A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 28: My Hero (Part 3)

Ten minutes had passed. Ronalt and Earnest fought side by side but now against the Empire's men. Each one individually couldn't even compare to them. Even the gilded Knights of the Empire barely reached their prowess. This wasn't one on one however. The bodies began to pile up as nothing was held back. Giving mercy now would lead to our deaths. Thankfully it looked like Taylor had done her job and stemmed the tide of reinforcements toward us. Her skill at disrupting the enemy's chain of command confused them and the less organized they were, the longer we could hold out. Still as the minutes passed so did our vitality decrease. The traps I had laid down were practically gone and even my extra supply of arrows dwindled to a few.

"Marley I'm moving up," I spoke to the girl tiredly. Her hammer had already been bloodied.

"Roger that," she saluted and pressed her hand on my back. A small wave passed through me spreading life into my muscles.

"Thanks... if it comes to it, run." I turned and faced her earnestly. "Take Pina and ride as far as you can."

She smiled brightly and without a doubt in her mind spoke, "I'd rather die."

I couldn't help laugh and shake my head, "Please don't. Lara would kill me."

"Just go already, I can handle my own," she replied firmly.

"Roger that," I saluted her in reply and headed through the trees to where the real battle was.

I found Caius first. He leaned with his sword drawn. Dried blood plastered his arm where his armour had been cracked. Dozens of the gilded knights faced him backed by several more soldiers. Despite their numbers they approached cautiously and for good reason represented by the corpses of their fallen comrades.

Caius straightened his back, "Afraid?"

"The Empire will never falter," the leading knight proclaimed.

"So you have said," Caius smirked. He was acting incredibly cocky for someone who was surrounded. "I'll give you all a chance. Run now and perhaps I won't kill you." Oh... damn he was being pressured. It was something I did even now. When fighting became a bother or things weren't looking good, lie through your teeth to get the upper hand.

The leading knight stood tall, "For the Empi-," a thin beam shot from Caius' finger piercing his chest. The man fell from the concentrated magic, his eyes white. The knights around him flinched.

"Last chance," Caius stared them down. That last spell, although it looked simple, was much harder to use than it seemed and required a build-up he could only pull off due to their current hesitation.

A voice shouted from the rear, "Do not falter! The enemy is weak. Stand tall for the Empire, stand tall for the world!" The words grated against my ears as my eyes turned towards the source. General Elroy. He was sitting on a horse just outside the forests edge barely in sight.

"Charge!" the change came suddenly as the knights poured towards Caius. He frowned and hit the ground causing the earth to shake and send clouds of dust into the air.

A hand gripped me, "We're leaving." I let it pull me away as we escaped the searching knights. Unfortunately it didn't take them long to dispel the cloud and track us.

"Here," I passed him a vial to replenish his energy. "That's my last one." Or at least it was the last one I was willing to give away.

He drank it and breathed out as the liquid did its work, "The Hero, is she trapped?"

"You didn't see the flare?" we continued to run through the trees. The occasional explosion of magic behind us and followed by the bolts of crossbows, all of which were repelled by Caius.