Lance City was the city of the Shieldbearers. It was on an elevated plateau in the middle of the forest. Four walls covered the four sides. As the patrol squad moved past the sentries at the gate, Adam could see countless Shieldbearers moving across the wall. Some were patrolling. Others were putting arrows and stones into position.
“You two, escort the prisoner to the dungeon.” The patrol captain turned back to Adam. “I will take you to meet the Ancient One.”
At first, Adam thought it was merely a title. After all, most god kings are not gods. He was proven wrong when he saw the Ancient One.
“I have seen the might of the Protector with my own eyes. I admire your willpower to stand against them.”
The Ancient One was a man in a fully concealed armor. Adam could sense purple energy running across both him and his armor. He suddenly had a strange feeling that the man was one with what he was wearing.
“Your own eyes?”
“I know what you are thinking.” The Ancient One replied quietly. “Yes. I have been alive for over 200 years. I was there when the Protector arrived, and I was one of the few survivors of the great battle.” He tapped the handle of his sword. “I am glad to fight these outsiders again.”
Adam decided to move onto more pressing business.
“Are your forces ready?”
“20,000 Shieldbearers, ready for war.” The Ancient One sighed. “They are the last of their kind. If they fall, we can never amass an army of this number and caliber.”
“Then let’s put them to good use.” Adam knew he needed more information on the Voyagers. Where they are. What are they planning. And he knew where to get those information. “The patrol team that brought me in captured another Voyager. She has been sent to the dungeon. With your permission, I will interrogate her.”
He was being very polite. It would be a shame to alienate an ally by being rude.
“Very well. Be careful.” The Ancient One nodded and stood up. “I will mobilize my forces and ready for march.”
As Adam and the patrol captain left, the Ancient One looked down on his hands. Purple energy ran through what was left of his flesh, trying to add as much sustainability to it as possible, but it was obviously failing.
He has gone through countless battles.
Whether they win or lose, this would be his last.
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon, Jean wasn’t doing well. The wound on her neck has healed. Her mending power eventually overwhelmed the corrosive purple energy. But the three arrows kept on being a bane. She could only return to health when they were removed, and judging by the look, it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
The door opened, Adam, the patrol captain, and two Shieldbearer guards walked in.
Adam went straight to the point.
“What is Violet planning?”
Jean glanced at him, saying nothing.
“What is Violet planning?” Adam repeated, but he knew this wouldn’t be enough to make a Voyager talk, so he went to more materialistic things. “Judging from the fact that you’re still alive, I’d say you have some healing powers. Tell me what I want to know, and I will help you heal your wounds. You have came a long way. Do you really want to die here for the Protectors?”
Jean looked at him. Suddenly, a large, wide smile replaced the ice cold glance on her face.
“Adam. Execute the Shieldbearers and remove the arrows.”
Adam looked at Jean as if she has gone mad. Most Voyagers are mad to a degree, but none of them was like this...he didn't feel himself being mind controlled either.
Has she gone mad or was she planning something?
But Jean wasn’t finished. In fact, she was just starting.
“You know, a while ago, I caught a spy in my base. He claimed to be a huntsman. He acted like a huntsman. When I tortured him, he screamed like a huntsman, but he didn't give away any information because he didn't actually know anything.”
She tilted her head gently.
“Do you know what is the highest level of deception? It is when you fully believe in your own cover identity. In a sense, you are who you claim to be. You can’t accidentally slip your mask if your mask is one with your face.”
Adam’s expression didn't change.
“What are you saying?”
“Here, Voyager Adam, is my question: how did someone as compassionate as you survive multiple other missions, and why did you suddenly change your mind in this one...by all means correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s almost as if...as if you’re a different person.”
It was like a trigger was switched.
Suddenly, Adam’s eyes turned cold. His golden sword appeared in his grip. The three Shieldbearers watched in shock as he stepped forward toward Jean. It was obvious he intended to end her once and for all. What happened to interrogate?
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Jean’s next words stopped Adam in his tracks.
“Mind you. I have had this information for quite a while.”
In other words, she must have had fail-safes.
Jean stared into Adam’s cold, blue eyes.
“I’m waiting.”
Suddenly, without warning, Adam snapped around and cut the patrol captain into two with a single, merciless strike. The victim had no idea the man who he respected, the man who was willing to betray an invincible enemy for justice, would suddenly turn on him.
Two pieces of the corpse hit the ground.
The two other Shieldbearers’ expressions changed, but that was when a major flaw of the Shieldbearers appeared. They have been trained in the art of combat. They have done regularly sparring, but never have they been put in a situation where an ally suddenly turned against them so brutally.
They froze for a moment, and a moment was all it took.
Two more bodies hit the ground. Not a single alert got out.
Adam pulled his sword out of the third Shieldbearer’s body. For the moment, he was no longer the Champion of Justice. The man who rode with thousands of Sun calvary and saved the Immortal Fort from destruction was gone. The man who stood tall against dozens of Voyagers was gone.
Someone new, someone darker, was in his place.
Jean watched the slaughter unfold coldly.
“As I said, free me.”
Adam moved quietly but efficiently. The arrows came out one by one. As soon as they were out, the remaining purple energy in her body became trees without roots. They were quickly removed.
The Voyager set covered Jean’s body again. The woman turned to the man who just set her loose.
“Leave.”
Adam glanced back at her.
“You will pay for this.”
Jean didn't falter. She knew Adam’s attitude the moment he turned on those guards. He couldn’t afford to let his plan out. “You should be glad I didn't tell the others what I know about your plan, and trust me, I know a lot.”
“Violet should’ve killed you when she had the chance.”
Jean shrugged.
“As I said, leave.”
Adam gave Jean one last look before tapped something on his watch. The next second, he appeared in the Empress’s palace in Throne’s City. His golden sword was nowhere to be seen. The blood on his black Voyager armor didn't leave a trace. A confused look appeared on his face.
“What happened…I was at Lance City...wait...oh right….a dozen Voyagers attacked Lance City...the Shieldbearers are gone...I had to teleport back to warn the Empress...”
It took him a moment to remember everything he has seen. A strange feeling came over him, but he quickly tossed it to the side. He didn't have time to waste. He needed to see the Empress.
After all, he just saw the Shieldbearers getting wiped out. The Empire of the Sun has lost a key ally.
----------------------------------------
Jean slowly walked out of the dungeon. Her hand rested on her watch.
“Hey! How did you get out...eh!”
“We need reinforcement now...ah!”
Multiple guards were encountered on the way, but before they could even draw their sword, invisible blades pierced their armor from the back and came out from the front. Runed G-1s dealt with the unsuspecting Shieldbearers with ease.
Jean didn't stop for a second as dozens fell dead at her feet.
Finally, she reached the exit of the dungeon. Two sentries drew their swords and charged toward her, but a projectile came out of nowhere and exploded in between them. There weren’t any fire or shrapnel, but what appeared was even worse.
An EMP wave washed over the Shieldbearers. Immediately, the two men felt their runes being disrupted. The purple energy that covered their armor and their skin evaporated like water under a blazing sun. Before they could reactivate their runes, two bullets came out of nowhere and pierced their skull.
Their bodies were dragged into the dungeon by the G-1s.
Jean looked into the air and tapped her watch. This time, it wasn’t just a handful of G-1s. It wasn’t even a squad of Warden striders.
It was the full might of the Wardens and the Purifiers.
And all hell broke loose.
The Shieldbearers in Lance City suddenly found themselves standing in shadows. Odd, considering the day was sunny just moments ago. Most didn't think anything of it, but those that did look up into the air, and saw something that made them shake.
Hundreds of vessels have solidified above Lance City. Most of them were gold. Others were white. What made the Shieldbearers shake even more was the size of these vessels. Some of them were literally floating cities. Despite being very high in altitude, the vessels were still large enough to literally block out the sun.
The entire Lance City was consumed by the shadows.
For most of this mission, Jean’s forces that have eradicated faction and faction in the Starcraft universe have been kept inside her watch. It was unfortunate, but Jean had no choice. Smaller, weaker units like Warden striders would be largely ineffective against both the Voyagers and the locals. As for the capital ships...using them against Voyagers would be like trying to shoot down a mosquito with a machine gun. They would be no more than giant, floating targets in front of the Voyagers’ various powers. If the capital ships try to carpet bomb the Voyager, the Voyager could easily teleport away.
She could only keep the fleets as a last resort.
But the Shieldbearers were different. With tens of thousands of men, they couldn’t flee the battlefield as quickly as the Voyagers could. They were forced to stand their ground and fight a frontal battle with the Wardens and the Purifiers, and that was exactly what Jean wanted.
That was also why Jean decided to come into the mountains alone. It would obviously be easier if she had a fleet above her. Adam would be forced to flee as well if he didn't want to be bombarded by a thousand cannons. But the Shieldbearers weren’t blind. They could easily spot a giant armada closing in. It would give them time to either fall back or develop a tactic to take on the armada.
Not this time. Jean had to admit she didn't expect to be almost mortally injured and captured, but luckily, she knew a thing or to about what Violet and Adam were planning, and she was able to turn Adam.
Now, her fleet was in the air, and the Shieldbearers had nowhere to run.
G-1 after G-1 appeared in front of Jean until all 30 units were out. Jean gave them a command.
“Secure the Rune-Crafters.”
One of the major reasons she was here was for the runing technology the Shieldbearers wielded. The G-1s might not be the best warriors, but they were certainly unstoppable assassins. She was confident they could reach their target safely.
Half a dozen observers appeared across Lance City. They quickly entered surveillance mode, gathering every piece of information there was about the city and those inside. Army movement. Personnel location. All those information was passed to the fleet in the air.
When that was done, Jean finally tapped her earpiece and said something. The next second, a warping beam came down from the leading mothership and teleported her onto the vessel.
There, Delta was waiting.
“All ships ready for combat.”
Jean glanced at the city below.
“Open fire.”