NOVEL NEXT 98. Seven Walls To Sunrise
Tucker stood beside the building that the Empire's forces were occupying. He could hear the voices of the men keeping watch. They were monitoring the storage building, looking for any suspicious movements. Yet little did they know, everyone had already left. His eyes glanced to the side of the alleyway. Both entrances were blocked with wooden crates, making it difficult for those patrolling to see them.
Currently, only five soldiers had exited the building with him. The rest were still behind, waiting for the signal to storm in. Brian stood on the other side with his sword drawn. The sound of laughter from the Empire's soldiers grew louder. Not a single one of them moved a muscle, waiting for Tucker to make a move.
As Tucker carefully listened to the voices, he could roughly distinguish five distinct soldiers on the first floor. He held out five fingers for them, signalling how many foes were on the other side, and once everyone was on the same page. His hand gently tapped on the surface of the wooden door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The laughter continued, and soon footsteps drew closer. A soft metallic rattle rang out in their ears as the doorknob slowly turned. The door creaked open, and at that moment, the enemy soldier came into view.
"The hell do you guys want now—"
Before the enemy could finish his sentence, Tucker grabbed onto his wrist and yanked him forward. Before the man could even scream, Tucker clamped his other hand over the soldier's mouth. Just as Brian drove the tip of his sword across the soldier's throat. Blood spilled in a slow stream as the body squirmed firmly in Tucker's grasp and then went still. He leaned the soldier against the wall and let him slide down lifelessly.
In an instant, they burst through the doorway with weapons drawn. Tucker gripped his dagger tightly and lunged at the unsuspecting soldier. His gaze was cold as he drove the blade straight through the man's heart. A sharp scream rang out, and chaos exploded in the room as the others leapt to their feet.
"What the fuck—!"
The enemy soldier rushed to the side to grab his sword, but before he could even get close, Brian silenced him with a clean strike. A gush of blood sprayed out, and as the enemy was scrambling for their equipment, the rest of their squad moved just as swiftly. Heavy footsteps poured in behind them as more Everheart soldiers surged up the stairs—first to the second floor, then to the third.
Blades clashed, and the wet sound of metal slicing through flesh entered his ears. The ground quaked beneath the volley of explosions as the cannon fire tore through the air, leaving trails of ash and smoke in its wake. Tucker walked to the far end of the room, toward the wall that connected to the neighboring building. All around him, Everheart soldiers pushed forward, winning skirmishes and securing each floor. Once the battles had stopped, Jones rushed down to the first floor.
"Sir, we're ready!" He called out while gasping for air.
That was all Tucker needed to hear.
Gale was flying above their location, and if there was one thing Tucker learned through his battles, it was that his companion could understand his intentions without words. He gestured at the two soldiers of the Thirty-First to move closer with their pickaxes in hand. Without even saying a word, Gale had already begun tightening the aerial pattern overhead.
The building trembled violently. Chairs and tables rattled across the wooden floors, and beneath the cover of the roaring artillery, the two soldiers channeled their aura into the pickaxes. They slammed the tools into the stone wall. With a deafening crack, the walls burst open, flinging bricks outward and into the ranks of the Empire's forces. Similar detonations echoed across the other floors and, without hesitation, Tucker charged forward with the others at his back.
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The Empire's forces stood still, stunned by the sudden attack. For a brief moment, they were in disbelief, their weapons just inches out of reach. Yet Tucker didn't give them the chance. He hurled his dagger across the room—right into the skull of the farthest soldier with a sickening crunch as it lodged itself in their eye socket.
At the same time, the Everheart knights swept in, cutting down the disoriented enemies before they could react. The distribution of foes was the same as last night. Scattered, unorganized, and without a single knight in sight. There was no telling when the Empire's elite would arrive, if they even did. But such a thing only worked in their favor. Tucker stabbed his sword through the enemy's chest, silencing their scream with a twist of the blade. He kicked the corpse aside and scanned the room. The battle was already over, but many more were coming.
They needed to get through six more stone walls in this chain of connected buildings to reach the inner walls. The next group was already preparing to break the second walls and, as the furniture rattled across the floors once more. The second group of soldiers breached through the walls with their weapons drawn, storming into the fray.
"What's our status?" Tucker asked.
"No deaths on our side so far," Brian replied. "We do have some that are lightly wounded, but the healing potions will fix that."
"Good, let's keep moving." Tucker made his way to the third wall. The soldiers nearby pushed through and killed the Empire's forces one by one.
Soon his party was ready, and Jones came down the stairs, giving a firm nod for them to begin.
The two soldiers raised their pickaxes once more, channeling aura into the metal—but just before they could strike the wall. Two spears wreathed in energy tore through the stone bricks and flew straight at them. Tucker immediately leaned to the side as one spear sliced past his head. Before it could fully pass, he caught it by the shaft. His leather glove tore apart as the aura shrouding the weapon cried out.
While Brian infused his blade with aura and met the second spear mid-flight, cleaving it in half. It shattered into splinters as a burst of wood and metal scattered through the smoky air. The sudden clash of aura within the dust cloud caught the Everheart soldiers off guard, but they quickly regrouped, forming ranks and turning their attention toward the approaching threat.
Tucker twirled the spear in his hand and returned the favour, releasing the aura-clad weapon back at the enemy. It slammed into his chest, driving him to the ground in an instant.
"Push forward!" Tucker ordered, causing the men to charge forth.
The enemy's momentum shattered against the resistance of the two captains. Each second they wasted would be an opportunity for their foes to use against them. Tucker knew they couldn't afford to linger—he had to break through the breach and face whatever waited on the other side.
From the battlecries above it sounded like the other floors had also gotten ambushed. Tucker glanced at Brian and as their gaze met. No words were needed. Brian nodded once and sprinted up the stairs towards the second floor. They needed to stabilize all the parties and focus on the foes before them.
Tucker scanned the chaos unfolding before him. Five enemy soldiers had already broken through, and another six were storming in. He swung his hand out while gathering his spirit essence. The air rippled as the essence solidified in the palm of his hands, forming a bow of howling wind. Drawing back the bowstring, he manifested five emerald arrows, each one vibrating with a concentrated force.
The moment he released, the arrows sang. Each one buried itself deep into the skulls of the Empire's forces pouring out of the breach. Bodies were piling on top of each other, one after another, into a heap of flesh. Even the cannons that roared in the distance failed to mask the carnage.
Tucker walked towards the breach. Enemy soldiers were pouring in like water bursting from a dam, funneling in from a single point, yet he could see their movements. The sword paths of the enemy soldiers were far too slow. Far too predictable. As they ran towards him, Tucker grabbed onto the current flowing in the room and sharply pulled it to the side.
The Empire's soldiers stumbled, their eyes going wide as the wind slammed into them and hurled their bodies across the room. Some managed to withstand the pressure, but those who didn't land on the ground, dazed and sprawled at the feet of the Everheart soldiers.
What they saw next was death itself—the gleaming blades of the Thirty-First reflecting the cold light.
Blood-filled screams followed as the Everheart soldiers struck, plunging their swords into the chests and throats of the fallen. Those who fought back were met with a fiercer resistance ,and the desperate thrashing was quickly silenced.
Tucker watched as the Empire's soldiers instinctively stepped back. They were scared. Terrified. But that didn't matter as he gathered mana near the soles of his boots and drew closer.
An emerald flash carved through the smoke.
He walked by them and swung his sword to the side, clearing the blood in one motion. Behind him, the enemy soldiers collapsed like severed puppets, their bodies hitting the ground before a single scream could escape. The clouds of dust obscured his vision, curling around him, yet in that moment of chaos, as the world shook around them, Tucker entered the breach.