The Battle in Caeldig

“Choose!” said the captain as she struck her face with the back of his armored hand. The taste of blood filled her mouth.

It was too easy. She knew something was wrong and yet she did not listen to her instinct. The night was too quiet. The soldiers are too few. And now Roukan is on the ground, face bloodied from the kicks and punches of the city guard. The blacksmith struggling like a wild animal, snarling at the man who wants to put her back in chains.

But her eyes was glued on Anwar. His face on the ground, unmoving. She couldn’t tell if he was still breathing.

As the sky was slowly lighting up, more and more people have gathered on the streets, curiously peeking through the crowd to see the commotion. There were gasps among the crowd, but none dared to intervene.

“Choose,” the captain of the guards asked her once more. “Whose life will you spare? Your companion or the black smith’s?”

Choices. Roukan said she was bound to make difficult ones in this journey.

He grabbed a handful of her raven hair and pulled, cranking her head up. She stared deep into his dark brown eyes, filled with malice and cruelty. “I promise you," he whispered. "You will walk out of the city unharmed if you make the right choice.”

She spat blood in his face and smiled. That should be a clear answer to his game, she thought.

His punch landed on her mouth and split her lip open. He hit her once more and kicked her on the stomach, making her curl to the ground.

“If you don't, I will kill all three of you,” the captain said. It was more believable than when he said that she could walk out of the city free.

She glared at him as he walked towards Roukan and kicked his head. Unsatisfied with his brutality, he dug the heel of his boot into his head. Roukan winced in pain.

Then out of nowhere, something came flying in and hit the captain square in his face. At first, she thought it was blood that splattered everywhere. The captain cried out loud like a wounded beast. The guards tried to help him, but he swatted their hands away as he moved around, panicking.

His face was red, both from anger and the rotten tomato that hit his face.

She turned her head where the attack came from. Bloodied face, right eye shut close from the swelling,. The anger was clear in Anwar's eyes, blazing like wildfire. He stood there with another tomato in hand. The years of oppression buried in his heart are flaring out of control.

“You really have a death wish, old man?” yelled one of the guards.

His grip tightened the rotten juice squirted through his hand. “A lot of us had died a long time ago,” Anwar said. “I'll take death over the another day of your tyranny.” He threw what was left of the fruit in his hand and it hit the guard’s face.

“No more of your cruelty,” and he spat on the ground.

“You want death?” the captain growled as he drew his sword. "Then I shall give it to you."

There wasn’t really a choice, she realized. It was not between Roukan and the blacksmith. The choice was between life and death.

She lunged towards the captain, grabbed hold of his sword arm and threw him to the ground so hard it knocked the wind out of his lungs. He wasn’t even able to scream as she twisted his wrist, loosening his grip on his sword.

Roukan saw an opening and tackled the guard holding Aurea. She hit the other guard holding her chains to his stomach hard with her elbow, grabbed the chain and whipped it against the face of another guard that was about to attack them.

Elswyth was about to run to Anwar’s side when someone pulled her hair hard, she looked up and saw the captain, glaring down at her. His closed fist hit her face so hard she staggered backwards, but the captain did not let go of her hair. He was about to strike her again when they heard a war horn. She looked east and saw an army of Shadow at the ravine, standing menacingly. The captain then smirked and laughed. He grabbed her by the neck and squeezed.

“I could’ve granted you a quick death,” his dark eyes glowed with malice and bloodthirst.

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A second later, she heard a whistling noise followed by a dull thud that came from behind her: an arrow hitting a nearby cart. Another one flew in and hit the captain in his eyes, immediately killing him. She looked up and saw hundreds of arrows raining on them.

“Take cover!” Roukan yelled as he pushed the captain’s lifeless body away from her and pulled her under the old cart.

Through the attack, he saw Anwar, struggling to get out of range. When he finally made it to the abandoned piggery, Ellie saw that he was hit with three arrows on the back.

‘It missed,’ she tried to convince herself. ‘He’ll survive those wounds.’

Her mind was racing. Beside her was a beaten up Roukan, wheezing at every breath. Cries of despair echoed through the dead streets of Oten. Not far from where she was, she saw Ailana hiding underneath an old create, holding Lior her arms. The babe seemed unaware of the peril they were in, sleeping peacefully through the storm.

And just when she thought all hope was lost, she heard another war horn blasting. Her heart dropped. Are there more troops entering the city? This could be their end.

“Get ready,” Roukan said to her, his battered hand on the hilt of his sword.

Her unsaid question was answered when she heard screams of pain from afar. The rain of arrows stopped. She stood up from where she was crouching, and she saw Friedolf and the rest of Roukan’s part joining the fight.

Ylva’s sword pierced through a shadow soldier, another one came attacking from her left but she blocked it with her shield. She was able to push him back and was immediately met with Fenris’ arrow. He was perched on top of the tower, quickly releasing one arrow after another. It doesn’t even seem like he was aiming, but merely trusting that his arrows will find their target.

Friedolf swung his ax and decapitated another shadow. Conri is behind him dual wielding a pair of katana cutting one shadow after another with great speed, it regeneration unable to keep up.

Ulric wields his long sword like it weighed like a feather. But as fast as he was, he didn’t see a shadow’s sudden attack from behind. Elswyth was able to get to him in time, pushing him out of the way and blocking the attack with a piece of wood. Its claws were stuck, so she pinned him to the ground, and Roukan delivered the final blow.

Screams of death and steel against steal rung through the city. With a piece of lumber in hand, she pushed and hit her enemies out of the way until she made it to where the captain of the guard lies. Her eyes were set on the steel on the ground. She got hold of her sword and felt a surge of energy flow from her hand. The hilt fit perfectly in her hands. She can almost hear the singing of the blade, anticipating the battle in front of them.

The chaotic scene unfolding before her was nothing short of a nightmare. People running amok, Anwar lying on the ground unmoving, everyone was fighting for their lives.

The pressure in her chest rose. The noise of chaos around her sounded muffled. All she could hear was the sound of her heart beating fast. The deafening silence was shattered by the sound of a screaming child. There she was in the dark alley, cowering on the ground. A shadow not far from her stopped in its tracks. It looked astern and screeched like a banshee, seemingly irritated at the child’s weeping. It stretched out its hand and with a small jerk, sharp claws appeared. It went down on all fours and lunged towards the child.

She knew she wouldn’t reach the child on time. Her grip tightened around the leather hilt, every muscle on her arms tensed as she raised the gleaming sword above her head. She took a deep breath as she reared back, and with one fluid motion, she let the sword fly.

The sword whistled as it cut through the air. Carrying all her determination and frustration it swung across the crowd, leaving deep gash on the ground as it passes. The shadow didn’t care about her attack. It only wanted to silence the child. Its determination fiery in its glowing red eyes, snarling like a rabid animal. It was fast, but her sword was faster. It hit it just in time, turning it into dust and carrying it in the wind. The blade landed deep into the clay wall of the alley.

She held out her hand and called back her sword, and like a loyal pet, it returned to its master. The crowd froze. It was the first time they saw a shadow killed with a single strike. The rest of the army growled lowly, crouching to the ground out of fear or anger, she could not tell. Not that it matters. They’re all going to fall or shatter that day, whatever they choose.

With great speed, she rushed through the crowd of enemies, slashing one after another, causing each one to disintegrate into thin air. She blocked one attack and parried to the left before piercing her sword into the darkness. A pair of shadows attempted to flank her, one aiming for her neck, and the other for her knees. She somersaulted into the air, took a deep breath, and flexed her sword arm back. Arching her body, she hung upside down for an extra second, waiting for the right opportunity. When she saw the two shadows perfectly aligned on top of each other, she thrusted her sword downwards, darting herself and piercing both demons at once.

The shadow army screeched in anger. The men and women wearing the enemies armor staggered back, unsure if they should still fight. But the darkness in the crowd knows no fear. They surrounded Elswyth, determined to eliminate her. But she wasn’t alone in this fight. Beaten up, Roukan stood by her side. Rahil covered her right. Conri and the rest of Roukan’s men gathered behind her, weapons in hand.

As if moved by a single mind, the shadows attacked simultaneously, this time faster and fiercer. Screeching and scratching anything in their path, harming even their own men. But Elswyth carried a new fire in her heart. Alight bright enough to cast no shadow and dispel darkness. With her weapon in hand, she sliced through her enemies one by one, her comrades covering her blindsides. And finally, the last screech of the defeated enemy was heard, followed by the sound of weapons hitting the ground in surrender.