[https://img.wattpad.com/8329b68b2f79ac188b8b115c697d802085b0dd8f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f42695a524d5157557375584656513d3d2d313236383330393634372e313736613262333539326264386165613939383234343339393830362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The shadows cast on Jack and Stella sunk into the ground. The warm yellow light taking its place, wrapping their bodies and the roof they stood on. The entire village was quiet. They have done all they could have done, and so far, it seems to be going successfully. The streets were void of any civilians. Only soldiers lined the walls like torch posts, far from each other and planted eerily still. The vending area expressed the biggest contrast. No table being stocked, no workers, just flower petals drifting through the desolate square.
Jack took a deep breath. A member of Eclipse had found them yesterday and agreed on this being the meeting place. What could go wrong? Everything. Everything could go wrong. Jack was hoping that Quinn would just surrender when he realises what is going on. Jack really hopes that no one has to die. He glanced at his partner, about to break the silence when he witnessed her gaze was elsewhere. Her eyes looked nervous, but the smile on her face made her seem anxious. Almost excited. Her right hand was squeezing the dagger hilt. Jack took another deep breath.
"I am the messenger of the day. Quinn says he will keep an eye on you from a distance. He will wait for you to take the convoy and then he will clear the path for the escape. Any complaints?" A dark wavy-haired boy said from behind them. He was wearing a dull, dented chest plate, wielded a sturdy one-handed sword and a large shield strapped to the other arm.
"Garret, right? If that is your name."
"It is what you can call me. Are you all ready? Aren't you missing a large amount of people?"
"I have to talk to Quinn. Things have changed." Jack's tone was strangely calm for the rate his heart was beating.
"That is what I am here for. Do you have anything solid to report? If not, I will be on my way."
"Take me to him. It isn't too late. I learned what Quinn has been through. We can let most of you go once Eclipse is disbanded."
"You know, me and Quinn was sure you all were lying. We didn't trust you in the slightest. We were going to abandon the village, but Ace kept filling all the other members heads with bullshit. The promise of riches and adventure. Keeping him as a hostage turned out to be more of problem than anything. It is a good thing, Quinn left him with some other members away from here. If you want to see your friend, then you should rethink your decision." The sword and shield were lifted in front of Garret as he walked and talked.
"Nope. I think we are just going to take you down!" Stella charged the swordsman.
Her dagger was being thrusted but as a feint. The shield went up but Stella's left hand, already gripping a red orb, was being swung into Garret's stomach. The edge of his shield slammed into Stella's forearm, launching the red orb into the roof. Tiles went flying into the air as a small hole was ripped into the building. Garret followed the momentum of his shield swing and with a full spin, aiming the edge of his sword towards the back of Stella's neck. Clank! Jack's mounted sword was forced into his opponents.
Regathering his composure quickly, Jack lunged forward. He was immediately stopped by the large shield being smashed into his shoulder and side of his face, as Garret had used Wind Walk to gain a tempo. Stella came back into his range. He swung his sword, but she was able to duck and step in. Now Garret was in her range. She aimed her fist just below the sternum. It was about to connect until Garret was launched backwards with wind. He quickly planted his sword into the roof as a brake. His body jolted to a halt before he shot back at Stella with another Wind Walk. His hand pulling the sword out of the ground with him, however ceased to removing it entirely. Stella's momentum was already carrying her towards the attacker. She tried to hold back, but Garret's knee was already planted in into her core. Stella rolled on the ground a couple feet away, before raising quickly on one knee.
"You guys are good, but you lack some experience. I can see you have trained a lot, but it won't be enough." The swordsman dropped his guard since his two opponents are currently on the ground. "Listen, I know I can kill both of you. I also know that it will probably take time. That is time I don't want to waste because I need to go warn Quinn."
"I think you should worry about yourself. It is already too late for Quinn. Jack just wants to capture you, but I really want to crush you. How could you fight alongside a little girl. The Hand of The Reaper they called you, but you were just letting a child kill." Stella stood up and stared down the swordsman. Her veins were swelling on her forearm, as she waited for a reply.
"You should be thanking me. I was there to protect her. I was the shield, and she was the spear. We were deadly. I taught her how to protect herself and looked out for her all this time. Ashe, The Reaper of Eclipse. You think she would have been alive if it wasn't for me."
"Is that what you tell yourself? You could have helped her get away." Stella dashed forward. She gripped her dagger horizontally and aimed for the throat. Garret was able to duck, but he immediately had to jump backwards to avoid the tip of the blade coming back at him. "You could have gotten her out. You wanted her to be heartless like you! You made her into a killer!" The aggressor danced around her opponent, constantly looking for spaces to slam her dagger into. The swordsman proved to be just as light on his feet.
"And where were you, princess? I was keeping her alive and teaching her to live without the cushy lifestyle that comes with your name. What were you doing all this time? Why do you think you can judge the life we had to live!" The swordsman put a stop to Stella's dance with a simple stomp on her toes. Stella was pinned for a moment, but it was enough for her to know that this was dangerous. The small shield of her friend smashed into the large shield wielded by Garret. The force knocked him back a couple steps.
Jack didn't let up. Slash after slash met the shield. "Ahhhhh!" Jack's voice rang across the sky as he gave up the idea of an opening. He was going to break this shield, or the arm holding it up. Heavy thuds echoed in his ear. Slash after slash. He could break it at any...the shield smashed into him before his slash could reach downwards. He stumbled, and Garret was already poised to strike, but he bowed down to a punch into his stomach from Stella. Garret didn't hesitate to step back and swung his blade at Stella. She was able to jump back out of the way, but the swing continued to meet Jack's shield.
The force brought Jack to one knee. He pushed back against it but met little resistance since Garret had already spun away. Stella was still stumbling backwards, but the little blast of green gave him the extra step needed to slam his shield into her shoulder. Her body dragged across the roof tiles. Jack was up in the air coming down with a heavy strike. While Jack's sword was poised over his head, his chest was met with a red orb sending him crashing down. He barely managed to find enough of a hold to keep him from flying off the edge.
Every muscle on Jack's chest was tensed. Sore. Torn. Where was his breath? How can it hurt to breathe? Stella wasn't much better. Blood trickled from her forehead. A small nick from when she slid across the tiles just now. Her shoulder hanging a bit lower than she would like it to be. There was no time to breathe. Garret was after Jack, leaving a green trail behind him. Stella shot red orbs in the path. It tore into the roof, and flew off in the distance, but none made contact with their enemy. Garret charged his own red orb and launched it at Stella. The extra charge time allowed for a larger force as the corner of the roof was blown away. This explosion was followed by an explosion way off in the distance. Garret eyes were focused on it. He let out a sigh and focused his gaze back on Jack.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Jack still hadn't caught his breath. His left eye slightly closed. He felt tired. The town started to get loud. Explosions and yelling filled the distance as soldiers began to mobilize. Jack knew that everything was moving quickly around him. He knew that he was taking his time to gather himself, but in his head was a different story. The loud blasts sounded muted. Jack could only hear his strained breath. Garret was taking his time walking towards him.
Garret had blown away him and Stella. He barely has a speck of dust on him from the battle. Why did Jack think that he could have ever taken him on? Why was he confident before? This swordsman was on another level. This is the difference in experience. Ace probably knew this, and that's why he called for help. Oh yea, help should be here soon. They just had to survive. They can still win, as long as they survive. It might be easier said than done, because Garret was already in front of him, and his sword was going to meet Jack's shield. Jack knew his hand was going to be in the right place, but it was a flimsy defence at best. He needed to stiffen his arm in time. Oh, he hopes he has enough strength.
Garret's attention was taken. He spun 180 degrees and raised his shield to stop a few red orbs that would have ripped into his body. Tiny embers of red light floated around Jack as the dispersed orbs pushed Garret back. 5 soldiers stood at the ridge of the roof. Three had shields and spears while the other two was slotted behind the short shield wall.
"Don't try and fight him. Stick to the plan and support." Stella's hand waved them to step back a bit. The soldiers followed suit. She was pretty sure they were watching and waiting for a time to strike. "Lend me one of your spears."
Jack placed both of his palms to the ground and braced all his weight. Deep breaths. It wasn't much longer. He will jump back in soon. Stella can handle this for now with the support. She uses a quick green and blue light to cut the blade off the handle.
"You really believe you can beat me, while trying not to kill me? I am not so pathetic to lose to pretend warriors that are holding back!"
Garret danced between the red orbs that were being quickly launched. He closed the distance from the ashen haired girl. The red orbs stopped. Stella danced around each sword strike. She was looking to pivot and get out of his tightened range, but he was agile, and her body was sore. She wasn't making any progress, but neither was he. She was wasting time efficiently, but she couldn't do it forever.
Wooden splinters flew between the pair every time she needed stop a swing. Chunks taken out when she guessed the angle wrong. She needed to go on the offensive, but she was scared to enter his zone unprepared. She had to find the right timing. His eyes shifted off to the right. Now was the time. She lunged forward only to see that he braced for the impact across his ribs, and his sword was aimed at one of the support soldiers running in with his spear. Damnit! Stella twisted her staff and plunged it into the chest of the soldier before it was pierced by the sword. The soldier barely falling away from the blade. Garret noticed just in time and rammed his shield into Stella before she could get away. Jack Wind Walked the attacking soldier to safety.
"You did good to launch yourself backwards a bit with wind before the shield hit you. If you were a target, then I would have been enjoying this. But you all are the hunters. I am your prey!" Garrets hands pounded his chest. He slowly turning to address everyone on the roof. "You are trying to take me down, but you are significantly weaker than me, and you have the nerve to think that you can protect everyone! You all asked for a battle and expect no one to die! Nothing ever pissed me off more. I will break you mentally and physically." The last words to leave his mouth matched the piercing gaze aimed at Stella.
Garret turned and dashed towards the shield wall. A couple of quick red orbs came into his path but popped in succession against his shield. The soldiers panicked. This killer was right in front of them. Their spears frozen, their minds only focused on holding up their shields. Their eyes were fixed elsewhere as they just waited for the sword to meet their defence. If it was even aimed at their protection. Jack dashed forward with green behind him.
"I knew you would come out!" The swordsman twisted his stance and was fully facing Jack. The sword followed a diagonal path. There was no room for error. Stella wasn't even sure if he had time to brake. The young fighter dived onto his shoulder close to Garret's feet. The blade missed him by inches as he rolled and wrapped his arms around Garret's waist. The movement reminded Stella of the first time they met and were running away from Rodriguez's men. With his arms locked together, and without hesitation he pulled all their weight off the edge of the three-story building. Jack's grip was locked, and he stiffened his body as much as he could. His eyes closed anticipating the impact.
Stella leapt off the roof and a large green flash shot her to the ground. She landed with another green flash blowing the dust and petals all into the air. While still on one knee, she extended her right arm and braced it with her left. A large amount of blue light began gathering in her palm quickly. She repelled the blue orb that was larger than her, at the falling pair. Jack felt like he landed in a pond. The calmness of the water only disturbed by their falling weight. It seemed a bit shallow for the speed they were falling at because Jack and Garret still crashed to the ground with a fair amount of force. Thank The Three that Stella was so good at mimics. Jack just wished they landed in the flower bed next to him, instead of the soft but less soft, dirt road. It would have looked cooler. Stella sat down and caught her breath. Using that amount of magic in rapid succession must have been extremely difficult. They both knew that Garret was going to get up, but these few seconds before he did feels amazing.
"Jack are ya okay?"
"What are you doing here Billy?" Stella questioned between breaths.
"Billy?"
"Ya bud, it's me. Let's get ya out of the way here." Billy dragged Jack's body by grabbing under his shoulder. He struggled with a grip, but he managed to keep the body moving.
"What are you doing here?" Jack repeated Stella's inquiry.
"I really tried to stay at shelter with the other residents, but I just couldn't. I'm sorry guys, but this is my town. All of ya are my friends." Jack had his small smile wiped when he saw the swordsman standing up slowly.
"Billy! You have to let go now. I'll get up now. Run!" Jack pleaded.
"Huh?" With his back turned, Billy continued to drag him forward. Jack clenched his teeth and charged a red orb in his hands. Stella got to her feet quickly, but her entire body felt heavy. Was she going to get there first? The swordsman began to take his step when he raised his shield to stop the heel of the scythe from cracking his skull. The young girl back stepped quickly until she was in between the swordsman and the soldier.
"Luna! What are you doing here?" Stella couldn't help but yell with a tremble. Luna pointed to the swordsman and then to herself and Stella. "No, you don't have to fight! It's too dangerous."
"Luna! No Killing!" Monica from a distance called out. Luna stared at her and gave her a thumbs up before her blade edge became coated thick with dark wisps.
"Monica, how could you let her fight?" Stella pleaded from the distance.
"I am not sure on how to stop her. We were all watching. Righty and Luna were antsy and when you guys came crashing down, then they rushed out. She is strong, and you guys will look after her."
"Green eyes, over there, is right. The only chance you have is to rely on the Reaper, but I'm not sure how valuable she can be if you dull her blade. I guess we will find out." Garret darted at Luna. He moved efficiently and without hesitation. Jack could tell that their fight didn't even tire him out a bit. The swordsman seemed to raise the intensity of his fighting. His strikes looked harder, and his movements a bit faster. Jack only spotted it briefly through attacks, but the aggressor was smiling. It was like he wanted this fight for a long time.
Luna still had no clear emotion. Her steps were light and quick as well. She was constantly back tracking and changing direction, but at no time did she look overwhelmed. It resembled when Ace would let him attack constantly without attacking back. She was in control. She twirled and danced her scythe to block each relenting slash. The Reaper released the dark handle as the head of the scythe flew above the swordsman. Luna dashed around him. Garret has seen the move before, but dodging it proved difficult as the dark edge smashed into his shoulder. He slid on the ground before quickly rolling up to his feet. He was already dashing back but he was interrupted by The Reaper's sister.
Stella had grabbed another spear handle and was swinging it with the intention of finding an opening. The swordsman, however, had an easier time dealing with the older sibling. Jack noticed that the younger one, couldn't find her way to attack while Stella was duelling the swordsman. It also seemed like Garret noticed this as well, since it he used Stella's distance as an advantage to make sudden attacks at Luna. Luna was able to hold her own in the entire situation, but Jack couldn't see a definite winner. He felt like they could be handling it better and the expression of Billy's face showed that he saw it too, but this was Stella's fight. She wanted this match. He had to trust her.
"How long have we been fighting?" Jack asked the soldier after taking a deep breath. He felt his energy coming back quickly. It could be due to all the short training burst he had back home.
"It has probably been around 20 to 30 minutes."
"They should be here soon. Do you have any idea how it's been with Quinn?"
"I haven't heard much but I know that everyone has been keeping their distance, but I have been hearing explosions. I am guessing it means that Quinn is still there."
"Well, let's go take care of the big boss. What do you say?"
"I say, let's go!" Billy pulling his friend to his feet.
"You guys got this right?" The refreshed leader asked Stella, who was tagged out of the fight at the moment.
"Go get them boss."