapsing on the ground in a pile of dead bodies. Adolph gripped his sword tightly and narrowed his eyes. He knew of only one man in the enemy army with that aim.

“Valdta!” The voice called out from a megaphone so it easily carried out to the Ixian Knights and townsfolk. “You are surrounded, and you are defeated,” The man spoke with such arrogance that it made Adolph sick to his stomach. “We can lose soldiers to defeat you, it’s expected. But can you make a conscious decision to kill everyone in your town?” Gunner looked to Adolph.

“Think about this offer, warriors of Valdta. If you surrender now, we will leave the innocents alone. No unnecessary blood needs to be shed. Though if you choose to fight we will crush you then we will take our frustrations out on the poor innocents locked up within your town hall.” Adolph gripped his claymore and held a hand out to Gunner to stop the old timer from talking. “I personally don’t like waiting, so how about thirty seconds starting now to decide?”

Adolph looked to Gunner and shook his head. “That’s beyond the shadow of a doubt the enemy general Andy Rorton. He’s talking fancy, but he’s not going to protect these people, he’s going to enslave them and still do with what he pleases.” Gunner nodded as he looked to the enemy army.

“I know all that, knight,” Gunner felt his pain two fold now as he rested. He wanted to protect his town, but either way would only kill them. It was opposed to now or later. “We fight!” Gunner shouted raising the banner. The town bellowed an echo so powerful the enemy took a step back save for Andy Rorton, he merely smiled, lifted up his six shooter, and fired again.

What happened next took place in the blink of an eye.

Gunner’s left eyeball exploded in blood and other vitale, his knees buckling as his lips parted to let more blood pass out. He shoved the flag over to Adolph, his face turning to show the gruesome hole left by Andy’s weapon, his other eye looking to Adolph with shock. The flag was in Adolph’s hands, eyes wide as another shot went off in the air. Adolph closed his eyes preparing to die.

The bullet shattered glass, but Adolph never died. On the contrary, when time returned he opened them to see the mystic shield break into thousands of shards as it crumbled. Another horn blared in the south, and Adolph turned to see a sight that had stuck with him for the rest of his life.

In shining golden and blue armor came a host of warriors, spears and weapons held high led by none other than the orange haired Mystic, Sei Orlouge. At his side was Stephanie and Jensen, both charging forwards as Aislinn lowered her staff and her sister, Felicity the cat, jumped off her shoulder and sprinted to the town hall. Atremis and Harold was with them, charging forwards as they all moved as one, surging forwards. Adolph felt his body grow pale and a tear filled his eye as the enemy in the town began to retreat. One soldier attempted to escape before a heavy cross bolt took his life, William Arcus running forwards ahead of his monster hunters as his demonic visage grinned in the madness of the coming army. Cassandra Remi appeared next to Talen Shadowalker, both appearing from the darkness of the shadows. Each began to attack the enemy from the side as they ran, killing droves. Duffy Bracken led his warriors forwards on the opposite end of the town, routing the enemy in large numbers as he sang a song and danced around the enemy with merry grace.

Dorian and Zerith rode upon gallant steeds, weapons raised as the Halberdier called a charge down the right flank. The horse’s broke the back of the enemy resistance left in the town, scattering them aside as the rout began. Next to Sei, Kyla Orlouge flew outwards mighty spells to land in the foe, sowing disruption as the enemy panicked and ran. William Arcus was upon the main enemy, fists flying outwards as he built up rage and let loose a violent ball of rage, the magma ball shooting outwards and killing dozens in a single strike. The Ixian knights were nearing the enemy, cries of war upon their lips before they met with the host of the enemy.

As Stephanie and Jensen met with Adolph he felt his voice warm again and he looked to the flag in his hands. With a knowing feeling in his blood he turned with them as they ran, sprinting to catch up as he tossed the flag into Artemis’ hands. Jensen was already bellowing a cry of laughter as Stephanie let loose one of her own personalized punch rings. Andy Rorton’s face contorted into a mask of true terror, and he called a retreat as his weapon rose and began to fire blindly into the enemy. When they turned they were met by a mighty cry of warriors, along with one Akashmian battle chant from Benjiro Taka as his mercenaries cut through the flank of the enemy.

“I shall sing unto the horsemen a litany of hate!” Adolph bellowed as he ran at the enemy. “We will bring with us the end times, and the enemy shall know the Knights of Apocalypse have come to judge them!” Adolph finished the chant as they slammed into the enemy. Bodies began to fall with each movement, Stephanie’s silent liquid like movements, Adolph’s litanies and brutal cuts, and Jensen’s laughter with every quick flick of his wrist.

Blood flowed like a river in the battle, and it was the first signs of the coming war, but Sei had made good his promise to held defend the town. Adolph gripped his claymore and fought, shouting out over the din of battle as he continued to kill in a mindless frenzy, his emotions tearing him apart to see his comrades once again.

[SirArtemis]

It was over. Days had passed, lives were lost, blood had been shed, but it was over. The army had arrived right when it was needed most to save what was left of the town. Yet for Artemis, it was not enough.

Holding the banner of the town, tied to a makeshift pole to carry into battle, Artemis cried. Standing beside Adolph and looking upon the bloody ground where Gunner's body lay, he could not bottle it up any longer.

"Why does this need to happen? So many died today. Fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, lovers, all of them. What's the point?" Tears flowed freely from Artemis' eyes as a flurry of faces flashed through his memory. Tanya, his first lover. Jeremiah, Gunner's son, and Gunner himself who lay disheveled beside him. Not to mention the countless nameless faces that died fighting beside him whose names he'd never know. He spoke through sobs.

"What is a town if not the people living in it? It's more than buildings and markets, songs and stories. It's the family feel of it all. A town without people is simply a ruin; a memory of what once was. How many kids will be left without a father? How many wives widowed? Siblings separated?"

The face of Artemis' father and his own past flickered through his mind but were quickly pushed aside.

"Artemis, this is the way of the world. People will constantly fight to gain control, to gain power, to gain wealth, fortune, fame. There will always be people wanting to take from others, willing to kill for it, and there will always be people like you and I, willing to die to protect them."

Artemis sobbed, continuing to look down at the ground like some young boy who had had his feelings hurt. This was new to Artemis and he wished he had never had to experience it. This was an evil thing that the young man would have been perfectly content to never be introduced to. Yet there he was, standing among the bodies of the fallen, still alive. He did not believe that it was fate, for he was not a spiritual man. What he did believe is that because he was still alive, he would do everything he could to protect the good from the evil.

'Virtue is my weapon, virtue is my shield.'

[Enigmatic Immortal]

It was over.

The enemy army was decimated at Valdta. Only large pockets managed to escape Sei’s carefully laid trap and now the Ixian Knights reformed ranks and arrived together as one again in the town. Sei had talked with Harold, commenting on the boy’s ability to hold the town together, but every time the Mute praised him he merely looked to Adolph and Artemis. Adolph sat by the body of Gunner, holding the man’s cold lifeless hand in his as Stephanie sat over him, holding him by the shoulders. Jensen stood aloft at the side, head cast into his own chest as he remained quiet. He was grateful to the immortal for that, he wasn’t sure he could handle Jensen’s attitude.

It took some time, but the knight lifted himself upwards and away from Gunner, giving him a peaceful prayer to join his son in the afterlife with the guidance of the horsemen. Stephanie let him be, and he promised to return to them in due time. He had a mission to report. Inside the town hall he was greeted by a slow round of applause. It was started by Duffy and Kyla, shortly followed by Dorian and Zerith, picked up by Anita and Aislinn and Lady Remi, and finished out by the remainder of the Nine save William Arcus, who merely nodded to the stoic knight. Several of the townsfolk, including Harold clapped as Adolph approached Sei, bowing to his lord. He felt his cheeks grow rosy at the assembly, before he rose his head.

“Adolph, you did me proud today,” Sei spoke kindly. “I will not pretend the task and the choices you did were easy, but never-the-less, in such a hopeless situation you helped this town survive the worst they will see from this coming war. Now I ask you to please regale us with your story, and please, Adolph, leave no details out.”

Adolph took a deep breath, and with it he turned to face the Nine generals. They all looked to him, faces eager to hear how the knight had performed his duties. He steadied himself, and then with a quick cough to clear his throat he began.

Nobody interrupted him as the Knight of Apocalypse spoke, telling them how he and some wanderer named Polly fought of the first wave of scouts with Artemis’ help. He explained how after some careful talks with Harold and Gunner and Jeremiah, they learned all about the enemy army’s motives and logic. With that in mind they prepared and the next scout force that was sent in was easily repulsed, but the next wave was a true testament to the enemies strength.

With that in mind Adolph created a plan to send the warriors on a suicide mission. He reported that Cassandra’s aid helped them all escape, but sadly Jeremiah, son of Gunner, had died. He took a moment to regain himself as he let out a deep breath, still feeling guilt for the boy’s death.

Adolph told him of the reinforcements, how they created the bolt throwers and prepared for the final battle. He mentioned Artemis’ role in helping keep the morale high for the villagers. He mentioned how Gunner was a proud and honorable warrior, and spoke of his actions in the last battle. He mentioned how Andy Rorton made his appearance, declared his ultimatum, and killed the old war dog. Adolph remained silent once again before slowly bowing to the Mystic.

“My lord, if it pleases you, two men were very instrumental in all this, and that is Sir Artemis and Sir Harold,” Adolph spoke with military clarity as he moved to gesture to the two boys. “If it pleases you, and pleases them, I think we can find great leaders in both men,” Adolph turned to look at Sei, who looked to both boy’s and nodded once.

“I trust the value of Adolph’s words, if he can vouch for you, I will welcome you into my knights.” Sei gestured to the Nine. “These are my generals, and we all welcome you to the family of the Ixian Knights” The mute smiled as both men went slack jawed at the honor they were given.

Sei then turned to his generals and ordered that Dorian, leader of the labor force, stay behind and help rebuild the town and the surrounding provinces. Sei left a sizeable detachment to safeguard the general, and then looked to his other generals. This was just the first of many battles,” Sei said sadly. “But as we did here, we must continue on the long road ahead of us. Victory at any cost, my generals.” Sei dismissed them and turned to his daughters, grabbing Anita and holding her tightly. Adolph excused himself as he left outside, feeling a particular need he had to do.

After hearing of Artemis’ loss all the knight could think of was the prospect of losing someone he loved as well. Stephanie was in need of someone strong to love, and Jensen would never get it. He knew the immortal’s reasons now, for to live forever and watch the things you love die is something no sane man would want. He respected Jensen even more, now that he thought of it, and was grateful for his friend’s blindness.

He found Stephanie alone at the edge of a fountain, looking up at the night sky as she hummed a tune to herself. Adolph let her beautiful voice pierce his spirit and fill his confidence before he coughed loudly to alert her he was coming. She stopped humming, turning and smiling the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Her red hair was bound tightly into one long ponytail, and he moved his hand up to gently push a stray strand out of her left eye.

“Thanks,” She whispered, smiling at her long time friend. “You know, I was afraid I was going to lose my floodgate,” She joked tapping him on the chest with a finger. Adolph smiled. Long ago he promised Stephanie that no matter what ill things came he would be a floodgate to protect her from the dangers the world had to offer. It was a rather cheesy line, but he didn’t mind it at the time as she was in tears because Jensen was, once again, being an ass.

“I couldn’t die without seeing your beautiful face one last time,” Adolph whispered. He lifted his hand to her face and stroked it, and the girl let out a snort of laughter, but let him caress her features. “Stephanie I swear to god I thought I was dead. I knew once or twice in my heart I was going to die, but it never came. I saw good men die, sons being buried before a father, lovers being killed in front of their soul mates eyes. It made me appreciate what it is I have, and like Jensen, I think I was blind to the things right before my eyes.” The knight spoke softly, and Adolph smiled to her as her face flushed red.

“Adolph…” Stephanie whispered. He moved a solitary finger to her mouth.

“Please, hear me out,” Adolph begged. “I know that your heart belongs to Jensen Ambrose, but I now see why the immortal is so blind. To witness the loss I have witnessed is to much for a man who could never die to bare. Jensen is making the right decision Stephanie, he shouldn’t have your heart. Yet someone like me, I can be what you need. I can let you be your own person, but hold you when you fall. I can wipe the tears from your face and put a smile back where it belongs. I can do all this, Stephanie, because I love you,” Adolph admitted without shame or embarrassment. He spoke from the heart and that was courage enough.

“Please, Stephanie, be with me. I can give you the love you deserve!” Stephanie lifted one hand to Adolph’s, kissed it gently with her soft lips, and lowered it to his side.

“I know you have been through so much, Adolph,” Stephanie began, and before Adolph could protest she lifted a finger to his lips to quiet him. “And to say this now is going to sound heartless and cruel, but while you were away, Jensen and I…Jensen and I, well; Jensen and I are together now, Adolph. He opened his eyes and chose me. I, I,” She looked away, feeling terrible. Adolph’s heart fluttered and then sank, before he let out a soft sigh. “I’m sorry, Adolph, but my heart does belong to him. Jensen is a kind soul, and he’s grown significantly! I...dammit all, Adolph. I’m sorry, but…I just don’t return those feelings for you. I love you Adolph, but you are my friend, and that’s all you ever will be to me. I don’t wish to sound rude and callous, but-” Adolph smiled lifting a finger to her lips.

“It’s okay, Stephanie.” Adolph turned from her and began to walk away. “This doesn’t change a thing between us. You are my friend, always and forever.” Stephanie smiled to him as he left, and Adolph gave her one last smile. When he turned away from her put on a scowl and walked towards a dark alley.

In the alley Adolph looked to the side and with all the anger and frustrations he lifted his hand up and slammed his fist into the wall, cracking his knuckles and possibly breaking his index finger. He pulled the punch back and slammed his fist again into the stone wall again before collapsing upon it and feeling all the emotions of the deaths, the guilt, the fatigue pour out of him as he began to cry. He sniveled his tears up, trying to hold back the pain of it all, but he couldn’t build his floodgate in time. Adolph let his tears pour out in the shadows and he wept, bringing his bloodied hands to his face as he muffled his sobs.

“It’s not fair, is it?” A voice spoke from the darkness. Adolph lowered his hands angrily to his side like a sniveling child.

“NO!” He roared angrily. “Gods damn it all to hell! It’s not fair! That jackass doesn’t deserve her! She’s too pure for him!” Adolph let out another snivel as he took a shuddering breath and cried some more. “I risk my life for a stupid town, nearly die on Sei’s stupid behalf and all I get is his thanks and the loss of the only woman I love!”

“More will come, in time,” The voice insisted thoughtfully.

“She’s never going to be replaced. Ah by the Horsemen, I love her and now she’s gone, gone for good! Knowing Jensen he’ll break her heart so badly I won’t be able to fix it again! Damn his eyes! Why does that fool get her heart and I get…I get…” Adolph sniveled again.

“Nothing.” The tone in the shadows was harsh in its word. This sent Adolph into another frenzy as he slammed his foot into a crate, splintering the wood and making a hole. He gingerly pulled his foot out and angrily snarled as he drew his knees to his chest, sobbing some more.

“It’s not fair,” He repeated. “I work so hard, I have been so loyal to the cause,” He weakly lifted a hand and let it fall. “Do I not deserve my happy ending?” The voice chuckled at his plight, making Adolph’s heart turn bitter and cold.

“Life’s not fair, Adolph,” The voice spoke like a siren at sea. “It doesn’t reward the dutiful who wait. It rewards those who wish to take the fair things for their own. Jensen wanted Stephanie, and so he took her for himself. That’s fair in this world, Adolph. Just like in war. The winners write the history books, which makes what they did, fair.” Adolph sniveled again as he started to feel the fabric of his soul crumble. With each sob and tear that dripped off his nose, he lost a bit more of his rational thought.

“I want what’s fair,” Adolph whispered hopelessly.

“What’s fair, Adolph?” The voice asked, curiosity demanding he speak his thoughts aloud.

“I want…Stephanie, and I don’t want…Jensen,” Adolph spoke coldly as he angrily wiped the tears from his face. “I desire her heart, but I can’t force it. So it doesn’t matter what I want, for I’ll never have it. She loves that…that…fucking asshole's black and twisted heart. All I can do is wait, wait and let her fall and catch her, but never, ever will our hearts be one.” The voice laughed again and Adolph looked to the shadows. He saw nothing in them, no shapes of a person, no signs of life.

“You can have her heart, Adolph. If you believe it’s fair, it is yours for the taking. You merely need help, just as Jensen had. I can help you, Adolph. I can make Stephanie’s heart pine for you, and on her own free will. I can make Jensen vanish from the places her heart protects him, and replace it with you. All I ask in return is your obedience, obedience of a well trained dog, am I clear on this deal?”

Adolph sniveled once, ready to refuse, but as he looked out of the alley he saw Stephanie kissing Jensen, a deep passionate kiss as the two embraced and all the foundations of his soul shattered. Angrily he tore at his own body, feeling hatred boil over him at the complete unfairness of it all, and turned to the shadows, scrambling to all fours as he bowed before the darkness. “I swear all that I am to you, and offer you all that I can give. Give me that what is fair due to me!” The voice laughed and soft heels clicked in the street, before a dark chuckle hissed in Adolph’s left ear. A wave of dread washed over his entire body and he felt cold inside.

Standing before the once proud stoic knight was Cassandra Remi, smiling devilishly as she gazed upon Adolph’s form.

[SirArtemis]

Spoils Requested:

Beast of Virtue: When Artemis is put into a position that triggers powerful emotions, though he is likely to make rash decisions, he becomes more powerful as a warrior. More specifically, it increases the following stats:
Increased Strength
Keen Senses
Increased Agility
Increased Balance
Increased Endurance
Increased Pain Tolerance
The effect itself increases the multipliers of these abilities by adding 1 to all the multipliers. For example, if the multiplier is 1.5, it will become 2.5 If it is 3, it will become 4. This ability lasts for a few minutes, which equates to a few posts. I'm not sure of any specifics but it won't really last long.


Upgrade to Judicis:


Artemis was exposed to the power of his bow and it's ability to manifest the will of the wielder, using the magic of the bow, into magical projectiles. The first arrow that he has experienced is that of a paralysis projectile, an arrow that stuns a target for a given period of time. I have no idea what the durations and level influences will be when used against playable characters, but I'll work that out in RoG.
The second upgrade is that the bow can change color according to the user's needs and will.

Both the arrow and color shift are currently beyond Artemis' understanding and control and he cannot summon them on command, but the sentient capability of the bow can make the decisions without the consciousness of the wielder as of now. Future arrow manifestations will be revealed in future quests.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

I request nothing but ask to give the following Spoils to the Ixian Knights

NPC: Harold Andres - The young man is the son of the warrior Gunner, and though he is due to be the next ruler, he has decided to pass up the right to be mayor and have some other official elected. All Harold wants now is the deaths of the enemy who had taken his brother, his father, and his best friend away from him. He is comrades with Adolph and Artemis, and is an above average swordsman. He will be offered and nominated by Adolph to become one of the armies “Chaplains” and work with Adolph in training a sect of warriors who will keep a cool head and high moral even on the field of battle with acts of valor and bravery with fiery oratory and cold steel.

New Role: Chaplains - Adolph Gretzel was seen by the many Ixian Knights and they all heard his grand speeches and cold dedication even in the face of terrible death. There have been several rumors going on that the man is like a zealot of the battlefield, and they found themselves drawing strength from his words and actions. If Lord Sei Orlouge so wishes it, Adolph will begin training Chaplains for the Ixian Knights, people who will emulate his deeds on the field of battle with their own words of encouragement and valor. All Ixian Knights within twenty feet and can clearly hear the Chaplain can ignore all minor wounds when in battle to keep fighting.

[Silence Sei]

As requested, any full rub, full commentary will be going towards Artemis, and not so much towards EI.

STORY ~ The story was good, but it seemed to drag out at certain times..



Continuity (5/10) ~ EI did extremely well for placing his character in Valdta. Even Polly gave a sustainable reason for being in the town, but Artemis seemed to just be there. From what I know of Artemis, he happens to spend most of his time in Salvar, with his two dwarf buddies. Yet, you didn’t give the reader much insight into that, about how odd it was for Artemis to be on Corone when most of his adventures involve Salvar. Because you didn’t elaborate, your score got docked down to average. People want to know how your character got where he is today, they want to know what motivates him. You gave us bad food.

Setting (5/10) ~ Setting was used in the more important parts of this story. The burning down of the enemy camp, the positioning of the salt shakers and pepper shakers in the bar, and even the way the troops were positioned, I could see it all. The reason the score averaged out here was due to the fact that, like I said, the setting seemed to only be used when it needed to be. Until the first attack, I had no clue as to what Valdta even remotely looked like.Try to incorporate what is supposed to be around in everything you do, even if it’s just shiftibng your caharcetr from a hotel to a bar, I know the smell would at least be different.

Pacing (4/10) ~ There were certain parts of this story, I felt didn’t need to be put in, and thus drew the story out longer. The second true attack, for example. I felt it could have went just as well if the third battle had transistioned to the second, and the counter-raid took place between battles one and two. It would also make a bit more sense, as it’d be easier to follow a few stragglers to ‘raiding parties’ than the remnants of an actual force, per se. When thinking on pacing, try to remember that you don’t want to throw in things that could come off as boring or drawn out to the reader. If you count the initial fight in your opening post, you guys had 4 major fights, all ending with the heroes coming out on top. Try to throw up some variety, as the battles became stale after time number 3.

Story Score : 14/30
• CHARACTER ~

Dialogue (3/10) ~ I’ll be honest, I found the dialogue quite stale in this endeavor. Cassandra’s entrance was good, as it typically always is, but I caught Artie sometimes repeating the same thing he had just said to one person to another. Try to change up what your character says rather than saying ‘I think we should stab them’ to character A, then approaching character B and saying ‘I think we should stab them, Adolph.’ Also, the line ‘This is Valdta’ came off as too cheesy, even for my tastes.

Action (10/10) ~ Without a doubt, this thread had a bunch of awesome stuff. Bandits, wars, Artie got laid, and people died. There really wasn’t much else you could do in the action category for this thread. There was fighting, there was non-combat action (strategizing and whatnot), and there was love making and pouring ones heart out. I’m just going to outright say, the action in this story was outright beast mode.

Persona (4/10) ~ Artie, I felt your character came off as a bit of a hypocrite in this thread. At first, he had no problem beating people to near death, then he had issues with it, then when Tonya died, he had no qualms about outright killing people. Then, he wanted nothing to do with death. That’s cool, if it’s in your character, but I would think someone like Artemis would have reflected on what he was saying at the end of the thread, and opposed to his resolve after his lover’s death.

Total Character Score ` 17/30


• WRITING STYLE ~

Mechanics (6/10) ~ Surprisingly enough, I caught not only errors out of EI, but out of yourself as well, Artie. Check out your first post of page 2, you made a couple of errors in the tenses of words. Also, I noticed you used words like ‘can’t’, ‘don’t’, and ‘haven’t’ outside of your dialogue again. Try to remembver that words like that are better used in their full form, that is, ‘Can not, do not, and have not’ when your telling the story and not using your characters dialogue..

Technique (7/10) ~ Pretty good foreshadowing of things to come, a couple of metaphors, and even some comparisons of people as characters. Nothing really to suggest here, other than use more literary devices (this is always the worst category I have as far as giving tips on).

Clarity (6/10) ~ Some of the war stuff was confusing, and I would have liked to have a better grip on where all the tents in the enemy camp had been placed, and because I didn’t, got easily confused by the directions. Try not to over jumble with directions if you can help it. Also, try to find words that make the reader relate to the positioning of people easier.
Wild Card (8/10) ~ Despite what the rubric may say otherwise, I really did enjoy this thread. Artemis got some character development, and we learned of Adolph as a person. Good job you two.

Writing Style Total: 27/40

Total Score: 58/100

EI gets his spoils approved.

Artie, I’m approving your spoils under conditions. Beast of Virtue can either only last 2 posts per thread if you want to retain all of those upgrades, or you can choose 2-3 of the upgrades for it and have it last a post or two longer. The bow upgrades are fine.

EI gets 2815 Exp and 420 GP

SirArtemis gets 1665 exp and 30 GP in exchange for his spoils.’

Sweet Polly gets 320 exp and 5 gp.

[Silence Sei]

EXP-GP added.