Folly & Agendas & Talulah

Chapter 61

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For a moment, a trite moment, the fans of warfare stopped shaking. The ground stopped trembling. The tremors and explosions ceased for a minute, allowing the remnants of the city to release its cry. The crackling of fire. The destruction of infrastructure. North of the slums was the gateway to Chernobog. The two cities on the verge of a dangerous encounter. The combatants weary of battle, face a standoff with their enemies. Ch'en and her Lungmen Guards, and Faust and his Phantom Crossbowmen, stood face to face. 

Seconds before, a pillar of light interrupted their battle. It shook the land with in a blinding frenzy. Eyes were blinded and bodies flew. The pillar of light landed far from their location; at the edge of the slums. Ch'en gripped her sword tightly; Faust's finger was on his trigger. All of his Phantoms were exposed, without their invisibility Arts, with their aim down the sights. 

Faust released a breath. He watched his breath turn into a cloud of smoke before it vanished before his eyes. His aim didn't falter. 

"Why did we stop?" He asked. 

Ch'en's brow furrowed. Her sword, Chi Xiao, was still sheathed. Her second sword was ready to block an incoming barrage of bolts. She surveyed the area and counted a total of thirty remaining Phantoms. 

"I'm not going to answer to you," She answered. 

"That's a shame." 

An explosive bolt was nocked in Faust's crossbow; every one of his Phantoms had one too. Their targets were not the Lungmen Guards themselves, but the ground beneath them. There were multiple beams sticking out from under them. The ground was uneven, so an explosion would level the ground to one's advantage. 

Ch'en glared at the Reunion captain. "I've already fought one of your allies," She stated. "He was nothing more than a puppet of the Reunion, encroaching upon foreign land. If you wish to stay alive, you better leave and never come back."

"I can't do that," Faust replied. "My hands are tied. My heart is too."

The leaders whispered commands to their soldiers. Little did they know, the buildings around them began to crumble like decaying trees. The fighters sat still like patient predators waiting for the chance to pounce.  Ch'en spotted an opening in the Reunion formation; her soldiers were ready to move to that location as soon as the time was right. 

"Kaiser Rye fought for you, didn't he?" Faust asked. 

Ch'en didn't respond. She watched their surroundings fall piece by piece. 

"–Sadly, I struck him down–," Faust continued. The word, struck, stung him.

Ch'en eyed him suspiciously. That Draco's ability to cheat death made her think so. 

"–and then he disappeared."

"Where is he?"

"Don't know. After he was struck by my bolt, he healed his wounds, and disappeared. He didn't want the fighting to continue. He wanted to end this as soon as he can, but he could never. No one can stop him now. He will stop this war, even if one of us die."

Faust pulled the trigger. Then –KERBLAM– the ground beneath the Lungmen guards shattered into dust. Ch'en barely had any time to react, but her soldiers were farther away from the blast compared to her. She somersaulted backwards towards safe ground. She ran towards cover. An onslaught of bolts flew in the air; the projectiles pelted against shields and debris alike. Ch'en found herself ducking under a broken sewer pipe that surfaced from the ground. 

For a moment, the barrage of bolts stopped. Ch'en used it to her advantage. There were many Phantoms aiming for her, but her Lungmen Guards diverted their targets. Ch'en slid out from cover and traversed the uneven ground. A bolt flew straight at her head; she deflected it with a swipe of her blade.