Siege

Surrounded by the force field slowing his descent, Art landed gently at the mission site. The open sky gave way to a dense forest of towering trees, a stark contrast to the machinery-filled place he had stood in only moments before. Surrounded by vegetation, everything ahead became dark and unfamiliar.

He soon spotted his team approaching. They were all carefully examining their surroundings as they walked.

“Art!” Diana came right up to him, her golden eyes fixed on his. “Are you okay?” The young Archer took his hand, still worried about the intense pain she had seen him suffer.

The boy nodded as he looked around. He had to stay focused on the mission. The tall trees and dense canopy filtered the light, casting irregular shadows across the ground. The air smelled of damp earth and aged wood, twisted branches formed natural tunnels, and thick roots spread beneath the foliage like traps.

He heard the songs of the only birds found in Aurora. They were rare, with dark blue plumage and red markings on their wings. They flew high above, their calls melancholy as night approached.

“Why are we here?” Art asked, adjusting the tight black tunic around his body.

“We’re west of the kingdom. They probably sent us here because the forest keeps anyone from seeing us arrive,” replied Sylvaine, the Shieldbearer with long red hair.

Watching them with his back against a tree, Oliver, the Swordsman, frowned and kept his distance. He made no attempt to hide his irritation.

“We’ll wait for the Leader, then we’ll keep going,” Sylvaine concluded.

“When I was up there, I could see we’re not exactly west. We’re a little farther north.” Art held his chin. “If we head deeper into the forest in that direction, we’ll reach the sewer area.”

“The sewers? But is the mission really there? It’s strange that the Leader didn’t give us any instructions.”

“Yeah... That’s not like her,” Diana said.

Time passed.

With no instructions to follow, the group waited in the middle of the forest as the atmosphere grew increasingly dull.

“We’ve been here for almost thirty minutes...” Sylvaine said. “Was it supposed to be like this?”

“Hmph!” Kenno scoffed. The orange eyes of the young Support from a noble family glanced sideways at his companions, clearly displeased to be there.

Despite his hostility, the girl responded with a mocking look and simply continued.

“By the way, from the way you were talking... Have you been here before, Art?”

“No... This is my first time here.”

“Then...”

Diana interrupted her, giving her friend a teasing smile.

“He memorized every map of the kingdom.”

“So you’re one of those weirdos obsessed with that kind of stuff?” the Shieldbearer asked, mirroring the Archer’s smile.

“I think ‘obsessed’ is a bit much...” he replied.

“But not ‘weirdo,’” Diana interrupted, laughing.

Art shook his head with a faint smile, taking their teasing in stride. He continued as he stood and brushed the dirt from his tunic.

“My house was always full of all kinds of books. And yeah... that included maps of the kingdom.”

As Diana stood, her pendant swayed against her chest. It was a family heirloom left to her by her mother. With her usual playful manner, she added a touch of nostalgia to her friend’s words.

“That reminds me of when your mother made us memorize maps of the world outside.”

“The ones she made up herself?” her friend added. The memories brought a smile to his face.

Sylvaine smiled as well, touched by the memories the two companions shared.

“Enough!” Oliver interrupted, his voice echoing through the forest. “I don’t know about you and those two lovebirds over there, but Kenno and I are moving on.”

“We shouldn’t rush off like that. Leader Kaela could arrive at any moment. Let’s wait.”

“What’s wrong, Oliver?” Art said. “We don’t even know where the target’s base is. You’ll end up getting lost, captured, or worse.”

“Relax. I’m not getting past the Dome!” Already with his back turned, the prince walked away with his friend. Neither of them looked back, acting recklessly.

The ground trembled beneath Oliver’s feet.

A deafening crash accompanied the disorienting tremor, ruining the pair’s pompous composure.

In an instant, the earth before them split apart. Cracks snaked across the ground and, with another violent crack, a wall of stone rose from the earth. Chunks of dirt and dust broke free from the newly formed structure, hovering briefly before falling like ash.

The barrier—rough and irregular—blocked any passage. Its jagged top cast shadows over the Swordsman, making it clear that moving forward was no longer an option.

Still facing away from them, Oliver took a deep breath and ran a hand through his long blond hair, which had inevitably fallen out of place. His anger grew as his chest filled with air.

“Art! You’re going to regret that!” He held his hand at his waist, ready to draw his sword, a relic of the royal family.

“I can’t let you ruin the mission,” the young Attack Mage justified, his hands engulfed in flames.

They stared at each other for several moments, and the tension skyrocketed.

Oliver turned around, ready to fight. His sword hung from his right hand and, even in the dark surroundings, its blade gleamed with exceptional quality. A threatening smile spread across his face.

“If that’s how you want it, don’t complain after I beat you!”

“What are you doing? Have you lost your minds?!” Sylvaine stepped between them. She pulled the shield from her back and bent her knees slightly, taking a battle stance in case she needed to intervene further. “Diana, help me!”

Diana quickly moved forward, drawing her bow made of luminis wood and black adamantite. She lined up beside the Shieldbearer.

“This isn’t the time for this, Art! Calm down!”

They all stared at one another. The tension showed no signs of easing, the team on the verge of breaking apart. And the irritated Swordsman—the prince himself—only made things worse.

“Kenno! Strengthen me and give me a ‘shield,’” he ordered.

“Immediately!” The Support imbued him with power. Threads of light spread like roots and, glowing emerald, a shimmering aura flowed from his hands and settled over the Swordsman. “Watch out for the explosive arrows!”

“I’d forgotten about those.” He glanced at Diana’s quiver. It was nowhere near enough to diminish his confidence. “Last chance to get out of the way.”

“We’re not moving,” Diana replied, her gaze firm.

Knowing there was no turning back, Oliver gritted his teeth and launched himself forward. His legs bent, muscles tensed, and his eyes remained fixed on his targets. Then he charged with all his strength.

The Swordsman directed his first strike at Diana, drawing Sylvaine in as she leaped to protect her. Before his sword could touch the shield, Oliver suddenly changed direction, his armor sliding smoothly across the ground. His movements displayed his mastery as a fighter. He slipped past both Warriors and cleared a path toward Art.

“It was a feint!” the Archer shouted as she fired an explosive arrow, only for it to be blocked by a shield created by Kenno.

“Kenno made him way too fast!” Sylvaine exclaimed.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaart!” the Swordsman screamed as he charged toward the young Attack Mage.

The prince was startled when Art wasn’t where he expected him to be and desperately searched for him. Looking up, he saw a massive fireball hurtling toward him at high speed. He blocked it with his sword.

Even so, he was thrown backward. Oliver slammed into one of the trees, pain surging through his back from the impact. Blood ran from his nose.

“Feeling pretty proud of yourself, aren’t you, you filthy piece of trash?!” he said, planting his sword against the ground to push himself back up.

Once on his feet, the Swordsman gave him a mocking smile and began to recite:

“This ends now! Ignis Sacr—”

With his senses growing sharper as the heat of battle intensified, he suddenly stopped.

He noticed a shadow moving across a branch high above. Focusing on it, he saw a hooded figure hidden among the vegetation. The presence behind the leaves stared back at him threateningly.

“Watch ou—!”

Before he could finish, several grenades fell around them, exploding and releasing massive clouds of smoke.

Unable to see or breathe properly, the Swordsman desperately searched for the others, one hand stretched out in front of him while the other covered his nose.

“Damn it! I can’t see anything! Cough... Kenno? Sylvaine?”

A few yards away, Diana and Sylvaine were with Art, who had raised a compact dome of earth around them. The rough, irregular structure had risen from the ground, thin cracks spreading across its surface. Small grains of dirt still fell from its sides.

As the dome settled into place, the three crouched down to fit inside.

“What was that?!” Sylvaine asked.

“We were ambushed,” Art replied.

“What now?”

“We have to fight.” Art analyzed the situation. “I don’t know if that smoke is toxic, but when I bring down the barrier, we’ll be exposed.” A thin layer of smoke seeped through the cracks. “We need a plan. You’re good at this, Diana. Any ideas?”

“I...”

“Calm down!” Sylvaine encouraged her as best she could. “We need you! Just give the order and we’ll do it!”

“Okay! Haaah...” She took a deep breath. “We’ll do this... When Art brings down the protection, I’ll throw my flash grenades in every direction. Sylvaine, you stand up and hold your shield overhead so we don’t get hit from above. Art goes in front and clears a path with magic. We’re getting out of here.”

“So the plan is to run, huh?” Sylvaine commented.

“I think it’s our best option,” Art said. “There’s no way to know how many of them have us surrounded.”

Surrounded by the tension of the imminent battle, sweat ran down their faces. The group was now forced to fight for their lives in hostile territory, divided and without the presence of their experienced Leader.

They all looked at one another, trying to focus on the plan as they gathered the strength to move forward.