Right of the Victor

The next days passed slowly. I could see all the preparations, yet not be a part of them. Everyone was always busy, planning and training. Allazo was key in the plan; he was supposed to lay the gunpowder while our fighters caused a distraction. That only made me more annoyed at my lack of wellness. I was the best fighter in the Torris; I should be there with them. Yet nothing about my condition had changed by the day the mission was launched.

I stood on the roof again when they left. A wagon full of gunpowder covered with a tarp to appear less questionable. The three who usually went were there. Audent, Allazo, Vargos…many others I recognized as decent fighters. They didn’t even need to be perfect, they just had to be good enough to hold out for a while. As the cart was taken away along the rough stone roads, I resigned to my uselessness and laid on the roof, staring into the sky.

It didn’t take long for me to do something stupid again. All of my reasoning from before was forgotten in my desire to be involved, and I got off the roof to begin running after the cart. Worry that I’d gone the wrong direction was prominently in the front of my mind until I saw it in the distance, slowly rolling along. That’s where I felt it fit to stop running. I didn’t want to fully catch up; I’d be there to help when they arrived. When it was too late to send me back. Already I could imagine their looks of firm disapproval, but I was certain it’d be worth it. So, I kept at the journey, feet continually going forth.

It took longer than I’d expected for the cart to rattle to a stop, while I stopped myself where I was. I was almost certain they’d noticed me by now, but they couldn’t guess who I was from that range. The Torris were all well trained, and the leaders of it were bound to spot a solitary figure following them. It was a wonder they hadn’t sent anyone to deal with me yet. Deciding that we were at a point at which it wouldn’t make sense for me to be sent back, I continued to approach slowly.

When I arrived at the small camp the rest of the group was setting up camp, I was received by many disappointed eyes.

“If I’m remembering properly, you were told not to come.” Vargos appeared in front of me, looking slightly enraged.

“Well, I’m here now. You can’t do anything about that.” I said right before a fist was thrown at my face. Barely ducking it, I danced backwards with an annoyed expression. Maybe Vargos wasn’t happy, but that didn’t give him a right to assault one of his own men. It hadn’t slipped my mind that I once watched him murder a Torris member for failing to win a fight, so I supposed I was at least lucky not to have that treatment. Audent came to my rescue reluctantly before Vargos could get any more violent, placing a hand on his arm and telling him off.

“He’s right, Vargos. There’s not much point in sending him back. Not like he’ll listen anyway.” She spoke while positioning herself between the two of us. I could tell she didn’t approve of what I’d done, but she also wouldn’t justify Vargos trying to kill me.

“We haven’t got the extra rations for him. Can’t argue against that one,” Vargos smirked victoriously until Allazo stepped up.

“He can share mine. I do not need it all anyway.” His eyes were just as annoyed as everyone else’s, but they were focused on Vargos rather than me. The two dangerous men stared each other down, neither giving ground or accepting the other person’s view. They weren’t saying anything, but it felt more like an argument than anything else I’d witnessed between them. Before conflict could escalate, Vargos simply nodded and stepped away, refusing to look at me. I wondered mostly at why Allazo had defended me, assuming that he had even done it for my sake.

The tall man cloaked in grey grabbed one of my arms and roughly pulled me along to a spot out of earshot of the campsite.

“Why did you come? You directly disobeyed orders.”

“I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing while you idiots risked your lives over here,” I spoke back, “It wasn’t going to help anyone.”

“Your presence does not help anyone. Especially not yourself. What are you going to do when your condition worsens in the middle of a fight?” he asked, voice seeming only a little more urgent than the still tone he almost always held. As if he were worried…was he? He certainly shouldn’t have been; I could take care of myself.

“That won’t happen. You’re all overreacting.”

“We will see. If you die or get anyone else killed, you will be punished. And I will not be able to help you.” Allazo crossed his arms. While he’d helped pull me out of visions before, it wouldn’t be possible in the fight. I would die if I messed up, and others might as well. I’d known this. I’d thought about it on the way here, and was prepared to face any consequences that may come.

The meal that was made went as expected. Rations were divided, with me and Allazo having less than everyone else. Lots of disgusted looks at me followed from the team. They didn’t like that I was here, probably because I was a better fighter and would be more useful than near everyone.

Nothing changed for the rest of the night. The fire was allowed to smolder into ashes and we each took our places sleeping on the ground and switching over watch shifts as the stars and moon completed their journey above, waiting for us to resume our own in the morning.

I wasn’t trusted with a watch shift. While most would see that as a welcome opportunity to get more rest, I already had to stay awake all night to be sure the group wouldn’t abandon me. The worst part was that I was sure Vargos knew I’d be up the whole time, and that was why he didn’t bother granting me a watch shift.

By the time the sun finally climbed up from the horizon and spread its rays over the world, the entire camp had been packed up and we were ready to move again. We were walking in a strange formation around the gunpowder cart, as if we were guarding some incredibly valuable thing. In a way, we were. Bandits were of no concern for us, fortunately. If the Larua knew we were coming-unlikely, due to how fast we’d worked towards this-there would be the problem of us surrounding a large quantity of explosives. A single flame and we’d all meet the fate of the two men in the other wagon we’d tried to steal.

Things went smoothly almost the whole way to the Larua base. Aside from a change in the terrain that nearly caused the cart to tip, we were getting nearer and nearer to our destination. Only Audent knew the specific location, but she’d mentioned it was at the base of the mountain that stood in the middle of the peninsula that was Forlica. The mountain itself had been visible for hours, stretching up to scrape the sky at the tip. There was a dark stain near the bottom which I had only been able to assume was the building we were about to blast to pieces. As we got closer, I began to be able to make out details. It was built almost like a fortress; four solid walls with towers in the corners went around a singular spire in the center. Sloped and tiled rooves, carved wooden pillars, decorative metal engravings…it looked like a temple or palace on closer inspection. Surprisingly flashy for a supposed secret location, although it could easily be played off as a rich man’s property, or even a religious site.

“We all know the plan, yes?” Audent asked us while we were still just far enough that it wasn’t suspicious to whoever was keeping watch from the structure. Everyone nodded their understanding. We were only distractions, with the exception of Allazo. Speaking of him, he’d taken the cart and driven it into the cover of a small cluster of trees not far from our current standpoint. It was out of the way and not obvious, but not so far as to be impractical. Perfect for our plan, in other words. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Vargos was beginning to lead a team of men closer to the fort and went to join them. Before I could get near, though, Audent cut me off.

“You’ll be staying with the cart for this one.” She smirked. I should have known I wasn’t going to be able to fully participate consequence-free after my disobedience. Expression dropping into an annoyed frown, I knew I had to back off from this one. Something in Audent’s eyes told me she wasn’t going to let it slide if I didn’t do as told. Finally taking orders, I stepped back and broke off to return to the gunpowder cart. While I did have my sword out and ready, I expected nobody to come. Most of my attention was caught by the false siege led by Vargos. They’d finally entered the range at which the defenders had begun to take notice, and several archers on the walls started loading their bows. One of them pulled back the string and launched a test arrow, but it didn’t make it far enough. Even from this distance I could tell that they were using smaller bows than the massive weapon of war that Vargos carried. Their arrows fell short, sinking into the dust a few meters in front of the Torris group. It was time for returning fire.

Vargos was the only archer on our side, but he was worth as much as ten. Smiling, he nocked an arrow to the string of his bow, shifting his stance and drawing back with ease that would make anyone think it was an easy task. Those of us who knew better were aware it had at least a hundred pounds of weight on the string, and he could send an arrow far further towards whatever target he chose. At the moment, his targets were the heads of the defending archers. Arrow after arrow he sent, each slamming through the skulls of the men who hadn’t thought such range and accuracy was possible. I felt sorry for them as bursts of red erupted when they died, followed by corpses falling backwards and weapons slipping from cooling hands. I wanted to stop watching, but a grim interest kept my eyes glued to the scene. After about twelve men had fallen to the superior archery of Vargos, the gates opened and a large troop of fighters with swords and various other weapons came out. Vargos kept firing away at them until they got closer, taking out quite a few of their number before he drew a sword and engaged at the same time as the rest of his team. While they were fighting, I was almost too distracted to notice Allazo leaving. He’d said nothing, simply grabbing a bag of gunpowder and vanishing into the trees. His path of entry to the Larua base was unknown to me, and likely the same was true for everyone else. It was rare that someone could figure out how Allazo worked, and all that mattered was that he did his job.

Time passed. The members of the Torris were holding strong. We’d brought about thirty people with us, and only two had fallen to the troop of fifty from the Larua. Meanwhile, fifteen of the opposing men had died-not counting the archers- and more were going down as I watched. Their teamwork was lacking, while the Torris fighters were working together and stepping in to help whenever one of their friends was struggling to fend off an attack. It made me realize that maybe I wouldn’t have been as important as I thought. While I could take several men at once, I wasn’t good with teamwork at all.

Concealed in the trees, I fully expected that I’d be watching helplessly for a very long time. None of the enemy knew where the gunpowder cart was, and the amount in it was rapidly diminishing as Allazo made his trips in and out, laying the explosive dust strategically to tear apart the structure and everyone inside. The main issue was that the Larua had sent out another clump of men, twice the size of the first. Our side wasn’t going to hold out for much longer, and I recognized that as my time to run in. Exiting the trees, I speedily walked to the side of where the fighting was happening and drew my sword, engaging with several men by forcing them to pay attention to my sword instead of the other members of the Torris. Whether they recognized who I was or not, I ended up against four people at the same time. Metal whirling, I resigned to my instincts and training to let my weapon swing, knocking away oncoming strikes and sliding through defenses when possible. While I refused to kill, I took every opening to leave a harsh wound that would take them out of the battle. A grin had overtaken my face without my intent; I enjoyed the art of the sword far more than I should have. It was all interrupted by a sudden sound. A sound that was familiar, but one I dreaded to hear.

The earth seemed almost to shake from the blast. Even though it was smaller than the previous one I’d been present for, it felt all the worse because of what it meant. I’d left my post, and that had resulted in disaster. What was left of the gunpowder had been destroyed, and it was unclear if Allazo had been with it. My allies’ faces turned to grim despair as they kept fighting for their lives, leaning towards a retreat now. There was no reason for holding out in a losing battle now that our reason for stalling was gone. Yet it was difficult to disengage, and we lost a few more men as we backed off. The worst part was that everyone knew it was my fault. That hung in the back of my mind, and I could hardly bring myself to keep moving. Lack of motion meant death, however, and I would deal with this guilt later. As I barely escaped the fight before I was surrounded, I noticed another face that hadn’t been so lucky.

Vargos was totally and completely crowded by people. He fought with his sword in one hand and an arrow in the other, slicing and stabbing in equal measures as he tried to get out. By the looks of the corpses around him, it seemed he’d been there for a while, surrounded but not willing to give in. His fighting style was incredibly practical and flowed well, resulting in blood everywhere and fear in the eyes of those who approached. Nobody lasts forever, though. I could tell from this distance that he was tiring, and enemies closed in on all sides. Audent hadn’t failed to come to the same conclusion, and both of us moved as one back into the crowd. Her, myself, and Vargos may have been the three best fighters in the Torris, but the number game was one we weren’t playing properly. All odds were against us, but we still tried, forcing our way violently through the crowd. It meant nothing.

I had watched people die before. Particularly it was the memories of my father and brothers that surfaced as I watched a sword eventually break through Vargos’ defenses and pierce his side. It wasn’t long before another followed, then another. The one wound had led to a chain reaction, and there was nothing either Audent or myself could do now. That sure as hell didn’t prevent her from trying, though. With a horrified look on her face, she called out to him and tried to rush forward straight through the wall of men triumphing over having taken down one of our leaders. I couldn’t let a second important person die today, and I grabbed the woman’s arm to pull her with me as I speedily started getting away. My touch seemed to pull her out of the madness she’d been about to attempt, and she turned to run with me. The Larua didn’t pursue; they had a bigger problem.

The fortress that had seemed so strong before was now erupting, mirroring the blaze in the trees where we’d parked the gunpowder cart. Several consecutive blasts came one by one, and a large quantity of the wall was removed. Allazo had done his part perfectly; the central tower had also been taken down with the use of minimal explosives around the base. It seemed to fall in slow motion while the shouts of the wounded and worried echoed out. The job may not have been done completely, but it was enough. The Larua wouldn’t be able to recover easily, however many were left. Those that had been out to combat us started running back, likely to tend to what was left of their home and those inside. As I kept a hold of Audent’s arm and pulled her further away while looking back, I saw a man standing on the remaining parts of the defensive wall and staring directly at me across the hundreds of yards. His face was covered by a black and white mask.

Our walk away from the ruined structure was filled with grim and grieving silence. Allazo had rejoined us, and it didn’t take him more than a glance to figure out what had happened. Audent wasn’t taking the loss well, even if she refused to let so much as a tear show. Her eyes said more than anything else ever would, full of deep and painful coldness. I felt like I should speak, but didn’t know what to say. Should I apologize? It was partially my fault, if the explosion from the wagon had distracted Vargos. Although based on how things had looked when we tried to save him, he’d been at risk for a very long time. But at the end of things, Vargos was dead and we could do nothing to change it.

We didn’t pause for a break at all on the way back to the base. Because we’d failed to fully take out the enemy gang, there was a fair chance that they’d be on our tracks, and there was no way we’d be able to fight them off at the moment. Audent was in no condition to even speak, and the rest of us were wounded or exhausted. Allazo was the only one with any sense of control left, leading the group and keeping a stony expression. I couldn’t tell if he was faking it for everyone else’s sake or if he truly didn’t care. Whatever it was, it gave us all an example of strength to look to, and for that I was grateful. At least someone was still unshaken.

Coming home usually held a sense of safety, success, or victory. This time we had none of those to welcome us. Entering through the usual passage into the large common room, we were met with cheers of people who thought we’d done the job well. As if it were impossible that we could have failed. The sound died out moments later as the crowd started to notice the wounds and tired expressions, along with the glaring fact that some who had left days ago didn’t return. Allazo thankfully took control before questions could come swarming in, stepping up onto a table and bringing all eyes onto him.

“We have done what we left to do. Things will be changing soon, though. There will be a time for questions to be answered, but that is not now.” He spoke out over the heads of those around us, his speech short and blunt. Nobody said a word as they started to piece together what had happened. Disregarding all else, Allazo and I cleared a path through the men and led Audent through to a more private area.

The woman who was our leader seemed to be an entirely different person than she had been before. In the place of confident control and an unbreakable will was a grieving shell that couldn’t even form words. I’d seen grief of this type before. Audent almost reminded me of my mother on the day all the other men of my house were slaughtered. Back then, there had been nothing I could do, and the same held true. When would I stop being useless to the people I cared about? Along with being unable to console Audent, it hadn’t left my mind that I’d failed my one job, which was supposed to be the easiest task any of us were given. Deciding that I no longer had reason to stay here, I reached for the door and started to pull it open when Allazo’s voice halted me.

“Lengin. Do not do anything stupid.”

I chose not to give any response, tugging open the door and slipping out the entryway, walking towards the exit. It felt like I was suffocating, barely able to breathe through all the mixed emotions and the nausea that had suddenly come on. Trying not to stress too much or pass out, I leaned on a wall and closed my eyes for a few seconds, facing the roof. When I opened them again, I didn’t see faces anymore.

While I knew this time it was just another session of hallucinations, it didn’t make it any less disconcerting and terrifying. After seeing the masked man on the walls after the fight with the Larua, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d followed us. He could be in this room right now and I wouldn’t know. The thought terrified me, sending a chill down my spine that caused sudden and powerful shivers to go through my body. It was clear then more than ever that I was ill. Seriously ill. Pressing one hand to the wall as something solid that I could rely on, I forced myself to walk and find the way out. I only made it about halfway before the floorboards were flying up to meet me and consciousness fled from me.