Don't Forget

#45 .........Reunion?

     Sub pants, feet firmly planted on the stone wall. His arms are starting to burn with the strain. Two assassins are both mirroring him as they climb up the north wall. Each rope is anchored by a steel grapple.
This is the next part of the plan that the General and Captains came up with. Sub really didn't expect for the assassins to be trusted so much, but Adam was one of them. The mute stayed up all night for this.
     Red's team took out the guards on top of the wall, which lets the troops get close without worrying about archers. The squids should be reorganizing by now. Sub's job is to get into the city and check out what they're planning. It would also help if he could pick off some of the isolated archers.
The siege machines should be breaking down the west gate anytime now. There could be 50 squids guarding the city, or their could be hundreds. Sub has signal arrows to let Lachlan know how many, and where in the city they are gathered.
     Don is coming. That thought keeps pushing Sub to do more; to be stronger. He's devoted his life to the Zemrlt Prince. After all, Sub would have died a long time ago if Don wasn't there. He owes it to him.
       Don didn't have to claim Sub as his brother. He didn't have to defend him when everyone else hated the idea of a human roaming the castle. Don is everything to the mute. All these years are worth it if it's for him.
     So Sub keeps climbing, even when he wants to quit. He doesn't even think about dropping down when the squids on the wall realize that there are hooks caught on the wall's edge. Sub grabs onto the squids arm before he can cut the rope.
"L-Let go!", the squid shouts, lifting their sword to cut Sub instead. He couldn't reply even if he wanted to. The mute grabs onto the wall with his other arm and pulls the squid forward. For Don, and Liblicen.
Sub heaves himself over the wall's side and flops onto the walkway. There's a small group of squid guards that had come running to cut them down. Sub isn't fast enough to stop one from cutting a rope before he tackles the guard down. The rope slips over the edge with a thud soon after.
The mute fights off the group as the remaining assassin pulls herself up. Between them, it should be easy to dispatch the small group.
     Sub ducks underneath a sword swing, drawing both his daggers. He's had lots of time to practice defending against longer weapons with the shorter ones. The handles of the daggers are curved to keep swords from slipping down and cutting his hand.
The Zemrlt fighting style is quick and fierce. Every bit of focus and spirit is put into every move. Sub moves like the apex predator.
     He lunges to the side of the squid and slices at the back of their exposed elbow. Sub's specialty isn't killing; in fact, in Liblicen, his job was only to catch and disable any threats. Killing was a last resort because almost everyone has valuable secrets to offer.
     The guard doesn't turn around in time to avoid Sub slamming them to the ground with a solid kick in the center of their back. Sub is quick enough to spin and catch another squid's sword with his daggers.
     He's not fighting alone. The other assassin is fighting with a chain sickle. It's a very small scythe, shorter then her forearm, attached to a chain with a handle at the other end. She can throw and swing it at long range or just tear into things up close.
She throws her sickle and swings it to catch Sub's attacker right in the neck. It nearly decapitates them on the spot. The blood is sticky on Sub's face and arms. He shudders.
"I bet this is the first time you're glad to have my sickle chain", Scarlet smiles while yanking her sickle back and catching it. He hair is most certainly dyed to be that dark of black. Sub just roles his eyes. He can't tell her any differently even if he wanted to. She doesn't understand either type of sign language.
     Sub points at her, behind her, and then to himself and to the side. They need to split up and fire their signal arrows as soon as possible.
       "Oh come on, Sub. It's always work with you. Lighten up a bit", Scarlet struts over and throws her chain over Sub's head and pulls him right up against her. "There's an entire army here. I don't even know why Red has us here. Why don't we just leave and have a little fun?".
     Sub pushes her away with disgust, ducking out of the chain. He has a job to do. Assassins don't have much honor. Sub isn't an assassin. He shakes his head and backs up a few more steps. Sub feels a little bad about being so rude to her, but this isn't the first time she's tried to get his attention.
"What about we find one of the taverns after the soldiers take this town? I'm sure somewhere will still be open", Scarlet crosses her arms and pouts.
     Again, Sub shakes his head. He points over his shoulder before turning away. The mute assumes that Scarlet will storm off instead of scouting around. Sub will just have to clean up her mess like usual.
That's fine. Don is coming soon, and Sub will be happy to be with Zemrlt again. He doesn't understand other humans as well as he knows Liblicen. Everything will be better when Don gets here.
This section of the wall is deserted after those three guards were dealt with. Sub stays low while trying to find a place to see the city square. It'll be better if no more guards spot him.
Sub quickly decides to abandon plan A. The walls are too crowded farther down for just one person to handle. There's a conveniently placed church built right next to the wall, though. Sub sheaths his daggers, seizes up the gap, and jumps.
     For a brief moment, everything is weightless. And then gravity drags him down like a clawed beast. Sub slams into the church's slanted roof with a painful thud. It knocks all the air from his lungs and Sub takes a minute to just catch his breath.
     Sitting here too long will compromise the mission. Sub sits bolt upright with that thought, slowly standing up. He'll push himself over the edge if it means Don can win this war easier. Sub called him here, so the mute will do everything in his power to further the goal. He has no concern for his own safety. Duty comes first. Don comes first.
The mute climbs up higher on the roof and up to the church's spire. He can climb further up on those little ledges and shimmy around to the side facing into the city. The top of the church has a little platform with a lightning rod on the top. Sub can stand up next to it without being in danger of falling. He's actually a little higher then the walls, and above all the buildings. He's tired and all bruised up from getting there.
He can see everything. The battle on the west wall has the most action, but the siege machine is already ramming the gate. The other two groups are more of a distraction.
     What concerns Sub is what he doesn't see. There should be squid troops inside the west gate, preparing to defend it when the gate breaks. As far as he can tell, there's only troops on the walls. There would have been signal arrows if the squids already ran out the east gate. So where are they?
Sub's stomach drops. He gives up on searching the city and looks out past the armies fighting at the West gate. There's a long stretch of plains before the forest meets it. It's light enough now to see a good distance out. Sub can see where the missing squids went.
There's a small army just out of the ground troop's sight. There's more GoldenEye soldiers, but the squids moved around to the backside of Captain Mitch's formation. The back isn't designed to be attacked. Worse, all the attention is on the West gate. A lot of people could die.
Sub leans down and pulls an unstrung bow from his boot. It's made to be as small as possible to fit in tight places; an assassin's bow. The mute bends the wood to attach the string, pulling arrows out of his other shoe.
Four arrows mean that something is wrong, but there's no way to say what. Sub draws back the first arrow. He can only hope that someone sees where the danger is coming from.
      He can only watch after his job is done. Sub can see everything from on top of the church, and sound travels really far. That could be why he heard it first; the echoing sound of a horn being blown.
      Sub knows the sound of that deep bellow. Don is coming. The Liblicen troops can't already be here, can they? The mute grabs onto the lightning rod while trying to see into the distant woods. All these years, everything he's done, will be worth it see Don again.
     To anyone else, it's scary how Sub obsesses over his prince. Don did save his life, sure, but only Sub knows why he's so dedicated. A reason like that would get him throne out of the Zemrlt castle for sure.
     A piercing pain seems to rip through Sub's chest without waring. He didn't even see it coming or who shot it. Sub looks down to see the arrow sticking right out of his chest. It's strange that he takes the time to examine the painted fletching.
      Sub will not see Don again. That's the most soul-crushing thought he's ever had. Sub staggers, loosing his balance and tipping off the church's spire.

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When four arrows are reported to be shot straight up into the air, Vikk is immediately set on edge. It's possible that they were just mistaken, but there are multiple soldiers watching just for the arrows.
Vikk and Lachlan are both on the city's North side with Jordan's troops. With Adam being on the front line, none of the captains would let the General go as well. That's just stupid. At least one of them has to be semi-safe.
"And ideas for why Sub is doing that?", Lachlan mutters, seemingly trying to see through the wall. All the soldiers on this side are doing is standing just out of bow range. It's a warning more then anything else. Vikk can hear the siege machine hitting the West gate all the way over here.
"Do you think we should go to the gate for backup?", Jordan walks over to them wearing a full set of armor, "I heard about the arrows".
Before Lachlan can respond, the sound of a deep war horn echos across the plains. Vikk looks to Lachlan before running for a horse. The General can't leave the formation, but Vikk is free to do some scouting.
He rides around the wall until he's got a view of the West gate. It's almost broken in two. It won't be long before the soldiers get inside, but Sub warned of danger. Things could get ugly real fast.
     The horn sounds again, and this time, Vikk can tell it's not coming from inside the city. That's when he looks put to the woods. Vikk's jaw drops to the floor.
     There's an entire other battle going on. Vikk can clearly see the squids in their uniforms, but the other army is still steaming out of the woods in all sorts of colors. They're the ones who blew the horn.
     Liblicen troops actually came. There are all sorts of hybrids leaving the woods. It's too far away to make out the details, but it's obvious when the Zemrlt charge forward. They move in a formation among all the smaller hybrid groups. The two sides clash in an absolute mess. Neither quiet expected the other to be there.
      Vikk wheels his horse around to ride back to Lachlan. GoldenEye isn't alone anymore. Better yet, Vikk feels good that Sub will finally get back to his people. Vikk and Sub spent a lot of time together in the assassin's guild house. Vikk is back with his unit, and now Sub will be back with his prince. There's no way the battle will be lost now.