The Battle
#4 of Hunter Hunted
Series: Hunter Hunted
"Well what the fuck do you think happened" asked a tall dragon
"Who the fuck are you?" asked Tyan
"He is the intel" said the Sergeant
"That's right my name is T'kral, I was supposed to give you appropriate weaponry and Intel but the safe house was razed so we will have to steal the weapons you will need from the Maharajah's armoury and I will accompany you to the target there is nothing left here" T'kral said coolly looking at the devastated city
The soldiers ran through the city towards the Maharajah's armoury Jimmy ran up to T'kral "What kind of weaponry were you talking about?" Jimmy asked
"New weaponry, automatic crossbows and projector swords, the latest weaponry our best minds can invent" T'kral said emotionlessly
"How did the Maharajah get those weapons?" Jimmy asked
"Do you think we would withhold new weaponry against the horde, it was no fault of ours that the Maharajah didn't use the weapons, he didn't trust anything from us so they sat unused in the armoury which is now a good thing for us" T'kral said flatly
They finally reached the armoury, it was totally abandoned, and its door left sprawled open and the armoury resoundingly empty. "Where are the weapons?" the Sergeant shouted
"You worry too easily" T'kral said coolly as he strode in and went to the back and pulled away a section of the wall that must of weighed tons revealing shining weapons, rack upon rack of gleaming swords and strangely shaped crossbows stretching back hundreds of meters into shadow.
"How much do we get to take?" asked Tyan
"As much as you can carry but remember we will be on a forced march for the rest of the distance to the target" the Sergeant said
"Actually no" T'kral "The general of the army of the army is your target and he is about twenty miles from the city with his army"
"Then how the hell do we kill him?" Jimmy asked
"Simply you pose as mercenaries, when you're in the camp at least once a month you will be guarding his tent when you are. Kill him" T'kral said simply
The soldiers walking into the armoury and grabbed as many weapons as they could as T'kral explained their purpose and use, "The automatic crossbows have a box reload, when there are no bolts left in the clip it will eject and you will need to insert another. There are twenty bolts in a clip so choose your targets well because these are hard to reload under stress. The projector swords have serrated blades when you press the buttons on the bottom of the hilt the blade springs forth an extra inch. I am sure you'll find a use for this function" T'kral said demonstrating the blade's function as he swung the blade.
"Check it out, T'kral certainly knows how to use a blade" Tyan whispered as Jimmy strapped his projector sword to his baldric and slid the crossbow into a hip holster that came with it
"He does, that kind of raises the question that why does a intel gatherer know how to use a blade that he is only supposed to point us in the direction and is insisting on accompanying us into a battle, not really a reaction you'd expect from an intel" Jimmy replied
The Sergeant walked up behind them "Have doubts about the intel?" he asked
"Small ones, I assume you heard what I and Tyan said" Jimmy said
"Yes and I agree with you. I think there is something more to this one that meets the eye" the Sergeant said slowly "Don't let him out of your sight in the enemy camp alright"
"Yes Sir" both Tyan and Jimmy whispered
After everyone had their weapons they went and stole clothes from the palace guards so they didn't look as much as royal troopers and more like mercenaries, Jimmy laughed at Tyan in her new clothes which consisted of armour breastplates and greaves but underneath a flamboyant purple under guard. Tyan giggled as she saw Jimmy's outfit, he very much resembled an assassin's wardrobe dressed in entirely black armour expect for a scarlet red hat and blue boots.
Both Tyan and Jimmy roared in laughter, almost collapsing as they saw the Sergeant, evidently he had gone into the palace and stolen as sheik's armour. He was clad in head to toe golden armour with black leather fastenings holding the armour together. "What?" the Sergeant asked as Jimmy and Tyan almost cried they were laughing so hard. The Sergeant always wore the grey armour back in training to blend but now he stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Nothing sir nothing" Jimmy said still laughing wiping tears from his eyes
Then the Sergeant noticed Jimmy and Tyan's choice of clothes and armour and said "Well you certainly can't talk, at least I've got decent armour"
"Indeed you have" T'kral said clothed in totally black armour with spikes pointing outwards from the shoulders in this armour he truly painted a formidable figure "Now if your done mocking each other let's go"
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Tyan asked
"Just found out" the Sergeant said in a grave voice "Family got killed in the first attack, whole family. Everything he worked for is dead I wouldn't want to get in his way in the battle if I were you"
Jimmy grimaced as he saw T'kral sheath the projector sword and strap a second to his back and watched T'kral walk with a dark expression on his face out of the armoury into the battle marked street.
"Gods I don't want to be near that in the battlefield" Jimmy said gesturing in the direction that T'kral had gone
"You can say that again" Tyan agreed
"Well just watch yourself if you end up near him, he may not hold his section of the line if we fight, so be extra careful around him in battle" the Sergeant warned
"Yes Sir" Tyan and Jimmy agreed
The soldiers set about leaving the armoury stripping it of every weapon in sight and a few that weren't and set off down the battle marked streets of the once grand city which now was a sad tatter of its former glory. The former capital city of the Rolling Plains, the Grandest City even towering over the majesty of the King's Capital, its reaching towers now broken and torn. Its markets burnt and looted, and its palaces left in a tatter of their former beauty. As Jimmy walked past this destruction his resolve hardened against the enemy who had caused these atrocities.
Tyan shook her head as she saw all the dead, small children lay smashed and forgotten like a young child's toys broken in a careless instant and left behind to be forgotten. Bodies were lying broken in the streets, great rents and wounds inflicted upon the helpless people of the streets. Tyan turned as she heard a crunching sound motioning Jimmy after her she walked down a small side street and was great by the sight of a Rhytinyll feasting on the body of a small child. It looked up a Tyan licking its muzzle covered with gore and prepared to attack but it wasn't fast enough, Tyan's blade flash out severing its head from the body. The body took a few shuddering steps then collapsed bleeding out onto the blood soaked street.
Jimmy ran around the corner just as Tyan finished cleaning her sword and sheathed it, he grimaced as he saw the bodies and quickly drew his crossbow as he spotted the body of the Rhytinyll bleeding on the ground.
"It give you any trouble?" Jimmy asked
"No it was to busy feasting on that" Tyan replied waving her arm in the direction of the body
"Gruesome" Jimmy commented
"Why are we fighting this war?" Tyan suddenly asked Jimmy the horror in her voice showing through
"Because the other choice is extinction" Jimmy said bleakly then he embraced Tyan and pulled her back the way they had come
"Where the hell have you been?" the Sergeant asked
"Tyan found a Rhytinyll feasting on some poor kid's body and killed it" Jimmy said quickly
"What?" the Sergeant said shock showing through his voice
"There still here, they never left" T'kral said quietly
"What the hell are you talking about?" the Sergeant demanded
"I'm sorry" T'kral said a shadow passing over his eyes "They have my family"
"Bastard" Tyan breathed out as they heard the roars of Gentryll's moving through the city
"Fuck, Fuck and Fuck" the Sergeant cursed "Move back to the armoury well hold them there"
The Sergeant turned to face T'kral but the tall dragon had vanished leaving only the retreating troops and the roars of the Gentryll echoing through the air. Jimmy shook his head as he looked towards where the dragon had been.
The soldiers began to set up barricades around the doors of the armoury and mount their crossbows on the impromptu wall that would be the only thing between them and certain death. The medics set up in the hidden area of the armoury and all the armour and weapons were brought to the wall, they all hoped that the weapons would work.
Everyone test fired their crossbows which worked perfectly, apparently T'kral hadn't sabotaged their weapons to the obvious relief of all the soldiers including the Sergeant. The roars of the Gentryll had become louder and closer though fortunately no-one had yet seen a Rhytinyll and everyone hoped they would because they would simple dart through the barricade and attack them.
"Haven't seen any Rhytinyll around here maybe there some where else" suggested one of the soldiers hopefully
"No they won't withhold the Rhytinyll once they know where we are" Mikael said grimly
"Exactly" Jimmy said "How far back did that armoury go?" he suddenly asked
"Fair distance" one of the soldiers put in
"Right, so what if we broke out through one of the walls after their first attack and left them wondering where the hell we went, it should at least buy us some time" Jimmy said
"Brilliant" the Sergeant said
"Mikael take two soldiers and go weaken the furthest wall but don't break it" the Sergeant instructed "Then come straight back here we need everyone to hold the line"
"Right sir alright Bobby and Chris come with me" Mikael shouted
"Think we can trust him to stop?" Tyan asked the Sergeant
"Not a hope in hell but he will get it done fast even if he breaks the wall and runs" the Sergeant said amused
"Here they come" roared one of the soldiers
"Fire at will" the Sergeant shouted back and the air was filled with bolts flying across the yard to embed themselves into the enemy breaking bones and piercing the body, the air was soon filled with the roars of pain from the Gentryll as their bodies were pin cushioned with bolts.
The Gentryll attack broke in the face of such overwhelming firepower but everyone knew they would be back and soon. The Sergeant sent a runner down to check on the progress with the wall and found it broken out and Mikael, Bobby and Chris gone.
"Told you he would run" Tyan said smugly at the expression on the Sergeant's face about the news of the three of his men deserting
The Sergeant turned to Tyan "I never said they wouldn't run I just said they'd do it fast" he said "Anyway better they ran here than in battle"
"True" Jimmy said anger radiating clearly through his voice "They still deserted though"
"Don't care at the moment if we see them will we re retreating we'll nail them but otherwise fuck it" the Sergeant said
"Retreating being slang for running for our lives right?" Tyan asked
"Pretty much" the Sergeant said
"Alright let's go" Jimmy said
"Prepare to retreat, close the armoury door behind us and the secret wall it may hold them for a while. Now Move!!!" the Sergeant shouted
The soldiers came out of the hole in the armoury wall into the south side of the city at least two miles from the original position and began running towards the city gates which they hoped would still be unguarded by the enemy. As they reached the final stretch before the gates they were greeted by the worst sight possible, a gate standing as tall as the city gates was open and through it passed one of the Alhations.
They saw T'kral approach the Alhation and they heard his voice echoing across the streets "I have done as you had asked now give me my family" he demanded
The Alhation cocked his head sideways at T'kral in a look of bemusement and then slammed his sword completely through T'kral lifting him bodily off the ground with his great sword. The Alhation lifted him up to his face and said in a deep voice "I don't have your family their long dead and now so are you" then dropped the point of his sword letting T'kral's body slid limply to the ground.
Then they saw the unconscious bodies of Mikael, Bobby and Chris dragged up to the Alhation, the Alhation began muttering in a strange language and the bodies rose into the air. The bodies began to grow and morph into Gentryll's, bones cracking and moving, their flesh literally moving like quicksilver across their bodies to shape their new form for their master.
"I assume that is what we were sent to kill" Jimmy whispered
"Indeed it was" came a voice from behind them, Jimmy rolled over quickly coming up with is crossbow aiming at the Alhation who had somehow transported himself to them.
Jimmy's finger tightened on the trigger but he dropped the crossbow as it suddenly grew to hot to hold almost bursting into flames in his hands which it promptly did when it hit the ground. "No weapon you hold could possibly harm me" the Alhation sneered
"What about this?" the Sergeant asked standing up and pressing a strange blade against the Alhations neck
"Ahh so your men aren't entirely incompetent "the Alhation said "But you do realise once I die the animals will all go insane and go on rampages until they are killed"
"Absolutely" the Sergeant said then plunged the blade into the Alhation's neck.
The Gentryll's true to the Alhation's word went berserk turning on each other and ripping great holes in anything they could find including themselves. The soldiers looked down on the city watching the animals kill themselves and each other.
Jimmy turned as he heard as hiss, just in time to see a Rhytinyll lunge for Tyan's exposed back the Sergeant saw this as well and dived for Tyan knocking her out of the way and putting him into the path of the berserker monster.
Jimmy rushed forwards as slashed at the Rhytinyll carving its head off in a single stroke sending it spinning down fangs still exposed dripping venom onto the street. "Did it bite you sir?" Jimmy asked
"Of course it bit me, I jumped into its path" the Sergeant said angrily levering himself off the ground nursing his arm
"We got to get outta here" Jimmy shouted "Those Gentryll are really trashing the remains of the city"
Jimmy pulled Tyan off the ground and they all got ready to make the mad dash for the gate, all aware that they would be horribly exposed until they left the city well behind. They all ran for the gate hoping that the Gentryll had moved on and apparently they had, the soldiers got clear off the city just fine until the Sergeant collapsed midstride halting the column dead.
The medics ran over to the Sergeant "I thought you said he was fine" Jimmy shouted at them
"He never saw us we weren't even aware he had been bitten" the medics replied
"Shit" Jimmy breathed running his hands over his head through his red fur now stained black in areas from the ashes of the burnt city
"Will he be alright?" Tyan asked
"We can't tell, we will have to stop we can't move him without killing him" the head medic said gravely
The camp was set up quickly with a small ditch moat dug a few yards out to stop Rhytinylls from sneaking in; of course the moat was filled with poisoned stakes. The camp ditch wall was up and everyone except for the sentries went to rest exhausted from the day's ordeal.
Tyan and Jimmy lay in each others arms for a long while contemplating how close they had both come to dying just glad to be in each others presence. Jimmy shook his head as he remembered all that had happened that day, so much violence.
Jimmy held Tyan tighter as he noticed tears rolling down her cheeks silently dripping onto the floor, Jimmy was so sick of all the violence, all that mattered to him in this world was right next to him and he couldn't believe it had taken him this long to realise it.
Jimmy kissed Tyan and asked her "Tyan if we get back alive will you marry me?"
Tyan looked over at Jimmy in shock and then burst out in real tears and hugged him "Yes, Jimmy I will marry you" she said