Departure

“There you are, Quentle!” Master Gambell cried out, jumping from his horse to

greet the boy who rode atop Dagan’s broad shoulders.

“Master!” Quentle shouted cheerfully, hopping down despite his bandaged legs

and running to meet Gambell.

“Idiot!” Gambell spat, chopping Quentle’s head with his hand.

“Oww,” Quentle whined, holding his head. “I got injured there, Master!”

“Well maybe it will teach you to use that head of yours to avoid getting hurt

next time,” Gambell rebuked with crossed arms and a frown.

“You’re drunk if you think that’s going to happen, Gambell,” a girl’s ice-cold

voice sounded from behind the school teacher, who turned toward her with a closedmouth smile.

“Tess!” Quentle exclaimed, staggering toward the heavily bandaged woman

being tended to by two knights.

“I’ll let you take it from here, Tess,” Gambell said with a wave as he mounted his

horse. I’ll leave a few men here, but we really need to get this traitor over there to the

Chief and the Headmaster.”

Quentle watched with a frown as the knights lifted the bound Melvin Cillavier

onto a horse on the opposite side of the canyon.

“Funny isn’t it, seeing me more beat up than I’ve ever seen you,” Tess said with

a chuckle as she sat with her arms on bent knees, the two of them waving as Gambell

departed on horseback with knights in tow. A shaggy-haired man he’d never met before

laid next to her, equally bandaged and eyeing him curiously.

“Quentle, this is my twin brother, Ango,” Tess said with a smirk, nodding her

head in the direction of her brother.

“Ah, Ango!” Quentle replied. “Good to meet ya!”

“Yeah, greetings and all that,” Ango responded, turning his nose in defiance.

“Quentle, you’re okay!” another voice rang from behind the knights tending to

Tess and Ango, stealing Quentle’s attention at once.

“Selm-ah!” he grunted in surprise as the girl embraced him.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whined through choppy sobs.

“Yeah, thanks,” he replied, a cheerful smile breaking involuntarily. “I don’t know

why you’re here, but I’m glad you’re okay too. And uh…I’m sorry about your pops. But

hey…where’s Mel?”

“Oh,” she said, blushing as she pulled away from him. She pointed several

meters past the remaining knights to where the blond boy sat, arms folded over his

knees. “He’s over there with the guys.”

All five of the boys who had tagged along sat in a small circle with Mel, nursing

minor wounds. Upon seeing Quentle, all but one stood to their feet and swarmed him.

“You guys made it!” Quentle cried, throwing his arms around Geraint and

Jorge’s necks.

“Quentle, you crazy bastard,” Kaolo cried in excitement. “Where the hell did you

end up?”

“Oh, here and there,” he responded with a smirk, before stepping past the five

boys to stand in front of the sedentary Mel. “Oy…” he barked, dropping his playful tone.

The boys all went quiet, eyeing the two awkwardly. Mel offered a sidelong

scowl at Quentle, while Selmy shuddered.

“Did you see Cedric?” Quentle asked, looking down at his friend with a stern

expression.

“Yeah, he got out of here,” Mel responded dryly, nodding his head toward the

beach.

“Ah, well good,” Quentle replied. “What about you?”

“What are you on about…” Mel mumbled in response.

“You have anything to say to us?” Quentle said, his gaze and tone unfaltering.

Mel sighed deeply before checking to see how close the soldiers were, and turned to

face the boys.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I put all of you in danger due to my own lack of strength,” he

replied seriously in a low voice, shifting his gaze from one to another before letting it fall

on Quentle. “Even you, Quentle. You did a good job though, as I trusted you would.”

“Of course, I did…” he responded, furrowing his brow. “I was fighting for the

Teutons, just like Cedric was.”

“Yes, and so was I,” Mel said, rubbing his neck and looking down. “Cedric’s

ideals won out in the end, though. He’s going to be a great Heir.”

“Damn right, he is,” Quentle said, raising his voice and plastering a grin on his

face. “After all, he had to beat out me and you to get it.” His grin grew wide as he

reached his left hand out toward the sitting Mel, who hesitated before taking it and

rising to his feet.

“Quentle, wait!” Selmy cried as the sound of cracking knuckles came from

Quentle’s clenched right fist. He pulled Mel toward him before he could react, landing a

vicious punch on his cheekbone that sent him flying back into the dirt.

“Mel!” Selmy shouted as she hurried over to where Mel lay. Without expression

he sat himself up, raising a hand at the approaching Selmy, who stopped in her tracks.

Upon seeing her dismay, Quentle averted his gaze and pressed his lips together.

“I get it, I deserved that,” Mel said, not bothered by the blood trickling down his

cheek.

“Yeah, you did,” Quentle responded. “You caused a lot of harm, not to mention

going behind me and Cedric’s backs. I don’t know if I can forgive you for that.”

“Yeah, I know…”

“But…I’m glad you at least didn’t get yourself killed because of your stupidity,”

he followed up, turning his back to Mel.

“Yeah…you too,” Mel replied, a weak smile coming into shape. Selmy and Tess

exchanged smirks as they watched Quentle walk away, trying his best to grin despite his

watered eyes.

***

At the peak of the long sloping beach, a group of men stood atop the fortified

wall, gazing out as the Wolverine ships sailed into the distance.

“Men, all of you and your soldiers performed valiantly tonight,” said Chief Allen,

who stood at the back of the half-circle facing the beach. “Samuel, your strength and

command of the battlefield kept many men alive tonight, not to mention your mad

heroics at the end…”

The perpetually-stern Samuel grunted and nodded his head. “Like I said, it was

my battlefield to make a statement on.”

Allen chuckled through his nose, smirking. “Roland, Gregory, and Charles, you all

executed your roles perfectly. You may trust your achievements will not go

unrewarded.” The three men standing to Samuel’s right nodded silently.

“Valblin and Feng, your help tonight was crucial as well,” he said, looking over

the old man and the charming blond with a smile.

“And of course, Hydrick and Al.” The two heavily bandaged young men stood

tall to the left of Feng. “The relentless bravery and vigor you showed tonight is a

testament to our Will, and why it remains so strong.” Allen glanced at Valblin before

continuing. “Your impassioned will to come out on top in order to protect your people,

is the very essence of our Teuton Will. You should be proud to possess such strong wills

of your own.”

“You honor us, Chief,” Hydrick replied with a bow, while Al nodded with a smirk.

“Allen, Valblin!” a voice called from a distance. The men turned to find Gambell

emerging from the wall’s rear stairwell.

“Gambell, what happened?” Valblin said, stepping forward to meet him.

Gambell trotted over to him and caught his breath.

“I have news from the volcano and the eastern battlefield.”

“Go on, Master Gambell,” Allen said with an anticipatory look, while Hydrick and

Al looked on with interest.

“Cedric Cintog has become the Heir,” he declared, triggering wide-eyed

reactions from Valblin, Hydrick, and Al. “After an intense skirmish in the forest that led

to the volcano and eventually the shore where the night’s battle had ended in

stalemate, Cedric left the island with two infantry soldiers on a transport ship belonging

to the Red Wolves.”

Valblin exhaled as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “And you’re sure

he left of his own volition?”

“Yes,” Gambell replied, “I have confirmed with Commander Giro that Cedric left

with two of his infantry captains- Galgi and Ralin, I believe, were their names.”

“Hah?” Al exclaimed upon hearing the names, his jaw hanging.

“Hoho, so the flare was a signal, after all,” Valblin mumbled, chuckling.

“Did Giro see which direction they were headed?” Allen asked.

“They seemed to be sailing toward the rear of the enemy fleet, according to

Giro.”

“They fired the flare with the intention of sailing around them and our eastern

shores, then.” Allen turned toward the sea, where the last Wolverine ships were sailing

into the distance. “If they are indeed on that track, they might have fooled the

Wolverines, for now, and sailed on. However, they’ll be on their trail soon. I’ll have to

pull General Vlore from his naval post where he guards the island’s inlet between The

Wall and Shlank land, and have him defend the Heir at sea. With that, it seems like the

time has come for your mission to be executed at last, Valblin.”

“Mm, yes, Gambell and I will assemble our party and prepare for departure

tomorrow evening, after we confirm things at the volcano,” Valblin said, gazing

westward.

“I should add, the former General Cillavier was found at the volcano, and

admitted to colluding with the enemy,” Gambell said, garnering surprise from everyone

in the group aside from Allen.

“I take it he’s in custody, then?” Allen asked, his stern expression turning sour.

“Yes, he is,” Gambell responded with a nod before looking solely at Valblin. “As

are the escaped prisoners from the central wall, led by Hastor Gladius- also known as

the ‘Blonde Bandits’.

Valblin’s expression hardened as he stroked his beard. “He and the girls will be

joining us, Allen. You may interrogate them to your heart’s content until tomorrow

evening, but we need as many capable hands as possible.” Allen merely nodded politely,

remaining silent.

“Master, please allow me to join your party as well.” All eyes turned toward the

young man with fine, long blond hair. “I wish to be a part of the attack team.”

Valblin and Al stared curiously, while Allen looked upon Hydrick with stern eyes.

“Hydrick, you have an army of men here dedicated to your leadership. Are you prepared

to leave that behind?” Hydrick turned and looked Allen in the eyes, unmoving.

“However, if Valblin is okay with your attendance, then I shall give your men to

Al,” he said with a slight sigh, glancing from the old man to the heavily-bandaged

commander, whose jaw dropped.

“Ho, but of course,” Valbin said with a warm smile before gazing out to sea.

“My, what a victory we have achieved for Takanova here tonight, gentleman. The sword

has left the island in the hands of our Heir, who intends to lead the enemy away from us

so that we may rebuild. We have also dealt a crippling blow to the enemy forces and

saw first-hand the revitalization of morale in our troops. Finally, we may execute my late

comrade’s mission, a plan of counterattack that will strike the very heart of our enemy.”

Hydrick’s expression was set ablaze by the old man’s words, his fists and teeth

clenched while Al and the others nodded confidently.

“This, gentlemen, is the beginning of the Teutons’ counterattack.”