The top of Hill 181

Newman was getting the final pieces of the rescue operation ready. She carried a box full of belt ammunition over towards a UH-1Y Venom that was preparing to take off. The pilot and the two door gunners were frantically running around it, getting their equipment and gear in place. A ground team had just taken a hose out of the fuel pump, and the rotor blades of the chopper were running. The final stages of preparation. Newman handed the ammo box to a door gunner, who thanked her and began loading the two miniguns. The pilot hopped inside of the cockpit for a preflight check. A straight-faced look of anxiety was painted on her face, not necessarily because the mission was dangerous, but because this mission was more about reputation and camaraderie than anything else. She needed to save Unity, if not, then all the Marines would begin to see their officers as machines who thought that they were nothing more than bullet catchers. Something to be abandoned when the situation got tough. She couldn't have that sort of mistrust of officers go on, at least not in her company. She wouldn't stand for it. Not only that, she had to prove a point to Jefferson, a point that he seemingly forgot. That no matter the rank, or the occupation, sentient lives were important...

She heard the news of the frontlines over at Minerva. She saw everything for herself. From the firebirds to the land wave, to the vaporization of troops on the field. Official counts held the death toll at around 85 soldiers. The single largest loss of life for the USMC in a battle since Fallujah. And to think that the fighting had only begun... But Jefferson only cared about the result. The wall came down, and the Americans won a victory. A Pyrrhic Victory, but a victory nonetheless in his eyes. All that mattered to him were the words, "Mission Accomplished", anything else other than that was just a matter of plus and minuses. Numbers on spreadsheets.

Newman had to prove to Jefferson that each number was real. Behind every gunsight, was a human being. Each body that was either crushed in the land tsunami or vaporized in the death field, was a story abruptly cut short. A story that was just as significant as any of their own. She had to do it. This was no longer a random act of an officer looking out for their troops. This was mandatory, something required of her. If she didn't save Unity here, she might as well have perished along with the rest of the 85 dead troops out in Minerva.

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"Hezekiah! Wake up! Please, wake up!"

"Are you sure that he's alright?"

"He'll survive. Raritan healing magic is incredibly powerful. Had we discovered them any later though, they would've been too far gone for healing to save. The rabbit will survive too."

"What did you say her name was again?"

"Cathy. She's a very good friend of ours."

Nothing hurt anymore. Hezekiah wriggled his face, the sounds of familiar voices around him. He opened his eyes to see Flint and Otaes looking at him. Though his body no longer hurt, his head was cloudy and it took him a minute to process what was going on. He groaned as he started moving about, "Ugh,".

"Rise and shine, buddy. You had me worried sick about you!" Flint told him, though the words didn't immediately register in Hezekiah's mind.

He took in his surroundings. He had been propped up and moved to sit against a wall a little distance away from where he initially went out. He took a huge comfort in seeing two familiar faces, and he noticed the boots of another marine off to his left whom he couldn't identify. As he looked around, he saw another form stirring to life. Across from him was the hare, in much the same position as he was. She rose to meet his gaze and the two jumped to their feet instinctively. Both drew their weapons without thinking about what was going on as if their fight had only been briefly put on hold for a few seconds and everything reset. For a second, Hezekiah was ready to kill her right then and there, until both Flint and Otaes jumped in between them, with Flint grabbing his hand and restraining him, "Woah! Woah, man! Calm down!"

"She tried to kill me! She's dangerous!"

"No! Just drop the knife, man! Brooks, drop the knife!" Flint pressed Hezekiah's hands against the wall, forcing his fingers open. Demanding an explanation, Hezekiah turned his gaze to him.

"What the hell are you doing?" He shoved Flint away. The hare calmed down as well, but she looked at Otaes intensely as if she was trying to study the elf. The hare opened her mouth, and thanks to the translation spell that the elves worked, her words came out in English...

"O-Otaes? Is that you?" Asked the Hare. Hearing her speak in his language took the edge off of Hezekiah a bit more. This hare knew who Otaes was.

"Cathy-" Otaes said her name but was cut off when Hezekiah barged into the conversation.

"Wait a damn minute! You two know each other?"

"Yes," Otaes admitted, "Cathy, this is Hezekiah, Flint, and Lafayette. They aren't here to hurt you," she said in a calm yet firm voice. Cathy looked just as confused as Hezekiah was.

"But, Otaes. They're Ithacan, they're invading us now!"

"They've agreed to help us, help you. As you know they're fighting a war against the Iscariots, they'll help you in your revolution here. I promise, they're friendly... for the most part," Otaes turned to Hezekiah, "Hezekiah, this is Cathy. She's one of the leaders of the Reformation in the Empire. We were supposed to introduce the two parties on perhaps more favorable terms but..." Otaes trailed off.

"You two tried to kill each other!" Flint gave Hezekiah a playful punch in the shoulder.

Hezekiah was still bewildered by the whole thing, "Okay... I think I understand. Cathy..." He gestured to the hare, whose ears twitched upon hearing her name, "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. I apologize too... Otaes," Cathy began, "What's happening? What were those explosions-"

"We have a bigger problem to worry about right now!" Otaes told her, "The Imperials found our location. Myself and Flint were stuck inside the storage house when a patrol tried to capture us."

"Well, where are they now?" Hezekiah asked.

"We drove away the patrol, it was like five soldiers. But they are gonna be back sooner or later," Said Flint.

"Shit!" Hezekiah turned to Lafayette, who had been silent this entire time. He only just realized that Lafayette was concentrating on the window, his gun aiming just outside. He was clearly holding security, keeping an eye out for any Imperials. Speaking of Lafayette, where was the rest of Unity?

"Where is everybody else? We're missing... Brian, Quinn, and Temetet. Where are they?"

Otaes and Flint glanced at each other and turned back to him, "We don't know," Flint spoke first, "The last thing I recall was getting thrown in the water, and getting Otaes out."

"Flint was the only one of your Marines that I saw, and he pulled me from the water," The elf said looking at him with a quaint smile, before turning back to Hezekiah, "It's wholly possible that the others-"

"No! No! We'll find them! Sooner or later! But we'll find them, and then we'll get the hell out of here!"

"Well, it's gonna have to be sooner, sir!" Lafayette said for the first time. Hezekiah turned to him.

"What makes you say that?"

"Imperials. They're coming down the road! Looks like an army!" Lafayette's eyes were wide open, and he pointed a ghastly finger outside of the storehouse. Everybody ran to his position to get a look.

The storehouse window faced a downtown area of the city. Tall buildings -- with some being five stories or taller -- lined the streets. Civilians on the road hurried inside of buildings, slamming doors shut behind them. Children were pulled away, vendors abandoned their wares, and curtains were closed. In their wake was an army of soldiers. Two hundred strong.

Everyone looked with disbelief, how the hell were they supposed to fight against that? Hezekiah couldn't think about what to do since he didn't have a plan. He couldn't come up with one. Two hundred against a squad of five, if Hezekiah was counting Cathy as one willing to fight along with them. But given that she knew who Otaes was, she probably was anti-Imperial too. They would have a better chance, if only they could find Brian, Quinn, and Temetet. But slowly Hezekiah began to fear that the worst would happen. They could be anywhere if they weren't already dead.

"Lafayette, did you see the rest of Unity?"

"Can't say that I have, but I saw a few silhouettes outside of the third building to our right," Lafayette gestured in the general direction, "I was busy trying not to freeze to death, so I didn't get a great look at them. Just figured that they were workers at the docks. But there's a chance it could've been them!"

Hezekiah's heart jumped in absolute joy at the prospect of being able to at least get his friends together. If Unity stuck together, they had a chance. However minimal. Hezekiah once again eyed the Imperials, closer now than they were just moments before. Time was ticking. He needed to move, "Laf! How much ammo you got?"

Lafayette checked his body, frowning when he found only one magazine in his vest, "I've only got half a mag loaded and one full in my vest."

"What about you Flint?"

"I've got five left, sir!"

"Split a few with Laf," Flint nodded and pulled a couple of fresh magazines out of his vest, handing them to Lafayette. Somewhat satisfied with the ammo situation Hezekiah turned to Otaes and Cathy, "Otaes, can you still fight?"

"I have my quill. Fifteen arrows."

That wasn't a whole lot. While the gun situation was bad, Otaes would struggle greatly with a primitive bow and arrow. While it seemed powerful enough to break straight through Iscariot plate armor, a bow and arrow were wildly ineffective. He needed to trust that she'd make every shot count, "Don't you Warrior Elves have magic or something to fight with?"

"The Ximac do, Raritans are only specialized in the art of healing magic," she told him.

"Damn, alright well… I trust you can make every arrow count, right?"

"You have nothing to worry about, I can hold my own," she said with a gracious smile, "I've been in worst situations… trust me."

Hezekiah thought that the current situation seemed pretty hopeless. To imagine an even worst-case scenario was incredibly difficult. But Hezekiah didn't waste any time on questions, he moved on to check Cathy. It was a bit awkward coming to her for help after they were literally at the other's throats just a few short moments ago. But desperate times called for desperate action, "Cathy…"

"I'll help you," Cathy spoke exactly what was on his mind, "I'm willing to chalk our previous encounter up to… an unfortunate misunderstanding. Agreed?" she told him.

"Agreed," Hezekiah said with a grateful smile, "Pleased that you're on board."

"What's the plan of action, sir?" Flint asked.

"I'm going to find the rest of Unity, and when I do, I'll bring them back here!" Hezekiah told him.

Otaes placed a hand on him, stopping him from leaving. Hezekiah looked into her grey painted eyes, "I'll go," was all she said.

"I can't let you-"

"My brother is out there. I have to go and make sure he's alright. Besides, I'll serve more use finding him and your soldiers than I will, standing here!"

She made a point, Hezekiah's third rifle was needed here to keep the Iscariots away. While Hezekiah thought that he'd only be gone for a minute or two, they didn't have a minute or two to spare. The squad needed his gun, swapping it with Otaes' bow would be suicidal. But Hezekiah had to protest. He felt the need to save them as if it was somehow a redeeming factor for himself. Was it possible that she felt the same way? She did nothing wrong, but perhaps she felt some personal obligation to do this. If that was the case, could Hezekiah stop her? Especially with her relative's life on the line?

But it was dangerous out there. Nobody knew for sure but the entire place could very well be swarming with Iscariots ahead of the main army. Hezekiah was more than able to deal with at least a few of them, he had more ammo than both Lafayette and Quinn combined. What would Otaes do with only ten arrows? He knew she was incredibly skilled in the Martial Arts, but hand-to-hand combat could only get her so far. What would she do if she got caught in a ranged battle against an Imperial archer, or worse, a mage? Unless the Raritans had another hidden technique to deal with that very scenario, she'd likely be fighting a losing battle, "I can't. It's dangerous to go out there alone, you know that!" Hezekiah told her.

"This entire mission is dangerous."

"And I don't need you to make it worse going by yourself, you know as well as I do that this entire place could be flooded with Iscariots right this minute!"

"Uh, guys?" The two turned to Flint who was gesturing to something outside the window again. They looked and saw a horse riding in front of the army. On top was an Iscariot dressed in silver metal armor with crimson red accents surrounding it. A golden cape tied over the shoulders, and golden markings on the armor distinguished it from the rest of the same-looking Iscariot soldiers behind. The Imperial disembarked, taking a few casual steps, looking straight at the occupied building. Unity watched its movements carefully, as the Imperial took its helmet off revealing white fur and rabbit ears. Very similar to that of Cathy's. Speaking of Cathy, an expression of shock overtook her, brows furrowed and jaw slightly agape.

"Who the hell is that?" Lafayette asked, sensing the other rabbit to be of some importance.

"Lady Igraine…" Cathy breathlessly stated.

Otaes placed a hand on Cathy, a questioning look on her face, "Are you sure it's Igraine? You mean, The butcher?"

Cathy silently nodded.

'The Butcher? What?' Hezekiah thought, "Who's Lady Igraine, and why is she called the butcher?'

"She's an Imperial general, politician too," Answered Otaes, looking out of the window, "They call her 'the butcher' because she's known for burning entire towns to ashes, and slaughtering any of the survivors…"

"Oh, shit…" Hezekiah muttered.

They kept an eye on Igraine, unsure if she was looking directly at them or not. The vague figure of the rabbit stood in the middle of the road with a confidence that could only be achieved in the face of a guaranteed victory. It was almost crooked the way she looked, perhaps to instill fear inside of the occupants of the Dockyards. A red glow came from an Ekron stone around Igraine's neck, and Unity braced for a moment expecting a magical attack. But instead, she began to talk, with a loud and thunderous voice perhaps amplified by the Ekron's magic, "My name is Lady Igraine!" Her voice was calm, almost like the voice of some hostage negotiator trying to coax out a gang of armed robbers from a bank, "Whether or not that name rings a bell to you, is none of your concern," Hezekiah could see the imprints of a wicked smile growing on her face, "I'll do my best to explain your current situation as best as I possibly can. You are trapped between a freezing cold river, and my army which has blocked all routes of passage both going in and out."

Unity looked around to confirm if this was true, peeking through the windows of their building. Indeed, soldiers had been lined up in the streets running on either side of the dockyard, plugging any possible means of escape.

"Between yourself and the innocent people of Minerva, is my army. Which is more than capable of burning you all alive where you stand. A task made much simpler by our dragons…" She turned to face the army behind her which made way to reveal two large reptilians. One was a deep purple and the other a fiery orange. Both looked ready to kill at a moment's notice.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me…" Flint whispered.

Igraine continued turning back to Unity, "I'll put this mildly. You may think that you stand some chance of making it out of here alive. But you do not. You will pay with your lives for the innocent lives lost here, taken by your hands. You can either surrender which would make things a lot easier for both you and myself… or you can fight, and preserve at least some of your dignity…"

Hezekiah pulled away from the window to observe his allies. They too were looking for confirmation in each other, all five of them. The rabbit shifted a bit when she got no response from Unity, "I'll give you fifteen minutes to make your decision!" She said, turning on her heels and vanishing into the ranks of her disciplined army in one graceful motion.

"Today just gets better and better, amirite?" Lafayette quipped with a rather depressing and exhausting chuckle buried in the statement.

"Filo…" Cathy whispered, "My colleague Filo might be trapped in the other building! If anybody is going to go and search, please make sure that you find her too."

Hezekiah thought back to the second Iscariot that was with Cathy, the bluebird. Eyeballing the third building which had three floors. Not just another storehouse, perhaps an office of some form? Maybe the office building of the Dock Master here. There was a good chance that the rest of Unity and Cathy's friend, Filo, could be stuck in there.

"Who's Filo?" Asked Flint.

"She's the daughter of Governor Lombardy, both are Reformists like myself. She has no combat experience whatsoever. You have to rescue her!"

"We'll see what we can do, Otaes?" Hezekiah asked the elf. She turned to face him, looking with those gray pupil-less eyes that the elves had…

"Which one of us is going?" Otaes asked.

"Both of us. We've got fifteen minutes before that 'Igraine' person comes back. That should be enough, right?"

"Right." She confirmed.

With that the two positioned themselves by the door leading outside of their storehouse, they bid their temporary farewells to the rest of Unity, and slowly opened the door letting in a burst of cold wintery air. No aided at all by the cooler temperatures around the freezing Albya river. Luckily, Hezekiah was dry and warm now. And so was Otaes by the looks of it. They should have no problems in the cold weather, so long as they didn't stick around for too much. The building was a short walk away, less than 50 yards from their current position. Neither of the two had any plans to stay, especially not with a fifteen-minute timer ticking down.

But for now, it was just the two of them alone. Hezekiah took a glance at Otaes. At this moment, she seemed more human than ever. Everything about this fantasy world had become more real each second that he spent here. His brain recognized her as nothing more than just another human, which was a thought very few people had. To think that just a month ago, everything up until now would've been regarded as impossible if not outright reserved for the fantasy books. But now, it was as normalized as regular human life on Earth. Even the Iscariot demi-human people. While Hezekiah was in no way familiar with any of the functions of the world, the effect of brain-melting surprise had worn off. His mind was now accustomed to not only accept that everything was possible, but it seemed to start embracing that fact…

Speaking of Otaes, he thought of Flint. Remembering that the elf said Flint rescued her from the Albya. He knew Flint had a romantic interest in Otaes, was she aware of that? He took another look back at her, debating whether or not he should bring it up now. He shook his head as he decided against it, figuring that now was a completely inappropriate time.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time you know…"

Hezekiah again turned to face her, processing her sudden statement, "What do you mean?"

"Throughout the Five Nations, death fighting against an enemy is a noble way to die. But rescuing another, especially family, is even more honorable," She told him.

"What are you going to do with a lot of honor?" Hezekiah asked her, though the question was odd. He hoped she'd understand. It seemed like something that preoccupied a lot of her aspirations, so whatever its use, it must've been important.

"Well with honor comes respect throughout all of the five nations. But beyond that, my dream since I was a girl was to become one of the Kitchi."

"What's that?"

"A group of only the strongest, respected, and legendary warriors throughout the five nations…" Her eyes clouded as they began to wander into a daydream-like state, "Legend says that Five of the Kitchi were able to hold off an entire army of Imperials. They safeguard the nations from threats, and everybody adores them," She said with a sigh.

"That sounds awesome. You shouldn't have any trouble getting in there, y'know."

She looked up at him with hope-filled eyes warming the cold air between them, "Really?"

"Yeah. Otaes, you’re a badass. Everybody knows that."

She smiled, "Thank you. But ultimately, it's for the Elf Mother and the leaders of each of the five nations to decide…"

"Is she your actual mother or…?"

"No. Throughout the five nations, children are raised by the elderly, people too old to fight. They pass on their wisdom to the next generation, and the most revered of all gain the title of mother or father…"

"I see," Hezekiah nodded in understanding. He gave her a light elbow, "Hey, don't worry about anything. We'll get your brother out of this, and then you'll go on to become a Kitchi. You got this."

"I hope so…" She said with a faint smile that vanished a few moments later. Apparently not convinced. But more important things were of priority here.

The duo approached the building. The door was left open which could only mean that the occupants inside were in a rush. Stepping inside the halls of the building only revealed more distressing info about the situation inside, as they stumbled upon a dead body. Upon observation, it was clear that this was an imperial soldier, though it was… human? The skin was pale white but the body was still warm, clearly only dying moments ago.

"Battle Thrall," Otaes said, "Slaves trained to fight for the Empire."

"Poor guy," Hezekiah continued inspecting the body of the dead human until he found the cause of death. A circular hole in the throat. A bullet hole. Hezekiah eyed the brass bullet that only the Marines could've had. It all but confirmed that the rest of Unity was hiding somewhere here, "My boys were definitely here." He said.

"How'd you tell?"

"Bullet hole only could've been one of our rifles."

Otaes accepted that as the answer, "So what do we do now?"

"We keep looking, we'll split up to cover as much of this building as possible. They'll be here somewhere…"

"Good plan," Otaes said. She decided to go down a corridor on the left, Hezekiah went right, the two parting ways for now. Leaving the candle-lit main lobby of the building took him down the dark and twisting corridors of the building. Multiple doors lined it leading to rooms that were almost all locked. Hezekiah moved on until he found an open door that contained a stairwell. He slowly went up the steps, encountering a few more Imperial bodies along the way. He stopped when he heard the sound of voices, though they were indiscernible. Each step he made was heavy and echoed through the empty halls of the building, no doubt giving his position away to anyone within earshot.

He readied his gun as he entered the second floor. He noticed a door to his left was half-open… slowly he pushed it open…

A hand fell on his shoulder and he was pushed against the wall, he braced for the impact but still felt it in each of his bones. When his eyes opened, he saw himself looking down the barrel of a gun, "HOLD IT STAY RIGHT-" His assailant stopped. He saw the face of Quinn, who in turn recognized him, "Jesus, Hez. I almost shot you in the face."

"Yeah, you did," Hezekiah said bewildered.

"Oh Christ, gave me a fucking heart attack!"

A door to the left opened, and the two soldiers raised their guns yet again at whoever it was coming inside. But instead of an imperial, it was the face of Otaes. The two once again relaxed upon seeing her, "Alright, ease the fuck up, Q. Where's the rest of Unity?"

"I got Brian with me-"

"What about my brother?" Otaes asked him with desperation rising in her voice.

"You mean, Temetet? Yeah, he's with us," Quinn told her. Otaes let out a visible sigh of relief and gratitude, but that was before Quinn could continue, "We have him… but he isn't looking so good."

Her face dropped with worried fear, "Let me see him, please!"

"Be my guest," He said, gesturing to a door. Otaes quickly opened it, moving into the next room. Hezekiah followed.

They were inside an office of some sort. Candlelight all around gave the room an orange glow. In one corner, He saw Brian sitting next to an unconscious and badly injured Temetet. He looked rough, bruises were visible all over his snow-white skin, bandages and wraps covered his head, and his chest was struggling to rise and fall. Otaes fell over him, placing an ear on his chest.

"He's breathing, thanks to Brian," Quinn told Hezekiah, "He did chest compressions on Temetet to get the water out of his lungs."

"How long?"

"He must've been at it for… fifteen minutes at least," Quinn chortled, "Kid didn't give up until Temetet got a pulse going again. Did it for another five until he started to breathe on his own."

"Damn…What happened?"

"Well after everything went pear-shaped we all ended up close to one another, but Brian spotted Temetet floating face down in the river," Quinn grew a smile on his face, "The Kid dove back into the water to get him out. Fucking idiot nearly drowned himself," Quinn said purposely made his voice loud enough for Brian to hear.

"But I didn't," Brian quipped with a weary smile.

"Yeah… you didn't."

"Otaes, how is he looking?" Hezekiah asked.

She raised herself from off of his body, looking grateful and distressed at the same time, "He'll live. But we need to get him out of here," She turned to Brian, "Thank you…" she said breathlessly, "You have no idea how grateful I am."

"No worries…"

"Alright, let's get him out of here-"

"Woah, there's one more thing!" Quinn said. He gestured towards a closet with a chair propped up behind it, "We encountered this… civilian I think. What do we do with 'em?"

"Who is it?" Otaes asked, looking towards the closet.

"I dunno. It's some bird lady. She was speaking nothin' but gibberish. At first, we thought she was another soldier but she didn't have any weapons."

"So you just locked her in there?" Hezekiah asked him a bit aggressively.

"What else were we supposed to do? We have no clue who that was…"

Hezekiah sighed as he went up to the closet, removing the chair barring it from opening. He twisted the handle and when the light-flooded in, he indeed saw a blue avian wearing a colorful yellow dress. Otaes' look of concern confirmed that this was indeed Filo. She had her wings covering her face, eyes closed, and she was shaking slightly. Cowering.

"Did you hurt her?" Hezekiah asked noting the incredibly fearful posture of Filo.

Quinn shook his head, "Nah. Not physically anyway. We found her inside of the building snooping around. We thought she was Imperial, held her at gunpoint, and locked her in here until we could figure something out."

Otaes moved over to the bird, placing her hands on the frail creature. Filo recoiled at first, only to look back up to the elf with uncertainty still hidden in her eyes, "She doesn't know who I am," she informed, "Filo, it's okay. You can speak now. We're with Cathy…"

Filo looked up upon hearing that name, "C-Cathy?" She looked around, "You know Cathy?"

"Yes, we'll bring you to her. Just please, come with us."

"Yeah, we have to hurry. We've only got like five minutes before that Igraine person comes back!" Hezekiah reminded Otaes.

Otaes grabbed Filo's wingtips, forcefully pulling her up to the talons on her feet, "Come on! We have to go! Now!" Filo said nothing, only tightening her grip on Otaes as she followed close behind.

"Alright, Devil Dogs, let's bug out!"

The Marines got up, moving on to follow Hezekiah and Otaes back to the rest of Unity's position. They walked cautiously, though they didn't spot any Imperials. At least not yet. Walking down the stairwell, and into the dark halls of the building that led them through the lobby and outside into the blizzard. Visibility was once again low, Hezekiah was barely able to see more than a few feet ahead of him. Luckily, the layout of the Docks made It so seeing far wasn't a necessity. Still, anything could be hiding in the snowstorm. Anything…

"Staff Sergeant Brooks!" Brian called him out.

"Speak to me!"

"I think I can see shadows, moving around. Like fucking ghosts."

"Probably Imperial," Quinn added.

Hezekiah looked around the dockyard, and he indeed saw the silhouettes of figures moving. And they were moving towards the building that the remnants of Unity were garrisoned in. They were trying to flank behind Unity, trying to get the drop on them when they least expect it.

"Shit! Move with some agency! They're trying to flush 'em out from behind!" Hezekiah said, increasing his speed from a light jog to a full-on sprint. Everyone else did the same, running blind in the snow. They approached the southern wall of the building, the rear door that Hezekiah broke open earlier lay on the next corner. And Hezekiah could hear whispers. They lined up on the wall. Knowing for certain that the Imperials were gathered right next to them.

"On my mark, stand clear…" Hezekiah slowly moved closer to the corner. The idea was to get a better look, peeking around the corner to scout ahead. But when Hezekiah peeked his head around, he found nothing.

"What is it, sir?" Brian asked. Hezekiah moved his whole body out to figure out where they went. He could see footsteps and paw prints in the snow leading up to the door. But they didn't go inside. Where did they go?

"I-I don't know…"

"What do you mean?"

"They vanished!"

Hezekiah said aloud. An ominous presence fell upon the team, and they huddle closer together. Unable to see much of anything around them, and knowing for certain that they weren't alone, the squad took a defensive stance. Hezekiah felt presences all around him, hearing footsteps come and go. He swung his rifle around, squinting his eyes to try and make out where the shadows were. But he could see absolutely nothing.

He felt movement nearby, and out of his peripheral vision saw a shadowy figure approach him. Hezekiah's head swung around, and his body reacted ultra fast. An arm carrying a knife had been thrust towards him from out of the shadows. Luckily, his reflexes got his arms in a position to block just in time. His arms grasped the sole arm of his assailant, he let out a yell, "GAH!".

Another hand, this time closed in a fist, beamed into view. But Hezekiah could not react in time to block that, and instead, a solid punch shook his world. He stammered backward, falling against the wall. Regathering his thoughts from the punch, he could see the full figure now. An Imperial, the species to which it belonged was unknown as the armor it wore, though slim-fitting, hid any telling feature about its background. Though it stood at about Hezekiah's height. Grey metal armor covered the entire body from head to toe, and a helmet with a slim and darkened visor protected the head and face. Most noticeable of all was small red Ekron stones, built into the chest, shoulders, and temple of the suit of armor.

The Imperial went for a knife kill again, the hand darting back towards Hezekiah's heart. Moving faster than he had ever gone before, Hezekiah moved his left arm in time to catch the jab.

"BANG!"

A gunshot from Quinn's rifle punched a hole straight through the Imperial's leg armor, right in the thigh. But it made no sound, only hunching over at the pain, dropping to one knee. Before anybody could react, it fell backward and quite literally… dissolved?

The body fell like ashes and scattered amongst the snowflakes falling around them, "Stalkers!" Otaes said as she put Temetet's limp body in a sitting position against the wall, pulling out her bow to engage.

"What?"

"Stalkers! Imperial magicians! They are trained to blend into the environment around them! They could be anywhere!"

"How do we find them?"

"Just listen for footsteps and look for disturbances in the snow, that's our best-" Before Otaes could finish, a Stalker appeared again from the shadows with a weapon in its clutches. A sickle. With one swift movement, it buried the edge of the blade deep into her left calf. Witnessing it was brutal enough, even without the sound of wet gore sloshing around from the attack which was loud enough for even Hezekiah to hear. The Stalker pulled the sickle forward, forcing Otaes to fall backward, and she landed with a thud onto the snow-covered stone floor.

"BANG! BANG!" Hezekiah's rifle yelled out, the bullets pierced through the Imperials' armor and it too dissolved into the snow around. Though neither of those bullets was immediately fatal, with one only hitting in the gut, and the other piercing through the hip, "Otaes is down!" He called out, "We gotta get the fuck outta Dodge! Come on!"

Brian was the first to try and grab her, but as he was in the process of doing so, a hand materialized from the frozen depths of the white snow and reached out latching onto his shoulder. The Stalker spun Brian's body around to face it, and a knife dug itself deep into his shoulder blade, "AH!" he screamed as it shoved him to the floor. Quinn was fast and punched three bullet holes into the Imperial. One going straight through the head. It fell backward, this time not dissolving like the prior two had, presumably killed the moment the bullet pierced its brain.

"Q! Get Brian, I'll pull Otaes! Filo, can you carry Temetet?"

"He? Jo lappa?!" Filo said in her native tongue.

"Shit!"

The convenience of Otaes' translation spell had vanished with her being in a critical condition. She was on the floor, fresh red blood painted the white snowy ground, spilling from the open gash in her leg. She was squirming on the floor, squealing from the pain. Terror filled Hezekiah as he realized that they were fighting ghosts while blind. Confusion and chaos controlled them. He was no longer in charge…

He rushed over to Otaes, placing his hands under her shoulders to try and pull her to safety. But he had no clue if he could, "Don't worry Otaes! I'm getting you out of here! Alright?"

"NAD! ETYLA!" Otaes yelled out through gritted teeth. Probably a Kiote expletive of some form.

Sensing that her help was necessary, Filo frantically rushed over to Temetet. She nervously looked back to Quinn and Hezekiah, probably for confirmation. When she was satisfied, she began to pull him.

Hezekiah arched his back to start pulling Otaes. Quinn was right ahead of him, carrying a screaming Brian over his shoulder. Quinn looked up, and just in time.

"BROOKS! BEHIND YOU!"

A hand fell onto Hezekiah's shoulder, and his inside froze with fear. The Imperial grabbed a hold of him, slamming Hezekiah's body into the wall, while Otaes fell from his clutch. Knocked out his senses, Hezekiah wasn't able to properly catch the knife that was coming towards his face. Only managing to get a weak arm to grab ahold of the wrist of the Imperial. Too weak to do much of anything except maintain his hold, he was stuck pushing against the arm that carried a five-inch blade dangling centimeters from his throat. Fear and panic gripped his mind, filling his every thought. He could hear nothing else, his mind focused…

Just outside of his visions, Quinn was grabbed by the throat and lifted off of the ground. A Stalker lifted him with one arm, clutching its dagger-like hands around his windpipe. He heard Quinn hacking, struggling to breathe. Filo ran up to the Stalker, banging with her wings clutched against its metal armor. But she was nothing more than a slight annoyance to the massive creature, who dwarfed her. With a free hand, it grabbed her chest and pushed her straight to the floor. She fell against the wall, head hitting the cold hard surface. Unable to do anything to fight back…

Hezekiah was losing his own battle, his hands giving way… he couldn't win. His elbows screamed in pain, wrists growing weary, his biceps puttering out…

But then the Stalker pulled back, Hezekiah took this as an opportunity to breathe a bit not knowing the reason why the Imperial recoiled. But soon the reason became obvious. The Stalker lowered its head and using the top of its helmet as a battering ram, smashed straight into his face. Bones breaking again, teeth flying loose, blood pouring out. Hezekiah stammered back against the wall, and with a swift movement, was pinned against it by the elbow of the Stalker. The knife reappeared and sunk itself deep into Hezekiah's shoulder blade. The deep sting of the knife penetrating his flesh told Hezekiah everything he needed to know. That he had lost… everything.

The Stalker grabbed his completely limp body as it was in full control. By the collar and vest, it pulled him away from the wall and threw him against the floor. Hezekiah fell and rolled over a few times, face buried into the frozen snow that was colored red with his own blood. The pain was unrelenting. Everything burned around him.

The only other thing Hezekiah could see was Quinn being thrown down onto the floor next to him by his attacker. Quinn groaned, "Please! No! Not like this! Please, not like this!" He begged. The Stalker grabbed him by the vest with one hand, and balled the other into a fist, "Please, I have a family! Please-" was all Quinn could get out before a fist slapped against his jaw. He couldn't look up before another hit him. Sergeant Quinn Vulcano was either knocked unconscious or injured to the point that he couldn't speak. Satisfied with its brutality, the stalker peeled away, laughing a hearty laugh to itself as it brandished a dagger.

Hezekiah held out his hand to it, the hand attached to his still injured arm, "Please… don't hurt him…".

Quinn's attacker ignored Hezekiah's plead. Besides, Hezekiah had bigger fish to fry. The other Stalker was walking towards him, looking down at him like a roach about to be squashed. It stopped just in front of him and raised its boot, slamming it back down over his hand. Hezekiah heard several bones snap before the pain set in…

"AAARGH!" He screamed out, tears welling in his eyes, his throat became dry and painful… Now they were just playing with their prey. Hezekiah spotted movement, more Stalkers no doubt. They were going to kill the rest of Unity. He tried to muster all of his strength to get back to his feet for a final all-out attack but was swiftly kicked back to the ground onto his back. Now out of breath and in immense pain, the Stalker raised a dagger, going for a killing blow. The silver armor glistened in the short rays of the sunlight that broke through the clouds of snowfall. Hezekiah zoned out completely, only hearing his heartbeat thud like a drummer.

"Thud! Thud!... Thud! Thud!...Thud! Thud!...."

Blood. Not his blood. The Stalker's blood. It burst from the skull, shooting through the armor. A bullet wound.

"Clap! Clap!" A gun off to his left was fired, and the Stalker that stood over Quinn was shot once in the stomach, and again in the arm. A third bullet was fired and buried itself deep into the Stalker's throat. Hezekiah turned to his left to see three shadowy figures approaching from out of the building. Lafayette, Flint, and Cathy.

"Spread out! Get them inside, now!" Lafayette yelled through the fog.

"I can fight the Stalkers! I'll hold them off, you get them inside!" Said Cathy.

"That's a plan! Let's move!"

Hezekiah sighed in relief when he saw Flint rush towards him, "Hey! Buddy! You still alive?" He said with a chuckle.

"I'm fucked up. But I'm up."

"Can you walk?" He asked.

Hezekiah tried to stand but faltered. Flint gave him his hand, and using that as a grip, was able to steady himself onto his own feet despite the pain, "I'm good, but my left arm is useless," he choked out, still in immense pain, "You're early." A little bit of sarcasm sprinkled in to distract from the pain, though it was

"We were busy! We managed to establish communication with Zulu-Nine, they say they've got a rescue coming for us!"

"Really?"

"Yes sir, they say they've got a chopper coming right now. They even alerted us to those Imperial guys out here! What are they called again?"

"Stalkers!"

"Yeah them. They show up on the thermal vision of the drone! We still have a chance!"

Lafayette went over to Otaes while Flint grabbed Quinn. Cathy stood to watch over Temetet and Filo who was just getting to her feet. Her ekron stone was glowing like she was charging it for some large spell. With a wave of her hands, a sphere of red magical energy expanded outwards from her core. Suddenly, the ghosts in the snow became visible, surrounded by red light. The hidden had become revealed, their only strength now being reversed. They stood out like a sore thumb, a solid red outline in the midst of a pure-white snowstorm, glowing like giant targets. The perfect spell. Flint killed one of the now revealed Stalkers with a few taps from his rifle. Another glowing target vanished as soon as a bullet pierced through its chest, fired from Lafayette. Sensing that they were now fighting a losing battle, the rest turned and ran. Six others. They retreated out of the Marines' line of sight, past buildings, and in towards the city until they were no longer visible.

The red glow of the spell vanished, and Cathy looked around. She ran towards Filo, managing to bring the bird up to her feet, though she was dazzled. Otaes was the only one left who couldn't move, and sensing that Filo was alright enough to walk on her own, Cathy went to grab Otaes to drag her inside. The team moved quickly, getting out of the blizzard and into the warmth of the storehouse. Hezekiah nearly collapsed when he reached inside, the hand that he'd been using to cover his stab wound being soaked in fresh warm blood.

"I can help with that, I know healing magic!" Cathy said to Hezekiah.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"No you aren't, you are going to bleed to death if-"

"Just get everybody else first, I'll survive."

Cathy nodded as she kneeled next to Brian, who had received the worst wound of them all. By the looks, a knife straight into his lung. He needed the most immediate attention, and next would be Otaes who was conscious but still bleeding from her leg. Though by the looks of it, she was trying to heal herself. After her, Quinn, also conscious after temporarily losing it, only receiving bruises and scars from the beating he'd been given.

Lafayette detached Brian's medkit from his hip as Cathy worked, he first went over to Flint, opening the bag and handing him bandages and disinfectant. Flint rushed over to Otaes to help with her injuries while Lafayette tended to Hezekiah, using the disinfectant that stung the puncture and wrapping field dressing around it.

With Lafayette's tender care, the bleeding stopped, "Where'd you learn to do that?" Hezekiah asked him.

"I was a Combat Lifesaver before I was in Unity. Did this like clockwork."

"I thought you were more a car enthusiast?"

"I am, but I know my way around a bandage too," He cracked a smile after saying that, tying a loose end, and finishing up.

Flint was doing well with Otaes' leg too. Easily wrapping his field dressing around her leg sealing the wound, "I-I can't heal it… the pain… too distracting," She huffed out.

"Don't worry, we're gonna get you out of here! Just leave it to me!" Flint told her with a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She squinted her eyes, taking in a huge breath as she nodded in confirmation. Perhaps another wave of crippling pain flooding through her. Hezekiah could relate as he felt his wound ache again with a burning internal pain. He'd have to wait for Cathy to finish. Flint tossed Hezekiah the brick that was the Radio, "They want to talk to you!"

[Zulu 9] "This is Zulu Niner to Unity Actual, how copy?"

[Hezekiah] "Unity Actual, boy am I glad to hear you!"

[Zulu 9] "Likewise. Stay frosty, you've got multiple heat signatures still surrounding your building. They are only watching though. Liberty is arriving in ten minutes to get you outta there. Just hang on."

Hezekiah hated that he was saying this, but he needed fire support. The area that the upcoming battle was taking place was free of civilians, luckily the residential buildings being far enough from the coast to provide enough wriggle room for precision drone fire to help out.

[Hezekiah] "Do we have any fire support?"

[Zulu 9] "Negative, Zulu-Eight is preoccupied with the invasion, and all of our gunships are booked. Your transport will have door gunners, they should be able to help, is that clear?"

And of course, the ONE time that the Marines needed fire support, it was unavailable. Classic, 'Ah just shoot me already." Hezekiah thought to himself.

[Hezekiah] "Crystal. Actual, out."

It seemed like the team had gotten everything under control for now. They would have support, and a ride back home coming soon. All they had to do was survive for ten minutes. But that idea would soon be tested as they turned their attention outside. Igraine had once again taken stage front and center. The team being reminded of the massive army ready to turn their world upside down at a moment's notice.

"I see you've fended off my scouting party," Igraine said with a cold smile, "Impressive. But you haven't quite killed them all. In fact, they've told me some rather interesting things about you…"

The team steeled themselves as they braced for whatever info Igraine was going to drop on them, "Two Kiote Elves are with you," She said calling Otaes and Temetet out. Otaes hissed at her words as she struggled to move to see Igraine. Flint tried to restrain her for fear of upsetting her leg injury, but she brushed past his attempts, "Raritans too, healers. It's a shame that I had to burn down your sibling nation… the Cayuga."

"You Demon!" Otaes instantly got to her feet, ignoring the wound, and in a fit of pure rage had managed to load her bow with an arrow intended to pierce straight through Igraine.

"Otaes! No!" Lafayette and Flint both grabbed hold of her arms to restrain her, forcing her to the ground, "You have to chill! We'll get her! Just calm down!"

"Cayuga?" Hezekiah asked aloud.

"They were the sixth nation in the Kiote Confederacy before the Iscariots set out to subjugate the southern nations," Cathy answered him, standing.

"What happened to them?"

"The village was destroyed. Thousands used to live there… now it's a ghost town."

"You know about Kiote history?"

"Of course I do…" She said turning to him, "I was once a soldier under Igraine."

Hezekiah's eyes widened, "You serve her?"

"Used to! I'm a changed person now, I swear!" Cathy affirmed, "Otaes knows that I've renounced everything about that prior life."

Hezekiah turned to Otaes who had succumbed again to her stab wound, she wearily nodded through fits of heavy breathing, "That's right…" was all she said.

"Either way, I'm a rabbit of my word and I offered you a choice. Surrender now or fight. Which is it?" Igraine impatiently demanded.

"What are we doing, sir?" Flint asked Hezekiah.

There wasn't much of a choice. Hezekiah knew that they would be killed if they surrendered anyway, "We fight!"

Flint smiled, "You hear that? Screw you, ya motherfuckers!" He yelled out to the army outside of the window. Igraine must've heard that, as her previously smug smile turned into a slight frown.

"I love it when they fight," Igraine cackled to herself, turning to her soldiers, "Kill them all."

"Oh shit! Everybody fight with what you've got!" Hezekiah ordered, "Cathy, how's the healing looking?"

"It's fine, I'll need a few minutes to get your soldiers and Otaes back-"

"No need!" Otaes thrust her hands over the gash in her leg, summoning enough energy to heal the wound herself. She stood with her bow and arrow in hand, "Just focus on the soldiers, I can fight!"

She took a position at the windows, readying her bow. The Iscariot army wasn't moving though. At least not towards them. They seemed to be taking a defensive position, shields up… they were moving aside for the dragons.

The Marines tried to shoot the dragons, but their bullets were just dinging off of their scales, "What the hell are these things made of?" Lafayette asked aloud as he fired a fifth bullet to no success.

"Dragons are the source of Ekron, their scales are near invincible. You have to target their rider or go for the eyes!" Otaes yelled out.

"Couldn't you have told us that info before now?"

"It didn't matter before now!"

"Alright, change your pattern of fire! Go for the riders!" Hezekiah ordered. Flint aimed down the scope trying to get a clear shot, "When you get a clear shot, you take it!"

Just as he said that a fireball was charged in the Dragon's mouth. Hot red fire angrily glowing in the jaws of the reptilian beast, "Oh shit! Get out! Everybody get out-"

The fireball, fully charged, was released and barrelled towards the storehouse. Colliding with the roof, it exploded, sending shockwaves through the storehouse. Hezekiah was thrown back onto the floor. The sound of panicked yelling filling his ears. Carefully he got up to his feet, able to reorient himself somewhat, "Fall back! Go! Get out of here!" He yelled out. Temetet was awake, and so too was Quinn, both being healed by Cathy. The only person left who couldn't run was… Brian. But with the disorder amongst the team, nobody stopped to pick him up as they vacated the now-on-fire building with a giant gaping hole in the roof.

Hezekiah stopped, right next to him. He had a busted arm, but he could use his free arm to drag Brian out with immense difficulty, "Come on B-Man, I'm getting you out of here! Alive!" He said to the still unconscious, or at least heavily dazed, soldier. It was incredibly hard to tell in the frenzy of the moment. Smaller details just faded into the background, blending into a cocktail of colors, shapes, and vague hints of danger. The only thing that was clear at the moment was that he and Brian both needed to leave. And with that, his right arm grabbed Brian's vest straps, and with all of his might, Hezekiah pulled him out of the collapsing structure. The heat of the fire singed hairs and dampened his clothes with sweat. He nearly fell to the snowy floor in relief when they managed to get out, but they were nowhere close to safety.

The dragon pulled a U-Turn midair, swinging its body, it looked ready to attack once again as the ride pulled on the restraints to line the pair up, "Oh shit! Incoming! Incoming!"

The dragon's wings pulled back and it fell into a nosedive while loose flames spilled out of its mouth, melting snow and burning the dead plants underneath. It was going after Lafayette, who was running with everything he had. Lafayette stumbled over a mound of snow and fell face first, turning around in time to see his incineration by the dragon's breath. That was until an arrow pierced the jelly of its eye, causing the dragon to shriek in pain and fall to the ground, just inches away from Lafayette. The impact of the dragon pushed a layer of snow aside like a shovel, shook the ground, and threw the rider off of the saddle only to be buried under the weight of its mount. The only person capable of a shot like that reloaded her bow with another arrow and rushed over to Lafayette to help him up, "Otaes, you absolute fucking legend!" Lafayette said with a grateful smile as he took her gloved hand into his own, pulling himself up.

"Save the compliments for later," She returned the smile. Damn, she was cool.

The dragon rider, wearing red armor with horns all over, was killed only a few moments later by a bullet from Flint, "To the Waterfront! We can take cover in the cranes and hold them off!" Hezekiah informed.

"Won't they just burn that down too?" Flint asked.

"It's our safest bet! No time to explore other options!" Hezekiah told him, hauling Brian once again. Quinn came up to him with his arms out.

"I'll take him off your hands. You lead the way!" Quinn told him. Hezekiah nodded in appreciation at the kind gesture, handing Brian's unconscious body off to Quinn, who held him in his hands.

"Let's go! Now!" Cathy reminded, pointing to a second dragon who was lining up for attack. The team burst into a full sprint. Quinn and Filo being the two slowest, Quinn carrying a literal body, and Filo wearing all the wrong clothes for this situation. Plus she wasn't a fighter. Just a civilian. The second dragon would catch up to one of the two if something wasn't done. Hezekiah knew that, and he began searching for his pistol as he ran, the dragon catching up more and more until it was right on their heels.

He grabbed the pistol, unholstered it, and spun around. Time once again slowing down for him. He aimed for the rider, though the difficulty of holding the gun steady on target while running backward was immense. The dragon descended upon Filo. It would get her soon… Figuring he had nothing to lose, he took a shot.

The dragon rider fell off the back of the lizard, a stream of blood trailing behind it. A clean headshot. It rolled onto the floor and the dragon crashed right on top of him, presumably crushing him underneath the massive weight of the scaly beast.

Hezekiah puffed, his cheeks forming a stupid smile so wide it could cross an ocean. He pumped his fist in self-congratulation, "Yes!" He let out a squeal as he turned back to run.

"Nice fucking shot, Hez!" He heard Quinn's voice behind him. Hezekiah only held a thumbs up, too out of breath to say thanks to him. Either way, they were gone, headed towards the waterfront where a quay jutted into the river. The quay supported a line of cranes, Large circular stone towers with iron contraptions on the top to lift things into place. They would hold there and wait for assistance. The bulk of the Iscariot Army would struggle to keep up unless only a few units went out at a time to suppress them, Igraine was probably banking on the Dragons barbecuing them alive but the team proved too resilient for that. Now they would have to fight off waves of ground forces on the quay. Hezekiah slipped a bit from a little ice that had formed on the stone surface of the quay, luckily he managed to bounce back with a push from his good arm.

The team chose one crane as their temporary safe haven. Lafayette kicked the locked door down, popping it open with a boom, and they all rushed inside. Safe. For now. There were no windows inside, only a large wooden contraption sat inside the tower. Ropes, pullies, weights, counterbalances, and large wheels hung above them, suspended in rather impressive work for a pre-industrial society. Hezekiah took his mind off of the marvels of construction before engines, and instead focused on the far more important situation at hand.

Temetet was awake, though stunned. He hadn't said a word since being abruptly woken by the fireball crashing through the storehouse, "What the hell is going on?" He asked hints of both shock and fear peppered his voice.

"It's a really long story, Tem," His sister put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll explain everything when we get out of here-"

"If we get out of here!" Cathy interjected. She pointed further inland towards the destroyed storehouse. They all followed where she was looking and saw that the Imperial Army had overtaken the old position. Hundreds of soldiers were lined up, ready to charge at a moment's notice. The team would have to make their final stand here on the river's edge. It looked like they were all preparing for one final push to butcher the team.

"They are holding back That gives us time to recover!" Hezekiah said.

Otaes turned to him, "I can heal your arm now, Cathy can cover Brian! We need your guns to fight! May I?"

"Go ahead," Hezekiah said taking his vest and coat off, showing the bloody bandages to the elf. She gently unwrapped it, prodding around to perhaps get an idea of how deep the puncture was. When she felt confident, she closed her eyes, and just like with Quinn when he had been burned, a blue glow surrounded his shoulder. He felt a tingling sensation, and then the feeling of a hard pinch from inside his arm. But soon all the pain vanished.

He looked down at his arm, his brown skin was still covered in red blood, but the wound was no longer. A ghastly smile appeared on his face, "Yeah… that'll work," He said with a chuckle. Still in disbelief at the way a wound so dangerous could be healed so fast.

Otaes patted his shoulder with a smile, "It's what we Raritans train for, don't worry about it."

Hezekiah looked away from her for a moment to eye Brian. Cathy was struggling to help him, unable to heal the wound as fast as Otaes had, "I'm not trained in healing," she flatly said when she noticed the sudden pressure of eyes weighing on her back, "I'm a warrior… not a doctor. I was able to stabilize his condition, but I cannot do anything more."

"That's fine. As long as he's alive until we can get outta here," Hezekiah told her.

"How do you plan on leaving?" Cathy asked him standing up, "We're surrounded! Unless your army manages to get past the Guard in a few minutes, we are all going to die here!"

"You haven't seen what we can do," Hezekiah reassured her, "Just help us fight, and I promise, we will get out of here alive…"

"But-"

"Just trust me! Alright?"

Cathy gave him a half-impressed look, clearly not convinced all the way. But she resigned, "Sure."

"Thanks. Unity, make every shot count. Let these assholes know who they're messing with!"

"Oorah!"

After the short banter, a silence swept over them. The Marines took point just behind the open door, no Imperials. Nothing. Not that they could see much of anything, anyways.

[Zulu 9] "Be advised, you have multiple heat signatures approaching the Quay, they're surrounding you."

[Hezekiah] "Roger. What's the ETA on our ride?"

[Zulu 9] "Uh… any minute now, just hang on a sec."

"Oh-no please- take your goddamn time!" Hezekiah hissed at the radio, handing it back to Flint.

He took another peek outside, still nothing. The Stalkers were out there, he knew it. They were probably keeping an eye on the team for the rest of the army. He hoped that they could maybe slip through before the main army approached, but then he heard the sound of distant marching. The familiar crunch of boots pushing aside snow and hitting the stone floors of the Quay.

"That's them, I'll bet!" Lafayette was the first to acknowledge, "Gotta be at least a hundred guys! They outnumber us 50 to one."

"Then it's a fair fight!" Quinn said with a smirk, "We've got guns, magic, and the warrior elves. We can do this, right Hez?"

"Yeah…." Hezekiah trailed off. He and everyone else held the knowledge that Unity wasn't invincible out here. For the Marines, they figured that the only reason for their survival had to be supernatural luck. Lucky chance after lucky chance helped them to narrowly avoid death and failure. Now, their only lifeline was Liberty. Their ride home. The Imperials marched closer. The blizzard seemed to wane, dying softly little by little. Less snow filled the air. The squad could see clearer. But it was only by a bit. Now they could see the full extent of the situation 1that they were in. The Iscariot army was closing.

"Remember, only shoot when their shields are down! Got that?" Hezekiah asked.

The Marines nodded in acknowledgment, "Fire at will dammit!"

Like a barrage of massive fireworks, the guns began to scream into the air. Each bullet was like the streak of lightning crawling through the skies, followed by the clap of roaring thunder. Hot Lead swarmed the field like raindrops in a thunderstorm. And each one had a target. The Iscariots lines had been caught unaware by the first burst of fire from the Marines, and after at least twenty had dropped in the snow, only then did they pull up the shields.

"Hold your fire!"

Silence. Nobody moved a single muscle. The initial burst of bullets had stunned the Iscariots and they were forced to rethink their angle of attack. Do they stop? Do they continue forward? Do they try to find another way around? Do they burn down the cranes and cause even more damage to their own infrastructure? They had to readjust.

"Fuck yeah! You Muthafuckas still don't impress me!" Flint taunted the Iscariot army in a language they could not comprehend. The team was given more time. Their only lifeline was enough time. Any second now…

Cathy's ears twitched, "I heard something."

"What is it?" Otaes asked her.

"I… I don't know. It's in the air."

The team pressed their ears to the sky to try and figure out what she was hearing. The Iscariots shuffled awkwardly in their boots, looking around. Whatever Cathy was hearing, they heard it too. The Marines and Elves struggled to understand what could be the cause of such trouble. Their ears weren't built the same way that ears of the demi-humans were.

Temetet was the first to ask her, "What does it sound like?"

"I have… no clue."

"What noise is it making?" He asked again.

Cathy put a paw to her chin, her rabbit ears stretching right up to catch the sound, "Kind of like a… whir?"

"A whir?" Temetet and Otaes both asked in surprise.

"Yeah… like the sound of wings in the air. But this is much faster."

The Marines knew what it was the moment she said it, Hezekiah's lips twisted into a smile of nothing but pure relief, "That's our ride…"

The whir of helicopter blades vibrated the air. The Iscariot lines, shields still up, were dumbfounded. Their leadership looked as if they didn't know whether or not running away, or standing their ground would be their best option. To the Marines, the less they knew, the better. Soon the sound was followed by a shadowy picture. The somewhat circular silhouette of a helicopter appeared through the snowstorm, and then it became visible. Marine Corps markings, a grey paint job, and doors ajar revealing two soldiers.

"Wh-what is that? It looks like a dragon!" Now Cathy was the one asking the Marines for info. She looked terrified of the thing, her stance one of a defensive posture, ready to turn face and run as far away as possible. Ears rested behind her head, eyes wide.

"It's what we in the business call a chopper! That's one of our guys, don't worry."

"Your people are responsible for that… thing?" Cathy asked, not totally convinced.

"Yeah. It won't hurt you! I promise."

Cathy didn't respond, only grasping the Ekron stone in her hands, probably as a just-in-case.

The Iscariots too had been taken back by the vehicle. A few had taken cautionary steps backward, trying to distance themselves from the Venom transport helicopter. It slowed its course and hovered a little over thirty meters off the ground. The blades of the helicopter kicked up snow and dust into the air and turned the already hectic snowstorm into an absolute frenzy. The Iscariots watched it, now completely unsure of what to do. That is until the door gunners opened fire.

Bright gold was the color of the two mini-guns decimating the Iscariot lines. Bodies doubled over and fell, hitting the cold hard ground at a rate impossible for Unity to achieve. It ripped holes in the Iscariot formation and tore them apart. The two guns made a loud 'BRRRT!' while shooting, buzzing as they spat death.

Shields were raised, which protected the mages only for a few seconds, until the dark red of the shields quickly faded to grey, and shattered. The mages were no match for the intensity of the guns. The Imperials shouted orders, and the surviving soldiers got to their feet to scatter.

"HELL YEAH! GET SOME, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

"WOOH BABY! OORAH!"

"LET'S. FUCKING. GO!"

The Marines pounded fists and let out bold exclamations in pure excitement at the contraption. The elf duo, Cathy and Filo, looked in astonishment. Haven seen nothing like it before.

[Liberty] "This is Liberty 1-3 here. We've got them on the run. Stand clear of the LZ, we're landing."

[Hezekiah] "Roger, 3-1. Good fucking show! Thanks for the assist."

[Liberty] "Don't thank us. Thank Newman. She wants a word for you when we touchdown. Standby."

Newman? Hezekiah's smile was knocked off of his face when he heard her name. Newman was… here? Surely, Liberty must've meant that she wanted to speak back at base. Right? Hezekiah turned back to his soldiers, who were cheering. They even got the elves and Filo to join in the celebratory yelling too. Cathy stood back with a look of awe speaking all the words that her tongue couldn't. He was the only one who felt dread in the group.

The Venom hovered a while over the stone floor of the quay, and then made a touchdown on solid ground. Hezekiah felt the strong gush of wind come from the spinning blades. The right door was open, facing towards them. The Marines were the first to head towards the helicopter, everyone else following close behind them. Quinn had picked up Brian, carrying him over his own shoulders. They moved fast, covering the short distance between the crane and the chopper. Hezekiah nearly hesitated when he saw Newman herself appear inside.

"Unity! You idiots had us all scared for a second!" She cracked a smile, shifting from her usual stern and somewhat uptight tone to a more casual one.

"Let's just say our mission wasn't necessarily a stroll in the park," Lafayette said, as he was the first to pull himself up into the ride. Newman's eyes turned from him and focused on Hezekiah, and he froze right there. A mix of both anger and fear sept through his blood. What would she do now that Unity had committed a war crime? What would he do now that she was standing right there as the officer who ordered them to carry it out?

"Brooks?"

"Captain…"

"We'll talk when we get back to base," She said, her professional tone once again showing its face. Hezekiah huffed. Sure, he'd have a word or two to say. He had a massive bone to pick with both her and Jefferson. He said nothing in return, as the elves boarded after Quinn hauled Brian inside and loaded himself in. Newman stopped them all when Cathy and Filo approached, "Who the hell are these two?" She asked.

"This is Cathy! Leader of the Reformation in the Iscariot Empire. And with her is Filo, the daughter of Governor Lombardy," Otaes informed her from inside of the helicopter.

"The Reformation?"

"That's the political group that we have allies with, remember we told yourself and Jefferson of it?" Otaes asked again, reminding her.

Newman seemed to remember as she turned to Cathy, "I see… well then Cathy. Come on aboard-"

"I'm afraid they can't hop on! Orders are for Marines and the elves only, no civilians! Sorry, ma'am!" Said the co-pilot from inside the cockpit.

"Oh that's quite alright, Captain Newman from Ithaca, I presume?"

"That's right. You're the leader of the Reformation right?"

"One of them. The Marines you've sent did an excellent job of protecting us, I'm forever grateful."

"Don't thank me," Newman told her, "You've got Unity to thank for that."

For once, Hezekiah smiled. That was reassuring, to see Newman giving him and his squad the credit for doing something good.

"So what is it that you 'Reformists' are doing now?" Newman asked her.

"We're beginning a revolution."

"For what?"

"For freedom! We fight against the Imperials too!"

"So I see we have common enemies."

"What do you fight for?" Cathy asked her.

"We just fight the bad guys. When is your revolution taking place?"

"That I cannot tell you. My soldiers wear blue arm and headbands. Your forces can find me at the Minervan City Hall, there you'll find either myself or one of my commanders."

Newman slowly nodded, "I can't give you a ride there, you know."

"We'll find our own way back. The Imperials don't even know we were with you. "

The Captain was clearly still in the process of deciding whether or not to consider the Reformation as friendly. Meddling in the affairs of a foreign country was something that should be decided upon by experts and politicians. Not field commanders. The Reformation could be terrorists for all Newman knew, but judging by the actions of the Marines recently, were the Marines really any better than that?

"We'll stay in touch. I'll talk to my superiors. And if they give us clearance, we'll meet again."

"That's fine. You know where to find me!" Cathy said with a wave. Hezekiah boarded the helicopter, taking a seat and strapping himself in. Both Filo and Cathy took a few steps away from the helicopter, as the Venom began to lift up and into the air. With the elegance of a dove taking to the skies, the helicopter and the occupants inside lifted into the air and moved forward, flying above the streets and homes, flying above the still retreating Iscariot army. Flying back home.

Cathy and Filo watched as they left. Standing their ground.

"So those were the Ithacans…right?" Filo asked when the helicopter disappeared into the storm.

"Mhm."

"They were the ones behind the attacks-"

"I know. I know," Cathy admitted. Filo gave her a look of disappointment but said nothing more as she looked up to see if the helicopter was still visible. It was not. Cathy shuffled a bit, "Igraine and her army are gonna return soon, let's get back to the City Hall."

"After you…"