novelzi Chapter 25: Retreating
Chapter 25: Retreating
Chapter 25: Retreating
The hesitation was gone. The soldiers roared in response, weapons lifted high, and turned to care for the coming doom with bravery.
Next to the commander, his closest warriors came next to him, standing tall, shoulder to shoulder, their weapons burning under the burning sky.
And behind them, one by one, the soldiers began to line up, battered and fatigued, some even with injuries that would render them almost useless but there was only one thought in their mind.
Fight!
They had their commander here with them. And he told them of the stakes. Their families. Their land. The smiles.
They carried the fates and hopes of not just their families but of the whole kingdom on their shoulders. There was no way they were going to retreat or die off without putting up a fight.
Darius looked around at the soldiers around him, and a proud smirk appeared on his face as he admired each and every soldier that had lined up behind him.
Meanwhile, a distance away, making his way to the stronghold, Boy couldn't help but turn around to take one look back at Darius and he saw how he was able to rally the soldiers and even the summons.@@@@
They had all lined up proudly, putting all their faith in him.
Boy even saw those who were missing limbs, eyes bleeding to a point where they could not see anything.
'How are they able to risk so much for such a simple being...' he questioned in wonder at the scene in front of him.
It was a great show of defiance. One of pure strength and one of unity that emanated a collective strength that shook one's heart at a similar intensity.
"Hold the line!" the commander ordered.
A solemn nod passed between all the soldiers as they all shouted in unison, "Holding!"
The commander took a step forward, eyes locked onto the dragon. He stood tall, a force of nature contained within his disciplined stance of a warrior. Unshaken. Undaunted.
Once he was able to make sure that it was able to be seen by both the guards, he then told the feline to carry it.
The cat immediately obliged as it picked it up with its mouth and then turned to the guards again.
The guards hesitated and the lead guard was shocked by the intelligence that was displayed by the hyena in front of him. He clenched his jaw, exchanging a glance with his fellow guards.
After a tense moment, one of them relented, "Fine. Both of you- through the portal. Now!"
Boy and the feline did not hesitate as they immediately passed through. With one final glance at the battlefield behind him, he entered past the doors.
A group of warriors and scribes stood in the teleportation circle, waiting. Their armour was marked with the insignia of Eldoria's elite- a group that was tasked with the protection of the scribes that kept records of the events at the stronghold.
As Boy approached, their expectant gazes to confusion, then shock.
Their eyes had fallen on the insignia pinned to his fur and the bloodstained cape draped over his form. Realisation dawned like a heavy storm settling over them.
"No..." one of them muttered under his breath. The weight of what happened crashed onto their shoulders. Their commander had sacrificed himself and was not even able to send a message to retreat in time.
A grim silence fell over them, but there was no time to mourn. One of the soldiers, a hardened knight with a scar down his cheek, swallowed hard and nodded as he spoke, "Let them in! The summons are sent by Commander Darius!"
The portal then surged with power as the ancient symbols carved into the stone circle flared with a brilliant light, crackling with energy as the teleportation spell activated.
The air grew heavy, a deep hum vibrating through the chamber as the portal was activated by the soldiers who were feeding it their aether.
As the portal fully activated, Boy felt a powerful pull, the aether wrapping around him like unseen hands.
In the next heartbeat, the stronghold chamber and the war-torn sounds have all disappeared into nothingness.
Then, silence.