[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/455394821364908032/463814405486804993/Remake.PNG]
((I finally made a better wartime map thing, didn't I?))
"Even a few well-placed assets can change the tide of war... Hah... I do hope so..."
Ivan jointed his hands before letting out a sigh in his command tent.
On the Jointed Enchantian Forces side, rumors of Lady Vixella's absence caused an uproar in the army.
After receiving the late news that she was treating people in the rear, the allied soldiers began to calm down.
As for the Valoratian Forces, they were continuing to fight a downhill battle against the many allied skirmishes in the greenery.
The Valoratian's Heavy Cavalry were unable to scale the dense forest properly as of recent so things just weren't going too well.
To prevent the enemy force from breaking through the sideline, a battalion from the main detachment will be sent to their aid.
Ivan, once again hiring the three shady assassins, had given them the task of delaying the Elderian reinforcements on the flank.
The allied side also had their problems.
Lady Vixella was absent.
Xenthur told the higher ranking commanders that she had been urgently summoned by the Elderian King.
They were quite frustrated at first but just had to accept the fact that she had already helped more than enough yesterday.
A noble lady who came to the frontlines?
Surely she deserved some rest from all of this fighting.
Well, even if they wanted to force her, they probably couldn't since she was an Emissary for Elderia itself.
On the contrary, if she was a mere commoner, they would've probably have enslaved her into a machine meant for war.
Believe it or not... It was that kind of world, after all.
No matter how merry it might have seemed to be so far.
Steel clanked about as Valoratian Knights held their ground against Warbands of Elderian Adventurers.
They planned to hold out until the detached force of knights comes to join up and reinforce them.
Lacking mobility and flexibility in the mountainous forest, the Knights from Valoratia had no leverage to the situation.
Going against Elderia's flexible and adaptive adventurers who compensated for each other's faults, it was surely a pain.
The Knights were slowly losing ground, and their reinforcements were too immobile to make it in time to assist them.
If they lose the stand here, the allies will break through to encircle their main army by the center of the battlefield.
Checkmate.
Ivan grimaced in his command tent and tapped his fingers impatiently on the stacked crates.
"Hah... If those assassins can't do it... Then there won't be enough time for our landing crew..."
"Give up already!"
A young boy shouted out just as he disarmed a Valoratian Knight.
The knight hesitated for a moment before drawing her dagger.
"Why-!?"
The boy screamed out as he squinted his eyes and swung down his mace.
The impact deformed the skull beneath the helmet, killing her in an instant.
"These guys are soldiers trained to kill and fight for their country! Get it together, Verd! It's either you or them!"
Sova gripped his war sword tightly as he contested his blade with another Valoratian Knight.
"Cunt!"
SnooFie who had by now learned how to use his shield properly parried away the heavy blows coming at him.
"Well... Cheer up..."
Inferno spun around as he planted himself down on one knee and let loose a barrage of arrows at some knights in the far.
It wasn't just Sova's adventuring party that was currently trying their best.
Everyone around them were also adventurers alongside their bonded parties.
Somewhere beyond the sidelines was a slightly larger gathering of troops.
Guarding the Elderian Princess, the men and women protected her whilst she bolstered everyone's morale.
Many proficient mages, mercenaries, and adventurers were all surrounding her with enchanted pavises.
Alexei was also present beside her as he overlooked the battle from afar.
His mind went elsewhere as he glanced high into the clear skies through the forest clearing.
A few days back, he fought an assassin.
Crazy strong.
All those menacing poses...
Left behind an antidote-!?
Did she hold back?
Alexei gritted his teeth slightly as he tightened the grip on his bastard sword, overthinking what to do if they ever met blades again.
Can he protect the princess?
What if he... No... Was he ready to fight till the very end?
It was those kinds of thoughts that flooded his troubled mind as he attempted to steel himself.
An arrow jabbed into the dirt a few feet short from the furthest of escorts, causing them to all scoffed at the meek attempt.
In the bushes just beyond the forest clearing, Alexei noticed a cloaked elven archer knocking his bow with heavy-looking arrows.
"Can his small bow even shoot those properly... Ahm-!?"
Alexei just couldn't believe his eyes as the elven archer let loose quads of arrows consecutively.
"That was a ranging arrow-!?"
"Shit! Fall back! Scatter and reform!"
Despite someone's effort to warn out, the volley of peculiar arrows rained down against them from a rather high angle.
The arrows that weren't deflected or dodged found their mark upon the majority of the escorting soldiers.
" " "Arghhhhh-!?" " "
"Chase after him!!"
The outer formation quickly broke loose as a few of them ran forth to force the elven archer into a melee.
However, before they can close in on the elven archer, they instead met an assassin wielding a saber.
His nimble form slipped through their attacks and before downing them to the ground one by one.
One of the mages in the group who headed for the archer cast forth a smaller bolt of lightning.
Much to his expectations for a good hit on the assassin, his magic was intercepted by magnetic marbles.
Before the same mage could react further, an arrow's impact spilled out crimson as he was knocked over.
The rest of the defenders, upon seeing that taking chase was just a bad idea, presumed a tighter diamond shield-wall formation.
Arrows continued to rain upon their shields as Alexei frowned at the elven archer who continued to shoot at them.
What is this... He even has a pile of arrows beside him... As if he knew they were going to be here all along...!?
Did someone tip him off... A spy-!?
Before Alexei could reorganize the thoughts that rushed through him, arrows which had cocoons tied onto them came flying over.
POOF!
The cocoons popped open as suffocating smoke began to swallow the vicinity.
"Ale--- Mmphhh-!?"
Holding Sasha's mouth alongside his breath as he lifted her, Alexei pivoted his feet 180 degrees and began running.
After a few long seconds, the two alongside three other escorts dashed out from the suffocating smoke screen.
Little to their relief, the edge of the smokescreen flushed as three poisoned daggers flew forth.
Disabling the three escorts in the blink of an eye, a cloaked woman stepped out from the blinding mist.
Sasha gasped as her knees felt weak upon seeing who it was.
"It's the Kawaii Menacing Pole-Dancing Assassin...!?"
"Princess... Get behind me..."
The wind rushed by as the smoke began to clear to show many escorts all down on the ground.
Step by step, the assassin slowly approached as she was already a few meters away from them.
"Alexei, that's dangerous!!" "Arekusei, abunaiyo!" ((WEEB TIME))
Sova screamed out, darting towards the assassin with his two-handed war-sword held high.
Doing a swift sidestep before sticking out her foot, the assassin easily tripped the boy over.
In that same motion, she landed a solid hit against Sova's back with her Dirk, tumbling him down the ground.
"Get away from him..."
Inferno fired off three-point arrows.
Despite the skillful attempt, the assassin simply threw three smaller daggers to intercept.
"Sova!"
Verd ran forth to recover his wounded leader before quickly disengaging.
The assassin stood in her place as she glanced over without taking chase.
"Cunt! Don't look down on us!"
SnooFie, taking over what Sova tried to do, ran in front of Alexei and readied his great shield.
"Watch out guys... This one... Is strong..." "Minna kiwotsukete... Koitsura... Tsyoida..." ((END THIS WEEBERY, LOL))
Inferno mumbled out as he drew three more arrows from his quiver.
Finally reaching a rather safe distance, Verd rested Sova down onto the ground.
It was now only SnooFire and Inferno who were up against the assassin.
"Verd... Go help them... I'll be okay..."
Sova smiled weakly as he grasped Verd's hand.
"No... How could I ever leave you to die alone-!? Leader, you might be harsh sometimes but you've always been there for us!"
Verd shouted back desperately as he focused on the healing.
"Wow... They're so emotional for just a graze wound..."
Inferno muttered out as he fired off three arrows.
"Cunt!"
SnooFie charged against the assassin.
Before any of their attacks could make contact, an arrow with a smoking cocoon plunged into the ground between all of them.
POOF!
After the smoke cleared, SnooFie and Inferno were already unconscious on the ground.
Alexei and Sasha who stood nearby then witnessed the brave Verd rushing in alone to confront the assassin.
The druid boy swung his mace at the assassin who easily caught it by the shaft before simply tossing the weapon aside.
Verd was then grabbed by the face, lifted, and slammed against the ground.
Alexei just didn't understand her principles.
The assassin in front of them could easily beat anyone in a contest of strength.
Why even go through all the trouble to 'disable' Sova's party?
Alexei steeled softly brushed Princess Sasha aside as he walked towards the assassin who in return glanced over.
It was rather a fearful sight, to see an opponent with a weathered blank steel mask just turn towards him like that.
"I'm... I'm cheering for you... Alexei!"
Princess Sasha shouted out from behind.
Alexei smiled slightly as he came to a stop in front of his soon-to-be-opponent.
The assassin then threw her Dirk aside to brandish forth a shortsword that had a wider blade.
Falchion.
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/455394821364908032/465183613089218580/falchion-buhurt.jpg]
The design was familiar... Just like that one-
Alexei flinched upon realizing the intense bloodlust as sweat began running down his face.
"Ahm... To think you're here for me this time... Payback for cutting your face?"
"Umu."
Upon hearing her words, Alexei pulled up his retractable helmet and readied his combative stance.
"W-Wait! Nonono! L-Let me tend to the wounded first! Please--- Oomph! I'm so s-sorry!"
A ditzy girl with gray hair and aqua blue eyes ran up to them as she tumbled over a corpse in the background.
Elderian Herbalist Luna.
One of the best from Devankul City despite her clumsiness.
Both Alexei and the assassin then watched the clumsy herbalist run around while flailing around her arms in panic.
Bandaging the party of boys with ointment gauzes, she would proceed to drop and spill her medical potions all over them.
The assassin then reached into her cloak and flicked a gold coin at her.
Striking Luna in the forehead, she fell over to clutch her head in pain.
"Noo!! My head!! A-Am I dead!? E-Eh? What's this... A gold coin-!? Uhm... A-Are you perhaps...?"
The assassin slowly raised a palm at her.
"Umu."
"OOOOF!? I-I w-won't tell anyone!! I'm sorryyyyy!!"
Luna was then blown away into the background by intense wind magic.
Sparkle!
Luna disappeared beyond the sky's horizon.
The swish of the assassin's falchion then sounded the air.
Edgy Standoff Time!
The wind blew past them as it lifted the assassin's cloak.
Ignoring her fine and elegant form, Alexei spotted the spider silk armor which had slight cuts and traces of monster-fighting.
The breastplate which was seemingly damaged and reforged was also strapped onto it as a second layer of armor.
"That's the same as-"
"Nnn."
Before Alexei could organize his thoughts, the assassin kicked forth and propelled off the ground with wind magic.
"That won't work on me this time!"
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Alexei braced his shield with both his arms and busted back the assassin who tried to plunge against him from above.
The assassin rolled over to recover.
She then tried the same move again.
Alexei repelled her back with the same result.
"I know your tricks!"
When the move was tried a third time, Alexei sighed as he watched her roll over before standing back up.
The assassin lowered her head slightly in dismay before groaning in dissatisfaction.
Slouching down, she then darted forward while tossing her Falchion randomly to either hand.
Alexei began to lose track of where she would strike and was unable to parry her strike... So he blocked it.
The sound of metal contesting caused sparks to skip from his shield as Alexei was pushed back with each glancing strike.
The assassin's attacks weren't just fast but also extraordinarily heavy for such swift and light strokes of the short blade.
Her form twirled here and there as the blade came up and down at him from different angles.
Alexei gritted his teeth as he began to feel weak with each sundering strike coming at him.
Much to his peril, an ice javelin was launched towards them from the side.
The assassin reacted quickly enough as she dropkicked against Alexei's shield to make the distance.
"Oof-!?"
"Yo boy! Let us back you up!"
A manly shout sounded in the background as running up to the scene came the three prominent figures of the adventurer guild.
Elite Valoratian Lancer, Andre.
High Frost Mage, Celine.
Great War Archer, 'Guild Master'.
The assassin slouched down her stance as the four teamed up against her.
Six if you included Princess Sasha and Luna who tried their best to drag the wounded away from the fighting zone.
"Just like what we trained, boy... Let's go!"
Andre shouted out as he closed his helmet and braced forward his lance.
Without even asking for orders, Alexei understood as he darted out sideways and ran around the opposite direction.
They together circled the assassin who turned her view back and forth between them that was attempting a pincer attack.
Alexei, after all this time, still wondered how the assassin even saw the slightest of anything through the blank steel mask.
There wasn't even any eyehole or anything to look through... Was she blind...? No... Maybe it's just Magical Detection-!?
Celine shifted her eyeglasses upon seeing an opportunity.
Firmly stringing up her battlestaff, she cast forth three ice javelins.
The Ice Javelin attack was well-timed since it was just when Andre and Alexei were about to make contact.
The assassin reached into her cloak as three small daggers were swiftly thrown to intercept.
The Ice Javelins shattered alongside the said daggers as Celine shifted her eyeglasses.
"Such strength and precision... Unbelievable..."
Celine mentally prepared to draw another magical formation as she waited for the right moment.
Andre who reached the assassin's flank first and thrust forth with his lance.
He who was confident with plunging attacks knew there was no room for the assassin to escape.
If she did avoid the initial strike, he would just twist his back leg to change the momentum and whack her with the shaft.
If he couldn't do that, he would slip the grip of the spear up and twist it around to strike with the blunt pommel's end instead.
If all went wrong, Alexei would've by then reached the assassin to support him in the melee.
Upon seeing the assassin hold up her the Falchion sideways to block like an amateur, Andre's confidence went over its peak.
When his spear slipped past her guard, Andre finally remembered how his ego had made him lose an easy fight in the past.
"Just like that girl...!?"
Thinking she would pull down the shaft of his lance, Andre let go, just to be blown away by wind magic.
Alexei who finally arrived at the scene after circling a bit too far out lunged forth to slash at the assassin.
The bastard sword which made contact with the ground sent dirt a fly as the assassin leaped away.
The Guild Master then shot a magically propelled arrow with his enchanted jet-black war bow.
Gushing through the air, the drill tipped arrow went straight for the assassin who was caught mid-air.
Much to everyone's expectations, the assassin shot against herself with compressed wind magic.
A loud crack sounded the air as her vivid form tumbled away with a few rolls before she got back up on her two feet.
However, before the assassin could recover, Ice Magic had crawled up to her feet to root her on the spot.
Sweat ran down Celine's face as she smirked slightly.
"I finally found an opening... Hey, you guys! Finish her----- Eh...!?"
The ice burst apart as fire magic ignited and burst out from the assassin's leather boots.
After a few seconds, the burnt and torn eventually boots restored itself to the original form.
"WHAT ARE THOSEEEEEE-!?"
Andre who ran over to retrieve his lance shouted out from the side.
"Top-of-the-line magical boots that were worn during the Great War...? You robbed a commander's grave...!? Unforgiveable...!"
The guild master grumbled out angrily as he strung his bow and nocked an arrow.
Before he could steady his aim, the assassin brought forth raging flames and whirling waters from either hand.
She then jointed her hands as the elements violently clashed against each other, eventually bursting into a cloud of steam.
A blinding smokescreen formed in the vicinity, causing the Guild Master and Celine to lose track of the assassin.
Not making even a slight sound, the assassin reappeared out from the smokescreen.
The air whished apart as her Falchion's tip headed straight for Celine's throat.
Alexei's whip blade swished through the air as sparks went a-fly, causing Celine to fall back in a slight shock.
She flinched before gritting her teeth to recompose herself and make the distance once again.
Behind the assassin, Andre plunged out of the smokescreen with his lance extended all the way.
In that split second, upon seeing that she was in a bad spot, the assassin simply disappeared back into the smoke.
An intense stream of water gushed out through the smoke at all of them.
Reflexively, Celine conjured a wall of Ice to protect everyone from the pressurized water.
"Ttch... It seems like her magical amplitude is extremely high... Explains why she lacks control..."
When the smoke cleared, Alexei and Andre rushed back into the melee.
"Haah... I... Helped... Carry everyone... Away..."
Sasha exhaled out as she pointed at the boys who were being treated by Luna at the far.
"Good work, Princess... You seem... Tired...?"
Celine tried her best to compliment the princess who was, in fact, extremely weak physically.
Princess Sasha then laid down on her back to heave heavily.
"Thank... You..."
"We stand no chance... That one is too strong..."
The Guild Master lowered his bow as he put the arrow he had nocked earlier back into the quiver.
"Guild Master!? What are you saying? With the four of us combined, we can-"
The guild master scoffed.
"Where is that strange one when we need her?"
"You mean Vixella? I think she's busy healing our soldiers in the rear..."
"Then we don't stand a chance..."
Celine looked away for a moment before turning back as if she understood something.
"Maybe not with just the four of us... Wait... That's right!"
SWISH!
Alexei pressed the button on his bastard sword's hilt as it turned into a whip-blade.
The assassin who tried to parry instead had her Falchion tangled by the whip mechanism.
She who tried to break loose gave up and threw away the Falchion.
They instead pulled out the usual Dirk and rushed towards Alexei.
Alexei's whip blade that didn't reel in due to the weight of the surprisingly heavy Falchion had become useless.
The assassin saw this opportunity and moved closer as Alexei backstepped and raised his shield to defend himself.
Alexei grimaced as the assassin pried down his shield with brute force and lifted her Dirk high.
"Andre!!!"
"Oraaaaaaa!!"
Andre roared out as he darted in from the side to jab multiple times with his lance.
"Ora ora ora ora ora!!"
The assassin avoided the initial attacks before hopping onto the shaft to tumble down Andre.
Taken by surprise, she was instead pounced by Andre as the two of them rolled on the ground.
"Come on boy, get her--- What...?"
Andre paused upon being grasped by his face.
The assassin's gloves burnt away as extremely bright flames enveloped her hand alongside Andre's helmet.
"I'm on fire-! Whaaaaaahh-!!??!"
Andre wailed out as he let go of the assassin and threw off his helmet that began to melt.
On Andre's rugged face which already had some faint scars were now many fresh burn marks.
The assassin raised herself back up and kicked Andre away in the same backflipping motion.
"Andre-!? Damnit... Gaah... Stay away from him!"
Alexei who had finally untangled his whip-blade flailed it against the assassin as she kicked herself away.
"Run you, idiot!"
Celine shouted out from the background as Alexei glanced around to see that many adventurers had arrived at the scene to help.
Many archers and mages were ready to unleash a barrage upon the seemingly invincible assassin.
Alexei swooped up Andre and ran for dear life as the assassin in return went back to retrieve her dropped Falchion.
Around twenty archers and mages of varying gear readied themselves as they-
"Fireeeeeee!!!"
Volleys of magic and arrows rained down against her who stood in the middle of the encirclement.
An epic collision of varying elements and projectiles blinded the vicinity as flashes and smoke arose.
"Don't stop firing! Throw everything you got at them!"
The adventurers were slowly running out of magical power and arrows after a long minute of intense bombardment.
Despite their victory, they all quickly withdrew since Valoratian reinforcements had already arrived by the horizon.
Slowly being overwhelmed and pushed back by the sheer organized ranks of the Valoratian Knights, they all meekly ran.
The smoke and fumes began to clear as everyone winced at the sight and smell of burnt dirt.
However, as everyone began to retreat, the Guild Master noticed a mound in the dirt by the center of it all.
CRACK!
The said mound then protruded apart as the assassin coughed a few times.
She then crawled out of the shabby foxhole that was dug by imprecise ground-magic.
"Impossible... It can't be... She's as strong as those spellswords during the Great War..."
The Guild Master's breath trembled as he shakingly reached for another arrow.
"Stop! We need to go! Please don't try to fight her anymore!"
Luna shouted out from the side, shaking the guild master out of his Vietnam Flashbacks.
"But it would be dangerous to leave them alive..."
Celine who had just finished healing Andre with Higher Grade Healing Magic groaned.
"Argh... Snap out of it... Haah... We need to retreat, Guild Master...!"
The old veteran nodded firmly as he also ran alongside everyone else.
Despite his old age, he was just as fast as any man would when they ran for dear life.
He ran alongside the magically exhausted Celine.
The physically exhausted Luna and Alexei who both were carrying Sasha and Andre respectively on their shoulders.
"Nngh... T-The princess is q-quite heavy! But not as heavy as the herb-making equipment...!"
"Gah... Keep it up, Luna... Andre's much heavier, after all...!"
It was quite the comedic scene of all of them running away from the horde of Valoratian Knights chasing after them.
The Valoratian Knights eventually stopped taking chase after seeing that the adventurers were giving full retreat.
Having already secured the strategic position and leverage in the flank was their only objective for time being.
The Valoratians then commended their allies for holding off against the enemy for so long without any help.
Little did they know that it was all thanks to the masked assassin and her two accomplices which had long since disappeared.
A CENTURY LATER
(Battle-Horn Transition Music)
Back in a certain treeline out of sight, the elven archer sighed as he turned to look at his roughed-up accomplice.
"Human... Why are we doing this again?"
The masked assassin laughed.
"Because it's fun? Also, you can come out now."
The saber assassin's head popped out of a nearby bush.
"Bitch... You fooled me! So you can talk normally after all-!?"