The acrid smell of gunpowder and blood permeated the air. Amidst the quiet moans of the dying and the silence of the dead, the Fair Maid strolls. She approaches a man lying among the lifeless bodies of his comrades, his last breaths choked by blood filling his airways, an arrow cruelly lodged in his neck. She watches and waits patiently.

"You have endured enough," she murmured with the tenderness of a mother to her child, her words unheard, her presence unseen. "Rest."

With an anguished gaze, fixed towards the sky, the man succumbed to the fate shared by countless others on this verdant field.

Elsewhere, the relentless tide of battle presses on, and in a particular area on this battlefield. Another man met his end, crimson life force oozing from his chest. Struggling to rise, he is met by a ruthless blade, held gently against his throat by a woman, one of two ashen-haired soldiers before him, both clad neck to toe in leather armor adorned with the emblem of a rose embroidered on their chest.

"Oh father in heaven, take me beside you," he croaked, seeking solace in the final moments of life.

"No he won't," the woman chimed, her voice chilling and void of compassion. "You're in foreign lands, your God won't greet you here. The Fair Maid now claims you, no one else."

"Nova, end it swiftly," the man behind her urged.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she severed his head, before vigilantly scanning around her for any lurking threats.

"Should be the last of them," she says. "Raid, what do we do now?"

"We bide our time I guess, it doesn't seem like they plan on sending another wave our way any time soon."

"Oh, so we sit here and watch as our center gets pushed back? Perhaps you haven't noticed, but we're losing this battle. Can't we do anything to help them?"

"In case you haven't noticed, we are. We've been placed here, not the center, if this flank breaks, this battle ends immediately. As hard as it is to watch, bear with it."

A vibrant streak of ethereal purple flew from the distant forest in front of them, soaring across the battlefield and settling within the heart of an allied formation. Its arrival triggered an explosive eruption, which dissipated into a lingering purple mist. They both unconsciously stiffed as they bore witness to the unfortunate aftermath.

Some soldiers in the formation collapsed, while others staggered, dazed by the concussive force. One man writhed in agony on the ground, a severed limb having struck his head. Moments later, the formation splintered, then broke, and the enemy pushed in. Most began to run with the enemy closely behind them, stabbing some in the back; allied soldiers from a neighboring formation quickly ran over to patch up the breach. An officer held his ground alone, fending off against three Imperial soldiers as his comrades abandoned him. He shouted insults at his own, calling them cowards before he was body slammed to the ground and swarmed over by the enemy. Raid and Nova watched with a grimace, using their enhanced hearing to pick up what was said, but the shouting, bashing of metal, and screams mixed together made most of it incoherent.

Clenching her jaw, Nova vented her frustration, "Why the hell haven't we dealt with those grenadiers yet? They've been harassing us this entire battle."

"Sure, if they weren't hiding in that forest all nicely cooped up behind their own lines. We've already lost too many knights trying to kill them, we can't do anything but take it. Besides, unless our slingshots can see through trees, we can't find them let alone kill them. They keep changing their positions."

"Maybe we should try and kill them, just because others failed doesn't mean we won't."

"I didn't know you were suicidal, and here I thought we were on vacation, had no idea you were looking for a grave instead."

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"Oh shut it, and for the record if this is your idea of a vacation you have poor taste."

Raid scoffed, "Really? That's news to me. And even if I agreed to your idea there's no point anymore. Come on, let's go, we're withdrawing."

"What!? Why?"

"Look up, you might see something," he said, calmly gesturing towards the sky, where three artificial green stars shone conspicuously close together in the daylight.

Nova face contorted, "The third star… Shit, we lost?"

"Come on, let's go. We need to form a rearguard and protect the retreat."

"I didn't think we'd actually use this plan, didn't think we'd lose."

"Reality's a real bitch. How are your reserves looking?"

"Maybe about a quarter. What about you?"

"About the same, maybe a little less. We did well, considering we've been fighting the whole day and still have some aura left."

"Fighting?" Nova huffed, "more like standing around most of the time."

"Be glad about it. It means they didn't send that many knights at us, otherwise, we'd be dead by now. There aren't that many of us here."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted as a familiar voice called out to them. Turning, they saw a weathered middle-aged man running towards them.

"Marcus! You old bastard you're still alive, that's a shame," Raid grinned.

"You two are beyond reckless, don't run off like that. If the both of yous get yourselves in trouble we won't be able to help you."

"As you can see, Uncle, we're fine. You worry too much. And we couldn't allow him to escape," Nova said, casually pointing towards the headless corpse. "They have way more knights than us. We should kill them when we have the chance."

"So, what's our status?" Raid asked.

"The advance group is still holding as you’ve ordered. However, the fireteam has taken seven casualties," Marcus replied.

"Were you able to retrieve their tags?"

"Three for sure, can't say for certain. Nolen is the one looking for their corpses."

"Tell him to come back, we're withdrawing immediately. Did you hear anything worth mentioning?"

"Several companies, along with a division are on route to bolster the center. I think they're the last of our reserves. I don't know about you, but it seems to me we got completely decimated," his words laced with disdain. "Also, I've just been told that some fire groups have been ordered to reinforce us. The problem is... apparently some of them are running headless, and I doubt they'll find us once we start moving," he added, concern evident.

Nova, who was barely paying attention to the conversation, was instead staring off in the distance with disinterest. She noticed they had stopped talking, only to find the both of them staring back at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Were you listening? We have a few headless fire groups. Go round them up and lead them to us," Raid said.

"What am I, a fucking shepherd?"

"That is kind of your job," said Marcus.

"Yeah alright fine, lazy fucks," she grumbled. "But where am I taking them?"

"You still have that rough sketch map right? Grid 2-B or 2-C, somewhere around there, you'll see us, at the forest's edge of the Ver," Raid smiled.

"If I have to look for you then you'll owe me."

"Sure, but I doubt it," Raid chuckled. "Take care, try not to get yourself killed."

"Likewise, try not to miss me too much now," she finally said before running off.

Raid and Marcus watched her go for a short moment before Marcus spoke.

"When did she get such a foul mouth?"

"I thought you taught her that," Raid quipped.

"So it's my fault? Not yours? you two always had a tendency to copy each other, habits and all."

"You sure about that? Because if that’s the case I haven't noticed. Perhaps you should see a physician, they say men who have been in service for too long tend to get more delusional with age."

"Very funny…" Marcus grumbled, clearly not amused. "I see Nova taught you a thing or two, she quips like a fox that one, don't embody her."

"You're not all that fun to be around are you Marcus?"

"Spare me. I'll be a lot less tense if you'd help me rein her in sometimes instead of spur her misadventures."

"Sure, eventually, I will. But let's continue this conversation later, you can complain to me about the corruption of your precious niece then. We've been talking for long enough, Marcus, gather the fireteam. I'll get the advance group. I'll meet you north of here at the Ver forest, you won't miss us. Let's move before the Lemfords start advancing on this flank again."