Heartstone

The air was thick with anticipation and the scent of old stone and dust as Arthur and the brave citizens of Gursh marched toward the Lunas Base. Their makeshift armor clinked with every step, pitchforks and rakes gripped with white-knuckled determination. The ruins of forgotten buildings loomed over them on either side like silent witnesses to history in the making, their crumbling facades whispering tales of past glories and forgotten atrocities.

Straight ahead, the silhouette of the Lunas Base began to take shape under the orange glow of the waking sun. Towers jutted like broken teeth against the sky, and dark figures patrolled the walls with rigid discipline.

Arthur raised his bow into the air and shouted, "Do not falter! What will happen today will be etched in the very bones of this land—that the citizens of Gursh never surrendered, not until the last breath escaped our lungs!"

The mob answered with thunderous roars of agreement, their cries reverberating off stone walls and echoing across the ravaged cityscape like the cry of a phoenix reborn.

Unseen by the main force, Toby and Reu flanked the sides of the procession, slipping into the ruins to scout for ambushes. Toby, silent and sharp-eyed, moved through crumbling walls on the left, his breath quiet as mist. Reu, more methodical, crept along the right, his hand never leaving the hilt of his newly reforged sword—a blade once shattered by betrayal, now reborn in fire and vengeance.

In the Lunas watchtower, a sentinel squinted into the dawn.

"The Paladins are here!" he shouted.

But he was wrong. What he saw was not a trained battalion, but common people, armed with courage and desperation, marching not for conquest, but survival.

From behind the walls, Killi, the right-hand chief of the Lunas knights, signaled the ambush with a flaming arrow that streaked into the sky like a vengeful comet.

Reu's keen eyes caught the movement. The Lunas ambushers burst from the shadows like demons loosed from a cursed tomb.

"Here they come!" Reu roared, and charged.

His sword, aglow with nearly-forgotten techniques, shimmered ominously under the dim glow of the bloodied dawn. The first enemy lunged with a scream, but Reu spun low, his blade slicing clean through the tendons behind the knee. The Luna knight collapsed with a howl, and before his body hit the ground, Reu brought his hilt down like a hammer, shattering the skull of another assailant with a sickening crunch. Bone fragments flew. Blood sprayed across his gauntlet and into his eyes.

Another knight, taller and clad in heavier armor, raised a halberd with both hands, aiming for Reu's chest. Reu sidestepped, parried the strike with a clang that sparked in the gloom, then twisted beneath the knight's guard. With a primal roar, he drove his sword through the knight's breastplate, the steel shrieking as it split iron and ribs. The knight gurgled and collapsed, eyes wide in frozen shock, blood pouring from his mouth in hot, steaming rivulets.

"You're strong," Reu growled, voice hoarse and eyes wild, "but I am stronger!" He danced between blows like a whirlwind of death. His armor, soaked in sweat and gore, gleamed dully as he carved down opponent after opponent. A throat slit here, a sword through the gut there—his strikes were merciless and precise, each one executed with the detached efficiency of a man who had seen too much war to flinch now. The ground beneath his boots turned slick with blood.

On the left flank, Toby activated his flicker ability. In a blur, he disappeared and reappeared behind two Luna ambushers, delivering bone-crushing punches to their spines. The first fell instantly, limbs twitching uncontrollably. Another charged with a spear, but Toby flickered again, appearing mid-air and slamming down with both fists. The ground cracked beneath the force. Bones broke like twigs.

"You think you can surprise me? Wrong target," Toby growled, eyes glowing faintly.

As the sounds of battle echoed from both flanks, the mob grew anxious.

"Do not waver!" Arthur shouted. "Our comrades are clearing the path. Forward!"

From the two watchtowers, archers loosed a rain of arrows. Arthur quickly pulled his bow and shot with unerring accuracy, taking them down one by one, his arrows finding throats, eyes, and hearts.

"Charge!" he bellowed.

The citizens roared, advancing with a cry that threatened to shake the very heavens.

In the base, Killi received a report.

"Boss! They're not Paladins. They're... they're city's folks!"

Killi sneered. "Then let's welcome them. OPEN THE GATES AND SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!"

The gates creaked open, and the elite Luna ashkins surged forward. The battle erupted like a thunderclap. Spears clashed with rakes, swords met pitchforks. Blood sprayed in wide arcs. Screams of agony and rage filled the air.

Arthur fought like a storm, slamming his bow into enemies, drawing arrows and shooting at point-blank range. He ducked under a swing, rolled forward, and skewered a Luna knight through the gut.

Back on the right flank, Reu stood panting, his sword dripping with blood. Then he heard it—chains dragging across concrete. A figure emerged from the shadows. Killa.

"So, you're the beast biting at our sides," she hissed.

Reu readied his sword.

Killa struck first, her chained dagger dancing through the air. Reu barely dodged, parrying a strike only to get caught by the chain's recoil. It cut across his cheek.

"Too slow," she mocked.

Reu lunged, slashing in a whirlwind of steel, but Killa moved like smoke. They traded blows—his brute force against her speed and cunning.

"You Lunas never fight fair!" Reu shouted.

"War isn't fair!" she replied, swinging the dagger in a deadly arc that grazed his thigh.

Toby, on the other hand, had cleared his flank, standing over a pile of unconscious and groaning enemies.

"That's that," he muttered, brushing dust and blood from his sleeves.

Then he saw them—an approaching force with polished armor and fluttering banners reading Justice & Honor.

Arthur spotted them too.

"This is not good. We'll be caught in the middle!"

From behind, Killi laughed. "Running out of options, Arthur? You're cornered."

Before despair could set in, a shadow dropped into their ranks. Toby.

"Push forward, Arthur! Don't stop now!"

Arthur's eyes burned with renewed fire. "Everyone! Advance! For Gursh!"

The citizens roared louder than ever. Yet their numbers thinned with every step. Friends fell beside them. Blood ran in rivers.

Back at the camp, Brea stared at Enci, who lay asleep.

"I'm sorry, Enci. I have to help them," she whispered, her voice trembling with both guilt and resolve.

Gently, she knelt beside him, brushing a strand of hair from his brow. "Sleep peacefully, kid," she murmured, placing a sleep-inducing herbal leaf beneath his pillow, a subtle farewell only the two of them would understand.

Moving with the stealth of twilight, she slipped from the tent, heart pounding. Outside, the cool air wrapped around her like a final embrace of safety before the storm. She whistled softly—the sound carried through the silent camp like a secret call.

From beyond the trees, her steed responded, hooves thudding urgently as it galloped toward her. Without hesitation, Brea mounted, her cloak flaring behind her like wings in the wind. She spurred the horse forward, wind biting her cheeks, eyes set on the horizon where fire and battle painted the dawn.

With every gallop, she whispered a silent promise to return. She would not let them fall—not today.

Halfway, she saw two paladins heading toward the same direction. Curious, she followed, stopping near the Paladin base. It was oddly quiet.

"Why so few guards?"

Slipping over the wall using a wooden pole, Brea infiltrated the base. She found the war tent. Inside, a large map marked with paths and battalions.

"No... Arthur's group will be caught between two forces!"

Suddenly, a groan echoed through the quiet tent.

Hundra stirred, his slim frame rising like a shadow from the mat.

"Who are you!? Guards!" he bellowed, voice coarse with sleep and fury.

Brea's heart seized. Instinct took over. She lunged forward, grabbing the nearest thing—an old wooden staff—and struck him across the shoulder.

Hundra snarled, barely fazed. "You should've hit harder," he growled through clenched teeth, fury igniting in his bloodshot eyes.

Still groggy but fueled by raw rage, Hundra lunged at her with surprising speed. Brea yelped, stumbling backward, her heel catching on a toppled chair. She crashed into a rack of armor with a metallic clatter, struggling to regain balance.

"Please! I don't want to fight!" she pleaded, voice cracking, palms raised in surrender.

"Fight or die!" Hundra roared, spittle flying from his lips as he swung his fist. The blow missed by inches, grazing her cloak.

The tent became a flurry of motion, panic, and the clanging of shifting metal. Brea knew she couldn't escape now—she had to stand her ground or fall trying.

As he raised his sword, the bracelet on Brea's wrist shimmered. Sigils spun around it—lightning, water, fire.

"What is this...?"

Hundra lunged again. Instinctively, Brea raised her hand. A spark shot out, stunning him.

"Wha—What was that?!" Hundra exclaimed, stumbling backward, eyes wide in disbelief.

A faint glow pulsed from Brea's wrist, the strange bracelet now swirling with light and unfamiliar symbols. Sparks flickered in the air between them.

"You… you have a Heartstone?" Hundra gasped, his voice trembling with a mix of shock and fear. "How—how did you come by that?!"

Seizing the moment, Brea scrambled to her feet and put several feet between them, heart thundering in her chest. Her fingers tingled with energy, her mind still reeling from what just happened.

"I... I don't know what this is," she said breathlessly, but raised her palm with resolve. "LIGHTNING!"

A sputtering trickle of water burst out from her hand, landing harmlessly on the tent floor.

Hundra blinked. Then he threw back his head and roared with laughter. "That's it? That's your big attack?"

He pointed mockingly at the wet spot near her boot. "What are you going to do, splash me to death?"

"Lightning!" she cried again.

This time, a fireball erupted. Hundra dodged but was off balance.

"You brat! You got surprises!"

"Is this bracelet broken?!" Brea shouted.