Bitterness struck Tucker. He sprinted through the narrow alleyways of the port city. They had accomplished their mission and saved the prisoners in the basement of the Emerald Tower. But the burning sensation remained in his chest. Pyron was right in front of them. Mere inches from his blade, and instead of ending the bastard’s life… Tucker had only taken his arm.

  “There’s no need to be disheartened,” Alex said as he sprinted several steps ahead. “We accomplished our goal and landed a decisive blow against the Emerald Tower.”

  Tucker’s eyes remained focused on the path ahead. The pain in his heart was something that only weighed on himself. He had lost so much and had yet to move on. How could he even allow himself to when those who stood by his side had only left a few weeks ago? The acceptance of loss was a difficult concept to accept for many, and he wasn’t impervious to it.

  “I know… it’s just that…” Tucker’s grip tightened on the hilt of his lumenite blade. “There’s no telling when we’ll run into Pyron again, but the thought of him escaping again pisses me off.”

  Alex glanced over his shoulder while carrying the mage’s arm that was strapped to his waist. “We’ll see him again, that I can guarantee.”

  “Even if we did, he would just blink away again.”

  “No, not this time.” Alex gazed at the smoke rising from the far side of the city wall. “It’ll be tricky, but Charles might be able to pull a favor for us. It’s too much to explain right now, but once we’re back in the Order, I’ll tell you everything.”

  Tucker nodded. There wasn’t anything else they could do now except move forward. With the fire spreading throughout the distillery district and the explosion at the port, it was safe to say that the Empire’s forces had their hands full. The mages sent to put out the fire had disappeared. Most likely the handiwork of the other watchmen.

  Their footsteps echoed through the alley. In a few moments, they would break into the clearing. Alex rounded the corner, peering into the open space. Hundreds of soldiers and knights rushed through the courtyard before the gates. The Everheart forces had scaled the walls, locked in a desperate brawl as swords and shields clashed against one another.

  “We need to turn the tide in our favor,” Tucker said.

  “It’ll be difficult for the two of us to accomplish.” Alex checked the contents of his pouch. “I have a few smokescreens left, but besides that, not much else.”

  “Our job has never been easy,” Tucker jokingly said.

  Alex smirked. “True, but I suppose that’s part of the appeal.”

  Tucker held onto the shoulder that Serevoth’s spell had struck in the sewers. Saying the armor was still holding together would be a stretch. At most, the runes on the black iron armor were barely functioning. They had already accomplished their goal, creating a diversion and driving a wedge into the city’s defenses—but it wasn’t enough.

  A victory was needed on all fronts.

  He glanced at Alex’s equipment. Blade marks etched the surface from all sides. The faint shimmer of the dying runes was enough for him to know that their armor had already reached its limits. It was far too risky for them to charge headfirst into combat, even if they were skilled. One mistake was all it took for them to lose their lives.

  “What should we do?” Tucker asked.

  “We’ll have to try circling the far side of the walls. There might be an opening for the two of us to exploit,” Alex replied. “If not, we’ll have to pick off stragglers or try to pull them into the alleys.”

  “The good ol’ hit-and-run tactic.”

  “Hopefully, it’ll work well enough to not get us killed.” Alex chuckled and turned away from the corner. Yet the moment he turned around, a voice entered their ears. They immediately raised their guards, with their backs towards each other.

  “Mist.”

  Alex’s eyes widened before responding. “Hawk.”

  Three figures emerged from the shadows above, dark green cloaks draped over their shoulders and hoods pulled up to cover their faces. The iron armor they wore was the standard attire for members of their Order, and the dark obsidian daggers strapped to their belts were key symbols of their equipment.

  “I never imagined I would see you here,” the voice said, leaping down from the fourth floor of the building. Mana gathered at the soles of his boots softened the landing. “It’s been a while, Salamander.”

  Alex raised a brow, recognizing the voice. “Owl? Is that you?”

  “In the flesh,” Blaire said, walking towards Alex with an outstretched hand. “It’s good to see you.”

  Their hands met with a firm grip before getting pulled into a hug. The other two members of the Order came down without making a single bit of sound. One had a smaller frame, and the other easily towered over them. They stared at Tucker with curious gazes before shifting to Alex.

  “This is May and Mark.” Blaire pulled down his hood. Brown hair with grey streaks fell to the sides of his face as his golden eyes shifted to Tucker. “And you are?”

  “That’s Tucker,” Alex replied. “He returned from Stafford.”

  “So soon?” Blaire raised a brow. “I take it not much has happened then?”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “If only that were the case. Stafford and Aegis have both fallen since our short venture to find the Sword Saint’s disciple.”

  The sudden news caused the watchmen’s expressions to drop. Silence took hold for a moment, but soon Blaire gave a firm nod. He walked over to Tucker and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Well done making it out alive,” he said.

  “I got lucky.” Tucker glanced over his shoulder at the opening. “With you three here, that changes things. Are you able to fight?”

  “Well… that’s a little bit complicated,” May replied, staring at Tucker with her crimson eyes. “We have aura, but our spirit essence is spent. It’ll be difficult for us to fight at full strength.”

  “All of you are out of essence?” Alex watched them nod with conflicted gazes. “How?”

  “The Lion of the North did it,” Blaire replied. “He took out our spirits with his javelins each time they were summoned.”

  “That’s the one Ethan warned us about,” Tucker said.

  “Ethan? You met the others?” May asked.

  Tucker nodded. “We saved them from the Empire’s covert forces in the sewers. All six of them were in rough shape, but we gave them what we had.”

  May let out a sigh of relief. “It’s a miracle that they’re alright… I thought we lost them when we got separated.”

  “Are there any more of us here?” Alex asked.

  “Afraid not. Before you arrived, we had another team of watchmen. They were damn good, but sadly, they didn’t make it,” Blaire said. “Those bastards from the Emerald Tower ambushed us at our safe house, and they broke off to buy us time. Didn’t find their bodies until after our failed assassination attempt.”

  “I see… then that means we’re all that’s left,” Alex said. “What do you think, Tucker? Do you think we have a chance to break through the city’s defenses on this side?”

  Tucker glanced at the ongoing battle. They could try to help the men battling on the walls break through the current defenses. Odds are, the Emperor’s brother wouldn’t appear unless the Sword Saint himself set foot onto the battlefield. In a battle between two absolute beings, the slightest difference in aura could settle the entire fight.

  “We do have a chance, but that’s only if we all sign off on the idea,” Tucker answered. He looked at Blaire, May, and Mark. “If you join us, we can flank the knights aiming to support the wall or create an opening for our forces to break through.”

  “That’ll be a one-way trip,” Blaire said. “We would have nowhere to run if we fail to reach the walls.”

  “Yes, but their focus isn’t on us. If we strike hard and strike fast, we’ll be able to catch them off guard.”

  Blaire glanced over at Alex, watching the veteran prepare his equipment. Then, shifted his gaze to Mark, who gave a firm nod. “Alright, then what’s the plan?”

  “Follow my lead; we’re going after the gatehouse.” Tucker gathered mana onto the soles of his boots. “Don’t draw attention until I make the first move.”

  All of them locked eyes for a second, signing off on the plan as Tucker took a step into the opening. The clash of metal rang out across the courtyard. Knights were rushing towards the top of the walls, desperately trying to reinforce a line that was already on the verge of crumbling. Only militiamen stood between the watchmen and the gatehouse, creating a thin, wavering set of obstacles in a battle they were never meant to hold.

  Tucker drew in a deep breath. Cold air entered his lungs as he sprinted forward. The other watchmen followed closely behind him. His lumenite blade glowed with an emerald aura, drawing closer to the unexpected soldiers. Their steps hardly made a sound against the dirt floor, and Tucker could see it. The militiamen were fixated on the Everheart soldiers taking the wall.

  Not realizing the true danger that was lingering only a few steps away.

  Tucker clenched the hilt of his blade, swinging at the narrow gaps between the militiamen’s armor. Blood sprayed out from their vitals as they collapsed on the ground with screams, tearing free a heartbeat too late. Nearby soldiers froze, staring at the watchmen in shock as emerald light reflected in their eyes. One fell. Then another, as the watchmen cut down all those who stood in their path, and soon the alarm in their eyes flared.

  “Ambush—!”

  Before the man could finish his sentence, Tucker’s sword swept through in a clean arc, severing the man’s head. He gazed at the other soldiers trying to form a shield wall and thrust out his hand. Spirit essence swelled within his palm before coalescing into a defense sphere. It shot out and slammed into the formation, shattering their stance and hurling the bodies aside like broken dolls.

  Tucker didn’t let the opportunity slip. He dashed towards the Empire’s fallen ranks, cutting down the one man still trying to hold the line. With the watchmen closing in from all sides. It was hopeless. Resistance collapsed in a matter of seconds as the Empire’s militiamen were cut down where they stood. They had no leader, and after the formation had been crushed with their blood soaked into the dirt. Tucker continued his relentless pursuit toward the gate.

  “We’ll need to breach the building controlling the gate house!” Alex said.

  “You can leave that to me! I just need you to buy me some time!” Tucker shouted.

  They advanced with each step, never staying in one battle for too long. Mark and May held the flanks while Alex and Blaire pressed close behind Tucker in his charge towards the tower. Each skirmish brought them closer to the gatehouse, and once they had finally entered. A deafening bang struck the wooden gates before them, with the iron braces rattling against each blow.

  “That’s our forces…” Tucker muttered, eyes shifting to the wooden door to the side.

  He turned towards the locked entrance leading into the gatehouse and kicked just below the metal handle. The frame buckled from the blow but didn’t give way. He strengthened his aura around his leg and drove another powerful kick as the iron hinges shrieked. The runes on the door shimmered, repelling the force with a deafening cry, but Tucker didn’t relent.

  One kick after another landed on the wooden door. A splintering crack formed along the edge, and with one final strike, the iron hinges tore loose. Pieces of oak burst from the frame and skidded across the floor as the door flew open, slamming against the wall in a violent arc. Tucker stormed in, but just as he entered, a spear shot out. He lifted his blade and swung upwards, barely parrying the strike to the side.

  Before he could move a muscle, Tucker felt something slam into him from the darkness of the room. He glanced down to see an aura-clad man grabbing onto him while pulling his leg up. His back crashed onto the ground with a sickening thud. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs. A gleam reflected off the silver blade that was raised above his head. But before it could come down, Alex drove his heel into the man’s chest and launched him back.

  Just as Blaire rushed in, ending the soldier’s life before clearing out the remaining force in the gatehouse. The watchman’s blade rang out in tight, lethal arcs, blood splattering against the wall with each swing.

  Tucker pushed himself up, watching as the last bits of resistance were snuffed out in seconds. Alex stepped beside him and offered a hand.

  “They’re getting desperate,” he said. “Not surprised with how close they are to losing this wall.”

  Tucker grabbed hold as Alex pulled him up. “We only have to find that lever and turn it to raise the gates. Once that’s done, our forces will pour in.”

  “I got it,” Blaire called from across the chamber.

  He grabbed the lever and pulled it down as the gears released a metallic groan. The heavy chains used to lower the gates were slowly pulled back, coiling around the metal spool. A series of mechanisms activated with metal grinding against metal. The gates slowly rose, with battle cries erupting through the area.

  “That should be it,” Alex said. “Now, what’s our next move?”

  Recently, I saw that Total War: Warhammer 40k was announced at The Game Awards, and it has me super excited since.

  If that game does release... odds are I might disappear for a while... dun dun dun!

  Just kidding, I'll still try to pump out chapters, so don't worry.

  Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya in the next one~

  120 Ratings Goal - Bonus Chapter (Owed Chapters -> 0)

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