(Past) :: The last Mission

The village lay in silence, covered in the darkness. Grim's dark cloak blended in well with the darkness as he moved like a shadow. His dagger gleamed faintly in the moonlight as he approached the outskirts of the village.

A soldier stood leaning against a tree near the entrance, his stance relaxed. Grim's movements were smooth and elegant, and his footsteps made no sound. The dagger silently sank into the soldier's neck as his palm suddenly closed over his mouth. After a single jerk, the man's body became limp. Silently, Grim lowered him to the ground and wiped his blade on the soldier's shirt before vanishing into the darkness once more.

The sound of voices reached Grim's sharp ears. The faint sound of two soldiers laughing could be heard in the night air as they approached. Grim looked about, his thoughts racing. Nearby, a camp was lying with its entrance slightly open. As the sound of the soldiers' footsteps increased made him to sneak inside.

One soldier was inside, sitting at a little table with his back to the entrance. Grim came silently and quickly. Grim's dagger cut across the man's throat before he could react. The soldier's hands flew to his neck as blood spurted out as he gasped. With a practiced ease, Grim lowered him to the ground after catching him before he could fall.

Grim turned and saw someone moving in the tents dark corner. A woman sat on a straw mattress, trembling barely covered by a thin blanket. The slight smell of cheap perfume hung in the air, and her eyes were wide with fear. A prostitute, probably kept there for the entertainment of the soldiers.

Grim's gaze was composed but forceful as he brought a finger to his lips. making a sign to be quite. The woman clutched the blanket to her chest and nodded. Grim left the tent without saying another word.

He stayed in the shadows and moved towards the middle of the village. The routes ahead could be seen by the dim flicker of the flames in the distance. Now standing close to the main entrance, the two soldiers he had heard before were attentive in their stances. Grim furrowed as he considered the circumstances.

Grim closed the distance in an instant of movement. He struck before either soldier could respond. The first soldier was promptly silenced when his dagger pierced his right side. Grim slashed the second soldier's throat with such force that he fell to the ground before he could even draw his sword.

For a minute, Grim stood over, listening for any signal. The village stayed motionless, the quiet unbroken.

He moved back into the shadows and held up his hand to indicate the village's perimeter. The remaining mercenaries stood there, ready to attack. Grim made it obvious that the way was open.

A moment later, with a ferocious determination burning in his eyes, Kael emerged from the shadows with his sword drawn. With their weapons shining and their footsteps as quiet as death, the mercenaries trailed behind him.

The silence of the village was ready to break.

Kael led the mercenaries ahead into the village, moving quickly through the darkness. The only sound was the gentle crunch of boots on the ground; the mercenaries had been instructed to remain undetected until the attack.

Grim had once again vanished into the night, his part as the silent predator fulfilled. As the mercenaries dispersed, preparing for the attack, the only sound was the distant creak of doors and the slight rustle of leaves.

Suddenly the silence was broken before Kael could say anything.

A loud war cry erupted from the darkness, echoing across the village like a thunderclap. It was primal, guttural, and brimming with a fierce intensity that terrified mercenaries.

Grim's instincts were screaming at him as he stopped. He saw movement; too planned, too purposeful, from the shadows of a nearby but opposite of the vally. With their own weapons in hand, the villagers who had just seconds before seemed frightened now came out. A few even brandished swords, while others carried bows and spears.

When Kael realised the reality, his eyes grew wide. This village and the intel they gain was a lie. It was a trap.

Arrows rained down from the top, their keen tips gleaming in the moonlight. Another mercenary collapsed with a terrible thud, blood pooling beneath him, while another screamed as an arrow penetrated his shoulder.

"Ambush!" Grim's voice broke through the confusion as he yelled.

In an attempt to defend themselves, the mercenaries become ferocious and started moving towards the village and vally, their formation breaking. As they pressed their attack, the villagers' battle yells became louder as they moved precisely. With their swords slicing through the night air, a squad of troops dressed as villagers raced into the battle.

Kael swung his blade, blocking a blow from one of the troops in disguise. He yelled, "Fall back!" in an authoritative tone. However, the mercenaries were ruthless , and their arrogance and confidence made them even more vulnerable.

The village was burning with chaos, the harsh glare of fires making the directions clear in that dark night.. The smell of burning wood and the taste of blood were carried by the smoke as it curled into the night sky. The sound of clashing steel rippled through the air like a horrific symphony as the troops and mercenaries clashed in a maelstrom of violence.

When Kael faced his first foe, he charged forward, his sword cutting through the dense smoke. A young soldier raced at him, his blade shaking in wobbly hands, dread shining in his eyes. Kael cut off the soldier's weapon hand by avoiding his erratic swing and bringing his sword down in a straight arc.

The soldier's scream was interrupted when Kael crumpled him to the ground after driving the sword's hilt into his heart. Kael continued after giving him a quick peek to make sure he was unconscious rather than dead.

Grim, his daggers glittering in the firelight, moved nearby like a phantom. He moved so smoothly between two soldiers that they hardly noticed him until it was too late. Grim stabbed one soldier in the chest, causing him to gasp, and another collapsed with a clean cut across his throat. As he vanished back into the darkness, Grim's cold cunning gaze studied the battlefield.

Kael encountered by a huge soldier brandishing a huge two-handed axe. As he swung the sword with horrifying ferocity, the man let out a roar that was more beastly than human. Kael just missed it, and the axe made a deep groove in the ground where he had been standing just a moment earlier.

Kael responded quickly at the soldier's abdomen, but the man was quicker than he appeared. He deflected the blow by raising the axe's haft, then kicked Kael violently in the chest. Kael staggered backward as the contact knocked the breath out of his lungs. The soldier moved forward, bringing the axe up for another blow. Mind racing, Kael steadied himself. The axe dug into the earth again as he sidestepped the downward swing after waiting until the very last second. Kael took advantage of the situation and sliced at the soldier's bare side, sending the blade deep into the skin.

The soldier fell to one knee and screamed in pain. Kael finished him with at strike to the back of the neck, the large man collapsed.

The combat raged all around him. The cries of the injured and dying were drowned out by the shouts of mercenaries giving instructions.

Kael growled and lunged forward. When the first soldier turned, he saw Kael's sword shatter his shield in two as it cleaved through it. As the man stumbled back, Kael kicked him in the back, made him to crash down.

With a spear pointing straight at Kael's heart, another soldier surged at him. With the spear's tip brushing his armour, Kael shifted his body and used his free hand to grasp the blade. After pulling the soldier forward and slamming his knee into the attacker's abdomen, he swiftly slashed the fellow to death.

The remaining soldiers broke in formation as they hesitated. Kael exploited their fear by slicing through the group like a storm with his blade. He fought so fiercely that even the most experienced fighters were shaken, and blood splattered over the ground.

Out of the corner of Kael's eye, he saw Grim killing a soldier close to a burning hut. Grim had already gone behind the man when he tried to raise his sword, his dagger silently gliding across the soldier's throat.

"Kael!" Grim's voice broke through the chaos as he yelled. “Reinforcements are coming from the west!”

Kael's brows narrowed as he turned and saw another contingent of warriors coming up out of the trees. Their faces were set with terrible intent, and their armour shone in the firelight.

Kael whispered to himself, "We must keep them away." He signalled the mercenaries to reassemble by brandishing his sword high.

With a spear pointed at Kael's chest, the first reinforcement charged at him. With his blade blazing as he cut off the spear's shaft, Kael ducked under the onslaught. Kael struck his helmet with such force that the soldier fell to the ground before he could react.

A second soldier came at Kael from the side, aiming his sword at his open hip. With a thunderous clang, Kael's blade met the attack as he spun. Their swords collided, sending sparks flying and sending impact through Kael's arms.

The soldier pulled the attack, his strikes fast and relentless. Kael used a combination of skill and instinct to parry each hit. He finally spotted a gap and seized it, piercing the soldier's chest with his blade as it slipped through his defences.

The soldier fell at Kael's feet as he yanked his weapon free. Before he could gather his breath, he was attacked by another opponent that was on his back of the neck.

A loud horn blast echoed over the valley. Kael smirked by listening to the sound.

Reinforcements rushed into view from the eastern tree line. These mercenaries weren't your typical ones. Dressed in dark, sturdy armour that glittered dully in the firelight, they moved with precision. The charge was headed by their leader, Drennar. His presence and his wide blade shimmered violently.

"For the honour of our contract!" the leader yelled. The mercenaries under Kael's command roared in response.

The reinforcements slammed. Steel against steel grew louder as the battleground became an even more chaotic maelstrom.

In the firelight, Kael's blade swirled, each blow deadly and accurate. Grim moved like a shadow, quietly eliminating enemies. When the mercenaries attacked the enemy lines, Both Kael and Grim got the change to break their strength.

An opposing commander yelled, "Retreat!" but Kael's blade cut his head As the remaining attackers retreated into the forest, leaving their dead and injured soldier behind, panic broke out among them.

Smoke and the metallic tang of blood filled allover the atmosphere. The mercenaries fought back exhausted but triumphant. Grim, wearing a blood-stained dark cloak, came closer.

Grim said, "It’s over," in a steady but low voice.

Kael's face was sad as he looked at the environment, it reminds of his own pain caused in his past.

"We have to move to the base, after a couple of hours" Grim sneered out loud.

The mercenaries stood around the campfires, tired but victorious, their laughter resonating through the night as they celebrated the victory they had earned over the long, bloody hours of combat.

Kael stood apart from the mercenaries who were celebrating, his thoughts far away as the last remnants of the combat melted into the cold darkness. As his mind drifted inward, recalling his master's words, the sound of laughter and celebration seemed far away. His master's words, "Power, promises, and fear," replayed in his head.

Kael felt the weight of the blood-stained blade at his side, the weapon that had accompanied him in innumerable battles, in a new way. He no longer owned the sword that represented his brutal metamorphosis. He knew it was time when his master's words became more audible to him. He inhaled deeply before drawing the sword out, its blade shining in the fire's last embers.

After staring at the blade for a considerable amount of time, he turned away. He safely secured it at his side and reached for the plain hunter's knife at his belt, the one that had always reminded him of a life he had loved. Even though it was a less powerful and smaller weapon, Kael found calm and a feeling of his destiny in its simplicity.

Kael turned and trying to leave the blood-stained past, the promises of power, and the life of a mercenary behind as he took one final look at the mercenaries, who were still celebrating their win.

He made his move toward the mysterious smog, a place declared off-limits for normal people, where mortals are not allowed, people never crossed the smog, as they were in the story of legends.

// To Be Continued......