Freedom Pt. 06-08

Sigismund looked over Casiama, who was still holding her ears with her hands and emitting quite the piercing sound in an attempt to remedy her hearing. He glanced towards Talos, and the men shared a most unexpected smirk over the elf's unfunny fate. Even the most accepting humans were still a little bit racist against elves, after all.

"Well, we shouldn't be needed to hold the port, at least," Talos said gruffly. "No way they're making it through those spears. Did you see any other landing spots?"

Sigismund shook his head, not answering the question aloud. Talos grunted in the affirmative. The pair had likely performed that same non-verbal communication a hundred times in the past.

"Me neither," Talos said anyway.

Distant, eerie horns sounded from the direction of the port district, followed by the bellowing of several trumpets. It wasn't hard to guess that battle would soon be joined between the reavers of black-and-red and the spearmen of black-and-blue, but Talos had to remain here to await his compatriots.

Fortunately, two minutes after the thought crossed his mind did a purple oval appear before him. It hung weightlessly in the air for only an instant before his four friends appeared in front of him, swords and magics at the ready.

Talos stood, greeting them with a moderately-warm smirk. He let his piercing gaze bore into Vex for a moment.

"I told you not to come," he uttered as seriously as he could under current circumstances. In all honestly, Talos was infinitely pleased the party of seven were together once again. If battle did spill into the streets, he could use three additional sorceresses and another sword. Not to mention this might be the last time they would see one another.

Markus strode towards him with his arms outstreched. "Did I miss the fire show?" he asked boorishly, grinning towards Talos. Talos nodded.

"Ended an hour ago," he answered succinctly. His gaze bounced over each of the new arrivals, settling on Tatiana's nervous pout. Talos still was astounded that such an adorable sorceress had been capable of shutting down an entire reaving party on her own.

He pointed westward towards the port, the horns continuing to sound far off in the distance. Talos decided to lay out his battle plan for all present.

"Those horns signal the reaver's impending assault. Sigi and I counted a good hundred and four spearmen heading that way, and at least two dozen sorceresses. I doubt the raiders have half those numbers, but I'll want us to position ourselves behind the Villjordians as a sort of fallback line. Prevent any stray reavers from breaking through the shield wall and escaping into town."

Nods from the group. No questions yet. Talos glanced towards Sigismund, than Markus.

"We have three good swords, which will allow us to handle a decent amount on our own," he explained hurriedly, then nodded towards Casiama, still pressing a hand against her ear. "Cass will provide support for anyone who needs it. She will kill her target from eighty yards, so, providing she can find a decent firing position, she can cover all of us. Silvia can stay behind with her, coming forward to restore or ward if needed."

He looked to Vex next. "Vex, what can you offer us?"

The sorceress bit her lip nervously, then shrugged. "I didn't have time to prepare anything, Talos. A half-dozen Fire Runes and a couple Thunder Bea-"

"No!" Casiama shouted, then cleared her throat. Her voice didn't calm after the cough, Talos figuring she was still hard of hearing. "Sorry! No Thunder Beads!"

Vex rolled her eyes. "Fine. Six Fire Runes, Talos," she sneered.

"That'll have to do," he replied gruffly, nodding towards Tatiana. She had a hand on her chest, and her brows were risen high in fright. "Tatiana?"

"Um... um... I can conjure..." she glanced away from him nervously, unable to keep eye contact. She finished her statement with her gaze fixed on the black pyramid behind Talos. "I can conjure a trio of able warriors to assist you in combat. Yes. That would be the best I could do," she explained breathlessly.

Talos nodded in a wordless affirmative, glancing towards the port district. He couldn't hear any clear sounds of combat just yet, and knew he couldn't ask Casiama for confirmation at the moment. He decided on making a halfway-inspiring speech for his troops, but knew they deserved better than he could give. It had been quite a few years since Talos had made his last one. His gaze bounced over all souls present as he spoke calmly.

"Alright. Look, this isn't a mercenary company. I'm not going to tell any of you that there's glory or honor to be had by helping me here today. I also won't think less of anyone if they decide to stay back. But... if good things happen to those who do good in this world, I promise we'll all receive our just rewards for our actions here today. No, we're not getting paid to do it. We're doing it because it's right, and because each and every one of us are damned capable of doing so."

Talos started to pace about as he spoke. He didn't have to think of what he said next.

"When I look upon you all, I don't see mages or warriors. I just see my friends. I just see... good people, doing the right thing because we don't know anything else. Our hearts won't let us settle for a bad end if we could will something better in it's place, and that's what makes each and every one of us great. That's what makes us superior to those who would will pain and misery unto the world. And no matter how long I've known you, or how short, I know within my heart that you're all truly great people." Talos sighed, shaking his head as his sight fell to the street he strode upon. His words grew softer, and many of his comrades were leaning towards him to listen. No one dared interrupt.

"Protect yourselves. Protect one another. But most of all, let's protect these people. Let's show Isbrygga that there are some Imperial souls who give a damn about doing the right thing, only because it is. And... thank you," Talos smiled,"thank you for being here with me today. Even if I told you not to be."

Talos found the courage to look up at that point, spying a rare tear in Vex's eye. His party was silent, nervous, and all eyes were on him. Did they expect him to have more to say? Talos couldn't think of anything...

"Hear hear," Sigismund finally said, filling the void. He placed a mailed glove on Talos' shoulder, calming the veteran of a hundred battles with his presence. "Let's show those bastards what hell really is."

"Fuck yeah," Markus agreed, flexing his arms in show. Casiama giggled, and Talos might have actually spied a smile on Tatiana's incessantly-pouting lips before she actually parted them to speak.

"I'm with you, Talos," the sorceress in black declared confidently, "even though I've only known you for a short while, I'm with you."

-

The party of seven rushed towards the port of Villjord as the longboats of black-and-red came ashore. Almost a dozen longboats in all, holding twenty screaming reavers a piece nestled betwixt the larger merchant's vessels of the city. The massive ward was still raised over the port, but a magical ward would never prevent one from passing through it. Wards were primarily useful for defeating magic, or deflecting incoming missiles. So, the spearmen of Villjord prepared for combat.

They held fast in a wide shield wall, between the port in front of them and the city behind. The port itself was surrounded by tall three-story stone buildings, forming a make-shift barrier where the tall walls of the city weren't present. Talos scanned the area hastily, looking for any additional vectors the reavers could abuse to penetrate the city proper.

Arrow fire from hastily constructed towers rained down upon the reavers as they charged the shield wall, every one of the axemen screaming a single statement in the Isbryggan tongue as they attacked. Talos knew the spears would hold. He'd seen the same play out dozens of times in the past. Shards of ice rained down on the attacking raiders as the lines clashed violently, summoned by a dozen sorceresses in black-and-blue standing behind the lines of men.

Talos' heart skipped a beat when he found his fear. A small alleyway was present to the right of the clashing lines, only protected by a dozen spearmen. He pointed towards it for Sigismund's sake, the veteran nodding coldly as he saw it.

"Let's go!" Talos shouted, running for the far side of the alley. Those dozen men would not hold once the reavers were aware of the avenue, and Talos wanted to ensure none would enter the city. He bounded around a large stone building, supporting himself against it with a hand.

Before him was a wide stone street, nestled between large stone buildings. The alleyway would run off into this street, and from here an attacker could possibly penetrate half the city before they were accosted by further defenders.

Talos pointed his middle and forefingers at Silvia and Casiama, then pointed at the ground he was at. A common order for them to remain where they were now. He drew his sword as he stepped down the avenue with the remainder of his party, scanning the buildings to his left for the exit point of that damned alleyway.

That's when he heard it; the clash of steel on steel ringing between two of the buildings, the unmistakable sound of men screaming as all they knew was torn asunder in an instant. Talos picked up his pace, them stumbled on his feet as the world crashed down around him.

A massive magical explosion tore into the stone building on his left, sending all manner of debris flying across the alleyway as it crumbled unto dust. He glanced around, then picked Tatiana up from the floor as the ringing pierced him wholly. He nodded to the sorceress as she made her way back to her feet, a look of utter shock on her face as she pointed behind him.

Almost fifty of the reavers had torn off from the main host, screaming as they charged towards the new opening in the make-shift wall of the port. Somehow the ward had been lowered, and one of those hellish missiles had hit its mark.

Talos, Sigismund, and Markus held their blades at the ready for the impending charge. Talos and Sigismund were without shield, and would be forced to counterattack prior to lines being met. Yet, Talos kept it in the back of his mind that Casiama was behind him, somewhere, and he had to remain in the wide avenue to receive her support here.

Tatiana outstreched a hand, holding up four fingers before waving a quick symbol in the air in front of her, then made an 'X' through that. Three firey, oval portals of red were conjured in front of her, a void of green suspended in mid-air between those ovals. She had summoned three humanoid demons from the fourth circle of the Omega domain, named Rork, Snork, and Gork. It had been easy for Tatiana to name these ones, as the demons uttered no words but those when they strode upon the mortal realm.

The three demons were thick-set, wearing nothing on their pink bodies except for a moderate loincloth and bronze greaves. They held bronze swords and bronze shields at the ready, and their pig-like faces turned towards the sorceress in black upon being summoned.

She hastily pointed at the advancing reavers, who had now slain the remaining spearmen guarding the alleyway. The three demons were drawn towards her command, only uttering their names in reply. They held their shields up to prepare for combat.

Tatiana put a gloved hand on Talos' shoulder, bringing her mouth to his ear.

"That's all I have! I'll return to Cass!" she exclaimed thinly as stone fell on stone around them.

"Okay!" Talos shouted in reply, nodding roughly in that direction. He stepped around his allied shield wall of three, appreciating Tatiana's skills at that moment. Those gleaming bronze shields would draw much of the reaver's attention, he knew. He glanced towards Casiama down the avenue, finding that she had her bow drawn and aim fixed at the gaping hole in the make-shift wall.

Talos tapped Sigismund's shoulder, nodding behind him in a silent order to retreat behind the three bronze-clad demons. If they would be required to counterattack, he would only do so after lines had met.

Talos didn't spy Vex tossing a pair of her Fire Runes into the air, then will a gust of wind to send them flying at the advancing reavers. He did see the firey explosions those small stones caused, though, burning several alive as the remaining four dozen advanced with a defiant roar.

Axe soon met the four rounded shields of Talos' wall with a thundrous clash, several reavers being tossed over those barriers by some clearly-capable demons. Talos thrust his sword through the neck of one lying on the ground, then strode right around the barrier as Sigismund went left.

Adrenaline filled his veins as he charged the first reaver, his sword singing as it slashed cleanly through axe and cuirass to tear a man's guts from his chest. The contact surprised Talos so much that he brought a foot to kick the reaver off of his sword unnecessarily; the sword was already free, and the man had slumped dead. Talos pirouetted towards the next, slicing through torso and spine with a deft, singing cut.

Adrenaline fueled him so fully that he didn't notice one reaver falling every three seconds from fifty yards away, arrows embedded straight through their necks. Casiama conjured a nocked arrow onto her bow after each fatally-accurate shot; she never carried a quiver, after all. She fired, instantly drew her bowstring, then fired again after a quick readjustment every three seconds of that battle, naturally aiming for those charging towards Talos first.

And charge after Talos they did. The swordsman had found the battle far too easy, far too simple now that he had this singing sword of woe. The sapphire pommel of Dawnbringer glowed a furious white as each reaver was torn asunder. The enchanted blade tore through air, muscle, bone, and armor alike. Simply.

Further blasts of fire magic erupted in front of him, sending reavers flying through the air from the explosions. Talos didn't notice Vex step away as he side-stepped an incoming attack unnecessarily; he brought Dawnbringer to the downward-swinging axe, the enemy's steel being shattered upon impact. Talos thrust his sword through the reaver's neck an instant later, then strode towards the next. He kept himself positioned in front of Markus to protect him, allowing the man with sword and shield to pick off any reavers who got around him. He knew Sigismund could fend for himself.

Another massive blast of purple fire erupted to his left, the explosion ringing through his ears once again just as a reaver fell in front of him with an arrow in his neck. Talos glanced towards it just long enough to notice another structure collapsing into the street.

"Sigi!" he cried, dancing through the doomed men before him with . Sigismund glanced his way as he too fought off another, and Talos nodded towards the new attack vector. The old veteran made his way from combat to guard the new flank.

Talos wished Tatiana was here to command her trio of demons forward. The reavers were already becoming hesitant to come forward themselves; whenever one did, an arrow somewhat-magically appeared in their neck, and they died. If the arrow somehow didn't appear, they were struck down by a glowing sword a moment later. Talos forced Casiama to shift her attention towards the new flank as he strode forward into the alleyway of dying men. He didn't notice the three demons advancing with him. Only twenty reavers remained in front of him.

Talos smirked as he stepped between the burning husks of the buildings around him, and over the corpses of reavers and spearmen alike. The enemy before him were already pushing one another backwards at the sight of him. One finally found the courage to attack, finding no way backwards, only to be brought into the air by a deft horizontal strike followed by a haste stab into his neck before he had reached the ground. Too slow, Talos thought.

Two more charged the smirking swordsman as he advanced. Talos didn't bother dodging their attacks any more, and merely crouched to swing horizontally to sever two pairs of legs from two men. Dawnbringer was slammed into the skull of one, as Talos' boot was brought onto the other with a sickening crunch. Unfortunate, Talos mused.

The reavers before him were in a full panic now, some even dropping their weapons as they pleaded of their comrades to flee. The grinning swordsman decided to repurpose the reaver's warcry as he stepped towards them.

"Mercy through blood!" the swordsman shouted, not knowing what the words meant whatsoever as his sword sang a bloody song through another neck. Talos was clear of the alley, now, as were the reavers. All dropped their weapons and fled back towards their boats docked at the port.

How Talos hadn't realized the power of his new sword until this day, he would never know. Too much adrenaline coursed through his veins to realize this was the first time he had drawn it in anger.

He gazed out over the port district, alight with flames all around. Several buildings were collapsing on the far side, as well, and there were at least two hundred bodies on the floor where the spear wall had taken up residence. Yet, the men of black-and-blue had held fast, and the screaming axemen of black-and-red were in a full-on retreat. Talos didn't sheathe his bloodied blade as he walked back through the alleyway. Tatiana's three demons collapsed into piles of ash as he passed them, the off-worlders clearly determining that their jobs here were now done.

Markus didn't greet Talos as he passed him by. His mouth had only been left agape, and he straighted up a bit when the man with the glowing sword glanced at him with cold and piercing eyes.

Talos had found the battle far too simple so far. He strode down the avenue to look for Casiama first, to ensure she was okay. He didn't smile when he found the elf running towards him, but he did feel relief. Talos found her ears perked up and scanning their surroundings for additional reavers. She wouldn't find any.

"We need to press the attack. Is everyone else ready?" Talos asked her callously. She parted her lips to speak, but only produced a grimace as she looked him over. Talos wondered why she was so frightened of him at the moment.

Casiama found the courage to take his hand in hers, guiding him down the cobblestone avenue towards the latest collapsed house. She released him when they arrived, failing to hide a sniffle when she did.

He scanned the area. The bodies of a dozen reavers were laid out in the street, surrounded by blood and guts alike. The house that had been here but a half-hour ago was now in flame and in ruin, and there was a man Talos knew laying just before it...

"Sigi!" he yelled deeply, rushing over to that lifeless body. He knelt beside him, finding an axe deep within his chest. Talos ripped it out without thinking, Sigismund producing a gasping breath when he did. His eyes were shut, and would not open.

"Cass, get Silvia!" Talos roared, taking his friend's hand in his. Casiama didn't move.

"Talos... she's..." the princess whimpered, finally succumbing to her tears as her free hand met her mouth. Talos swiveled his gaze towards her, finding naught but distress.

"No..."

Talos knew how stupid he had been at that moment. Battle came naturally to him, for one reason or another, but he knew then that he should have never called his friends with him. He didn't know whether to stay beside Sigismund as he gasped his final breaths, find the remainder of his cohort, comfort Casiama, or... weep.