The group passed the treeline, when Master Tarquin held up his hand, signalling everyone to stop. The three Marked assembled in a half circle before him, leaving footprints in the thick snow.

“Turn on your communication devices if you haven’t already.” The old man pointed to the earpiece going in and around his ear. “Now if we get too far from each other, they should automatically connect to each other.”

Edward brought his hand to his ear, making sure the device was secured in place.

“We’ll be traveling north east. About twenty kilometers more or less. We don’t know much about the enemy forces, but there was at least one Marked spotted. The presence of a Legend is unlikely, but not out of the question. I’ll give the orders once I judge the situation. Stay vigilant and react quickly.”

Everyone nodded with serious faces. Tarquin turned around, dashing towards the enemy’s location. The three warriors followed. A cloud of snow exploded behind them when they pushed off the ground.

Their figures could barely be made out in the dark forest. Edward managed to stay close to Tarquin only because of his enhanced senses, and probably because the old man wasn’t actually traveling at his fastest speed. Both him and Edward had to adjust their pace for the others to keep up. One because of his overall power, and the other because of his inexhaustible stamina.

It took them thirty minutes to get near the enemy zone. Throughout the journey, Ed was already scanning the darkness for any potential dangers. Now he even felt the skin on the back of his neck pricking. The tension before the battle was alway high, but it was a whole nother thing, when one didn't know what they would be dealing with.

Suddenly, Edward noticed Tarquin’s hand rise again.

‘A closed fist… Prepare for battle.’

The next signal pointed forwards. The young warrior strained his eyes, and managed to make out rough shapes in the distance that didn’t quite fit their surroundings. They blended well when it comes to their color, but they were a bit too jagged to belong to this organic environment. As they got closer, he recognized the shapes as armored vehicles. They ranged from small snowmobiles, to large personnel carriers.

Master Tarquin slowed down a bit, lining up with his students.

“We rush in, destroy as much as we can. I’ll take the middle. Edward, right wing. Layla and Marcus, left.” He drew a simple silver sword from somewhere under his robes.

The Marked followed. A whisper of three blades, pulled from their sheets, rang through the quiet night. Edward split up from the others to the right, wielding his sword to the side. He made sure to keep an eye on Tarquin. They were supposed to follow his lead after all.

‘That’s also about to be the first time I see Master in a real battle…’

The old man’s figure suddenly blurred through the darkness. An ear piercing sound of tearing steel followed, and the first vehicle went up in flames. The whole area got bathed in an orange light. The Legend’s sword sliced through the armored carapace of the carries like butter. His dark figure outlined by the flames, made him look like a demon.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

The entire camp woke up, white LED lights lit up on the vehicles, and armed troops started pouring out from the inside. Only now could Edward see how many enemies were really here. While all the heavy weapons mounted on the convoy focused on Tarquin, Ed also got to work. The young man’s sword was already covered by a sharp golden aura, and with a single swing of a blade, a beautiful golden arc flew towards the armored truck on the right. It tore open the armor like a ravaged beast tearing open its prey. The entire vehicle shook, and smoke started coming out of the gash left by the projectile. He dashed forward. A group of soldiers stood in his way, but before they even opened fire, Edward slashed through the first two with one swing. The next ones died in a series of precise lightning fast strikes. This wasn’t a situation where he could allow himself to show mercy.

‘They are the enemy… Remember, don’t hesitate.’ His facial muscles tightened, and he launched himself towards his next target.

The enemy forces were in complete disarray. The somber forest was filled by the sounds of screams and explosions. The snow was red in some places and the ground was charred in others.

The group forced their way through the army like a wave of destruction. At some point, Marcus grabbed one of the trucks and turned it on its side.

‘This thing weighs a couple tons! How strong did this man get?!’ Ed shook his head and focused again on the enemies in front of him. Everything seemed to be going well, but after a moment, he started getting a bad feeling.

‘Where is the real opposition? Where are the Marked? The whole battalion is obviously already aware of the situation.’ His brows furrowed. Master Tarquin must’ve already noticed the issue, but he didn’t stop the assault. Edward decided to follow his lead for now, but started carving his way more towards the center. He sent another golden blade into the squad of panicked soldiers. They fired their guns towards him, but the bullets simply bounced off the subtle golden coating around his body. The technique reached the group of soldiers, slicing their torsos clean off.

Out of nowhere a hiss of something fast travelling through the air came from the right. Edward’s instincts reacted and he turned right towards the projectile, ready to block with his blade. Before he could, a wrinkled arm grabbed what turned out to be a spear aimed for his chest. Tensing his forearm Tarquin broke the weapon in two.

“So they finally showed themselves…” the old man said.

A young man stood in an empty spot between the vehicles. His long hair was tied in a bun with a couple strands hanging on his forehead. A grey turtleneck covered his torso. He took off another spear off his back and clicked his tongue.

“Damn… I almost got you man.” He shook his head.

Tarquin looked suspiciously around the area. “Aren’t you a bit lonely young man…?”

“Hmm? Oh, that’s what you mean… Don’t worry, I’m sure they’re having a lot of fun with your friends back at the fortress.” The corner of the young warrior’s mouth rose up.

Tarquin’s facial expression didn’t betray any traces of concern.

‘That’s right if it actually was like this guy said then we would’ve gotten some kind of message through comms,’ Edward thought, scanning between the trees for a trap.

*Recall immediately! The enemy is attacking! A Legend on the frontline… I repeat a Legend on a frontline!* Suddenly an urgent voice called out through the earpiece.

‘Why does it always go like that…’ Edward felt his stomach tighten.

“Fuck!” Tarquin cursed. He immediately dashed forward. His silver blade flashed through the air, and a smiling head of their opponent fell to the ground, painting the snow in red.

“Go back immediately!” The old man turned towards his students with a furious expression and rushed in the direction of the fortress.

Edward’s eyes widened at the sight of a large ball of fire lighting up the night sky in the distance.

‘Shit!’ he thought, dashing after his master.