The storm came down in a meteoric display of madness, perpetuating the entire forest in a monsoon of wind and chaos. Gargantuan clouds circulated over the broad wide Dycara trees, sending them spinning out of control, the wood cracking and crying under the relent of the storm. Under the shed of rain pouring down was a single resistance to that storm. A small chasm that creeped out from the ground with moss running down its face repelled the rain as it rolled down into the ditches below.

In the cavity of the chasm was darkness. A dancing flame moved in that darkness and reflected off of the faces inhabiting the stone agent that resisted the storm outright. Deeper down into those depths there were many men from the resistance, huddled together for warmth as the cold reached their bones. Velis’s skin from his lips was hanging down from the chap. His eyes wavered. He pulled his knees together and trembled silently amongst the whispers.

Chammie was sitting beside Velis, breaking twigs in half to try and attempt to build a fire. Aldweck and Erick were across from Chammie while Commander Larience and Steilart did their best to keep Zaya restrained. Alex was sitting in the corner, his gaze bored and his brow furrowed. Everyone here was huddling together, interrupted by the storm and unable to continue burying their fallen.

Aldweck cast a gaze over Zaya, her eyes met his, as if she were pleading for his help. Mitch felt nothing for her. After all, she had betrayed the small amount of trust they had built up together on that ship. He scrunched his lips back up into a half-sorry smile and left her eyes to the next person. The part of Mitch that was Aldweck wouldn’t allow himself to ignore Zaya though. He grabbed his scarf robe and put it around her restrained body.

“Don’t take this as forgiveness, I still would punch you if I didn’t have to be a better example to my disciple.” He looked at her solemnly in the eyes before turning his back to her, “The strong shouldn’t use their powers to pick on the weak. That’s what I taught him.”

Zaya’s face scrunched together at that comment. Aldweck insinuating that he was stronger than her made her blood boil. She dropped the robe to the ground in a form of protest. Commander Larience picked it up and put it around him instead.

He smiled at Zaya, “Those who can’t appreciate the kindness of others are the ones who will suffer the most it seems.”

Steilart crossed his arms, “All of the holes we’ve dug are going to fill with water at this rate. Burying the bodies has become much harder.”

The flame lit up behind Steilart and Commander Larience, where Velis was celebrating his victory, he pumped his hands into the air excitedly. The flame was bright and provided much-needed warmth as many of the soldiers huddled closer together to feel the warmth of the flames. The smoke pummeled out of the chasm, and in some cases made it more difficult to breathe. Some saw it as a necessary sacrifice, warmth being more important.

Larience turned and put his hand on Steilart’s shoulder, “I think we may need a new second in command. You would be a good fit for the job, Steilart.”

Steilart pushed Larience’s hand off, “What are you talking about? What’s this out of nowhere? I was just suggesting we may have to leave our comrades' bodies to rot in open fields and now you’re trying to promote me?” Steilart pushed Commander Larience.

“You want to push the commander after he offers you a position?” Larience grabbed the slack out of Steilart’s shirt.

“Shut your mouth. You don’t think the general knows about who is missing? Our families are already probably being slaughtered in this storm by the Cariquey soldiers. The longer we sit around here we’re going to be eating shit!” Steilart said, his eyes wild with anger.

Larience punched him to the ground and started beating him.

Velis and Chammie pulled them off of each other, one grabbing each arm, “Stop fighting.”

Velis had his arms wrapped around Commander Larience, but Steilart got up and slammed his fist into Larience, sending them toppling back.

Erick caught them before Chammie got squashed underneath Velis and Larience, and Aldweck was quick to tackle Steilart to the ground. The whole scene played out in seconds, bringing the tension quickly to a peak in the air as the soldiers saw the degradation of the chain of command completely shatter.

“You’re right okay?” Larience spat the blood out of his mouth, the light of the fire keeping his face shadowed as he looked across the chasm. Lightning struck nearby, “I’m crumbling under the pressure of leading the rest of my men to death. I’m crumbling because the longer we wait here, the more our families are at risk. I’m crumbling because of so many things! What difference does it make to you? Why can’t you help lead? Don’t you want to make it through this?”

“Calm down, we’re going to work through this together as a group,” Aldweck said.

“Work together? What does that even mean? We’re done for!” Steilart countered.

“We are only done for when every last one of us has been extinguished. Do the commander’s words not matter to you? He’s struggling as well.”

Erick nodded, “We can only do this with a calm mind. With master on our side, we are sure to push Lord Warner into a corner that he can’t back out of! We’ve already taken down Zaya the Conqueror. Not to lighten the situation, but how hard can it be?”

“Kid, you sound so ignorant right now.” Steilart pushed Aldweck off of him, “Just because we managed to take care of one of them doesn’t mean we can bring Lord Warner down.”

“Despite all of that, I need everyone to work together for now. We can all go our separate ways once the Cariquey’s are liberated.”

Steilart sighed, “Fine, but don’t think this is over. Most, if not all of us are going to die. I’ll take on a position as vice-commander if you’ll have me, Commander Larience.”

Larience nodded, “Then it’s done. Vice Commander Steilart, I am leaving you in charge of keeping Zaya under wraps and half of the men here. We will move as a unit of two. Once this rain has passed, we will be able to leave Jarquale and make way for one of the lesser islands to rebuild our forces.”

A loud gunshot permeated through the forest and sliced right through one of the soldier’s backs.

“They’re coming! We’ve got to move!” Larience shouted as Velis and Steilart picked Zaya up and had some of the soldiers carry her. The wounded man was also carried as they fumbled out of the chasm, only for him to be dropped to the ground as the first line of people was torn apart by bullets.

Under the coat of the rain, the blood mixed with the buildup and mud. Everyone scattered in different directions, most of them being taken down by bullets.

“Hurry! Follow me.” Commander Larience shouted, throwing his rifle up to his line of sight and firing off a round before running behind a tree. Several shots slammed through the tree, the bark exploding off of it.

Aldweck pushed himself off the ground after slipping and moved with the group that had managed to make it out at the expense of everyone in the front. Aldweck’s heart was beating as fast as the first time, he had been pulled into an impossible situation which left his mind racing. Chammie had somehow made it out and was looking to Aldweck for answers. Most of them were looking toward Aldweck.

“W-What do we do!?” Larience screamed, looking at Aldweck. Hoping that he had the answer when everything began to crumble mentally and physically for the few of them that remained.

Mitch’s mind raced, his eyes flickered back and forth. The panic was setting in. He was an imposter. People looked to him because he was a figure of power and was expected to rise to the occasion against impossible odds, yet Mitch was completely normal and had no adequacy for such standards.

He clenched his hand as his eyes drifted up to the cliffside, a lightning strike meandered the air in the distance over the raging sea that slammed against the rock below. Wind and rain made the bullets even more terrifying as they shredded through the wood of the trees and the screaming and crying of wounded men left him paralyzed.

“So, Knight Aldweck made it off the ship safely and has come to lead a revolution against my Lord. Everything makes sense now, Aldweck.” A loud voice exploded throughout the air as if Mitch were wearing headphones.

“I-It’s General Hickory, we’re dead! He has the best shooters in the kingdom!” Steilart clenched his fist and dropped to his knees as Erick held Zaya tightly bound behind one of the larger stumps. She struggled and screamed, but Erick found himself stronger and more determined against the tightly roped Zaya. If she hadn’t been restrained so tightly, Erick would doubt his abilities to hold her down from getting away.

Alex waddled out of the cave behind the rest of the group, all of the live bullets that he ended up in contact, passed right through him as if he were holographic. He didn’t seem to be bothered at all as he went to get a closer look at the action, “Finally, finally. Something interesting is happening!” he clapped his hands together.

Aldweck held his head and thought, his eyes shut tightly trying to think of a way to get out of here. His eyes then snapped open as he realized there was one way to do all of this.

“We have to take the cliff down. That’s our only way to escape!”

“What!? Tak-Take the cliff down? Are you mad?” Velis crawled around on the ground to Aldweck and pleaded with him, “If we take that cliff we’re dead anyway!”

“We have no other choice. We can either take the chances with the cliff or die here at the hands of rifles. That’s our reality.”

Velis grabbed his ankle, “But aren’t you supposed to be the Knight of Mariotta? Why can’t you do something about this? Why--”

Aldweck interjected, “Because of the way my powers are now, I can’t use them right now. I’m going to need you to just listen to me. This is our only choice!”

“Okay, fine! Just--just get us out of here!” Velis screamed.

Mitch crossed his fingers in his mind and found determination to keep moving forward. Though, he was terrified of every passing second. Aldweck dashed forward and Larience followed after him. Everyone was quick to follow the commander as they disappeared behind more and more trees until they reached a clearing. At the clearing, the rain was pouring down even harder as lightning struck once more. Aldweck’s wet hair covered his eyes as he looked down at the far-reaching cliff that had no end in sight. The water crashed against the rocky terrain below.

Aldweck looked back as the screaming soldiers pursued them.

“This is the only way!” Aldweck said, huffing.

“B-But we don’t have any rope!” Larience shouted over the tornado of sounds.

Aldweck turned and looked toward the penguin for reassurance.

“Hah! You’re funny if you think I’m going to conveniently help you. I’m only following the show. You’re on your own shitface.” Alex said, waddling over to the side.

“There’s nowhere left for you to go. Killing yourself now wouldn’t be such an honorable way to die. Not that you have much of a choice left, since you’ve never been honorable...Aldweck.” The voice echoed in all of their heads again.

Aldweck turned to see General Hickory standing at the forefront of the elite Cariqeyan army. They slammed their guns to their chests and raised them to shoulder length in unison. General Hickory was grinning ear to ear, his eyes wild with anticipation.

“Goodbye, Aldweck.”