Kazuko is new as a leader, not confident enough to claim the name Commander, he will keep his name with the hope they can join a larger band with an established chain of command. Their small band of 14 was three times that, only a week ago. They picked the wrong town, one with a gifted sheriff. He couldn’t do much more than propel rocks. Using his ability to shoot rocks at lethal speeds with deadly accuracy allowed him to pick off every War Born without a shield in the first minute. There was no call for retreat seeing their force reduced by two thirds in a minute was enough.
This is not the glorious invasion they were promised, their army of 12,000 War Born was decimated by a handful of Defenders at the border. Instead of a single organized army, they are now a hundred small invading forces terrorizing small towns and villages. The same behavior that had them driven out of North Cenoka.
Taking the town ahead of them is essential; they have no food and haven’t eaten in two days. Two hours ago, they invaded a farmhouse, tortured then killed the family to learn everything they could about the small town called Clover. No more than two hundred people live there, no sheriff, no surprises. They can probably stay here for a few weeks.
A swift assault will have the people of Clover barricading themselves in homes and shops. Keeping them spread thin will be the key to defeating a group fifteen times their size.
“Report readiness,” Kazuko calls.
Each of his thirteen warriors check the draw of their gladius and their shield straps, they give a head nod as an affirmative.
With nothing left to do but go kill people Kazuko clenches his teeth and makes a single click with his tongue followed by two quick hisses, and two puffs; signaling –
The murderous band of War Born jog towards the sleepy town of Clover.
The hour is early, they need to catch the population awake and dispersed. Midway between sunrise and noon is as ideal a time as any. Half will be at home and the other half will be out on business, children playing or at a study. When the violence starts the people will prioritize their personal situation over the good of the many, minimizing the chance of any organized resistance.
The road takes them straight to main street. There are only three parallel streets in Clover, no crossroads. Main street is minimally occupied at the moment.
Someone shouts, “Invaders!”
The street quickly clears.
Kazuko holds up a hand, signally a halt, “They are clearly expecting us to have reacted so concisely. Let’s not disappoint them. We will start with the food stand before looting the stores for supplies.”
The food stand has a welcome bounty of high calorie food items including bread, fruit, and fried avi. The fourteen warriors gorge themselves in shifts, always two on watch for any resistance.
Sated, they casually head for the general store across the street.
The invading band hears a familiar single hiss
Kazuko is beyond excited to see her, she’s not only a Sargeant, but a true commander, he can finally step down.
“Greeting Seer Jadeen, you are a welcome sight for my eyes.”
Kazuko realizes how poorly his words were chosen the moment he notices her bandages have been replaced with scared skin and her eye sockets are empty holes covered by sewn shut eyelids.
War Born have thick skin, he will make it up to her later, “We did not know this town was already taken, may we join you and your warriors?”
Jadeen standing in the middle of Main Street, alone, draws her butterfly knives and displays them by holding them out to either side with outstretched arms. Offering herself as a target without defense.
“You mistake my purpose here. The people of Clover are paying me to keep them safe from marauding bands of War Born such as yours.”
Jadeen shifts to a Baat Jaam Dou stance attack form, dual wielded blades held forward in parallel, a perfect balance of offence and defense.
“You have a choice, give me your word that you will return to the badlands or stay here to die.
“I will allow you two minutes to discuss with your brothers.”
Kazuko can’t comprehend what would make someone trusted by the Badlands War Camp Commander stand in the way of conquering anything, let alone an inconsequential town like Clover.
“Why are you saying such things? Join us, take command of my unit. We need your leadership to claim our birthright.”
Jadeen waits two heart beats before responding, “You have one minute and 44 seconds to tell me your decision.”
Kazuko baffled, turns to his brothers and sisters, they to a man and woman shrug apathetically, not knowing what to make of the situation.
Jadeen informs the invaders, “You have one minute.”
Kazuko asks again, “Why are you doing this?”
“I was given a new purpose by the Free’er when we were defeated at the border. You have forty-five seconds.”
Kazuko did not need to consult the remains of his force to know their decision, “The consensus amongst the War Camp was that your unit was overrated. Unless you brought fourteen friends, we do not fear you.”
Zephyr took that as her queue and emerged from the store where she was sequestered. Clothed in matching black leathers and armed with gladius and the buckler gifted from the dragon, she stands behind and to the right of her Seer.
Kazuko almost laughed seeing a War Claimed come out like she was a threat.
Jadeen, “You have twenty-five seconds.”
Kazuko, “Is this a farce? How can you say the Free’er gave you a new purpose?”
Jadeen doesn’t hesitate, “Because, after our decisive defeat, he came to me in person and gave me a gift and guidance. So here we are. You have fourteen seconds.”
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Kazuko has heard enough and signals, three clicks
Up to that moment his band of warriors were not expecting combat, hearing the command to attack they drew weapons and raised shields and advanced while organizing into their standard two deep formation.
Jadeen listened as her victims came to her, “Zeph, I’ll leave you three.”
Zephyr, “You must be feeling generous this morning, I thank you.”
Seer Jadeen and Guide Zephyr charge the approaching shield wall.
Zephyr takes a slight lead before launching herself feet first into a raised shield. Having struck the top half, it flips backwards into the face of the wielder, knocking him backwards. Zephyr’s momentum carries her over the first line and into the second warrior who was not holding up his shield. The two tumble together for a moment before scrambling to their feet.
Jadeen steps into the hole made for her before they have a chance to encircle her. The tactic they are attempting is to crush her between two or more shields.
A tableau showing the exact positions each point of contact will occur fills her mind. She steps left, ducks, blocks a gladius on her right. Crushes a warrior’s knee with a stomp, stabs another in the kidney. Butterfly knives flashing out in rapid lethal slashes spill the blood of two more War Born as they try to organize their easily broken line.
A second warrior turns towards the scrambling Zephyr. Now facing two opponents she grins wildly. The overconfident warriors toss aside their shields to give them added maneuverability. Utilizing a drill for fighting two on one, they coordinate their attacks to keep a constant barrage of deadly stabs, hacks, punches, and kicks to overwhelm the one-time war born guide.
Zephyr knows the drill as well as they and keeps moving them in a circle, forcing them to crowd one another. All three know a lone fighter can’t win this fight.
Zephyr doesn’t care, she leaves her right flank open to draw an attack. Her first attacker takes the bait and attempts a kick to her exposed ribs.
Anticipating the rib cracking kick, she traps his foot with her right arm, while smashing his kneecap with the buckler on her left forearm. This left her unmoving and undefended again. Her second assailant swings her gladius at Zephyrs head.
Zephyr watches as the gladius slips from limp fingers as a thrown knife plunges into her opponent’s right eye. She grabs the knife handle and pulls it out, reverses her grip, and plunges it into the inner thigh, opening the femoral artery of the leg trapped under her arm.
Jadeen having dropped a butterfly knife to throw the blade that kept her guide’s head attached is trying to remember where it should be. One of her opponents’ steps on it, the contact revealing its location. Her shorter reach against the gladius is a decided disadvantage in offense, her opening to inflict wounds are few against the eight warriors shuffling for position to land a blow.
Now primarily defending, she dodges attacks from three directions with subtle motions and minimal turns of her body. Blades slicing through the air within a hair of making contact.
Her guide dismissed and forgotten, hacks the heavy ended gladius into a War Born’s shoulder from behind. Her reintroduction causes the seven remaining combatants to alter their formation. That pause and redeployment created more than a hundred possible strike points she can capitalize.
First is a lung at a retreating exposed leg, using the cutting edge of her knife to sever the warrior’s hamstring. While down there she scoops up her dropped knife in her left hand.
An opportunistic warrior sees her down low and extended, tries to slash Jadeen’s legs. This positions her for the next intersection she will exploit. Moving her center of balance and placing all her weight on her left arm, she kicks the descending blade from the side.
The warrior’s arm flings outward, putting her gladius between the woman’s feet on her right resulting in her tripping.
Jadeen propels herself back to her feet with a shove, slashes the falling woman’s throat in passing, her blood pours out in huge pulses as she hits the ground.
This will be over in another minute; all she has to do is move and position her knives. A spin and sidestep allows her to slash violently into an exposed face and wrist. Neither wound lethal on their own, but they will be slowed.
Allowing the warrior behind her to bash her with her shield she uses the momentum to leap between a pair of shields and plunges her knives into the open mouths of two more War Born, tearing open throats from the inside.
Zephyr hasn’t been idle and is engaged with two opponents. These are keeping their shields up and are attempting to drive their opponent towards her partner. This focus on maneuvering their foe is a costly mistake. Zephyr uses their predictable actions to create lines of attack. Utilizing the curved blade of her gladius to attack over and around the shield’s protection, she chops deep into a shoulder. That arm unable to support the weight of a shield allows it to drop exposing her opponent’s head.
The two on one drill dictates her partner will move her shield to protect her partner. Zephyr spins and lines up a backhanded chop into the protector’s exposed shoulder. Now one is unable use their shield and the other can’t raise their gladius.
Seer Jadeen is left with three opponents, one with a crushed knee, another with a lame leg, and Kazuko with his cheek sliced open, and rethinking his recent poor choices.
He’s no leader but is the only mobile War Born left. He’s seen Seer Jadeen step around attacks and find every opening surlier than any sighted person, her story about meeting the Free’er seems more believable after fighting her.
He came to South Cenoka because it was his birthright to conquer or die trying. Tossing aside his shield, he draws a knife with his off hand.
He’s watched her fighting style, it’s the same Wing Chun practiced by them all. Only her hyper-awareness, precognition of attacks separates the two’s abilities. Defeating someone like Jadeen is a task his old Commander would have assigned to Jadeen.
He’s not a thinker, not a planner. He is War Born.
Kazuko finds his center, and advances watching for the first flicker of motion from his opponent.
Jadeen steps forward, knives up and parallel. The possibilities of attack are many, she takes the quickest and most efficient. She spins her knives drawing Kazuko’s attention. She feints an attack, Kazuko flinches but doesn’t try to block the feint.
Kazuko tries to cut Jadeen’s right wrist. She flips her knife into the air and grabs his hand and chops with her left, severing the appendage.
He was pulling backwards by the time the knife made contact, now with nothing holding his arm he stumbles backwards while dropping his gladius to cover the stump spurting his blood like a fountain.
Dropping the lifeless hand, Jadeen catches her knife and plunges it into Kazuko’s stomach, twists and pulls it out.
The two lame War Born don’t bother with defense, they simultaneously slash with their gladii.
Jadeen flows like water around the awkward unbalanced swings and opens each of their throats. Leaving another two expanding pools of blood on the street.
Zephyr is toying with the remaining two War Born. The one holding the shield falls to their knees with a butterfly knife in the side of her head.
Zephyr takes the hint and slays the remaining foe with a pair of slashes across their stomach, spilling entrails onto the already bloody street.
Jadeen walks around the expanding pools of blood until she detects a body that doesn’t reek of copper and wipes her blades and hands clean on the War Born’s threadbare uniform.
“Zeph, were you delaying so I would get my eleven kills?”
“Of course, you told me three, so I paced myself.”
Jadeen has noticed this behavior previously, her once ultra paranoid, and jumpy guide is completely incapable of feeling afraid now. Whatever the Free’er did to cure her PTSD is working too well for Jadeen’s comfort.
“Guide me to our hosts home, I could use a bath and my armor needs to be cleaned as much as yours does.
“Is that Elias I feel coming down the street?”
Moodily Zephyr mumbles, “Of course that’s him, the fight is over.”
“Zeph, mind your tongue. The Free’er summoned all three of us and gave us each a gift and a purpose. He may be only human, but we are all equal below the Free’er.”
Still mumbling, “I don’t remember him being appointed as Commander.”
“He does not claim that title. He can’t tell us his gift, but his purpose is to be our conscience. As he is not War Born it’s a good role. Obviously neither of us have it makes sense for the Free’er to assign one.”
Zephyr holds back her thoughts, to keep the peace.
Elias arrives as the conversation concludes, “You two are incredible, the town folks will likely keep us around for another week before deciding they don’t need to pay us another advance. You two go get cleaned up. I included a clause on corpse disposition, all labor is to be provided by the town. A separate gravesite will be designated for our fallen War Born and they will each get a separate plot and marker per our custom. I’ll oversee the process, feel free to join me when you’re cleaned up.”
Jadeen feels Zephyr relax upon hearing this news. Maybe they should be listening to his advice, he does know both human and War Born cultures after all.